Does Every Relationship Have an Expiry?

Does Every Relationship Have an Expiry?

I was talking to a friend today, and somehow, as conversations often do, we stumbled into a topic that neither of us expected to debate so passionately.

Do relationships really have an expiry date?

He sat there, confident, almost resigned, saying, "Every relationship, sooner or later, comes to an end."

I disagreed. Somewhere deep inside, a stubborn voice whispered no, not every bond is meant to break.

It made me wonder, really wonder: if relationships do have expiry dates, what does that say about the love, the trust, the memories we build with someone?

Can a bond that once held pieces of your soul simply...expire?

When I say "relationship," I don’t just mean the stories woven between lovers.

I mean everything relationships with parents, siblings, friends, teachers, strangers who once meant everything for a season of your life.

Do any of these truly end?

Or do they just transform into memories, into lessons tucked away in the quiet corners of our hearts?

From where I stand, there are only two reasons why a relationship truly ends:

One, when death takes someone away, leaving behind a silence too heavy for words.

And two, when two people, once so deeply intertwined, wake up and realize they no longer wish to walk the same path.

But even then, does the feeling die?

Maybe the relationship changes its form. Maybe the anger softens into indifference. Maybe love melts into a distant gratitude.

Maybe the promises we made still echo somewhere, long after the voices have gone quiet.

In today's world, though, relationships seem...disposable.

People move on from each other faster than seasons change.

One misunderstanding, one uncomfortable truth and suddenly it’s easier to walk away than to sit down and work things out.

Adjustments, patience, loyalty these words seem too heavy for a generation that craves instant fixes.

Sometimes I wonder, have we lost the courage to hold on?

Or are we just too afraid to get hurt, so we leave before someone else can leave us?

Speaking for myself, I take time before I end anything.

I fight. I wait. I give chances.

If I care, I hold on for longer than I should.

I fight battles alone just to preserve a connection that sometimes the other person has already given up on.

But when I finally let go, I do it completely.

And no matter how many years pass, no matter how many conversations we may have in the future,

the bond can never be the same again.

The thread will always be weaker, stitched with memories instead of trust.

The day comes when I finally let go, I do so with the understanding that I cannot return things to how they once were.

Maybe someday, I’ll smile at them from across a crowded room. Maybe we’ll exchange a few polite words.

But the bond we shared the version of us that once existed will have already lived its life.

Sometimes people grow apart, and that's not anyone’s fault.

Growth demands space. It demands change.

And perhaps the expiry of certain relationships is not a tragedy, but a necessary evolution.

Still, it hurts, doesn’t it?

To know that someone who once knew your secrets, your laugh, your silences might someday feel like a stranger.

And yet, despite everything, I believe real relationships don't end easily.

They are not erased by distance or silence.

They stay, tucked quietly in the heart, untouched by time.

Some bonds are too deep to expire.

They might grow silent, but they never truly die.

Because love, in any form, once given, leaves a mark that no expiry date can erase.

Maybe some relationships aren't meant to last a lifetime.

Maybe they come into our lives to teach us something, to shape us, to leave fingerprints on our hearts before walking away.

Maybe expiry doesn't always mean failure it just means evolution.

But still, a part of me hopes hopes that the relationships worth keeping won't need fixing or forcing.

They'll survive the storms, the silences, the seasons.

They'll evolve, but they'll stay.

Because I believe,

real relationships don't end easily.

They leave echoes, they leave marks,

and sometimes, they leave behind a little more of who we are.

I would love to know what others think too do relationships really have an expiry date? Or is it just our emotions, our priorities, and our choices that change over time?

- Mehfuza Sultana