Love is Beyond Romance

They say love stories are written in heaven.

But the funny part is… we humans keep editing them on Earth.

There’s one story I once heard,

about Krishna and a boy named Arjun.

No, not the one from Kurukshetra.

This Arjun was from our times,

He had Wi-Fi, heartbreak, and a playlist full of Arijit Singh.

He once sat by the riverside, angry, confused,

throwing pebbles into the water like they were his emotions.

And that’s when Krishna appeared.

Not with a chakra and a crown,

but in jeans, a half-sleeve kurta, and that same old calm smile.

Arjun looked up and sighed,

“Oh great, even God has time to show up when I’m crying.”

Krishna chuckled,

“Crying isn’t the problem, Arjun.

Thinking you shouldn’t, that’s the problem.”

Arjun frowned,

“Don’t give me philosophy, Krishna.

She left. She said she needed space.

And now I’m here, trying to fill it with ice cream and bad decisions.”

Krishna sat beside him, dipping His feet into the river.

“Tell me, Arjun… what did you love most about her?”

Arjun thought for a moment.

“Her laugh. The way she made silence feel safe.”

Krishna smiled.

“And do you love the way your friends make you laugh?”

Arjun nodded.

Krishna Said:

“Then you still have love.”

“And when your mother calls just to check if you ate?”

He nodded again.

Krishna Said:

“Then you still have love.”

Krishna leaned back.

“So tell me, Arjun…

If love can live in all these forms,

Why do you bury it inside one heartbreak?”

Arjun stayed quiet.

For the first time, the river’s ripples looked like answers.

Krishna spoke softly,

“You humans… You confuse attachment with affection.

You think love means ‘mine.’

But love never needed ownership.

It just needed presence.”

Arjun looked up, eyes moist.

“So what do I do now?”

Krishna smiled that timeless smile,

“Do what I did, Arjun.

Love without expecting.

Care without counting.

And when it hurts, let it.

Because love that only feels good… isn’t love.

It’s convenience.”

Arjun laughed through his tears,

“So you’re saying love is pain?”

Krishna shook His head.

“No. Love is growth.

Pain is just the tuition fee.”

Arjun looked at the horizon,

the river glowing gold under the evening sun.

For the first time, it didn’t hurt as much.

He stood up, wiped his face, and said,

“Okay, fine. Maybe love isn’t gone.

It’s just… learning new clothes.”

Krishna smiled.

“Exactly. Love never leaves, Arjun.

It just changes its costume,

sometimes as a mother,

sometimes a friend,

sometimes… even as solitude.”

And with that, Krishna stood up,

his reflection fading in the river light.

But Arjun heard one last whisper,

floating between the breeze and the water.

“Remember, Arjun,

Love isn’t about who stays in your story,

It’s about what stays in your heart.”

The boy smiled… not because someone loved him,

but because he finally understood what every heartbreak had been trying to teach him all along.

That love… was never just about romance.

It was always something beyond.

Because…. “Love… Is Beyond Romance.”

#flashfiction #storywriting #storytelling #life #love