“In 2018, I’d had a bad break-up which left me shattered.”
“I was 15 when I met Mayur, he was my neighbor. We’d spend all our time together. So when 3 years later, we moved houses, I’d miss him terribly. We spoke through pay phones. Soon, I realized I liked him. I guess he liked me too, because one day, he showed up with a rose and said, ‘I love you!’ I was over the moon!“In 2018, I’d had a bad break-up which left me shattered. The failed relationship gave me a lot of insecurities; I’d have anxiety attacks. I gained a lot of weight– I weighed over 85kgs. I considered myself ‘too fat’ to date anyone, so I just stopped trying. But 6 months later, with a lot of encouragement from my friends, I joined Tinder. Within a week, I came across Sahil’s profile.
His smile drew me in, but I didn’t expect him to like me back, so I was shocked when the app said ‘It’s a match!’ I kept thinking, ‘He’s out of my league!’ But I had a great time talking to him.
Even though we were polar opposites–I liked staying home while he went out every other night–we never ran out of conversations. So many nights were spent talking about ‘life’ until the sun rose.
But 2 months later, when he asked me out, I panicked. The fear of rejection scared me, so I turned him down. But he patiently said, ‘We’ll meet when you’re ready.’ Weeks went by, and as my trust built, I opened up to him about my anxiety. He became my go-to person on bad days; he knew how to calm me down. When I shared my fear of rejection with him, he said, ‘I like you for who you are, nothing else matters.’ I finally agreed to meet him.
I was so nervous before our date. I tapped him on the shoulder when I spotted him. He turned around, smiled and said, ‘Hi, beautiful.’ I was smitten! And the more we met after that, the more I realized how good we were together. A month later, we exchanged our first ‘I love yous’.
After, our relationship was never about big gestures, instead we lived for the small moments. He’d give me piggyback rides when I was tired, bring me brownies when I felt low, and join me when I’d randomly break into a dance! Being with Sahil was like living a fairytale!
Initially, my parents were concerned because of my past, but when they saw how Sahil cared for me and how happy I was around him, they gave us their blessings.
A few months later, Valentine’s Day came around. Despite not being too big on grand gestures, Sahil took me by surprise! He brought me flowers and chocolates, wrote me love notes, and set up a candle-lit dinner. Overwhelmed, I said, ‘Where is all this romance coming from?’ He said, ‘For you, I’ll do anything!’
There was live music too, so I asked the musician to play ‘Mera pehla pehla pyaar’. I told Sahil, ‘Thanks for being my first real love.’
3 years have passed, and I still feel the same butterflies when he’s around. Our relationship isn’t perfect–my anxiety still flares up once in a while, but Sahil handles me with a lot of love and care. With his support, I’ve gained confidence, and come to love myself. This year, for Valentine’s Day, I’ve taken up the mantle of planning for the first time. I plan to recreate our first Valentine’s Day together with candles and live music… and of course, a dance to ‘Mera pehla pehla pyaar’ with the love of my life!” #SwipeStories
Leave a Reply