"No Strings"

A POPULAR LIE

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Ayan was scrolling on his phone without thinking, when his thumb stopped on a message, "Are you awake?" He hesitated for a moment, "Yes, come.

It was not that he wanted to see him exclusively - it was easy to be alone. Now this was the way. Neither long conversation, nor real engagement, just a series of transient meetings that do not demand much. They would meet, laugh and leave. Easy.

But it was not really so.

Later, seeing the brightness of his screen, lying awake, Ayan felt something that he could not give. Everything that was going to create a sense of freedom - freedom, no commitment, infinite options - something started to look hollow.

And he was not alone.

Causal relationships are like night drives without any destination. Dip the thoughts of adventure, speed, such fast music - it all sounds like freedom. Until the road becomes too long, silence does not come, and it does not realize that there is no clear direction.

Love is often seen as a foundation; something that is formed over time is stronger than trust and commitment. But there is also a way of love-sometimes slowly, sometimes right. Many people have experienced the latter. The years of certainty merge into the same conversation. Promises become resonance.

When love disappears, there is often a tendency to run away - not towards excellent, but towards distraction. In the arms of strangers, in the rush of momentary affection, in the illusion of the option. Isolation becomes a skill, intimacy is measured in hours instead of emotions, and freedom seems to be a new award.