Your first love will always be special to you. No matter where you are in life right now, the time you hear someone mention their name, nostalgia instantly takes control. Memories start to flood in and you’re reminded about the good, the bad and the ugly. The only bright side here is that these experiences have helped shape you as a person. Whether you and your first serious love are still together or have drifted, I’m sure they’ve taught you valuable life lessons.
Here’s What The POPxo Ladies Learned From Their First ‘Real’ Relationship
Grab some tissues, some of these stories will leave you teary-eyed!
That true love exists after all!
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“After going through a series of toxic relationships, I’m lucky to have finally crossed paths with someone who is worthy of my heart. He’s mature, he’s funny and most importantly, he’s just a call away when I need him. I’m so proud to call him my boyfriend that I never shy away in telling the world that. Love for me is a feeling. I’m telling you, you’ll know it’s love when you see that person and your heart skips a beat.”
– Aayushi Pareek, Writer
To not be so gullible and trust people blindly
“My first real relationship taught me not to be so gullible and believe everything that people tell you. Yeah, you guessed right, he cheated on me after being together for two years. I was heartbroken and after I managed to put myself back together, I found out that he’d been cheating for over 6 months with multiple women. I had a feeling, but I ignored it anyway. I learnt to trust my gut, be smart instead of sweet and gullible. And I also learned how to be a little snoopy – can’t tell you how much that has helped.”
-Nidhi Kalve, Assitant Editor
Communicate better and don’t ignore the small things
“My first relationship taught me how to communicate better with your partner. We were together for four years and I ignored all the small signs that he was possessive and jealous of my world outside our relationship. Eventually, small signs became a big thing in our relationship and we started arguing a lot when I stopped committing to situations that really weren’t right for me. It was the end of our relationship when I decided to speak up.”
– Ekta Alreja, Deputy Editor
Love is so much more than saying, “I love you”
“Actions speak louder than words in a relationship. Pay attention to what the guy does for you rather than what he says. I don’t recall saying those three big words very often in my first ‘serious’ relationship either. The best part is that it didn’t have to be grand gestures, it was in fact, the little acts of love that proved to hold more value. He was a call away and that was more than enough for me at that time. We’re on different paths right now, but there’s no bad blood between us, only mutual respect.”
– Sharon Alphonso, Senior Writer
Some people can change you as a person
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“I’ll always have a soft corner for my old flame. My first real boyfriend has a huge role to play in who I am today. He made me a better person. He showed me how to take pleasure in the little joys of life. I became a more positive, more adapting person, thanks to him. Even though our relationship ended, I’ll always be thankful to him for showing me the right path in life.”
– Dipali Naphade, Deputy Editor, Marathi
Never be in a hurry to find love
“I felt that I always gave my 200% and never got even 20% back. Whether it was gifts, quality time or even something as little as a 2-minute phone call, I always initiated things. We called it quits on our relationship because of this. Somewhere deep down, I felt that I deserved better. Someone who would be proud to call me his girlfriend and shower me with attention whenever I felt low. Instead of settling, I chose to move on. I have met a bunch of interesting lads, but I’m in no hurry to put on a label on either of them just yet. I trust that time would do the needful.”
– Pritika Mathur, Social Media Manager, Luxeva
It may not be a happily ever after, and that’s okay
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“We read stories, watch movies and are constantly fed the narrative that in the end, the girl meets a boy, they fall in love, sometimes face minor inconveniences (which makes their love only stronger) and they end up together. However, real love is so much more than that. It requires sacrifices, compromises and lots of work and that’s what makes it beautiful. My first real relationship taught me that love is a submission of sorts, a surrendering of arms and just saying ‘I’m all in’ fights and tears and cuddles and giggles. It also taught me that even though something ends, it doesn’t mean its a bad thing. People are meant to come into your life even if you don’t spend forever with them. It may be ‘meant-to-be’ but with a timestamp. But that doesn’t mean it didn’t teach us something. In fact, it makes us understand what love means and who we are. In the end, we’re living for those moments of truth.”
– Anandita Malhotra, Senior Writer
You need to keep certain things to yourself
“Being in love for the first time is definitely complicated and to avoid further complications, you need to keep certain things to yourself. Of course, you want to share all the cool stuff with your BFFs but respecting the privacy of your relationship is very important. I learned that rather than venting out your relationship problems to your friends, it’s better to talk to your partner.”
– Neha Kapoor, Senior Writer
What’s your story? I’m all ears!
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