You know what I hated the most? Dominant men.
I was a woman who lived on her own terms and conditions. I had always believed I needed people around me who were sunshine-soft, easy-going, the kind that wrapped love in honeyed words and never tried to control me. But with Shresth… everything I thought I knew about myself began to shift.
It was just two or three days after that manipulative plan-fight of ours. Shresth called me one evening. The conversation started casually—small things, everyday things—but somewhere in the flow of words, the topic slipped into women's clothing. And I knew this about him already: Shresth preferred modesty. Not because he was judgmental, but because he valued it. His thoughts carried a certain firmness, a seriousness that—strangely—pulled me toward him.
Shresth wasn't one of those soft, overly sweet boys. He was protective, firm, and sometimes a little demanding. He liked things done his way, and if you did, he would probably smile and say, "Good girl."
And here's the catch—what I thought I would hate the most, I ended up loving the most.
I had always been the stubborn elder daughter, raised like a princess but with invisible walls and restrictions shaping me. Shresth was the youngest son in his family, deeply loved, trusted, and burdened with responsibilities. Two different worlds, two different temperaments. Yet his protectiveness became the one thing I began to crave.
I still remember the day he said, "Charu, I know you hate controlling people. Priyanka told me once you're the feminist type, the kind who fights for her choices. And I respect that. But I can't lie to you about who I am. I don't care what others do in their lives, why would I interfere? But when it comes to people I love… I get protective. That's who I am."
And instead of pushing me away, those words melted something inside me. Because he wasn't controlling strangers—he was protective of me. A part of me trusted him with it. If he asked me to do something, there had to be a reason. And maybe that reason was enough.
Still, I knew myself. I knew how easily I got annoyed. His protectiveness might one day become the very thing I'd struggle with. And yet, I couldn't deny—I was already falling for it. For him.
The days between 18th and 21st September passed in this strange blur of normalcy. I had my usual routine: school, then math coaching classes. I'd carry my phone only to drop it at the reception before class, waiting until I could use it later—to contact Shresth, of course. That was the highlight of my day.
Sometimes, after class, we met near a small fruit juice shop. Nothing fancy—just Shresth sipping a Coke while I stuck to my safe choices. We talked. Sometimes silly chatter, sometimes about our exam schedules. He'd always end our little meetings with, "Text me when you reach. Go safe."
It felt simple. Comforting. Like we had slipped into this routine without even realizing it.
Shresth was such a procrastinator when it came to studies, always at the last moment. But I couldn't even blame him. His plate was already overflowing. He sacrificed the typical teenage fun most of us indulged in, because his future was more important. He was younger than me by a month, yet in maturity—he was miles ahead.
People noticed us too. My friends who studied at the same coaching as of his often sent me sneak peeks of him. Candid shots, blurry images of him in the background of class. I still have them tucked away. Everyone thought there was "something more" between us. And maybe they weren't wrong.
Because when you meet someone daily, chat daily, call daily—you stop holding back. Slowly, without even realizing, you start sharing everything: the drama, the good moments, the heartbreaks, the messy little pieces of life. And Shresth listened. He didn't just hear; he understood. He supported. He consoled. He became my safe space.
Life felt… normal. Almost too normal. I told myself this was friendship, nothing more. But deep down I knew—being friends with someone you love isn't easy. In fact, it's the hardest thing of all. Because every smile, every glance, every word feels heavier than it should.
Honestly It should have not been like that.
I was only getting more and more close to him and that would have affected me adversely, It did ofcourse Being with Shresth bought so many changes, most of them were not good changes and the weirdest fact is I never knew someone can be this important to me, someone whom I rarely cared about, someone whose instagram stories just, I used to just scroll by . When I used to see him near my tuition, sometimes he said hi to Priyanka, She greeted his Father when She saw him, I didn't feel anything about them, who knew from not knowing anything about someone to knowing everything things change.
There are so many questions when I think about such things today. Were all the things I did where correct? Didn't I do wrong with myself and my loved ones? Didn't I take wrong decisions, but Life is actually shaped by the decisions you make.For me they were all tough at times I have been blinded by love. I met so many pretty faces, but none like his. What was about him that let me sacrifice each and everything? I didn't have any answer.
Attachment is worst than any other mental illness, you will feel suffocated if you don't talk to that person it kills you within, mark my words it kills you within.
Eventually me who was mentally smart got attached to someone, The way I started to care I felt insane at times. This one time I remember at the end of September I baked a chocolate cake when I got to know Shresth loved homemade cakes. I who didn't entered kitchen too usual, was learning how to make brownies, because someone loved sweets, I wanted to learn everything for him? Why what made me do this? Was I actually in love?. In real love the one they talked about In movies?. This was crazy I swear. This one time when he got a bit sick I was carrying hot water in a thermos, that one girl who always carried cold water carried hot water for someone, because she cared that he will have a sore throat. I WAS BEING NAIVE.
And just when I thought I had carved out a safe corner for myself—a space where I could breathe and exist beside him without breaking—life decided to play its cruelest card.
Because behind the routine, behind the comfort, another storm was waiting.
One more battle I never saw coming.
One more heartbreak, knocking at my door.
A confession.
A confession that shattered everything.