Jewelyn Liberato

Arare type of heartbreak, derived from what may have been but never was, is the heartbreak of the love that never happened—a kind of love that only lives in our thoughts, one that we create by filling in the blanks with our aspirations and wishes. When it crumbles, we are left to reflect on what might have been and lament the loss of unfulfilled love.

Love and springtime have always gone hand in hand. Birds chirping, butterflies soaring, and people falling head over heels in love are all clichés of the season. People discover and unearth seasons, and count days all through this time. People start to imagine what it might be like to fall head over heels in love when the concept of love is glorified. But occasionally, no matter how much one wants it, love just doesn't unfold. Many and most people fall in love for the first time when they are either too young or rather old. The emotions you have for that person are fervid and uncontrollable, permeating the entire surface of the earth just like the atmosphere that girdles around them—it's a love that carries with them like a radiant beam of light, a direct line running parallel to their heart.

Nevertheless, what happens if that love never comes to fruition? If just fragments of memories are left and one's life begins to center around someone who was never truly theirs to begin with. A special form of sadness might result from a love that never materialized. Thoughts of what might have been are like phantom whispers that accompany a person everywhere it goes—they plague them with visions of what might have happened if circumstances had been different or if fortune had been more forgiving. Sadness over a potential love that never happened might feel like an unbearable burden— like trying to grab something you can see but have trouble getting your hands on. A person may feel lost and alone as a result of their unfulfilled desire for a relationship that's never even materialized.

Sometimes the weight of what might have been is so great that it feels suffocating. One's heart may feel like it is under a heavy burden as a result of the anguish of an unfulfilled love. It's as if a dream were stolen from you, leaving you with a hollow sense of grief and disappointment. The mind is overrun with possibilities, leading to a persistent agony that never seems to go away— it’s like a huge, unbridgeable hole in the soul. The intense yearning for something that was never really genuinely possessed can leave one feeling confused and skeptical of themselves. Whilst grief can be so overwhelming that it keeps a person up at night and in a permanent state of yearning and sorrow— a heartbreak that rips open deep wounds and may never completely heal.

At its core, it is human nature per se to crave change and a new reality, especially when it comes to matters of the heart. We long for a cosmic change that will knock us off our feet and completely alter our lives; however, it can be disheartening to realize that this kind of uprising might never occur. It is just like being helpless to halt or alter a robust storm as it passes by.

Yet, when the clouds have cleared, we are able to see the earth clearly for the first time, much like the constellations. Even though we are powerless to change the past or the course of the universe, the present can nonetheless be filled with beauty and meaning. It serves as a great reminder that despite enduring heartache and disappointment, we can still find happiness and purpose in our lives. Who knows? We might even stumble into an entirely novel type of love that we had never imagined.

Concomitantly, the result of two people running into each other is unexpected. They might discover that they are getting closer than they ever imagined, merging to form one, and creating something new and beautiful.

On the other side, they can run into each other and wreck each other, leaving a trail of suffering and misery in their wake. We risk upsetting this delicate equilibrium every time we let someone into our lives. Even if it means denying the prospect of something higher, we cling to what we already know, what is cozy, and what is familiar. But if we are prepared to make that leap, to set aside our assumptions, and to embrace the unknown, we might find a world of limitless potential, a place where we can develop, change, and be shaped into something even more extraordinary than we could have ever envisioned.

In essence, the need for unfulfilled love is comparable to a melody that lingers in our minds— an elusive melody that we are never able to fully grasp. We can nearly taste the rose's bittersweet perfume, but we can never truly appreciate it. The human heart is a tricky, erratic instrument that is subject to change and the environment. More often than not, we tend to isolate ourselves from others and refuse to see the connection that exists between us and them. However, there is still hope even in the middle of heartache and disappointment. Despite the harsh truths of life, joy and significance can still be discovered—just like a flower that blossoms in the desert. The unfulfilled love may be a forgotten hope, but it also serves as a reminder of the beauty and frailty of the human heart.

The love that never happened can be both a blessing and a curse; whereas, it could turn into a voracious appetite that consumes us and makes us oblivious to the reality of life. We risk missing out on the real connections that are right in front of us because we become too obsessed with our idealized conception of love. Contrarily, this illicit affection might give us hope and lead us to consider fresh alternatives— it can serve as a potent reminder that love and hope can endure despite dismal disappointments and heartaches, and regardless of our best efforts, we often have no control over how our lives will turn out. Thereupon, we can find comfort in the knowledge that we are capable of intense love and passion, even in the face of grief and disappointment. An unfulfilled love's agony can serve as a growth-promoting stimulant by enticing us to look for fresh opportunities and investigate new modes of connection. In turn, a love that never happened can ultimately serve as a monument to the human spirit's tenacity and our potential for optimism and healing.

In the midst of it all, sometimes we have to recognize that the one who got away was never really ours, even though it hurts to let go. We might cling to the past and the what-ifs, but we also need to create room for fresh opportunities and new loves. And who knows, perhaps in the future we will reflect on the "one that got away" with feelings of gratitude for the lessons they provided for us and the doors they unlocked. Life is a journey, after all, and often the most romantic love stories are the ones that never happened.