ZAID & GAURI: The Love That Was Never Allowed

A tale of how far a man can walk, bleed, and rise — all for the woman he loves.

It began like nothing. Just another school morning — chatter bursting through the hallways, laughter echoing off lockers, the usual chaos of teenagers lost in their own worlds.

Until she walked past him.Gauri Tripathi — a girl who carried sunlight in her smile, who found joy in dance and in the rhythm of her Shankar music. Bright eyes, quick grin, her saree-inspired uniform swaying softly as she moved with effortless grace.

 And in that moment, Zaid Iqbal — a goofy, nonchalant boy who had no real aim in life except avoiding studies and embracing laziness — forgot everything. He forgot the joke he was telling, the conversation he was in, even the noise around him. Something inside him stopped... and something else began.They were in the same grade, and she was his best friend's sister — off-limits, untouchable. 

Yet every time she passed, his chest tightened, his heartbeat stumbled, and the world blurred around her presence. And Gauri noticed. She caught the way his eyes lingered, how he tried to hide it and failed each time. And yes... she liked it. 

Maybe she shouldn't have teased him, maybe she should've walked away — but she didn't. His gaze didn't unsettle her; it stirred something quiet and unfamiliar.What began as harmless teasing soon grew into a tension neither of them could ignore. 

Until reality hit. Zaid — a Muslim. She — the daughter of a family that would never accept such love. She hadn't even realized his faith at first, but when she did, her heart sank. 

Her brother might have understood. Her mother might have softened. But her father? Never. His pride, his beliefs, his rigid boundaries — they were walls no one could climb.But Zaid didn't care. 

He had already fallen too deep. So he changed — slowly, painfully, willingly. He stopped eating non-veg. 

Stopped drinking. Stopped smoking. Stopped laughing the carefree laugh that once defined him. Because to him, love meant sacrifice. 

And Gauri was worth every sacrifice he could offer.

But no matter how much he gave, the world demanded more.

 People whispered. Families warned. Her father threatened. And one day, everything shattered. Zaid was told to stay away.

 Gauri was told to forget. And just like that — the laughter, the teasing, the stolen glances — dissolved into silence.

 They were torn apart before they could even begin; their love didn't end, it was crushed.

Yet crushed doesn't always mean gone. And so the question remains — will they ever find an ending that belongs only to them?

Deewangi Writess