She was a girl from a small, beau ful village, surrounded by green fields and fresh air. Belonging to
an agricultural family, she carried the warmth and simplicity of the countryside. Her dreams,
however, took her to Hyderabad for educa on and work.
He — a brilliant, tech-savvy boy — was her schoolmate in that same village. Back in those days, they
barely no ced each other; he was lost in his books and gadgets, and she was busy in her own li le
world
Years rolled on. The boy flew across con nents chasing his tech dreams and finally se led in Dubai,
running his own business. The girl con nued her journey in Hyderabad.
One day, fate played its card. They met briefly at home during a visit to the village — just a quick
smile and a casual “Hi.” But something in that gree ng lingered.
Days passed… then she called him, and what started as a friendly chat grew into hours of
conversa ons. They laughed over childhood stories, teased each other about how they barely spoke
in school, and slowly — without realising — made excuses just to hear each other’s voice. They even
helped each other with career advice, résumés, and job applica ons.
Then came the day that changed everything.
On a casual call, she asked, “Where are you?”
He joked, “If you say okay, I’ll be in front of you tomorrow.”
“Okay, come!” she replied sarcas cally.
But he wasn’t joking. The very next day, he flew from Dubai and stood in her city.
When he called to say, “I’m here,” she was shocked. Thirty minutes later, she arrived, s ll in disbelief.
Seeing him, her first ques on was simple — “Did you eat?”
When he said no, she smiled in a motherly way: “Come, let’s eat.”
Over plates of egg fried rice, they unknowingly experienced their first date. They even playfully
competed over who would pay the bill — and he won this round.
Later that evening, he remembered the small chocolate he had bought for her — the first gi he’d
ever chosen for someone special. He’d even asked a couple of friends for advice on which one would
be be er, a shy smile playing on his face at the thought.
With only two days before he had to return to Dubai, he called her again to meet. She agreed. At the
café, she seemed stressed — she had a presenta on to prepare for. He reassured her, mo va ng her
with warm, encouraging words.
Then she casually men oned, “My family has started looking for marriage matches for me.”
His smile faded inside, though he didn’t let it show.
“And… what do you want?” he asked quietly.
“I think I will marry. I don’t want to be a burden to my parents,” she said ma er-of-factly.
When they stepped outside, a bus drew near. He called out, warning her, wan ng to reach for her
hand… but something held him back. Perhaps it was the invisible distance between them, or the fear
of crossing a line. They said goodbye and went their separate ways.
S ll, the connec on con nued through calls, messages, and laughter. On another mee ng at a café,
as they played a lighthearted game pretending to be bride and groom, he finally asked, “What if I
loved you… would you accept me?”
She looked at him — surprised, though ul — and before she could reply, he smiled and said, “I don’t
know… let’s see in the next part.”
