Aathiya's POV
Aaru went to her room after dinner to complete her last assignment of the semester. My college break starts tomorrow, and I have to look for a new job. My head feels like it's going to explode with everything on my plate. Maybe I should watch something to relax. I lay on the couch and turned on a Punjabi movie.
"Finally, I'm done for the semester! Yay!" Aaru came running to me, excitement was dripping from her voice.
"Cheers, girll!"
"So, what are your plans for the break?" she asked.
"I need to find a new job," I replied.
"Ah, boring! By the way, did you get the pictures from that guy?"
"Damn, I totally forgot. I got his friend request this morning."
"Bruh, seriously? How can you forget the guy you danced with, your dream boy?"
"50 Ruapae kaatne bnte h apki is overacting k" I teased her
(50 rupees fine for your overacting)
"Aww, was it that bad? Anyway, accept the request no"
"Yeah, yeah. I know you're dying to see your photos and videos."
"Well, I'm also curious if he'll just send the link or say something more."
I rolled my eyes at her and accepted his friend request.
"Oh, come on, at least text him 'hey,'" Aaru nudged me.
"He must be sleeping; it's 11 at night." Before I could say anything else, a text notification popped up. It was from him: "Hi"
"Lo krlo bat, lrka to lgta apki request acept krne ka hi wait kr rha tha Aathiya mam. Chlie aap keejie vartalap, hum jaate h apne kaksh me".
(See? the boy was just waiting for you to accept his request, Aathiya ma'am. Now, go on, have your conversation. I'm going to my room)
"Hogya tera ya or kuch bhi kehna h"
(Are you done, or do you have more to say?)
"Nope, I'm done for the night. Goodnight, babe, enjoy." She winked at me before retreating to her room.
"Hi, how are you?" I replied to his text.
Rey: I'm good, and you? His response was almost immediate.
"Good."
Rey: I've uploaded all the pictures and videos to this link. You can download whichever you want. He shared a link.
"Thank you 😊." I clicked the link and saw all the photos and videos. I downloaded the photos, but for some reason, I couldn't download the videos. I tried a few times but kept failing. I really needed those videos, so I texted him again: "I'm so sorry to bother you, but I can't seem to download the videos. Can you send them separately?"
Rey: Sure, maybe it's an Android issue. There are too many, and the quality will be distorted if I share them here. If you're okay with it, I can send them via WhatsApp. Here's my number
He sent his number. Too many people have my number since I came to Canada, so it's not a big deal. "Okay." I pondered for a moment on how to save his number. I have this weird habit of saving contacts with nicknames or based on how I met them. After some thought, I saved his number as "Garba Guy" and texted him on WhatsApp: "Hi, it's Aathiya."
Rey: Hi, you only need the videos, right?
"Yes." He sent me the videos. "Thank you so much!"
Rey: No problem at all 😂😂
"Haha." I didn't get what he found funny. It's almost midnight, and maybe he's just tired.
Rey: Do you usually stay up this late?
"Yeah, I work night shifts, so I mostly sleep in the morning."
Rey: Okay. Are you a student here?
"Yeah."
Rey: Cool. So, when are you finishing college?
"Not anytime soon. I still have to struggle with assignments and myself."
Rey: Assignments are one thing I agree, but what do you mean by 'struggle with yourself'?
"Sometimes I feel like Canadian life is very overwhelming."
Rey: True. You need some friends to relax a bit
"No, I'm fine like this." Why does he always say the wrong thing at the wrong time?
Rey: Why? You don't like making friends, or does your partner not like you having male friends?
"Firstly, I don't prefer making friends here. Secondly, I don't have a partner, nor do I wish to have one."
Rey: Friends make life easier and happier, just like a good partner
"I respect your opinion, but I haven't had great experiences with friends in Canada. When these so-called friends realize they've become significant in our lives, they start controlling us because they know we have no one else. We have to abide by their rules or be left alone. And the irony is, even after doing everything their way, they still deceive and leave us." My eyes filled with tears. No matter how much I tried to control myself, my eyes betrayed me.
Rey: Are you okay, Aathiya? You can share whatever is bothering you
I wiped my tears with the back of my hand. He's just a stranger; why am I sharing all this with him? He would probably laugh at me. "I'm sorry. Sometimes, I exaggerate things."
Rey: Please don't apologize. I understand. You might feel weird sharing things with a stranger, but strangers are the best listeners because they don't judge you. And even if they do, it shouldn't matter because they are just strangers. So, feel free to share your thoughts with me
He's right. He's a stranger. I can share it with him. Maybe he can tell me why he did (another guy) what he did. Maybe he has answers to my questions. "You're right. Maybe a stranger can understand better."
Rey: Exactly. If it's extremely personal, you can call me
"No, I'm comfortable texting."
Rey: Okay
"I came to Canada more than a year ago. I never had a boyfriend, but I did have a male friend. We were classmates for nine years but never really talked. I changed my school after the 10th grade and in 12th grade, I got his Instagram request. We talked about our school days and became friends. We never met in person until I saw his story one day and found out he was also in Canada, in the same city as me. We met and started spending hours together. He became the closest a man had ever been to me. I was so happy to have a friend like him in my life. But then, one day, he proposed to me." I sent the text and waited for his response. It came within a minute.
Rey: Then what happened? Did you say yes?
"No. I didn't want that kind of relationship with him. I explained that I didn't want to date anyone and requested to stay friends."
Rey: Why didn't you want to date him? He was dear to you, so why not?
"Because I wanted to marry someone directly. I didn't believe in dating or flings. I wanted to experience all my firsts with the man who would be my life partner, my husband."
Rey: Got it. Then what happened?
"He put the condition in front of me that if I'll not accept his proposal, he won't stay friends with me either"
Rey: What kind of person says that?
"Exactly. But I was too afraid of losing him."
Rey: So, what did you do?
"I said yes. I thought everything would be fine, and he would love me forever. But I was a fool. In the first week of our relationship, he asked for a physical relationship." I waited for his reply, but it took a while. "Are you there?" I texted again, and he replied promptly.
Rey: I'm sorry, I was just drinking water. Go ahead. What did you do then?
"I tried to explain that I couldn't do that and asked him not to bring it up so soon. He agreed but ghosted me for three days in the first week of our relationship. Can you believe that? When I confronted him, he said, 'MY LIFE DOES NOT REVOLVE AROUND YOU, AATHIYA. I HAVE MANY THINGS TO DEAL WITH BESIDES TALKING TO YOU'. I was shattered but held onto my self-respect and broke up with him."
Rey: You did the right thing.
"I know, but what should I do with my silly heart? He didn't care about our friendship. I had known him for so long. I never thought he could do something like this. It was clear he only wanted one thing from me. Why wasn't our friendship enough for him? I miss him. I miss my friend. He was the worst boyfriend but the best friend, and I lost my best friend."
Rey: Are you okay? Please have some water.
"I'm fine." I lied. I was crying with hiccups. Memories of our time together played in my head, and I missed him more. Why did he do that to me? Why did he leave me like that? Why does everyone leave me alone? First him, then Ishika.
Rey: Okay, still, please have some water.
"Yeah, having it." I drank some water and felt a bit better.
Rey: Let me tell you something, Aathiya. You didn't lose anything. He lost a girl like you. He prioritized his desires over your friendship. It's not your fault.
"My mind knows this, but my heart doesn't understand. What should I do?"
Rey: When did you break up with him?
"Last month."
Rey: It will get better with time. Focus on other aspects of your life. Not everyone is the same. You had one bad experience, but that doesn't mean it will happen again. You can't isolate yourself forever. Don't attach yourself too much to people, but still meet new people. Don't trust them completely until you feel it from within.
"Maybe in the future, but I'm not ready for anything right now."
Rey: I understand
"It's too late now. I think we should sleep. Thank you so much for listening to me. Tomorrow, we'll hear your story." I would lose my mind if I talked more with him. I was done for the day and didn't want to cry anymore.
Rey: Don't thank me, please. I know you don't like friends, but count me as someone you can talk to without hesitation. It was a pleasure talking to you
"Same here. Goodnight."
Rey: Goodnight. Take care! It was 2 a.m. I couldn't believe I talked this long with him. I stood up to go to my room when my phone pinged again. I saw the notification and my eyes again brimmed with tears.
"Hii, are you up?"
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