DON’T CATCH FEELINGS. CATCH FLIGHTS!

You have it all under control, or so you think. You like this guy and really enjoy his company. His presence always evokes a warm fuzzy feeling within you, a feeling of bliss and comfort. Things are at a level where there is absolutely no pressure on either side. You meet up when it is mutually convenient. You text as and when you both can… At this point, you are basically just friends, with the unlikely prospect of becoming exclusive.

You are single and you love the fact that you are in charge of your freedom. You come and go as you please, when it pleases you.

You flirt occasionally but it’s nothing hectic really. You get along really well and at this point you do not know where your friendship is going, and quite frankly, you just don’t care. I mean, why should you? After all, you have made a promise to yourself to be more careful when it comes to matters of the heart. Actually, you do not want to fall in love again and have resolved to carefully protect your heart.

A little chat here and a little chat there, the odd phone call once in a while, the occasional hanging out. No pressure… Nice! If he calls, he calls. If he texts, he texts. If he doesn’t, he doesn’t. Lovely, everyone is happy.

As time goes by, you start to see each other more and more. The chats increase in frequency too. The flirting intensifies and sooner than later, you become intimate. Heek, heek! Still, you believe you have the upper hand and that everything is under control. I mean you haven’t fallen in love, which is what you are carefully guarding against, right? You are not looking for marriage after all, you are merely enjoying your single life. All is well.

The arrangement seems to work well for both of you, and he makes it easier because, at no point has he proposed love to you. You are fine with that and actually grateful that he hasn’t attempted to string you along with false declarations of love. Days pass. Months pass, you and Mr. Cool guy remain very much in touch.    

Out of nowhere and almost suddenly, you begin to take note of a lot of things you never even bothered to pay attention to all along. You notice that he has not texted you “Good Morning”. You notice how fast or slow he texts back. You notice who between the two of you, is the first to text. You begin to count the number of days it has been since you were last together. You take note of his every word when he speaks and when he texts. You begin to feel a sense of nostalgia if so much as a day goes by without any communication. You want to chat with him for longer. You want him to stay for longer when you hang out. Out of nowhere, you feel incomplete without him, almost like a part of you is missing.

Right that very moment, you have an ephiphany! Yes, you have “caught feelings for the guy”! You have fallen for him hook line and sinker! You sit back and for a moment try to re-trace your steps. When did this happen? How did this happen? This was not a part of the ‘plan’. Were you not supposed to be in control of the situation? Why have you allowed yourself to develop feelings for someone who seems pretty content with having you as, as, as, well, as a Friend!! Hehehehehe!  I mean the guy has never, at any point, declared any love interest in you.

He seems oblivious of what is happening to you and you try as best as you can to conceal it. He is still his usual jolly, friendly, funny and well-mannered self.. And yes, he still has the brightest and cutest smile you have ever known! You resolve to try to detox yourself of “the feelings” in your own way, lest you ruin the friendship, err textationship, ah whatever you call it man! *sigh*

One fine evening while you are out with the girls, and after one too many shots of Vodka, you decide that you are going to come clean with the fella and tell him how you really feel about him. It is way past midnight when you decide to text him your little confession, which is quite jumbled up and downright hilarious, to be honest! You wake up the next morning, head still pounding and recall that you sent him a text! You are afraid to look at your phone, let alone open your WhatsApp messages. When you finally gain the courage to re-read your text, you ‘beat’ yourself up about it and hang your head in shame!

To my Ladies out there, “Beware the feelings”. And, if you are smart enough, “Don’t ever catch feelings, Catch flights Girrll!!!” Hahahahahaha!!!  Till next week, Much love!!