STELLA'S POV:

I stare at his strapping 6'3 figure dawdle out of my sight towards the exit. I am spellbound by the confidence and audacity he showed in front of me. Well.....
I don't know whether it's the spellboundness or the temptation that's taking over me. I have never had a man stand right in front of my eyes and not fall for my seductive, manipulating trap of mine.
This is scary and tempting at the same time. At this point, I am unsure of which feeling I should put my hands on.

He is confident, mysterious, tempting, alluring, confident and dominant with the knowledge of actual 'masculinity'. He is smart, intelligent, well-spoken and sophisticated.

It's an incredibly rare occurrence to witness a real person embodying the characteristics of a picture-perfect fictional character. He's been following me, and I'm still uncertain about his motives. Yet, considering his persistent attempts to initiate a conversation with me, he seems to fit the mould of the dark-romance characters I've always secretly yearned to encounter in real life.

However, here's the thing. I have been a successful businesswoman. People have admired me, trusted me, accepted my decisions, respected me but.........
They never questioned me. I have been happy and proud of my capability and skills,s, which have been the keys to my success, but that isn't complete womanhood...

While I am capable enough of being the lead character, I have always secretly wished to become the main character in someone's story. The difference between the two is that the former describes how people will follow you, making you responsible for all the good or bad happenings in their life; they'll rely on you and expect you to know the past, present and future of every single thing, hold you accountable for your mistakes and use that to question your worth. However, in the later part, you are the main character, and you get the leniency of being realistic or fictional as per your choice; there's no pressure on you, no responsibility that's forced upon you, and you aren't answerable to anyone for anything. While you are allowed to flourish in your way, there's always someone ready to reframe the storyline if ever anything goes wrong on your part without making you responsible and guilty for the happenings.

We, women, love to find ourselves as an important part of the process, involved and indulging in the activities, holding our patience together, and enjoying the present with little expectations from the future. The basic human need is to hope and live for the betterment of the current situation; however, while a man might get frustrated if he cannot upgrade his current status in society to a higher one, we women often tend to adjust ourselves with the definite happiness that is being offered to us. We would always love the chivalrous nature of our man to offer top-notch comfort, love, and peace...
But if he fails to do so, to provide us with the 'top-notch' things, we might often find ourselves adjusting to whatever lifestyle our man can afford within his limit. However, we do have one condition...

LOVE......

As easy and small as it sounds, the definition behind it is as deep as the Pacific Ocean. The word isn't just an affection, it is the responsibility. The responsibility of being kind, loyal, devoted, peaceful, mature, and protective. Men often mistake the words matured and protective as jealous, possessive and dominant. They fail to understand the difference between being protective or territorial and being stupidly possessive or demanding. While as offending as it might sound, the majority of the men are illiterate about the definition of being masculine or feminine.
The two terms, 'masculine' and 'feminine', are the born twins in an individual. One should just have the proper knowledge of which side to use in the relevant situation. Being soft and well-spoken to your better half and being vulnerable with your emotions in front of your partner doesn't make you a woman at a chore. Likewise, being emotionally unavailable, always dominant and demanding, with a tendency to prove that you are in power just because you are earning doesn't make you a man at a chore.
That is the reason we women often define the majority of men as 'spineless' creatures and wander around in search of true masculinity.

A man who is masculine enough to allow his feminist side to show up in front of his partner is a very rare occurrence......

And I came across the same rare occurrence, without searching for it..... 'consciously'.......

I find myself torn by conflicting emotions when it comes to his presence and intentions toward me. A part of me feels stubborn and indignant over the fact that he didn't fall for my carefully laid trap. Yet, on the other hand, I feel a sense of relief and happiness, knowing that I didn't succumb to making a potentially regrettable choice.

Despite seemingly having everything I've ever wanted, I still find myself longing for the guidance and support of my father when it comes to committing to a man or developing deep feelings for someone.

Reflecting on the past, I can't help but wonder how things might have unfolded if he hadn't deceived me and relocated me from California simply because I was forming a genuine bond with a boy who didn't meet our societal standards. I can't help but ponder the possibility of what could have been, whether we might have remained friends or even become a married couple.

The desire to reconnect with him, to delve into the details of his life and understand whether my absence left any void in his life, is undeniable. Yet, at the same time, I'm filled with trepidation, fearing that I might uncover painful truths that I've desperately tried to deny.