1:
They don’t ask you questions. They don’t give you unsolicited opinions. Silently, they take a walk to the nearby grocery store. No, they still don’t use blinkit. Then, they pick up a few spices, vegetables, and exactly half a kg of chicken. On the way back, they look at a store whose spellings are terribly flawed. A picture makes its way to your chat, and a smile makes its way to your lips. Few hours later, a delectable dish is prepared with all the love in the world.
You know, because it comforts and embraces you like a warm hug. It is then relished in pin-drop silence as they watch your favourite show that they’re not even interested in.
2:
Crack pathetic jokes about your ex based on very true events that are borderline offensive but not offensive enough for you to get triggered. Undeniably, hilarious.
3:
For almost three weeks straight, every day as the clock hits 8 am and 10 pm, they make sure to remember and ping you about something, about anything.
It was the hour of the day you spoke to your ex, and that made you absolutely anxious.
4:
Not a single word is uttered as they watch you self-harm. Smokes are smoked, alcohol is consumed, and hookups are pursued. They let you be; they wait for a short period of time. Somehow, they know when it’s time to have “the talk”. Tough love is the choice of weapon to win this battle of a downward spiral. The aftermath is followed with an in-depth discussion about your patterns, choices, and healthy ways of coping. They remind you of the person you were and the person you ought to be.
“Write. Just write. It’s been a while.”, they say.
And they do this, as gently as possible.
Eyes full of concern. Eyes full of reassurance.
You want to do better, be better, at least for your friends.
At least for a start.
You try.
5:
Come up with ten cringe nicknames that make you throw up and countless pick-up lines that make you want to bang your head to make up for the lack of romance in your life.
It’s cute but shouldn’t be encouraged.
6:
The pan-India breakup playlist is curated with great attention to detail.
Tears during your drives now have company.
7:
You can’t sleep.
You’ve tried everything in your power.
You shut your eyes.
You can’t sit with your thoughts or sleep over them.
Their presence over a video call is the anchor that transcends you to a sleep so deep you din’t know your body needed.
8:
Crush you in tight hugs.
9:
Colours help you stay calm. Together, you hold a crayon in your hand after several years. Your inner child is suddenly thriving. You spend hours mocking each other’s “profound art” derived purely from pain.
10:
Their fingers softly tap your leg that has been shaking uncontrollably in an alien place you decided to explore after a long era of staying in your bed.
11:
Their pets now spend more time at your place than theirs.
12:
Let you talk and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk about the same story, the same person until you untangle every knot, discover the missing piece of your jigsaw puzzle, and finally make sense of things for yourself.