She likes me back!
“She likes me back! :)”
A few days back, I got this text from one of my close friends. I could hear the joy and excitement in the text. If I could’ve teleported myself right that minute to stand next to him, I could’ve seen the glimmer in his eyes, pupils dilating a bit, and cheeks getting red to what he calls an “Asian glow!”
I met him the next day when he told me, “She is moving to a different city soon, so unfortunately, we won’t be together, but doesn’t it feel great when you like someone, and they like you back!?”
I smiled and nodded yes!!
No matter how many friends we have, how busy our work or social life keeps us, at the core, we all still need someone to call our own, someone to love, someone to come back home to, someone who would love us back!
Sadly, it’s becoming exceedingly challenging to find that someone. In the generation of online dating, we spend less than 30 seconds at the first picture to decide whether to spend the next 2 minutes reading the entire profile before swiping left or right! We determine if someone is worth our time by looking at a few pictures and reading insipid prompts like “My simple pleasures are…” to which most of the profiles have nearly similar, and possibly the most rudimentary answer, “Travelling and Food!”
I miss those days when we used to go to coffee shops or social gatherings and serendipitously find someone to steal a glimpse. The concoction of excitement and vagueness of not knowing if the other person is thinking about you used to give a different kind of high. I miss the nervousness, yet the thrill of asking or giving your number and wondering when they will text or if they will text back!
I miss starting a relationship based on mutual liking and spark and not based on some edited/filtered pics. Talking to someone on dating apps and asking qualifying questions seems more like applying for a job, or even worse, doing online shopping to find out if this shirt would go well with your skirt or if it’s as per the latest trend in fashion, and most importantly, if you’re getting a good deal or not!
Incidentally, I recently encountered a flicker of spark at a completely unexpected place and time myself! It was beautiful and exhilarating. The joy of not knowing what I was feeling, yet expecting something to happen, was beyond exciting, but (yes, there is always a but!) I’m rusty, and perhaps he is too! The spark didn’t get what it needed to grow into a viable fire, but the warmth was just enough to make my cold heart feel alive again.
It certainly feels incredible when you like someone and that someone likes you back!
~~ Poornima
