Radhika
Unmukt Gera
In early 2018, I had gotten out of a 6-year-long toxic relationship and was planning on making the most of my last semester in law school. It ruined my mental health and I had barely made any friends in college! So, I decided to live life to the fullest in the very last month left of college. Violà! I met a guy who was TWO years my junior and we soon started dating. He was initially kind and sweet, and I thought I deserved it after such a harrowing experience. He made me meet his friends and family, something which my ex had not done in six years. I was happy. Soon, things took a bad turn when he started becoming too distant, rude, and would do and say things knowing that it would hurt me. I was taken by surprise, and that relationship ended within 9 months. I was heartbroken and I decided not to date anyone till I worked on myself. Fast forward to 2020, the pandemic had taken over our lives. I was alone, single and I was battling a terrible workplace that I wanted to get out of. The job I wanted was difficult to get and I could only secure it if I had the right connections. I spent months trying to get the job and tried as hard as I could. That's when my ex (yes, that's right, the one from law school) asked me to contact his batchmate from law school who had the same job and could guide me! I had met this friend before in 2018, but he had a girlfriend back then (I did find him a little cute). He and I had had one conversation at a party with just the two of us, and then we never interacted again. Till December 2020. He was single this time, and he very graciously decided to help me out. We talked on and off for a while, and he became a friend. I still found him cute, but he was very reserved and I was sure he did not feel the same way. In August 2021, I finally got the job I wanted and he was one of the first people I informed! Soon, Courts started functioning physically, and we would meet for 5-minute coffee breaks on some days. It was surprising for me because I am not very social. When I told my ex that I was meeting this guy for coffee breaks, he told me that he might have feelings for me because he would never meet anyone for coffee before I came along! I didn't believe him though. In December 2021, Court vacations had started, and he and I, with another friend, went out for drinks where he talked about HIS ex. I was sad because I was sure he still liked her. So, I started distancing myself from him. It was very hot and cold with him for a few months (we even had a small tiff in the middle when we didn't talk for a couple of weeks). In March 2022, I had applied for colleges outside India and I got my first rejection. I was very upset. He specially got me a book, stationary, and wrote a note for me saying that he had full faith in me. That's when I decided to tell him that I liked him, even if it meant getting rejected. To my surprise, he said that he liked me too! We have been together since and I have never been happier. :)