The Last Person I Loved - 02

Parking Lot Conversations

After that evening in the parking lot, things still remained mostly the same between us.
“Good morning.” “Hello.” “Bye.”
Small conversations. Small smiles.
But now, something had changed inside me.
Earlier, I used to avoid looking at her. Now, without realizing it, I had started noticing when she entered the office, when she left, and whether her vehicle was still parked outside during closing hours.
And strangely…
Many times, it was.
As days passed, we started seeing each other more often during late evenings. Sometimes I would leave late because of bugs or pending work, and somehow, she would also still be there finishing something.
At first, our conversations lasted barely a minute or two.
“How was your day?” “Too much work today?” “You’re still here?”
Simple things.
But slowly, those one-minute conversations started becoming longer.
One evening, while we were walking toward the parking area, she suddenly asked,
“So… what kind of person are you?”
I laughed softly. “What kind of question is that?”
She smiled and said, “I don’t know… you barely talk. Sometimes I feel like you’re very arrogant.”
I immediately replied, “No no… I’m just shy.”
She looked at me for a second and started laughing.
And honestly, that was probably the first time I saw her laugh so openly in front of me.
After that day, things became easier between us.
Now we would often leave the office around the same time and walk together till the parking lot. Nothing was planned. It just started happening naturally.
One evening, while walking, she suddenly said,
“A family is coming to see me this weekend.”
For a moment, I didn’t know what to say.
Then I smiled and replied, “Oh… congratulations. Good luck.”
She looked at me carefully, as if trying to read my reaction.
Then after a few seconds, she quietly said, “There’s actually something else…”
I looked at her.
“I’m already in a relationship,” she said softly. “But I don’t think I love him anymore.”
That sentence surprised me.
I didn’t expect her to share something so personal with me.
Then she asked, “What do you think I should do?”
I stayed silent for a few seconds before replying honestly,
“If you’re not happy… then you should end the relationship as soon as possible.”
She didn’t reply immediately.
She just nodded slightly.
That conversation somehow changed everything between us.
From the next day onward, our conversations became more frequent.
At first, it was office-related things. Then random topics. Then daily life.
And yes…
In the era of WhatsApp, we were still texting through normal messages.
At that time, I was still using a keypad phone.
She had some special recharge with 200 free SMS per day, and honestly, even those 200 messages were not enough for us sometimes. I even started doing special message recharges myself just to continue our conversations longer.
It felt strange.
I had never talked to someone this much before.
Every night, after dinner, our messages would start.
“What are you doing?” “Had dinner?” “How was your day?”
Simple conversations.
But somehow, those simple conversations became the best part of my day.
And slowly…
Without realizing it…
I had started waiting for her messages more than anything else.