I met Ravi at my bestie’s birthday party and we instantly hit it off! He was a good looking guy, witty and super fun to hang out with. Before making a move, I inquired whether or not he was single. My bestie, Shanaya, told me that he had just broken up with his long term girlfriend and was single. So, I decided to approach him…
We exchanged numbers that night. The next morning, I woke up to his text messages. You know that thrill of falling in love all over again? Yes, it was finally happening! Every time I saw his call or his Whatsapp message, I got goosebumps!
After a couple of weeks, we decided to watch a film. I could feel his arm brush against mine. And minutes later, his fingers were intertwined with mine. My heart kept beating faster and I casually held his arm. In the middle of an intense scene, he suddenly lifted my chin and planted a passionate kiss on my lips. I thought to myself, ‘Is this going too fast? Is it normal to kiss on the first date?’
We walked out of the movie hall holding hands. A notification suddenly popped up on my phone. Turns out, he had checked in with me on Facebook. Although it wasn’t a big deal, I kind of liked the attention. In a month’s time, my Facebook wall was bombarded with posts of him. He kept tagging and putting up pictures of the two of us everywhere. I even got calls from my friends asking if we’re dating.
I decided to ask him that question. When I did, Ravi suddenly went quiet. He smiled at me and assured me that we would eventually give our relationship a name. All he needed was more time. I wasn’t convinced with this answer – I needed clarity. What was the point of acting like a couple on Facebook, but being the complete opposite in reality? It somehow didn’t make sense to me. I obsessed about this for nights, because I wanted to define our relationship. I was troubled that he didn’t.
Just when all this was happening, I got a call from an unknown number. It was a girl who claimed to be Ravi’s girlfriend. The news shocked me! I thought he was single all along. But she then told me that she had cheated on him and they were on a break. Now that they were back together I was asked to stay away from him. I disconnected the phone and immediately called Ravi. He didn’t take my call… In fact, he didn’t call me for days.
After a month, I got a long text message from him. He apologized and went on to explain that all those tagged posts were aimed at his girlfriend. They were intended to make her jealous. I started tearing up while scrolling through his message. After putting all of the pieces together, I got to know that I was his rebound, all along.
I was so upset by this conclusion that it took me a day to even get myself to respond. I remember crying myself to sleep that night – not because of his foolish games, but the fact that he didn’t once consider my feelings. All of it was a show. I decided to act mature and text him back. I wished him all the best with his relationship and ended it there.
A year later, I heard that they broke up again. She dumped him for another guy. Not that this made me happy, but I suddenly realized that karma does exist. When you play with someone’s feelings, someone else will do the same to yours. He texted me again but I haven’t entertained any of his texts. I don’t need that sort of negativity in my life. Period.
*Names changed to protect privacy
Images: Shutterstock
