I live in the city that is full of life, food, clubs, and corporate glamour. While the day from the surface looks like everyone is working day and night when the night comes all you see is booze, joy, and liberty.

The liberty and joy of independence, far away from home, stuck in the rut of adulting and wanting to relax for a while.

Did I tell you, it is filled with right swipes and hook-ups as well?

Manish Singh, aged 24, hailing from Hamirpur has recently shifted to the city. He is walking and talking Tinder. He is a good-looking chap with a certain charisma to his personality. He looks nothing less than a so-called stud and has got amazing moves to flaunt at the clubs. While his sex life is absolutely rocking, he is single.

"I am done with relationships - all it needs is sacrifices, suffer from the problems of your girlfriend that could be avoided if you were single, and a lot of emotional and monetary investment that ultimately results in zero personal growth and unlimited drama." While I investigate further, I ask him, "But, don’t you want love in your life. Aren’t you tired of sleeping around?" To which he gracefully replies, "I do it with love."

While Manish is clear with his definition of f***ology, Karan Shastri, who has migrated to the city for his new job with a lot of dreams, was shattered after the end of his last relationship that had existed for the last ten years. His ex fell out of love and he is finding it impossible to move on. "I haven’t lost hope, I am yet to do my Master's and I am sure I will meet someone, and you never know, love might knock again at my door." With a gloomy optimism in his eyes. However, he is open to hookups and sex and willing to do what he couldn’t do in his last relationship - lose his virginity.

While the immense freedom you get to have in this city, Kashaf has started to live in with her boyfriend whom she met through Tinder. Both their families are clueless about them living together. I have noticed that Kashaf seems aloof these days. Earlier, she would take interest in photography, socialize, hit the gym, and appeared as a person full of life. The spark is lost, I say, to which she elaborates saying, "When you move in with your boyfriend, it’s not all roses, flowers and steamy sex every day. There is a constant worry, if he is okay, what we are going to cook, recently I missed my periods and I almost got a heart attack."

While I listened to her account, my idea of 'living in' changed to curbing the freedom and I almost started to feel claustrophobic standing with her.

Priyanka got into a relationship recently. Her boyfriend and she are similar in many ways, even their horoscopes match. On the outside, they look great together. But in reality, her partner has major trust issues because of the previous relationship, she says, "Sometimes, we push the person away from our lives and not let them be close. Not because we do not like them but because of the past experiences we have inculcated in the form of insecurities. We tend not to surrender our hearts. And by the time we realize this, the other person has gone far away." They both are working on their insecurities and helping each other accept their relationship.

Everyone is dealing with their own problems in the relationship. Some are simple, some complicated, and some just without love. However, they have one thing in common- everyone is f***ing around or waiting to do it with the right partner.

And that’s the story of every millennial who is trying to achieve everything in life along with their own versions of love in this city.

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