Ananya (16) has started dating Ronit (17) the most handsome boy in the college, she is feeling on top of the world. She talks to Ronit every day, he makes her laugh and giggle all the time but today is different. She is hesitant and they are not talking. What went wrong? Let’s find out in this week’s Feelings Express.

Send me a selfie but… 

Ronit and I used to chat on WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat, and everywhere. Our daily ritual was to exchange cute goodnight selfies before bed. But one day, Ronit’s message shocked me. 

“Love, I need to see you without a top today,” he said. I was totally caught off guard and kept reading the text over and over. My mind was racing, and I couldn’t make sense of what Ronit was asking. Was he really serious? I couldn’t understand why he would ask for something like this out of the blue! 

I tried to convince myself that Ronit must be joking. “Nah! He’s just messing with me,” I muttered to myself. I texted him with a laughing emoji and said, “Come on, I know you’re kidding.” But to my surprise, Ronit quickly responded with, “No, no, I am serious. I want to see you topless, Ananya.”

Shocked and stunned

I was startled and didn’t know how to respond. So, I chose to step away from our chat and logged off. I needed some space to wrap my head around his request and figure out how to handle it. 

As I reflected on his request, I realised that I was not ready for such an intimate step in our relationship. I had only been with Ronit for two months, and I wanted to take things slowly. So, I mustered the courage to reply to him honestly. I explained to him that I wasn’t ready for this yet, and I felt we should wait. 

Ronit sent me a sad emoji. Then he went offline without any goodnight wishes or selfies. 

“No pressure?” 

The next day things felt awkward when I saw him. I couldn’t stop thinking about our conversation from the previous night. Ronit, on the other hand, acted as if last night hadn’t happened. He sat next to me not saying anything. So I asked him “What’s up?” He just replied with a hi! 

Curious, I asked him why he didn’t say goodnight, and he explained that he was a little upset because I suggested that we should wait before sharing those kinds of selfies. “It’s like you don’t trust me,” he said. 

I reassured him that I trusted him completely, but it was just something that made me feel uncomfortable. Ronit nodded and said, “No pressure”. 

Are things ok? 

The way our conversation ended last time, I thought things were okay between us. However, I did not receive any message from him at our usual time. I woke up feeling uneasy, wondering why Ronit was ignoring me. He had never done that before. Maybe he was busy or stuck in an unexpected situation. But as time went by and he still hadn’t reached out to me, I started to overthink. 

So, I sent him a sad emoji with a question mark, hoping for some kind of response. But I got nothing. It’s like my message vanished into thin air. 

Did I mess up by not sending those pictures? What if he breaks up with me?

I couldn’t shake off the feeling of dread that was building up inside me. At one point, I actually considered sending him that topless selfie. But it still felt wrong so I decided against it.

No trust in him? 

I left for college early the next day, determined to confront Ronit. I found him in the canteen and asked if we could talk. He nodded.

Taking a deep breath, I asked, “Why didn’t you reply to my texts? I sent almost 50. Were you out partying?” 

Ronit’s reply caught me off guard, “Yeah, I was at a friend’s place. I didn’t see your messages.”  

As tears welled up, I pressed on, “This hasn’t happened before. Was it because I said no?”

But he totally denied it and surprised me by saying, “No, Ananya, don’t make me out to be the bad guy. If you’re having doubts, maybe it’s best to end things.”

Fake love?

It was so obvious to me why Ronit was acting strange and why he broke up with me. I wasn’t a fool, I could see through it all. I was heartbroken and hurt. When I got home, I cried for hours. 

I couldn’t take it anymore and needed to talk to someone, so I confided in my cousin Shamita. 

After hearing everything, Shamita told me, “Broo, You made the right call not sharing those pics. Just like he went silent after you didn’t send them, maybe he would’ve done the same if you had. At least you stood your ground..”

“Trust me Ananya, it wasn’t true love if he had such a cheap and nasty demand. Someone who likes you would never put you in an uncomfortable situation like this. So, let that fake love go,” she added. 

As Shamita’s words sank in, I pulled her into a tight hug. A sense of comfort settled in me as I felt good about my decision and relieved that I could move on.

Shutterstock/Person in the photo is a model. Names changed

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