Once my internship began, I was excited at the thought of seeing her again. But I played it cool and waited a few weeks before reaching out. Eventually, we did meet. Ice cream and Marine Drive, it was simple, but something I had been quietly longing for. Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the connection just wasn’t there anymore.

Over the next few months, we met a couple more times, but she soon began a work-from-home internship in the evenings, and the meetings stopped altogether.

Our last conversation happened on April 5th. I was sitting in a nearby café and casually invited her to join. She said she couldn’t, or maybe I just felt she didn’t want to and I decided not to push it. From that day on, I focused completely on my internship and started working toward securing a full-time role. She, too, got busy with her Master’s applications and visa preparations.

Months passed. A lot had changed in my life. I got a full-time offer at the same company. I loved working there, I was doing well and the compensation was solid. In July, I even started dating someone from the office.

Then, out of nowhere, I got a message from her. She said she was leaving for the US in the first week of August and wanted to meet. The tone was off. Not exactly sad, not exactly excited. Just… off.

She asked how I’d been. I told her about the job, the relationship, how things were falling into place. She said she was happy for me, asked if we could meet before she left. I had a packed month ahead meetings, travel, work. I told her as much, but offered a walk at Marine Drive if nothing else worked out.

Somewhere during our chat, she mentioned she had been in a relationship with A since 2021. Three years. They had been unsure whether to tell me. I was surprised, but oddly not shocked. Maybe I always knew.

She told me they were breaking up soon, now that she was leaving. She poured her heart out that day. I couldn’t say much in return just gave neutral, surface-level responses. Then she warned me not to get too involved in my relationship. “Be ready for anything,” she said.

That night, I sent her a one-time message. I don’t know what made me do it, but I said:

“I don’t know if I should say this, but I was still into you till June 2022. And at some point, it just stopped feeling worth it to keep following you around.”

(Truthfully, I still had feelings for her—probably until April 2023. And while writing that text, a part of me still did. But maybe I said it because, in that moment, I felt we were truly connected again. From the heart. And maybe it felt okay to be vulnerable.)

The next morning, she replied:

“I read your message and it was a bit unsettling at first, maybe the wording. So I didn’t respond right away. But stepping away from that… I think you’ve learned an amazing lesson—letting go. It’s not easy. And I’m glad to see how life rewarded you. It really makes me happy to see how you’ve grown.”

I didn’t fully understand what she meant, but it meant something to me.

August 2nd—three days before she was set to leave. We met.

She walked to my office building, and we took a cab to a cozy place in Kala Ghoda. The drinks started flowing, and so did the conversations open, equal, and uninterrupted. She talked about her relationship, her plans for grad school, her fears, her uncertainties.

Somewhere in the middle of our conversation, she extended her hand. Palm open.

This time, I didn’t hesitate.

I held her hand. At some point, she slid closer beside me. We kept talking, heads close, voices low, the world blurred in the background. She took my phone and chatted with my girlfriend for a bit. Told her to take care of me. Wrote a little something about me too.

As we left the hotel, she suddenly stopped me in the middle of the street, hugged me tight, and kissed me. She was drunk. So was I. I don’t know if that counts as cheating I was in a relationship at the time. But everything about that night felt like an echo from the past. The same calm that once felt like home returned, just for a bit.

In the cab ride back, we sat close, holding each other. The same old warmth. I walked her to the lift in her building, gave her one last tight hug, and let her go.

And that was that.