Right partner

I was sitting at the dining table enjoying my meal with my family when a notification on my phone caught my attention. It was an Instagram update from my friend; she was meeting some old friends that day. She had shared some moments with those old friends on Instagram, pictures of them eating together. So many memories and happiness were captured in those pictures. Seeing all that, my heart felt strangely sad. Maybe it was the fact that I wasn't there with them at that moment that bothered me, but I was the one who had decided to separate from them, so I didn't want to blame them either. One picture took me back three years. We were good childhood friends; we had traveled the journey of life together, from childhood studies to bunking college classes. With time, I realized that I liked Ved. His affection for me wasn't just limited to friendship; it was also love. Every moment with him felt incredibly special. I had decided that I would tell him how I felt on his birthday. Everyone suggested giving Ved a surprise, so we threw a party for him. That night I was very happy and also giving myself a lot of courage, telling myself that all I had to do was tell Ved that I loved him, what was so difficult about that? We all looked very beautiful; there was a loving smile on everyone's face, and the room was filled with happiness. After the cake cutting, everyone had a lot of fun and ate food. After eating, we decided to play games, and it was during that time that I decided I would finally tell Ved. Before I could say anything, it was my friend Riddhi's turn in the truth or dare game, and she chose truth. A friend sitting among us asked if she had a crush on anyone, and Riddhi replied, "Yes, I like Ved." Hearing her answer, everyone started making noise, but a silence fell over me. I was just looking at Riddhi and then at Ved. Then Riddhi stood up and proposed to Ved in front of everyone, and the next moment, something happened that was unbelievable for me. Ved held Riddhi's hand and told her that he liked her too. That day became special for him. Everyone had a smile on their faces after hearing Ved's words, but there were tears in my eyes, tears that my eyes didn't want to bear the weight of. Seeing them together, I was silent like a stone. I composed myself and congratulated them like everyone else. A little later, I left from there, telling everyone that I wasn't feeling well. Ved offered to drop me home, but for the first time, I refused him. I don't know why, but I didn't even want to see him at that moment. After leaving there, I went to the quietest place in my city, from where the whole city was visible. In that silent place, there was only the sound of my crying, which no one could hear. At that moment, I felt as if my heart had shattered into a thousand pieces of glass. After calming the turmoil in my mind for a while, I returned home, and that night I decided to leave that city. Without telling anyone, I simply left the city. They all tried to contact me, calling and messaging, but I didn't reply to anyone. I don't know why, but I felt angry with everyone. I didn't know the reason, but the truth was, I was angry with everyone. It hadn't even been a year since I left the city when I found out from my friends' Instagram posts that Ved and Ridhi had gotten married. That day I realized that maybe I had misunderstood Ved's friendship, I had mistaken his care for love, and that day I felt completely broken again. After coming to terms with myself, I decided to move on from those memories. Three years passed, and a lot had changed in those three years.

     I was lost in my memories when I heard a voice, "What's wrong? Why are you sitting like this?" It was my husband's voice. Snapping out of my reverie, I came back to the present. I replied, "Nothing, absolutely nothing," but looking at my phone screen, he understood the reason for my sadness. He simply said, "Sometimes, moving on and making a fresh start is the right decision. You should contact them again and talk to them because good friends are hard to find." My husband knew about my past and had asked me several times to reconnect with my friends. Today, I felt that friendship was even more important than love. I was feeling lonely today. I told my husband, "I'm afraid that if I contact them again, I'll have to explain where I suddenly disappeared to, what happened, and I don't want to face any questions now. I want to meet them, talk to them like before, but I'm scared." Saying this, I went to the kitchen and got busy with my work. The next day, my husband came home early from the office in the evening and asked me to get ready; we had to go somewhere. I asked where, and he said, "Don't ask anything, just get dressed nicely and let's go." Hearing him, I simply got ready and went with him. We went to a restaurant where I didn't see many people. I asked my husband why we were there and what was happening. He covered my eyes with his hands and told me to just keep walking with him. I held his hand and just kept walking with him. After a few minutes, he removed his hands from my eyes, and there were some smiling faces in front of me. They looked familiar. I felt like I was dreaming. I rubbed my eyes and tried to look again. In front of me were my old childhood friends, whom I had left behind when I came here three years ago. These were the same faces I saw every day on social media; I would finish all my work and go to Instagram every day just to see them. I stood there stunned, not knowing how to react. They all came towards me, and I just hugged them. Meeting them after three years and hugging them again brought me so much peace today. Tears welled up in my eyes, and they were all very emotional too. I looked at my husband, and he told me that that night, when I got up from the dining table and went to the kitchen, he had taken Riddhi's number from my phone and contacted her. After that, he spoke to all of them and arranged this dinner because he knew I wanted to meet them, but because of my fear, I wasn't able to take any steps. Hearing my husband's words, I just went to him and hugged him. We all ate dinner together and talked a lot. We had a wonderful time together. I don't know what my husband said to them, but no one asked me any questions. We were just sharing our life experiences, joys, and sorrows with each other. Everyone was talking, and I got up and went outside. Today, for the first time, I realized that my heart doesn't beat for Ved. He was special to me, like a friend. Meeting all of them today was special for me, but when I saw my husband sitting among them, I realized that the one for whom my heart beats is him. His smile was drawing me towards him. Even knowing about my past, he decided to introduce me to my friends. Seeing his love and trust in me, I realized that the one whose hand is in mine is the right person for me. Today, I felt the feeling of love once again...!!