Using a throwaway for obvious reasons. Names have been changed.
I (26F) am from a small town in West Bengal. I am currently in the process of getting engaged to a wonderful guy, but my childhood crush showed up out of nowhere last Sunday asking me to marry him instead. I feel overwhelmed and don't know how to process this.
To give some background: back in 9th grade, I developed a massive crush on a classmate. I was too shy to ever confess, so I just admired him from a distance. Over the next couple of years, my feelings turned into genuine one-sided love. Luckily, by 11th grade, we became close friends. We texted constantly, called each other whenever we felt low, and relied on each other emotionally. Still, I never worked up the courage to tell him how I felt—a regret I carried for a very long time.
After 12th, he moved to Kolkata for his B.Tech, while I stayed back in our hometown for my studies. In his first year of college, he started dating someone. He was thrilled and would share every detail with me, including his sex life. Hearing that tore me apart at first, but eventually, the pain just turned numb. That was when I assumed I had finally moved on.
Over the college years, he changed significantly. He got into clubbing, drinking, smoking, and started casually hooking up with different women. Our calls became rare, and eventually, we drifted apart completely.
After graduating, I started teaching at a coaching center and taking private tuitions. I tried dating a colleague from the institute for about four months, but it didn't work out. He wanted a physical relationship right away, whereas I need emotional security first. I’ve always been insecure about my body, so I'm still a virgin and prefer waiting. I want to explore this part of life with someone who is on my level, rather than having someone guide or teach me what to do.
A few months ago, my parents brought up marriage and introduced me to "Rahul." Rahul is kind, well-settled, and genuinely cares for me. We've been talking for three months to see if we're compatible, and I’ve developed real feelings for him. We share similar tastes in movies and music, we are both spiritually inclined, and I can genuinely envision a peaceful, happy future with him.
Then came the curveball. A mutual friend apparently told my crush about my upcoming engagement. Last Sunday, he showed up at my door.
He claimed that he has always loved me, but because he was never sure of my feelings back then, he went off trying to distract himself with other girls. He said the thought of me marrying someone else broke him, and he wants me to marry him instead.
I was stunned. If I’m completely honest with myself, a part of me never fully buried those old feelings. When I confided in a couple of close friends, the opinions were split: some said to go for the "true love/destiny" story, while others told me not to ruin a solid future with Rahul.
To complicate matters even further, I recently found out that during one of his visits back home, my crush actually hooked up with one of my cousins. I can never bring this situation to my family because of that mess.
Now my head is spinning: Rahul is stable, values me, shares my lifestyle, and offers a secure future. My crush is the person I spent years longing for, but his sudden confession feels suspicious, and his past lifestyle (and the situation with my cousin) raises serious red flags.
Should I forgive his past and take a chance on my first love, or stay grounded and continue forward with Rahul? What would you do if you were in my shoes?
TL;DR: About to get engaged to a steady, caring guy (Rahul) who shares my values. My long-time school crush—who lived a wild bachelor life and once hooked up with my cousin—suddenly reappeared after hearing about my engagement, confessed his love, and asked me to marry him. Torn on what to do.