I studied dentistry at a popular college in Navi Mumbai. Born and brought up in Pune, I often felt homesick whenever I stayed on the campus. To make matters even worse, I was a bit of an introvert too. With just a handful of close friends, I would still keep to myself. The only person who knew me very well was my roommate and best friend, Minal. I never thought I’d fall head over heels for someone, until one person came along…
He was my professor. He was smart, informative and passionate about his subject. I remember every girl in my class having a major crush on him. Was it his smile? Charm? Looks? I don’t know, but as time flew by, I started developing feelings for him. I used to take up extra classes, not go out with my friends and even skip lunch, only to catch a glimpse of him in class and be a part of his lecture.
During one of our class field trips, while we were sitting by the bonfire, singing and munching on snacks, someone suggested that we play ‘never have I ever’. This game is an introvert’s worst nightmare. Since I was new to the game, I was honest about every answer, but as you know, sometimes being too honest can stump you over. That’s exactly what happened to me when someone asked, ‘never have I ever had a crush on a professor’ I slowly raised my hand. Apart from a few seniors, I was the only one from my class who did! Everyone looked shocked, including my best friend and my professors!
That night everyone teased me. Even Minal kept pestering me! But I didn’t tell a soul. The next afternoon, my sir walked up to me and while we were casually having a conversation about the syllabus, he coyly joked about the silly confession I had made the previous night.
He kept asking me who this professor was and told me that if I really liked him, I should probably confess my feelings. After much convincing, I blurted out the truth. I told him that I had a crush on him since the first semester. His face was blank and even though this relationship felt so wrong, his unexpected kiss on the lips made it feel so right. Luckily, we were behind the bus when this happened so no one saw us together.
We kept our relationship a secret for a month! We would meet at cafes and movie theatres far away from campus. However, each time I saw Minal, I felt guilty. I wanted to share all my intimate memories with her, but I was scared that she would judge me.
Every day I contemplated, because I practically lived with her too. That night, I made the biggest mistake of my life, I told her… When my bestie got to know I was dating my professor, it didn’t go down too well with her. She argued and fought with me all day long. I expected her to be happy for me, but she didn’t show the slightest sign of happiness. On the contrary, she told me to break it off as he is way older to me and she heard that he was getting engaged in a few months.
Engaged? He never once mentioned this to me. I met him at the tea stall the next day and asked him that if what I heard was true. To which he shockingly said yes. He later went on to tell me that I’m too young for him and he was in it just for the fun of it.
My face sunk as I heard these words come out from his mouth. I was so upset that I threw the tea on his face and stormed off. I mean, if he didn’t want to be with me why did reciprocate? How could someone play with someone’s feelings like that?! I felt so stupid about my decision, but I’m glad Minal gave me a reality check. A couple of months later, he left his job and no one has heard from him ever since. I think it’s good that way, the less I know, the better.
*Names changed to protect privacy
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