After my share of heart breaks at 25, I believed I was better off tending to a broken heart forever, or worse, going down the traditional arranged marriage route as preferred by majority Indians. Not that arranged marriages have a low success rate over free choice ones, I just never imagined my parents picking out my significant other with me having little to no acquaintance of a person I was expected to spend my entire life with. Although the times have changed, arranged marriages still possess a high regard in most Indian families.

Destiny, however, had its own share of plans in store for me. At the start of 2019, I was determined to cautiously tread the social world terrain with little to no intention of making any real connection. That’s how I began talking to him through a mutual friend. We were miles apart — in different states and time zones — with almost nothing in common. Simply two individuals navigating the social world behind a gadget’s screen, that’s all; is what I thought until he decided to pay me a visit in L.A. To me that meant meeting a friend over the weekend. How bad could that be?

We planned to meet over dinner. It was a cold winter evening. As I stepped outside my apartment, I could hardly get a sight of him amidst the array of cars parked across the street. After moments of frantic search there he was, standing tall with the most beautiful bouquet of red roses, all for me! Is this for real? I questioned my sceptic self.

We had the most surreal time, talking and smiling through what seemed like the best night of our lives. There was undeniable chemistry and fireworks between us. Did I ever expect this to happen? Not in the slightest!

There was no going back after this.

What followed were endless trips to see one another at every opportunity we could find. Together we braved the distance and tears with every passing day. LDR (long distance relationship) is never easy but with the right person nothing ever seems too tough to overcome and you can always find a way.

By March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic had gripped the world with uncertainty and despair. However, the same month I booked myself a one-way trip and married my one true love.

“Love comes when you least expect it. Love comes when you most need it. Love comes when you are ready to receive it or can no longer deny it.”

— Mitch Albom, The Next Person You Meet in Heaven