Pehla Nasha: She took six months to say 'I love you'

It may all seem a little funny now and may mean nothing to you beyond a fond memory, but it's fun reminiscing all about your first love!

With Valentine's Day coming up, we invited readers to share stories of their first loves with us. Here is the next set of responses!

First up we have Bittu's tale:

They say time is the biggest medicine, as time passes by memories fade and things come back to normal. Well, I don't think so, if it was true LOVE.

It was 18th February, 2008. I came back from office and had my dinner. I was relaxing when I came to know that there was a proposal for marriage and I had to mail my biodata and a few snaps to a girl. (Mine was an arranged setup). I mailed the required details and within mins I got a response from that girl thanking me for sending across my profile.

I already had her profile (through our community magazine) and I was quite impressed. So, finally a meeting was setup wherein me and my family went to her place to meet her and her family. My heart was already beating fast as I was a bit nervous, with the family members present in her drawing room. Her brother tried making me feel comfortable but my eyes were searching for her in her house.

Finally, the ice was broken. A girl dressed in light pink salwaar kameez with waist long hair, flawless skin, her eyes looking down, no smile on her face came out from her bedroom and sat on the sofa. For a moment I felt as if I'll skip a heartbeat and an adrenaline rushed down my spine. I fell in love with her immediately and since I am more of an intuitive person, I decided she's the girl whom I'll marry.

We were asked to spend some time alone, FINALLY. She guided me through her room and we sat and spoke for about 20 mins. I found her extremely innocent and that's what appealed to me to go ahead with the girl of my life. We (me and my family) came back home and I couldn't sleep for sometime wondering what would be she thinking about me. The next day after returning from office, I asked my parents whether there was a feedback from their side. The answer was...... "YES, the girl would like to go ahead."

Stars shining in the sky, butterflies flying around, violins playing at their best, I couldn't express my happiness. We met the second time at my place and spent close to 2 hrs discussing about each other's views. I could gauge that she's also interested and things should move forward. Like in a typical arranged setup, we decided to proceed ahead. However, we (the girl and me) met twice more before taking a final call officially.

It was 9th March 2008, when I was home from office, I was eagerly waiting for things to proceed ahead officially and there was a call from the girl's parents to my parents to go ahead. My excitement could'nt stay within myself and I was blushing. I messaged her on her cell "Congratulations, thanks for choosing me as your life partner." She messaged me back saying the same and I decided to call her that night and speak to her. Her caller tune was "Kehne ko Jashn-e-bahara hain.. from Jodha Akbar." I was jubilant and could feel romance all around in the air. We spoke for sometime and were happy that things were going ahead.

On 11th March 2008, our togetherness for a lifetime was announced officially wherein our families and a few relatives were called upon. I was in a brown chudidaar and she was in a turquoise coloured saaree looking as if a princess had come down from skies to me for this life. That was the day when I touched her first and hold her hands in mine feeling her warmth and we had many pictures (the final call would be her's was my decision).

I came back home late night to receive a suprise gift from the girl. She had sent her father, grandfather and her uncle at my home to break our relationship. My family and I were shocked. I called her 42 times the whole night and texted her. There were'nt any replies and not my single call was answered. I broke a glass in my drawing room which shattered into million pieces and they are the witness to the break up of our relationship. I was not informed once by the girl that she's taking this step. It was her decision to take this call, I never had the courage to even think about this. I knew I could'nt live without her but I had also realised with time that she can come back from an emotional setback in sometime. She was a strong innocent girl.

She called me on 7th January 2009 and asked whether can we meet once. I said Yes. She met me for an hour and apologised for everything. BUT her decision remain unchanged. She did not want to go ahead with me.

That's the last time I saw her. I came to know through someone that she was engaged in August 2009 with someone and she married on 12th December 2009.

Despite all said and done, I still say, that I miss her. I wish all the good things in her life ahead. I don't know whether she will read this but this is the first time I am expressing my feelings in words. I am not taking her and my name here, as she's already married now. My eyes do get wet even today (after about 3 years when I had first mailed my biodata), after more than a year of her marriage, as I had created the best of my dreams with her for a lifetime. But it was only a dream. It took her about five months to come out of this before getting settled, it will take about one life for me to come out of this.

Share your 'First Love' stories with us! Write in to us at getahead@rediff.co.in (subject line: 'My First Love'). You can also include a photograph and we'll publish the best entries right here on rediff.com!

Illustration: Dominic Xavier

Here's Ankit Goel's story

Love at first sight, naahhh, how about infatuation, most definitely eventually becomes love.

She was my classmate in mba, and used to sit ahead of me in xms and I would keep adding to her xms woes

I was a brat, a big flirt as they say and was at my wildest best, n she was a simple yet lovely girl.

She was about to become my first crush at the age of 22.

But voices were getting louder about me going around with another class mate who happens to be a very close frn of her.and it was visible to every1 as I was spending a lot of time with this frn of her but I kept my composure all along and dint reach to next level against all rumours.

Then MBA got over and I pickup a marketing job and she got into an MNC in Gurgaon. Whenever I would go to Gurgaon, try to meet her and at one such meeting I got to know that her parents are looking for a suitable match for her, which excited me but I always knew that I am not a perfect match for though I would tease her to marry me and she would laugh it off.

Then I suggested a friend of mine to her and told my friend that this is a gal any1 would love to marry and I would be the first one to do so, nothing got materialised though.

Then some time later my dad asked me if I have someone in my life or we start looking for a match. I had no answer and eventually said I don't.

But at the back of my mind, I wanted to speak to her on a serious note and one day I reached her office and for the first time in my life proposed to a girl, after some nervy moments I realised what I have done, but she didn't give any answer and again laughed it off, and dint take me seriously. After a couple of days I messaged her but this time she categorically said no

On this propose day I tried for the last time perhaps, but she again didn't budge.

And I was left to regret, had I know I would fall for her some time down the line, I wouldn't have got my wilder side out of my skin.

Final nail in coffin is yet to come....

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh