With love Anna....

1

Hi, I’m Anna — 30 years old, self-made entrepreneur, and a mom of three.

Also… an engineer and a chartered accountant.

Yes, I know.

Even my qualifications look confused. 😂

It’s like North Pole 🤝 South Pole — but somehow, I made them coexist.

Now, before you think this is all success, happiness, and “wow perfect life,”

let me be honest — there were plenty of bitter, dramatic, slightly embarrassing moments too. 😌

And before I get into my love story (which, trust me, has content),

let me give you a quick trailer of the person I used to be. I’m an ambivert — which basically means:

With my people → nonstop talking machine 🗣️With others → silent mode activated 😶

In school, I had that classic “padippi” image —the studious, well-behaved, innocent girl…

But inside?

Not that innocent. Let’s just say… thoughts were thinking. 😂

I had a few silent crushes — the kind that exist only in your imagination and nowhere else.

And somewhere along the way, I also found out that I was someone’s crush.

But here’s the twist —no one ever told me directly.

Everything came through friends like some secret news channel:

“Someone likes you…”“Guess who…”And me waiting like: “Can the actual person please come forward??” 😐

Honestly, I think I would have said yes…

if only they had the courage to say it to my face. But no… everything stayed in the whisper zone.

Back then, I was fully focused on studies. Extracurricular activities? Almost zero.

I was actually good at singing…but my brain said,

“Why waste 1 hour singing when you can study?” 🎓Wow. What a fun personality. 😂

So yeah, now you kind of get my mindset. But deep inside… I had this one very specific weakness —

I was always attracted to boys who made an effort to impress me. 😌

My longest-running crush?

Oh, that was a long-term investment — from 4th standard to 7th standard.

Completely one-sided. No updates. No progress. Just… existence.

And somehow, by the end of 7th, I slowly lost interest.

Like a show you stop watching halfway. 

It is not just I lost interest but somehow it happened. First one sided love still aches.

Then came 8th standard —where, like every serious student, I was fully focused on studies.

Also, I loved being a leader…because in my dictionary,

leader = slightly bossy 😌😂 And then…One fine rainy day in June…just like any other day…

I was sitting there with my usual bossy energy…

It had been around two weeks since school started…

And then I saw someone entering the class.

Tall.

Actually… the tallest I had ever seen in my class.

We made eye contact.

And that’s it.

Game over. 😂

2

Just when life was peaceful and my “first rank queen” throne was stable, in walks him. The teacher marched in right behind him like she was introducing a new contestant on a reality show — “This is Sam, a transferee from another school.”

And in my head, alarms started ringing. 🚨

A transferee? From another school?

Great. Exactly what I needed — fresh competition with unknown power levels.

I didn’t hate him… but I also didn’t not hate him. My main concern?

Protect. The. First. Rank. At. All. Costs.

Now, the most entertaining part of 8th standard was definitely the Malayalam class. Plot twist — only a small group of us chose Malayalam, while the majority went for Sanskrit like it was some trending stock. So our class was this cozy little group of about 20 students, perfectly balanced — boys vs girls.

And of course, destiny decided that Sam and I should be in the same Malayalam class. Wow. Thank you, universe. Very funny.

To make things even more dramatic, our Malayalam teacher had a class right before ours… all the way in the main building on the second floor, while our classroom was practically in another district. So every single day, we got a solid 15-minute “free period” while the teacher made her journey across campus.

Which basically meant:

15 minutes of chaos.

15 minutes of gossip.

15 minutes of me secretly keeping an eye on Mr. Transferee Threat 👀

Until the teacher arrives, I’m basically the temporary principal of the class. Maintaining silence? My responsibility. 🤫

And yes… I take this job very seriously.

I go full boss mode — anyone who dares to talk gets their name written on the board. No mercy. No warnings. Just straight to the list.

But I’m not completely heartless… I also run a justice system. 😌

In the gap before the teacher arrives, I organize “games” for the accused students to redeem themselves.

Now, when I say games… I mean my version of games.

Which are… slightly questionable. Okay, very questionable.

Mostly it’s arm wrestling. Yes. Inside the classroom. Like some underground fight club.

Winner = name erased from the board.

Loser = stays there in shame.

And the rules? They change according to my mood.

Basically, I’m judge, jury, and entertainment committee.

Somehow, in the middle of all this chaos, Sam and I started talking more during these classes. Turns out, we had one dangerous thing in common — love for maths.

One day, both of us scored a perfect 80/80.

Same marks. Same happiness. Same gift from the teacher.

And me? I was extra excited. Because finally —

something only we shared. ✨

From that moment, I made it my personal mission to find more “porutham” (similarities) between us.

And let me tell you… I got creative.

Even if two things were completely opposite, I would still somehow connect them and say, “See? Same!” 😐

At this point, it wasn’t about logic anymore…

it was about commitment to the idea 😂. 

And of course, I found one more porutham — because clearly, I was running a full-time research project at this point. 😂

Our class had this very serious tradition where the class teacher would visit each student’s house to understand their “background.” Sounds very official… but for me, it became another opportunity.

So over two days, she went to visit houses. The next day in class, she casually announced,

“I visited both Anna’s and Sam’s houses around noon… and I had lunch at both homes. Thank you to both families.”

And me, sitting there like a detective who just cracked a case:

“Wait… noon? Lunch? BOTH houses??”

Immediately, my brain:

✔ Same class

✔ Same maths marks

✔ Same Malayalam class

✔ And now… same lunch timing visit??

I was like, this is not coincidence anymore, this is destiny-level porutham 😂

I silently added one more tick mark to my imaginary list and sat there feeling extremely satisfied… like I just proved a very important theorem that no one else even knew existed

See… I’m a little insane, but in a very organized way. 😌

I have collections. Not normal collections like stamps or coins… no no.

I collect marriage invitation cards and seeds of random plants and trees.

Yes. That’s my personality. 🙂

Now, this was back in 8th standard — the golden era of dramatic crushes. And I had a major crush on this 6-feet-tall boy. 

Any small chance I got, I would try to gather information about him like a secret agent.

Because obviously, one-sided lovers have a common syllabus:

Admire from distance ✅

Never confess ❌

Overthink everything ✅

Now comes the most unbelievable part…

I fell for him during an Independence Day speech competition. 

Yes. Not in slow motion. Not with background music.

But in a queue. Waiting for our turn. 😂

He was standing right in front of me, and I decided this was my moment to say something intelligent.

So I asked, “Are you well prepared to get the prize?”

And his reaction? Oh, it was a full 3-step performance:

First — confusion 😐 (“Why is this girl asking me this now?”)

Then — a slight pause

Finally — a confident, cheerful smile 😎 (“Of course I am” vibes)

And me? That’s it. Done. Finished. Gone.

Somewhere between that confused look and that confident smile…

I fell head over heels. 💀😂 No dramatic music. No fireworks.

Just one expression… and my brain said, “Yep, this is the one.”

After that historic “queue love story,” I didn’t just stop there. Oh no… I upgraded to full investigation mode. 🕵️‍♀️

I talked to him whenever I got the chance, and on top of that, I recruited myself like intelligence team —

“Find out more details.”

Name, house, hobbies… everything mattered. 😂

At one point, I even tried to locate his house, but failed. Like… what was the plan after that? I have no idea. But the effort was there.

Now comes the funniest part.

In Malayalam class (where I am obviously the leader… because of course I am 😌), I randomly decided to give him directions to my house.

Not just verbal directions…I literally drew a map. 🗺️

Like Google Maps before smartphones existed. “Turn left, then right, then you’ll see my house.”

Why did I do that? No idea. Even today, it remains one of life’s greatest mysteries. 🤦‍♀️😂

Then suddenly… plot twist.

9th standard came, and our conversations slowly started decreasing. No big fight, no drama… just slowly fading like network signal in a village. But somehow deep down I was interested in him. One day Sam and his friend Anand was solving some maths problems and they gave me a question to solve. I think they were about to check  whether I can do that. And we even had a bet deal for 500 rupees. If I solve they will give me 500, otherwise I may loose my 500.

Guess what ? who won? Me .. No doubt in it. The fact that they still owe me 500 make  a tear to shed from my eyes. Any way that was one of the last encounters we had in 9th standard.

And by the time 10th standard arrived…

I had a full personality update.

From: Bossy class leader + secret lover + map distributor

To: Quiet, focused, minding-my-own-business version 2.0 😶

I became kind of an introvert… just studying, doing my own work, and not really talking much.

Honestly, if 8th standard me saw 10th standard me, she would be like:

“Who are you and what have you done with my confidence?” 😂

At that time, while everyone in class thought I was just being “quiet and mysterious,” I was actually dealing with a whole secret health storyline that nobody knew about.

Arts Day came — the day where everyone is dancing, singing, enjoying life like it’s a festival…

And me?

Two-day hospital package. 🏥✨ Reason: kidney stone.

And let me tell you… the pain was not “ouch”… it was more like

“WHY IS LIFE LIKE THIS???” 😭

Add to that some bonus fatigue and other issues — basically my body said,

“Let’s test her patience.” So while others were collecting memories from Arts Day,

I was collecting… hospital bills and life lessons. 🙂

Somewhere in all this, my brain came to a very dramatic conclusion:

“Okay, so clearly… I am only good at studying.” 🎓

And then another thought joined the party:

“I should not make my parents spend money on my education.”

So my new life mission became: Score high → Get merit → Survive.

No distractions. No nonsense. Only marks.

At the same time, my overthinking department was working overtime:

“No one likes you” 

“You don’t have real friends”

“If you don’t study, you’re useless”

Wow. Such supportive inner voice. Very kind. 👏😂

Because of all this, I slowly built an invisible wall around myself.

Maintained distance from everyone like I was in some “Do Not Disturb” mode.

So yeah… while others saw a quiet girl focusing on studies,

inside it was full drama, pain, overthinking, and a very determined topper mindset 

So because I had turned into this silent, “talk-only-if-necessary” version of myself, poor Sam also slowly reduced talking. Like… what will he do, talk to a wall? 😶😂

Anyway, everyone was busy preparing for exams — full tension, full focus, no time for emotions…

But emotions had other plans for me.

One fine day, I got shocking news: Sam proposed to a girl. And not just any girl…

The girl sitting right next to me. 🙂

Universe really said, “Let’s make this extra dramatic.”

I was like —“Excuse me?? WHAT?? WHEN?? HOW?? WHY HER???” 😭

Instant heartbreak. No warning. No buffering. Just direct hit. 💔

But then my logical brain tried to act mature:

“Hello madam, you never confessed. How will he know? You have zero rights to be sad.”

And my emotional brain was like:

“I understand… but also… let me cry a little.” 🥲😂

That incident really hit me hard.

And then comes another classic porutham moment.

One day, me and my friend were given the very important responsibility of checking identification marks for the SSLC certificate — using slips and Excel sheet like proper professionals. 😌

While checking, suddenly my eyes caught something…

Sam and I had the SAME identification mark.

SAME. IDENTICAL. My brain immediately: “PORUTHAM!!! 😄✨”

I was sooo excited to add one more tick to my legendary list…

But then reality gently tapped my shoulder and said:

“Relax. He’s already proposed to someone else.” 🙂

So I just sat there like…

“Yes, we have matching identification marks… but not matching life decisions.” 😂💔

 And yeah… that whole situation didn’t just pass like a small scene — it had long-term effects.

I slowly lost interest in everything that involved people.

Class interactions? No thanks.

Farewell functions? Hard pass.

Writing autographs? Please, I’ll skip.

School trips? Not even tempted.

Basically, if it involved “fun with classmates,” I was like: “Nope, not available. System under maintenance.” 😶😂

3

Then after some time, plot twist again…

I came to know that the girl he proposed to was actually cheating on him — like managing multiple storylines at the same time.

And suddenly my emotions were confused again:

Heart: “See?? You deserved better!”

Brain: “Focus… exams are coming.”

Me: “But… poor Sam.” 😐

Because honestly, I felt he was genuine… and he got betrayed. That part didn’t feel right at all.

But at the same time…

the damage that was already done to my heart?

Yeah… that wasn’t going anywhere.

It was like a deep cut that healed… but left a permanent “emotional scar” reminder.

So there I was —not talking much, avoiding everything, feeling bad for him…and also quietly carrying

 my own little heartbreak story like,

“Okay life… noted.” 💔🙂 

So obviously, I didn’t just sit there and cry like a normal person.

No no… I had techniques. 😌

Whenever the pain hit, I would take a notebook and write:

“I hate you Sam” again… and again… and again…

Until it looked less like writing and more like

modern art titled: “Emotional Damage.” 🎨😂

At this point, even my notebook was like,

“Girl… please move on.”

And then I made a life-changing decision.

Dramatic background music playing 🎶

“I will join a girls-only school for higher secondary.”

Even though I didn’t like the idea much, I was like:

“This is it. No boys = No love = No heartbreak.”

Flawless logic. 👏😂

Basically, I created my own “Love-Free Zone.”

And guess what?

I was fully determined —

“I will NEVER fall for anyone again.”

(8th standard me would be very proud of this declaration.)

After that, we only met once — during the school annual day, collecting prizes like two people who definitely did not share a whole emotional backstory. 🙂

No proper conversation, nothing.

Just… existence in the same place.

And then, life moved on.

First year of higher secondary was almost over…

I was stable, focused, emotionally under control (or so I thought)…

And then suddenly —

BOOM.

I accidentally met him again.

Because obviously…

life was like,

“Story not finished yet 😏”

4

It was Christmas Eve, and like every year, my family and I were on our grand “crib-hopping” tour across churches. Somewhere around 8 PM, in the middle of all the lights and decorations, I spotted Sam—yes, that Sam from high school. I saw him. He did NOT see me. Classic.

I nudged my mom and pointed him out. Her immediate reaction?

“Go talk to him!”

And me, without even thinking: “No way, he’s too haughty.”

Meanwhile, my heart was doing the exact opposite—secretly praying, “God, please make him turn around and come talk to me.”

And guess what? God really said, “Say less.”

Next thing I know, he walks right up to me, shakes my hand, and says “Merry Christmas.”

I froze. Like… system error. Brain stopped working. Electricity-level shock.

Then our parents joined in, started chatting like long-lost relatives, asking about studies, future plans, life, everything.

And just like that, we said goodbye and moved on…

But honestly, that one moment? Totally unexpected and slightly embarrassing for my “he’s haughty” comment 😂

That day, I came back home like I had just experienced a life-changing event.

First thing I did?

I looked at my hand…

THE hand.

The one he shook. ✋✨

I was just staring at it like it had suddenly become a celebrity.

And then… I did something that I still question today.

I actually…

kissed my own hand. 💀😂

Yes. That happened.

And wait — it gets better.

I made a firm decision:

“This hand will NOT be washed today.”

Hygiene took a backseat. Emotions took the driver’s seat.

I literally went the whole night protecting that hand like it was some sacred artifact.

If anyone had asked me to wash my hands, I’d be like:

“Sorry, this is not just a hand anymore… this is a memory.” 😌😂

So after that magical Christmas Eve moment?

Nothing. Absolutely no contact. Like we both vanished from each other’s lives again… as if that scene was just a limited-time festival offer.

Fast forward—school ended, life moved on, and I joined engineering. One fine day, our college decided to bless us with a strike (because why not?), so I happily rushed to catch a bus back home.

I was just about to get into the bus—main character moment, wind blowing, dramatic exit—when suddenly I hear:

“Annaaa!”

I turned back, slightly confused… and boom—Sam again.

At this point, I’m like,

“Excuse me?? Why does he keep appearing like a surprise guest entry?” 😂

I definitely did NOT expect to see him there, at that exact time, in that exact chaos.

He casually asks, “Where are you going in such a hurry?”

And I’m standing there thinking,

“Sir, I was about to escape this situation peacefully…”

We chatted for a couple of minutes—nothing too dramatic this time (sadly, no electric shock effect 😌)—and then I got into the bus and went home like a responsible citizen.

But honestly…

This guy’s timing? Suspiciously cinematic 🎬

5

That was the time I finally got my own phone and phone number. Feeling all grown up, I asked the admin of our 10th standard WhatsApp group to add me. Within minutes, I was in. Naturally, I made my grand entrance with a simple, "Hi."

And then... ping.

"Hi, this is Sam."

That's it. That's all it took.

From that random "Hi," we somehow started chatting. And for some reason, I still remember the exact date—October 16th. Weird? Maybe. But that date has been living rent-free in my head ever since.

Now, here's the funny part. I was extremely interested in talking to him because I already had a massive crush on him. But did I know how to start a conversation? Absolutely not.

My brain had one strict rule: "If he likes me, he should propose first." Me confessing first? Impossible. At that point, my confidence was on vacation, and my ego had somehow become the CEO. So I patiently waited for destiny... or at least for him to make the first move.

The biggest problem was... I had zero experience in this department. Sam at least had some experience—he had already survived a breakup. Me? I didn't even know what people in the "talking stage" were supposed to talk about.

So, like the responsible future planner I was, I randomly started asking him about higher studies, career plans, and basically everything except the fact that I had a huge crush on him.

Somehow, those random conversations just kept flowing. We could literally talk for hours. It also became a silent competition. I would casually mention something hoping to impress him, and he'd reply with something equally impressive. Looking back, we were probably both trying to say, "Hey, I'm a pretty cool person," without actually saying it.

And honestly, those days before anyone confesses... they're magical. You know you like the person. You secretly hope they like you back. Every notification makes your heart do a little dance.

There's a movie dialogue that says when you see someone you truly like, it feels like there's a snowfall in your stomach. I don't know about the science behind that, but my stomach definitely had its own weather forecast whenever his message popped up.

The funniest part? Our conversations had an official timetable.

He went to church every morning, and by the time he came back, I'd be on the bus to college.

7:30 to 8:50 a.m. — Chatting.

12:00 to 1:00 p.m. — Lunch break chatting.

4:00 to 4:30 p.m. — Evening chatting.

It was like we were following a college timetable, except the subject was "know Sam – Practical Session." Attendance was compulsory.

But throughout all those conversations, one question kept haunting me: "What exactly happened with his ex?"

I just had to know. Did he still have feelings for her? Was I competing with a ghost from his past?

So one day, out of absolutely nowhere, I asked him about her.

At first, he was super hesitant. But little did he know... he was talking to someone with the investigative skills of a crime detective. Slowly—but very, very surely—I extracted every tiny detail. By the end of it, I knew about his breakup, all his previous crushes, and even the girls who had crushed on him.

Let's just say... I could have easily worked for the CBI.

Okay, maybe not the CBI.

It wasn't investigative talent.

It was just jealousy and curiosity working overtime. 😂

And then came the sentence that changed the entire direction of my overthinking.

He finally told me why he had liked the girl who used to sit next to me.

His answer?

"Because she's smart."

...

SMART?!

Excuse me? So what does that make me? A decorative piece? 😭

The Overthinking Department in my brain immediately called for an emergency meeting.

"On what basis did you conclude she's smart?"

"Where is the evidence?"

"Who approved this statement?"

Within five minutes, I had already created an entire theory.

Her name started with S.

His name started with S.

"Ah yes... two smart people with names starting with S. What a perfect match." 🙄

And from that day onwards, I made it my life's mission to never let him forget that sentence.

Whenever I got the chance, I'd tease him.

"Ohhh... you dated a smartttt girl."

Or whenever he teased me, I'd dramatically reply,

"It's okay, Sam. I know... I'm not smartttt enough." 😌

Poor guy.

I can still imagine him regretting every life decision that led him to tell me about his ex.

He'd be like,

"Why on earth did I tell Anna all this? Now she's using it against me every single day!" 🥲

And that's exactly why people say...

Never give your future girlfriend too many details about your ex. They'll archive everything forever. 😂

Okay, okay... I wasn't his girlfriend.

Not yet.

Until he confessed, I had absolutely no official title.

But... a girl is allowed to hope, right?

Deep down, I had this strong feeling that he liked talking to me as much as I liked talking to him.

Maybe I was right.

Maybe I was completely delusional.

Who knows?

But at that time... my heart had already decided to believe the first option.

6

Anyway, days went by, and one fine evening, while we were chatting as usual, a dangerous thought entered my mind.

"Does he actually like me... or am I just writing imaginary love stories in my head?"

There was only one way to find out.

Conduct an experiment. 😌

The unfortunate volunteer for this experiment was a guy from my class named Abel. He was a Christian, his name started with A, and he happened to be my lab partner for practical sessions.

Poor Abel had absolutely no idea he was about to become the main character in someone else's love story.

So I casually told Sam,

"You know... there's this guy in my class. He's actually good-looking. His name starts with A. He's really nice to me. I'm even wondering if I should date him. I don't think he's a bad guy..."

And then...

Silence.

Not the peaceful kind.

The jealous kind.

That was it.

That was the moment.

The tiny detective living inside me stood up, adjusted her imaginary glasses, and proudly announced,

"Case solved. The suspect likes you." 😂

But did I stop there?

Absolutely not.

Once I realized my experiment was working, I became a full-time scientist.

Every day I'd come back with fresh "updates."

"Today Abel said this..."

"Today Abel helped me with that..."

"Today we did the lab practical together..."

Meanwhile, Sam had absolutely zero interest in hearing about Abel.

None.

You could almost hear him thinking,

"Can we please change the topic? I don't care about this Abel fellow. Please... enough!" 😂

The funny thing was, the more I talked about Abel, the more obvious Sam became.

He wasn't interested in Abel.

He just wanted me to stop talking about another guy... and keep talking to him.

Looking back now, I probably tortured the poor fellow a little too much.

Sorry, Sam...

But in my defense...

Scientific experiments require evidence. 🤭

As always, we kept talking.

One day, our conversation took a very interesting turn.

I asked him, "So... what's your type?"

He smiled and threw the same question back at me.

Now, instead of giving a realistic answer, I started describing those completely unrealistic heroes from movies and dramas—the ones who somehow have perfect hair, perfect timing, perfect dialogues... basically men who exist only because the scriptwriter said so.

He laughed and shared his "ideal type" too.

At this point, I think both of us already knew what was happening.

We liked each other.

Neither of us was saying it.

But both of us knew.

Then... my mouth betrayed me.

Out of absolutely nowhere, I blurted out,

"You know... I actually had a crush on you back in school."

The moment I said it, I wanted to catch those words and stuff them back into my mouth.

But it was too late.

Sam paused for a second and quietly said,

"Anna... I liked you too. Back in 8th standard."

...

WHAT?!

Hold on.

YOU WHAT?!

My brain completely crashed.

"Excuse me? You liked me?"

"Then what about that SMART girl?"

"Didn't you propose to her?"

"Am I supposed to believe this now?" 😭

He laughed and explained,

"I liked you till 9th standard..."

And then he started telling me his version of the story.

He said he liked the random questions I'd ask.

He liked the time I drew the map to my house.

He liked all the chaos I created during Malayalam class.

He even liked my bossy attitude...

...and my arrogant nature.

Wait.

My arrogant nature?!

I was sitting there wondering...

Am I reading a novel?

Is this secretly a movie?

Did someone replace my life with a romantic drama while I wasn't looking?

How on earth did I never notice any of this?

I was officially the best in missing obvious signs.

So naturally, I asked the most important question.

"Then why didn't you tell me?"

His answer was simple.

He was scared.

Scared that if he confessed and I said no, we'd lose the friendship we had.

The classic...

"I'd rather stay your friend than lose you completely."

Meanwhile, my brain was having a completely different breakdown.

"Oh my God..."

"If I had known this back then..."

"I would've been the girl in his story..."

"Not the SMART girl." 😭

I had spent months being jealous of someone who could've been replaced by... me.

And then...

The moment I'd been unknowingly waiting for finally arrived.

He said,

"Hey, Anna... listen."

"I think those feelings are still there."

"I can't stop talking to you."

"I like the way you talk."

"I like you just the way you are."

"I love you."

...

For a second...

Everything stopped.

My heart started beating so fast that I genuinely thought I was about to have a heart attack.

I couldn't breathe.

I couldn't think.

I couldn't even type.

This...

This was the moment I'd secretly dreamed about for months.

The moment I'd imagined a thousand different ways.

And now it was actually happening.

I could literally feel tears filling my eyes.

I froze.

I forgot how to react.

For once in my life...

The girl who always had something to say... had absolutely no words.

7

Looking back, I still laugh at myself and wonder, "How could I possibly say yes that quickly?" My heart had already whispered "yes," but my brain called for a full board meeting first. 😂

There were a few reasons.

The biggest one? I wanted my parents' wholehearted blessings. I didn't just want them to attend my wedding—I wanted them to genuinely accept and love the man I chose. I kept thinking, "What if we fall deeply in love, only to end up with heartbreak because our families never agree?" That thought scared me more than anything.

Then came the next question: "Is this really the best decision of my life?" I wasn't looking for a trial version or a practice relationship. I wanted my first serious relationship to be my last. I wanted the man I chose to be my forever person.

And somewhere in my heart, I also wanted a little confirmation from God. I didn't know what form it would come in, but I wanted that quiet assurance that I was walking on the right path.

Now comes the funniest reason. 😌 A tiny part of me wanted him to wait... just a little. Consider it payback for the time he confessed to that smart girl. 😂 And also because I didn't want him to think I was someone you could win over in five minutes. A girl has to protect her reputation too!

So I looked at him and said, "Hey, Sam... I need time before I can say yes."

Then, being the drama queen I naturally am, I continued, "It could be a day... a week... a month... a year... or maybe even the entire course of B.Tech. Honestly, I don't know."

And then I dropped my grand movie dialogue:

"If waiting for me feels like a waste of your time, let's end this conversation right here. I'm not looking for time pass. I want real love—wholehearted, pure, eternal... the kind that lasts a lifetime."

Poor guy didn't even blink.

He smiled and said, "That's exactly what I'm looking for too. I'm not here for anything temporary. I want a serious relationship with you... because one day, I want you to be my wife."

Well... that line hit me right in the heart. ❤️

By then, I had already fallen for him—much harder than I was willing to admit. ❤️ But it still took me almost a month to finally accept that my answer was going to be a "yes."

And during that month... I did something that still makes me laugh. I don't know if every daughter does this, but I definitely did.

One day, I casually walked up to my mom and said,

"Hey Mom... do you remember Sam from my class? The tall one... the one who's really good at studies?"

She immediately replied, "Yes, I remember him."

I took a deep breath and said,

"There's something I want to tell you. Sam told me that he loves me. I just wanted you to know... and I wanted to hear what you think."

Without missing a beat, she looked at me and asked,

"Did you say yes?"

I said, "No... I asked him for more time."

Mom smiled and said,

"Good. Tell him you're not interested right now. This is the time to study. Both of you should focus on your careers. Don't think about love at this stage. If, after getting jobs, both of you still feel the same way, then we'll sit down and talk about it."

And strangely... instead of breaking my heart, her words gave me hope.

I realized she didn't dislike him at all. In fact, there wasn't even a hint of hatred toward him. She remembered him, respected him, and never said a single negative thing about him.

Her only concern was exactly what you'd expect from a typical Indian mom—"First studies. Then career. Love can wait." 😂

Classic mom logic. Career first, romance later. Honestly... that's Mom being Mom. ❤️.

But somehow, something had already changed inside me.

If I couldn't talk to him, my heart would ache. It felt strange because I had never experienced anything like that before. A simple conversation with him had quietly become the best part of my day.

Meanwhile, my mom had switched into full detective mode. 😂 Every now and then she'd borrow my phone to read my chats, just to make sure there wasn't anything "fishy" going on.

Ironically, that was exactly the phase when all we wanted to do was talk... and talk... and talk. If "infinity" could be measured in conversations, we were determined to reach it. 😂

And that was the turning point.

More specifically, Detective Anna was born. 🕵️‍♀️😂 I became an expert at inventing secret ways to outsmart my parents whenever we texted.

Soon, our chats had their own secret language.

NM meant "No Message"—don't send anything, parents are around.

NS meant "No Stickers."

NE meant "No Emojis."

And the undisputed superstar of our secret codebook was NM. 😂

Looking back now, it feels hilarious. We weren't spies on a secret mission... we were just trying to protect a love story from the world's greatest detectives—our parents. ❤️😂

8

The day he proposed to me was January 29.

And then, just a month after he finally got my long-awaited "yes," something huge happened...

The world was introduced to COVID-19. 🌍😷

Sometimes I laugh thinking about the timing.

Here I was, stepping into the most romantic chapter of my life... and the whole world was stepping into a lockdown.

Wait a second...

Does this mean that while one dangerous virus entered the world, another one entered his life? 😂

Should I take that as a compliment or a warning?

Poor guy never stood a chance. One virus locked people inside their homes... and the other quietly occupied his heart forever. ❤️😂

Jokes apart, it's funny how life works.

Me and COVID made our grand entry into his life almost at the same time.

Thankfully... only one of us was meant to stay. 😉❤️

And that lockdown... surprisingly, was where our beautiful love story truly began. ❤️

The only problem?

After his proposal, we got just one chance to meet in person—during our school's Annual Day, the very place where we had first met years ago. It almost felt like life gave us one last scene before closing the curtains.

And then...

Lockdown.

Just like that, we officially became a long-distance couple.

Finally... a long-distance relationship. 😂

People often say long-distance relationships are difficult. Trust me, they aren't exaggerating.

Most of the time, texting was our only option. We couldn't meet, and even phone calls weren't always possible. Sometimes I'd send a message with a certain tone in my head, but by the time it reached him, it had transformed into something completely different. My innocent teasing would become confusion, my jokes would need explanations, and my dramatic messages... well, they deserved subtitles. 😂

But our love story wasn't the only thing going online.

Our entire college life did too.

Suddenly, there were online classes, assignments, attendance, Google Meet, Google Classroom... and just like that, we had stepped into a completely new virtual world.

A virtual classroom.

A virtual college.

And somehow... a virtual love story too. ❤️

The funniest transformation, though, was me.

Back in school, I was the kind of girl who would be asleep by 9:30 p.m. sharp.

Then love happened.

Somehow, midnight quietly became my new bedtime.

Who would've thought that the girl who once fought to stay awake after 9:30 would now be happily sacrificing sleep just to spend a few more minutes talking to someone?

Love really does rewrite routines... one late-night conversation at a time. 😂❤️

9

And then came the funniest chapter of our love story—the legendary honeymoon phase. Yes, I actually learned that every relationship has phases, and if you ask me, the honeymoon phase definitely deserves the trophy. 😂

We were the definition of cringe. We only showed each other our best sides, trying our absolute hardest to impress one another. Looking back now, it's hilarious. I genuinely believe this is the phase where people suddenly discover hidden talents or polish the ones they already have—just to hear their partner say, "Wow!"

In my case, it was art and craft. Thankfully, I was already pretty good at it. And since it was lockdown, the whole world seemed busy making bottle art, dream catchers, DIY crafts, gardening... basically turning into Pinterest. Of course, I jumped onto the bandwagon too. After every little masterpiece (or at least what I proudly called one 😌), I'd immediately click a picture and send it to him saying, "Look what I made today!"

And without fail, he'd reply, "Wow... it looks so nice!"

To this day, I still don't know if he genuinely loved my creations or if he was simply being my biggest cheerleader. Either way, I wasn't complaining. I secretly loved how he always hyped me up and made me feel like Picasso on a good day. ❤️

Even though we were just a newly formed couple, he was unbelievably thoughtful and romantic. Every single morning, before doing anything else, we'd check our phones for each other's "Good morning." It had become an unspoken ritual. He'd send me a sweet good morning message, and I'd send one back.

His messages always ended with one of those adorable little heart emojis. Me? I wasn't really an emoji person back then, especially not heart emojis.

But one morning...

His usual "Good morning ❤️" suddenly ended with a kiss emoji. 😘

And I swear... my heart forgot how to behave for a second.

It was just one tiny emoji. But somehow, that tiny little kiss managed to make my entire day feel like a scene straight out of a romantic movie.

But do you know what I did?

Instead of blushing or replying with another cute emoji, I innocently asked,

"Hey... what does this emoji even mean? 😌"

He casually replied,

"I think all couples do this."

The moment he said "all couples," my brain switched into full Smart Girl Mode. 😏

Excuse me... I was no longer the future girlfriend. I had officially earned the title of girlfriend. And trust me, a girlfriend's teasing is far more dangerous than a future girlfriend's.

So I texted him and asked,

"Ohhh... so you have experience sending and receiving these emojis, right?" 😌

Silence.

I'm pretty sure, at that exact moment, he was praying,

"Oh God... why did I ever tell Anna about my ex? Please... open the earth and let me disappear. That would be much easier than answering this question!" 😂

And honestly?

I think that's exactly what was going through his mind.

Welcome to the real torture.

Poor guy had just sent one innocent kiss emoji... and accidentally walked straight into an interrogation he never saw coming. 😂❤️