I thought that I had never been dumped until six months after my last relationship ended.

My ex-boyfriend had staged our break-up in a way that it felt like a mutual decision. But later, when I found out that he was already dating his ‘colleague’, I realised I had been the victim of a skillful and heartless dumping.

The break-up that tops my list of real life horror stories happened three years ago.

It was the first time I had ever dumped someone and it felt like getting a root canal without anesthesia – slow and painful. The “process” started with an email before dragging on into the longest week of my life.
 

A friend of mine just recovered from saying ‘no’ to a guy. “When I said ‘no’ to him, I didn’t expect us to stop being friends,” she told me.

Saying ‘no’ is among the most difficult things to do in life. It’s usually involves not only saying ‘no’, but also being exact in conveying what you are saying ‘no’ to. And with matters of love, it can get even more complicated.

Q: My girlfriend won’t have sex with me – would it be wrong to end the relationship?

We’ve been dating for a year, first in high school, now together in Delhi for college. I was excited we’d have more private time together here. But she won’t let me do anything sexually. She says she loves me, but it’s really frustrating. I feel like finishing with her. Would that be wrong? Ajit, Rourkela

Why do we find it so hard these days to keep up a steady relationship with a partner? 

It’s not so hard to find couples who fell in love at a very young age, got married, had children and grandchildren, and have grown old together. They make sticking together for a 60 years of marriage look easy. But times have changed and so have people.

Coming on strong might not be the best approach to flirting. Girls find dominant guys to be less attractive and poor conversationalists, a British study found.

Leaving a good impression on the person you’re flirting with has more to do with your motives for flirting, say the researchers.

Will an expensive sports car impress your date? Yes, according to a recent study which seems to prove that men use bling to attract mates in the same way a peacock uses his feathers.

It seems like a no-brainer that men with fast cars attract women who are interested in luxury. However it turns out things are not that simple.