THE RIGHT PERSON PART ONE

THE BEGINNING I DIDN’T EXPECT 

It wasn’t a fairy tale love story—actually, it wasn’t a love story at all. It was conditional love. But is love really love if it comes with conditions? The story began on a dating app—because, well, we’re Gen Z. Neel was almost done with his graduation, and I was in my second year of college. Neither of us was on the app looking for anything serious; it was just for fun. So, when Neel made the first move, I was intrigued. I checked out his profile—a cute, handsome, and sweet guy. He seemed like someone who wouldn’t need to be on a dating app. Why would a guy like him be interested in someone like me? I couldn't help but think he was out of my league. We started talking on that app, and at first, I thought he was just another random guy looking for attention, someone who would probably ghost me in two or three days. But as time passed, we started talking more often. Eventually, we exchanged our Instagram accounts, and I found him to be a little mature and genuinely nice. Of course, he was older than me. We both did some cringey things to impress each other, and I guess I was quite impressed. Then came June 29—the India vs. Australia match. I was heading home for the weekend, and surprisingly, my mom and I decided to watch the match together for the first time . We ended up really enjoying it. At the same time, I was constantly chatting with Neel, both of us praying for India to win. Luckily, fortune was on our side, and India won! That day, we only talked about cricket, and funny enough, I had never known so much about the game until that moment. June 29 became a special day for me. From that day on, we became good friends. It felt good for a while, but then I started questioning things. I never realized I could be this right about my feelings, so I gradually stopped giving him attention. I guess he sensed that too. After four or five days, he asked me if we could catch up. For a moment, it scared me. I hesitated but replied, "I'll think about it." Being a girl, I felt unsure at first, but then I thought, Why not give it a try? A week later, we finally planned to meet for a coffee date. Since I was living in a PG and didn’t have a vehicle, I asked Neel if he could pick me up and drop me back. He agreed within seconds—it was clear he was excited. Meanwhile, I was nervous. It wasn’t my first date, but it was with someone I had no deep connection with yet. On July 6th at 7 PM, he texted me, "It's raining here." I was a little disappointed and replied, "Let’s wait until 8 PM; if it doesn’t stop, we can reschedule." I jokingly guessed that Neel must have prayed to all the gods because, by 8 PM, the rain had stopped. Then, I received a call from him. "I'm leaving now; I'll be there in 10 minutes," he said. At that moment, excitement took over my nervousness.

I was waiting for him down the street, as a light drizzle and distant thunder set the perfect cinematic atmosphere—so romantic. Then, he arrived on his scooty, wearing a black t-shirt and smelling absolutely perfect. He exceeded my expectations in every way—his voice, the way he spoke—oh god, he was just too good.

We were heading to Coffee Culture Café, gradually getting more comfortable with each other. I confessed that I wasn’t a coffee person but agreed to meet him over coffee just for the sake of spending time together. To my surprise, he wasn’t a fan of coffee either—we both loved chai! Yet, despite that, we still went to Coffee Culture. At that moment, I felt reassured—I had met the right person. In an attempt to impress him, he asked if I had a pet. Wanting to keep the conversation going, I said yes—technically, my cousin has a pet, and I’ve put his picture on my profile. Curious, I asked if he had one too. Turns out, he did! He shared the story behind his pet’s name, Guddi, and to make him feel comfortable, I told him that my cousin’s pet is named Kaalu because of his black fur. He jokingly called me racist, but we both laughed it off. i started feeling better with him it doesn't felt me I've met this person for first time.

We were so engrossed in our conversation that we unknowingly walked half a mile and reached the café. I admitted that I had no idea what to order, and he, being the kind person he was, didn’t judge me for it. He simply ordered coffee for both of us—though, to this day, I have no clue what it was. It wasn’t love at first sight, but there was definitely something there.

As we sipped our drinks, we talked about our lives—how I struggled to get into my college and how he was navigating his industrial career. The conversation drifted to our exes, and he bluntly shared how awful his ex was. We spoke for hours and even played Jenga while enjoying each other’s company. In the middle of this he stares at me and noticed ive til on my lips and compliment as ive great lips. By the time our coffee arrived, we had already decided to go for chai instead. It was the best decision because, honestly, the coffee was as disappointing as a poorly managed PG. Without hesitation, we left for chai, where I finally felt at ease—no showing off, no Instagram stories—just two people, brought together by fate, enjoying a warm cup of comfort while venting about life.

Eventually, the evening had to come to an end before it started raining again. He dropped me home with a handshake and a question that left me smiling—

"Are you free tomorrow?"

WHAT NEXT?

I was over the moon, smiling for no reason, my heart fluttering with excitement. Without a second thought, I said, "Yes, why not?"—after all, it was Sunday, and what better way to spend it? As soon as I reached my PG, I couldn’t resist texting him, "Ji, have you reached safely?"—a subtle way of showing just how deeply he had consumed my thoughts. His reply was instant: "Ji ha." A simple response, yet it carried the weight of our mutual excitement, as if fate had finally aligned our paths. Later that night, at exactly 11:32 PM, I called Neel. "You truly made me feel different today," I confessed, my voice laced with sincerity. To my delight, he felt the same. We matched each other’s energy effortlessly, as if we had always been meant to find one another. Our conversation flowed into the early hours—effortless, unfiltered, and full of shared confessions. I told him about my toxic batchmates, always meddling in everyone’s business, and he opened up about how he had nearly given up on love. We shared our likes, our dislikes, and our little quirks. Then, a small yet thrilling revelation—our birth months were the same. A coincidence, perhaps, but it felt like a playful nod from the universe, an unspoken confirmation of our compatibility. With the night deepening, we made plans to meet again—this time at his childhood hangout spot. It was a place I had heard of before, well-known yet now holding an entirely new significance for me. And then, the moment I had been secretly waiting for—the morning text arrived. The sight of his name on my screen brought an instant smile to my face. I replied Good morning with a heart, and he followed with, I’ll be there by 5 PM. My excitement threatened to spill over, but I kept my response casual: Okay. It felt unreal—how had someone I met so unexpectedly become such an important part of my life? We had no idea what the future held, but all I could do was pray for 5 PM to come faster. Unlike most girls, I wasn’t overly concerned about what to wear—I knew he would like me regardless. Just like the day before, my phone rang. "I’ll be there in 10 minutes," Neel said. My heart skipped a beat. And just like that, I was about to see him again.

Neel was waiting for me near my PG, waving as I approached. I smiled and greeted him with a soft "hello." It was July, and the weather was straight out of a romantic movie gentle raindrops, a cool breeze, and an atmosphere that felt almost magical. Standing there with the guy I had met and was slowly falling for, I couldn’t have asked for a better moment.

To ease the lingering silence, I asked, "Do you like the rain?" He chuckled. "Not really, but today, for some reason, it feels nice. Otherwise, I’m not much of a rain person." I wondered—were we really that different, or were neither of us the overly romantic type? He turned the question back to me, and I replied without hesitation, "I love the rain. It’s been so long since I truly enjoyed it." Our conversation flowed naturally as we walked toward our destination. He shared memories of this place—how he and his friends used to come here, spending hours together, lost in laughter and stories. I listened intently, completely drawn to him, captivated by the way he spoke. Just as we were exploring, the rain suddenly picked up. We rushed under a nearby shade, but the droplets still found their way to us, soaking us completely. He laughed, a hint of shyness in his eyes, , he admitted, "I’ve always had this little fantasy—kissing in the rain." For a moment, I felt a slight feeling of awkwardness. Who brings up a kiss on a second date? But before the silence could stretch too long, he smoothly shifted the conversation, making me smile. Even without that kiss, the moment felt surreal—like a beautifully crafted scene written by fate itself. As the rain slow down , we did what anyone would in such weather—we went for chai. Sitting there, wrapped in warmth, we found ourselves more at ease, the earlier hesitations fading away. Then, out of nowhere, Neel said, "My best friend wants to meet you. I blinked, surprised,. My silence must have spoken volumes because he quickly added, "Is that okay?" Not wanting to disappoint him, I nodded. "Yeah, of course." Soon after, his best friend arrived. The tension was undeniable, an awkwardness settling between us. I managed a polite smile as Neel introduced us, and we exchanged brief small talk . Fortunately, his friend didn’t stay long—he could sense that we needed our time together. With a quick goodbye, he left, and we resumed, back to my PG. That Sunday felt like something out of a dream—so perfect, so unreal. But as I stood there with Neel, our hands brushing in a hesitant goodbye, I knew one thing for sure. I liked him. Not just as a friend, but as something more. And as if he sensed it too, I held onto our handshake for a second longer and asked,

"So... what’s next?