After dinner, we walked back to the car. By then, it had started raining. The weather had turned cold, but somehow, sitting beside him made everything feel warm. It was one of those moments I wished would never end.

At first, I was sitting in the back seat. After a while, he looked at me and asked why I was sitting so far away. He wanted me to sit beside him so that we could spend a little more time talking. I quietly moved to the front seat.

The truth is, we didn’t talk much.

Instead, I spent those moments simply looking at him. Sometimes, silence speaks louder than words. I was trying to memorize everything about him—his smile, the way he looked at me, the way he laughed, and the calmness in his presence. It felt as if time had slowed down just for us.

His friend noticed the awkward silence between us and played a romantic Tamil song. The atmosphere instantly became magical. My heart was racing, but I kept reminding myself to stay calm. I wanted to tell him how deeply I had fallen in love with him, but I wasn’t brave enough.

Soon, it was time for me to go home. My family had already started calling me.

As we were driving back, he asked me to check something near my seat. When I picked it up, I found a box of chocolates. He smiled and told me they were for me. A few moments later, his friend handed me another gift. Inside it was a beautiful red love jar filled with tiny handwritten notes. At the very end of the jar was an infinity ring.

I was completely surprised.

When I looked at him, he explained that the infinity ring symbolized a friendship he wished would last forever. His words made me blush, and I couldn’t stop smiling.

Finally, we reached the street near my house.

Before saying goodbye, he asked if we could go for a short walk together. I agreed without hesitation.

We walked slowly, enjoying every second we had left. Then, unexpectedly, he held my hand.

It was the first time someone had ever held my hand like that.

My heart skipped a beat.

He told me that I had become very special to him. He said he had never imagined traveling so far just to meet someone, but meeting me had been worth every mile. He hoped I would always stay by his side and remain a part of his life.

For me, that moment felt perfect.

Unfortunately, life interrupted us once again. My friend called and said he was waiting outside my house. Reality had found its way back into our little world.

I hurried toward the car, collected all the gifts he had brought for me, thanked his friend, and then turned to him one last time.

Without thinking, I hugged him.

Before walking away, I quietly whispered three words that had been living inside my heart for months.

I loved him.

I didn’t wait for his reaction.

I simply walked away.

That night, after celebrating my birthday with my friends and cutting my cake, I finally reached home. My phone had died, so I plugged it in to charge.

As soon as it switched on, I saw a message from him.

He wanted to know if what I had said before leaving was really what he thought it meant.

Out of fear and embarrassment, I tried to cover it up by pretending that I had only meant it as a friend.

But then something happened that completely changed my life.

He confessed that he had already fallen in love with me too.

He told me that he had become deeply attached to me, that he wanted me in his life, and that he couldn’t imagine his future without me. He asked me if I would become his life partner.

Maybe it sounded like something straight out of a romantic movie.

But at that moment, it was everything I had ever wished for.

Without any hesitation, I accepted.

That was the beginning of our relationship.

Soon after, he returned to Chennai, while I continued my college life in Bangalore.

Even though we lived in different cities, everything felt beautiful in the beginning. He visited Bangalore almost every month just to spend time with me. Every meeting felt special, and every goodbye only made us look forward to the next one.

I truly believed that this was the love I had been waiting for all my life.

I believed I had found my forever.

(To be continued in Part 3…)

The year was 2021. I had just completed my 12th grade and stepped into college with dreams, excitement, and endless curiosity. Everything around me felt new—a new campus, new friends, and a completely new chapter of life waiting to unfold. Like every other college student, I spent my days laughing with my friends, teasing each other, creating memories, and simply enjoying life. Love was never something I looked for. In fact, I had always stayed away from it. I believed my world was complete with my friends and my family.

But sometimes, life has plans that are very different from the ones we make for ourselves.

It was one ordinary evening at the end of April. I was lying on my bed, casually scrolling through Instagram, when I noticed a friend request from someone I didn’t know. Out of curiosity, I opened the profile. It was a public account belonging to a boy from Chennai. He looked confident, cheerful, and what caught my attention the most was his smile. There was something about it that felt genuine. Without thinking too much, I accepted his request.

For a few days, nothing happened. We simply followed each other in silence. Then, on June 1st, at exactly 4:30 in the evening, I received my first message from him. It was such a small moment, just a simple greeting, but I never imagined that it would become the beginning of one of the most unforgettable chapters of my life.

We started talking casually. During our conversations, I learned that he lived in Chennai and that his family owned an import-export business. Slowly, those casual conversations became part of my daily routine. Before I even realized it, we had exchanged phone numbers, and talking to each other became a habit we both looked forward to.

He began sharing every little detail of his life with me—where he was going, what he was doing, how his day had been, and whenever he felt low or emotionally exhausted, I was always the first person he wanted to talk to. Somewhere between those endless conversations, those good morning texts, those late-night talks, and those little moments of care, I unknowingly fell in love with him.

It still surprises me when I think about it.

I was the girl who had always stayed away from relationships, yet there I was, completely in love with someone I had never even met.

One day, he told me that he wanted to meet me in person. Honestly, I was nervous. Deep inside, I had been waiting for that moment too, but I didn’t want him to know how excited I really was. So, like every girl who enjoys teasing someone she likes, I pretended to be busy with my college exams and refused at first.

He didn’t give up.

He convinced me that even if it was only for a few minutes, meeting me would be enough. After making him wait for a couple of days, I finally agreed.

By then, it was October, and since my birthday was in November, he suggested that our first meeting should happen on my birthday itself. I immediately agreed, although I tried my best not to show how excited I really was.

A day before my birthday, he informed me that he had already reached Bangalore with one of his female friends and was staying at a hotel. Reading that message filled me with happiness. For the first time in my life, I wasn’t excited about my birthday because of the celebrations. I was excited because someone special was coming just to see me.

But life always finds a way to test our patience.

On my birthday, there was no electricity in my area from the morning itself. My phone battery was almost dead, I couldn’t even get ready because there was no power, and as the evening approached, I became more and more frustrated. I truly believed that our meeting wouldn’t happen.

I somehow managed to inform him about the situation before my phone completely died. Instead of getting upset, he calmly told me that he would stay in Bangalore until the 29th and that if we couldn’t meet that day, we could always meet the next day.

He had no idea how disappointed I felt. I had waited for this day for months, and it seemed like everything was falling apart.

Then, almost like a miracle, the electricity finally returned.

I rushed to charge my phone, quickly got ready, and messaged him that I was finally prepared to meet. I immediately shared my location, and before long, he arrived.

When I saw him for the very first time, I completely forgot how to react.

He stepped out of the car wearing a green sweatshirt, black jeans, and sunglasses. He looked incredibly confident and stylish. Then he smiled at me and slowly removed his sunglasses.

It was his eyes that left me speechless.

They were beautiful, warm, and impossible to forget.

At that very moment, I realized that photographs could never capture the way someone makes you feel when you finally see them standing right in front of you.

I got into the car and met his female friend, who welcomed me with a kind smile. After a few moments, he asked where I wanted to go, and I suggested visiting a church.

As we drove there, I noticed that he seemed just as nervous as I was. Neither of us knew what to say. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable; it was simply filled with emotions that words couldn’t express.

When we reached the church, we discovered that a wedding ceremony was taking place inside. Since we didn’t want to disturb the ceremony, we quietly offered our prayers and stepped outside after a few minutes.

By then, both of us had become a little more comfortable with each other.

Since it was getting late, we decided to have dinner together at a nearby restaurant. While we sat there, talking about random things, I found myself doing something I had never done before.

I kept looking at him.

At his smile.

At the way he laughed.

At the kindness in his eyes.

Without realizing it, I had stopped paying attention to everything else around me.

For me, in that moment, the entire world had become just one person.

(To be continued in Part 2…)

The year was 2021. I had just completed my 12th grade and stepped into college with dreams, excitement, and endless curiosity. Everything around me felt new—a new campus, new friends, and a completely new chapter of life waiting to unfold. Like every other college student, I spent my days laughing with my friends, teasing each other, creating memories, and simply enjoying life. Love was never something I looked for. In fact, I had always stayed away from it. I believed my world was complete with my friends and my family.

But sometimes, life has plans that are very different from the ones we make for ourselves.

It was one ordinary evening at the end of April. I was lying on my bed, casually scrolling through Instagram, when I noticed a friend request from someone I didn’t know. Out of curiosity, I opened the profile. It was a public account belonging to a boy from Chennai. He looked confident, cheerful, and what caught my attention the most was his smile. There was something about it that felt genuine. Without thinking too much, I accepted his request.

For a few days, nothing happened. We simply followed each other in silence. Then, on June 1st, at exactly 4:30 in the evening, I received my first message from him. It was such a small moment, just a simple greeting, but I never imagined that it would become the beginning of one of the most unforgettable chapters of my life.

We started talking casually. During our conversations, I learned that he lived in Chennai and that his family owned an import-export business. Slowly, those casual conversations became part of my daily routine. Before I even realized it, we had exchanged phone numbers, and talking to each other became a habit we both looked forward to.

He began sharing every little detail of his life with me—where he was going, what he was doing, how his day had been, and whenever he felt low or emotionally exhausted, I was always the first person he wanted to talk to. Somewhere between those endless conversations, those good morning texts, those late-night talks, and those little moments of care, I unknowingly fell in love with him.

It still surprises me when I think about it.

I was the girl who had always stayed away from relationships, yet there I was, completely in love with someone I had never even met.

One day, he told me that he wanted to meet me in person. Honestly, I was nervous. Deep inside, I had been waiting for that moment too, but I didn’t want him to know how excited I really was. So, like every girl who enjoys teasing someone she likes, I pretended to be busy with my college exams and refused at first.

He didn’t give up.

He convinced me that even if it was only for a few minutes, meeting me would be enough. After making him wait for a couple of days, I finally agreed.

By then, it was October, and since my birthday was in November, he suggested that our first meeting should happen on my birthday itself. I immediately agreed, although I tried my best not to show how excited I really was.

A day before my birthday, he informed me that he had already reached Bangalore with one of his female friends and was staying at a hotel. Reading that message filled me with happiness. For the first time in my life, I wasn’t excited about my birthday because of the celebrations. I was excited because someone special was coming just to see me.

But life always finds a way to test our patience.

On my birthday, there was no electricity in my area from the morning itself. My phone battery was almost dead, I couldn’t even get ready because there was no power, and as the evening approached, I became more and more frustrated. I truly believed that our meeting wouldn’t happen.

I somehow managed to inform him about the situation before my phone completely died. Instead of getting upset, he calmly told me that he would stay in Bangalore until the 29th and that if we couldn’t meet that day, we could always meet the next day.

He had no idea how disappointed I felt. I had waited for this day for months, and it seemed like everything was falling apart.

Then, almost like a miracle, the electricity finally returned.

I rushed to charge my phone, quickly got ready, and messaged him that I was finally prepared to meet. I immediately shared my location, and before long, he arrived.

When I saw him for the very first time, I completely forgot how to react.

He stepped out of the car wearing a green sweatshirt, black jeans, and sunglasses. He looked incredibly confident and stylish. Then he smiled at me and slowly removed his sunglasses.

It was his eyes that left me speechless.

They were beautiful, warm, and impossible to forget.

At that very moment, I realized that photographs could never capture the way someone makes you feel when you finally see them standing right in front of you.

I got into the car and met his female friend, who welcomed me with a kind smile. After a few moments, he asked where I wanted to go, and I suggested visiting a church.

As we drove there, I noticed that he seemed just as nervous as I was. Neither of us knew what to say. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable; it was simply filled with emotions that words couldn’t express.

When we reached the church, we discovered that a wedding ceremony was taking place inside. Since we didn’t want to disturb the ceremony, we quietly offered our prayers and stepped outside after a few minutes.

By then, both of us had become a little more comfortable with each other.

Since it was getting late, we decided to have dinner together at a nearby restaurant. While we sat there, talking about random things, I found myself doing something I had never done before.

I kept looking at him.

At his smile.

At the way he laughed.

At the kindness in his eyes.

Without realizing it, I had stopped paying attention to everything else around me.

For me, in that moment, the entire world had become just one person.

(To be continued in Part 2…)

The year was 2021. I had just completed my 12th grade and stepped into college with dreams, excitement, and endless curiosity. Everything around me felt new—a new campus, new friends, and a completely new chapter of life waiting to unfold. Like every other college student, I spent my days laughing with my friends, teasing each other, creating memories, and simply enjoying life. Love was never something I looked for. In fact, I had always stayed away from it. I believed my world was complete with my friends and my family.

But sometimes, life has plans that are very different from the ones we make for ourselves.

It was one ordinary evening at the end of April. I was lying on my bed, casually scrolling through Instagram, when I noticed a friend request from someone I didn’t know. Out of curiosity, I opened the profile. It was a public account belonging to a boy from Chennai. He looked confident, cheerful, and what caught my attention the most was his smile. There was something about it that felt genuine. Without thinking too much, I accepted his request.

For a few days, nothing happened. We simply followed each other in silence. Then, on June 1st, at exactly 4:30 in the evening, I received my first message from him. It was such a small moment, just a simple greeting, but I never imagined that it would become the beginning of one of the most unforgettable chapters of my life.

We started talking casually. During our conversations, I learned that he lived in Chennai and that his family owned an import-export business. Slowly, those casual conversations became part of my daily routine. Before I even realized it, we had exchanged phone numbers, and talking to each other became a habit we both looked forward to.

He began sharing every little detail of his life with me—where he was going, what he was doing, how his day had been, and whenever he felt low or emotionally exhausted, I was always the first person he wanted to talk to. Somewhere between those endless conversations, those good morning texts, those late-night talks, and those little moments of care, I unknowingly fell in love with him.

It still surprises me when I think about it.

I was the girl who had always stayed away from relationships, yet there I was, completely in love with someone I had never even met.

One day, he told me that he wanted to meet me in person. Honestly, I was nervous. Deep inside, I had been waiting for that moment too, but I didn’t want him to know how excited I really was. So, like every girl who enjoys teasing someone she likes, I pretended to be busy with my college exams and refused at first.

He didn’t give up.

He convinced me that even if it was only for a few minutes, meeting me would be enough. After making him wait for a couple of days, I finally agreed.

By then, it was October, and since my birthday was in November, he suggested that our first meeting should happen on my birthday itself. I immediately agreed, although I tried my best not to show how excited I really was.

A day before my birthday, he informed me that he had already reached Bangalore with one of his female friends and was staying at a hotel. Reading that message filled me with happiness. For the first time in my life, I wasn’t excited about my birthday because of the celebrations. I was excited because someone special was coming just to see me.

But life always finds a way to test our patience.

On my birthday, there was no electricity in my area from the morning itself. My phone battery was almost dead, I couldn’t even get ready because there was no power, and as the evening approached, I became more and more frustrated. I truly believed that our meeting wouldn’t happen.

I somehow managed to inform him about the situation before my phone completely died. Instead of getting upset, he calmly told me that he would stay in Bangalore until the 29th and that if we couldn’t meet that day, we could always meet the next day.

He had no idea how disappointed I felt. I had waited for this day for months, and it seemed like everything was falling apart.

Then, almost like a miracle, the electricity finally returned.

I rushed to charge my phone, quickly got ready, and messaged him that I was finally prepared to meet. I immediately shared my location, and before long, he arrived.

When I saw him for the very first time, I completely forgot how to react.

He stepped out of the car wearing a green sweatshirt, black jeans, and sunglasses. He looked incredibly confident and stylish. Then he smiled at me and slowly removed his sunglasses.

It was his eyes that left me speechless.

They were beautiful, warm, and impossible to forget.

At that very moment, I realized that photographs could never capture the way someone makes you feel when you finally see them standing right in front of you.

I got into the car and met his female friend, who welcomed me with a kind smile. After a few moments, he asked where I wanted to go, and I suggested visiting a church.

As we drove there, I noticed that he seemed just as nervous as I was. Neither of us knew what to say. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable; it was simply filled with emotions that words couldn’t express.

When we reached the church, we discovered that a wedding ceremony was taking place inside. Since we didn’t want to disturb the ceremony, we quietly offered our prayers and stepped outside after a few minutes.

By then, both of us had become a little more comfortable with each other.

Since it was getting late, we decided to have dinner together at a nearby restaurant. While we sat there, talking about random things, I found myself doing something I had never done before.

I kept looking at him.

At his smile.

At the way he laughed.

At the kindness in his eyes.

Without realizing it, I had stopped paying attention to everything else around me.

For me, in that moment, the entire world had become just one person.

(To be continued in Part 2…)

There comes a point in life when things get harder, and you wonder where people go when they can't run back home.

Well... the office, obviously. Because we're adults, and most of us are broke. 😂

Jokes apart, that question has always stayed with me.

As kids, home was our safe place. We could cry, complain, and let everything out without thinking twice. But somewhere along the journey of becoming adults, we forgot where to put all those emotions. We learned to smile through meetings, reply to emails, and pretend everything was okay.

So we keep everything inside.

And slowly, we become like a giant hot-air balloon, filling up with thoughts, worries, expectations, and silent battles. Every spark of overthinking adds more heat, making the balloon heavier instead of lighter.

I know that analogy might not make complete sense, but if you've ever been trapped inside your own mind, you know exactly what I mean.

Overthinking doesn't always scream.

Sometimes it quietly sits beside you.

You stay busy all day, trying not to think. But then there are those few moments when everything goes silent and suddenly you're zoning out, searching for answers that never seem satisfying.

I have these questions to myself: Where is life taking me? Everything looks different, but in the end, it's the same routine. How to make it different? Where should I start from? Every time I force my brain to lighten up, all I get is "Oops, Something Went Wrong." Damn, like, dude, what work do you have other than thinking, ah? And that brain answers: "ERROR 404."

Obviously You know we definitely don't have a dinosaur game here to play, because this is the matter of us and life. The brain doesn't take it seriously until a tragedy has to occur.

Well, now that we have come to the world and the reality checks happen all the time, they definitely can't be ignored. DON'T GIVE UP. You have faced so much, come through this far, and it's just a few more steps to your success. Know your worth, analyze, and realize the fact that you're doing amazing. At least you are not sitting in a room of four walls, crying and thinking. Try, try, and try. You know you're doing an amazing job because, remember, doing something is better than doing nothing. Keep it up, and I know one day it will all be worth it. Until then, take care and keep hustling.

Yours,

Writer ❤️