Attraction of LOVE.
A simple four-letter word, yet powerful enough to inspire poetry, start wars, heal broken souls, and change the course of lives. It asks for nothing but sincerity. It doesn't recognize wealth, status, caste, religion, or appearance. True love sees a soul before it sees a face.
But somewhere between growing up and growing older, many of us begin to mistake attraction for love.
Perhaps that's why so many relationships today begin at lightning speed and end just as quickly. A few conversations become endless expectations. A few dates become promises of forever. The excitement feels so intense that we convince ourselves we've found "the one."
But excitement and love are not the same.
Let me tell you the story of my imaginary friend, Ryan.
Ryan belonged to a humble middle-class family. During his college years, he fell deeply for a girl named Ross. She wasn't just beautiful, she was admired by almost everyone on campus. Like many others, Ryan was captivated by her smile, her confidence, and the way she effortlessly lit up every room she entered.
Their friendship started with casual conversations over coffee. Those conversations became longer, the smiles became warmer, and one day Ryan gathered the courage to tell Ross how he felt.
To his surprise, she said yes.
For a while, life felt perfect.
Every notification made Ryan smile. Every meeting felt like a memory worth preserving. He believed he had found the person he would grow old with.
But reality has a way of testing emotions.
Small disagreements slowly turned into frequent arguments. Misunderstandings became habits. Breakups were followed by patch-ups, and patch-ups by more heartbreak. Ryan kept believing that if he apologized enough, loved harder, or bought thoughtful gifts, everything would return to how it once was.
He didn't realize that love cannot be repaired by expensive presents when trust is quietly slipping away.
Eventually, Ross decided to walk away.
Ryan didn't just lose someone he loved.
He lost the version of himself that had slowly forgotten his own worth while trying to save a relationship that only one person was fighting for.
Coming from a middle-class family, every gift he bought carried more than a price tag. It carried sacrifices, money saved over months, dreams postponed, and silent compromises no one ever noticed.
Heartbreak wasn't his greatest loss.
Losing himself was.
Fortunately, Ryan wasn't alone.
His friends reminded him of the laughter he had forgotten. His parents reminded him that he was loved long before someone else chose to love him. Slowly, he stopped asking, "Why did she leave?" and started asking, "Why did I stop valuing myself?"
That question changed everything.
Perhaps that's the lesson most of us learn a little too late.
The first love we experience isn't from someone we meet at school or college.
It's from the people who stayed awake when we were sick, celebrated our smallest victories, forgave our biggest mistakes, and loved us long before we achieved anything.
Our parents.
Only our happiness.
Maybe that's why it's the purest form of love we'll ever know.
So before you rush to call someone your forever, pause for a moment.
Ask yourself whether you're in love with the person... or with the feeling they give you.
Because attraction can start a beautiful story.
But only love, built on trust, respect, patience, and sacrifice, can finish it.
The right person won't complete your life.
They'll simply walk beside you while you complete it yourself.
-Stillwriting...
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