The First Picture
She made it happen. And I’ll always be grateful that she did. Our story didn’t start with slow-motion glances or violins playing in the background. Nope. It began with me rudely interrupting her nap—by knocking on a car window she was kneeling and sleeping on. She looked up at me with what I think were angry eyes (thankfully, sunglasses saved me from the full force). Then, fate—or hunger—brought us together again at a highway burger stop. That’s when I noticed her tattoos. They perfectly matched a dream I had been working on for seven years. Coincidence? I think not. Another moment? When she casually said, “You have hit the final nail in the coffin,” and I turned to see a girl in the backseat waking up—straight into a conversation about life, aspirations, and relationships. And then there was the beer incident. She asked to share one. My brain, running on low battery, decided the best response was to fetch another from the fridge, instead of just handing her mine. Smooth, right? I remember her peacefully swimming in the pool while I, in peak best-friend-ka-bday-hai-mode, did the Naagin dance beside it. What can I say? Then came the long cab ride from Lonavala to Mumbai and back to Pune—just us, talking non-stop. Our last stop before she headed back to Mumbai? A roadside mutton-chawal joint. We still eat this dish every anniversary—because tradition (and also, it’s delicious). It had been only 24 hours since we met, and that was when I first saw this picture of her. Something clicked, and I told my mum, "She’s the one." And then began the real test: a 3-year long-distance relationship. Through changing cities, crazy work shifts, new goals, my endless travels, her chai, my coffee, evolving habits, and—most importantly—our music. What stayed constant? The excitement of being together, our individual growth, and the unwavering emotion that kept us going. And now? Now, we finally get to turn the page, move in, and live out the rest of our story together.