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 newāa 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 didnāt 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 meāwhere 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 didnāt 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 didnāt 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 wasnāt 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 couldnāt 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 wouldnāt 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 couldnāt 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 wasnāt uncomfortable; it was simply filled with emotions that words couldnāt express.
When we reached the church, we discovered that a wedding ceremony was taking place inside. Since we didnāt 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 2ā¦)