Teenage years
Who Are You When No One’s Watching?
We spend much of our lives being seen. Not just literally, but performatively. We curate. We adjust. We smile when we’re supposed to. We speak in ways that feel acceptable. We become versions of ourselves that fit the room we’re in.
By Irfan Ali7 months ago in Confessions
I Am Lost in You
Chapter One: A Glance That Changed Everything It was a rainy April afternoon in London, the kind that painted the city in silver and blue. The sky hung low with clouds, and the air carried the soft scent of spring blossoms and wet pavement. Emma tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she hurried across Westminster Bridge, the edges of her beige coat fluttering in the breeze.
By Muhammad Wisal7 months ago in Confessions
He Was Everything I Wanted—Until He Broke Me
I didn’t think I was the kind of woman who ignored red flags. I used to be smart, guarded, self-aware. But somehow, somewhere in the mess of late-night texts, love bombing, and the intoxicating feeling of being chosen, I let my guard down for someone who was never safe to begin with.
By Khayal Muhammad 7 months ago in Confessions
I Married a Stranger—And Fell in Love Slowly
They say love should come before marriage. Mine came after. It was a quiet January morning when I walked into a courthouse wearing a pale pink dress and a brave smile. Across from me stood Ayaan — tall, dark-eyed, with an unreadable expression and hands tucked in his pockets like he didn’t know what to do with them.
By Umar Farooq7 months ago in Confessions
When You Outgrow Your Coping Mechanisms
At some point in your healing, you look around and realize you’re not in survival mode anymore. The alarms have stopped ringing. The ground beneath you is steadier. The chaos has quieted—but you’re still flinching. You’re still over-explaining. You’re still waiting for the other shoe to drop.
By Irfan Ali7 months ago in Confessions
How I Learned to Be Gentle with My Mind
For most of my life, my mind was a battlefield. It wasn’t loud or chaotic in a way that anyone else could hear, but inside, the noise was constant. The judgments, the overthinking, the quiet self-criticism disguised as “motivation.” I didn’t know it back then, but I had built a home inside my head that was anything but kind.
By Irfan Ali7 months ago in Confessions
I’m Still Not Over My First Love
It’s been years since we parted ways, yet I still find myself thinking about them—my first love. Not every day, but often enough that I feel it in the quiet moments. A song, a smell, a random memory in the middle of the afternoon, and suddenly I’m right back in that chapter of my life. It’s strange how time can move on while the heart remains stuck in a moment. I’ve loved others since then, but I can’t say I’ve ever felt the same. The truth is, I’m still not over my first love, and I’m finally beginning to understand why.
By Muhammad Asim7 months ago in Confessions
I Broke Up With Someone Just to See If They Cared
I never imagined myself playing mind games in a relationship, but I did something I now deeply regret—I broke up with someone just to see if they cared. It wasn’t an act of strength or clarity. It was rooted in fear, doubt, and a quiet desperation to feel chosen. At the time, I convinced myself it was a way to test their love, to see if I really mattered. What I learned, though, had less to do with them and everything to do with me.
By Muhammad Asim7 months ago in Confessions
The Blue Door
It was a time when the world seemed much bigger, and yet everything I truly needed was contained within a single neighborhood block. I was ten years old, and my universe revolved around a cracked sidewalk, the buzz of cicadas, and the whispers of wind through sycamore trees.
By nawab sagar7 months ago in Confessions
Digital Ghost Towns: The Rise and Fall of Online Communities. AI-Generated.
There was a time when the internet felt like a neighborhood. You'd log in not just to consume, but to belong. You had a username, a signature, maybe even an ASCII avatar. Forums buzzed with late-night debates, LiveJournal updates felt like whispers between friends, and blog comment sections were where you checked in after class or work. Every space had its own rhythm, its own inside jokes, its own culture.
By Ahmet Kıvanç Demirkıran7 months ago in Confessions
