I was only fifteen when my aunt started teasing me, playfully saying that one day I would become her daughter-in-law. She would even tell her daughter to call me 'sister-in-law,' as if it were already decided. Every time I heard it, my cheeks flushed with embarrassment, and I never knew whether to laugh or quietly walk away.Even her son, Ken, never reacted to any of it. As for me, I was too young to even think about being in a relationship, so I would always respond with quiet anger and irritation.I was considered beautiful and attractive, even with my glasses. Soon, marriage proposals began coming in, and my parents started taking them seriously. They wanted to choose the best match for me, even talking about my engagement, while I felt too young and unready for all of it.When they asked if there was someone I liked, I shook my head. 'No… there isn't anyone,' I said softly. 'It's your decision—you can choose whoever you believe is best for me. But not now. I'm not ready for this. I'm still too young… I just want to focus on my studies.At a family function, my father walked up to my aunt, shook her hand, and said with a smile, 'My daughter will soon be your daughter-in-law.' Everyone around them laughed and celebrated as if it were already decided.
I felt completely out of place. Quietly, I adjusted myself and moved away from the crowd. I wasn't happy… and neither was Ken.
Days passed, and soon it was time for Ken's sister's wedding. That's when everything started to feel different. For the first time, I noticed him looking at me… really looking at me. It was my first experience of something like that.
I felt shy, yet strangely excited. Happiness and embarrassment mixed within me, and a new kind of curiosity began to grow. It was the first time I found myself noticing someone because of the way they looked at me… the way they spoke to me.And then… I began to feel something for him. I didn't understand what it was, but it made me strangely excited. We still didn't talk—no conversations, no messages, nothing at all.
One day, he sent me a friend request on Snapchat. My heart raced as I accepted it. But even after that, we didn't talk.
Some time later, our families went on a trip together. My friend Alexa came up to me and said, 'Hey, it's your birthday today, right? I saw it on Snapchat.'
For a moment, I felt a small spark of hope. I thought… maybe he had wished me.
I quickly opened Snapchat, my heart beating faster with every second. But instead of a message, I saw something else—
He had already unfriended me.
That small spark inside me faded into silence."