The Last Person I Loved - 16

Distance Makes the Heart Closer

After deciding that she would continue the abroad process alone, our relationship somehow became even deeper.
Strangely… once you realize that time together might become limited, every small moment starts feeling more important.
Now her entire routine revolved around preparations.
Documents. Training. Language learning. Interviews. Paperwork.
And naturally… I became part of all of it.
Whatever she needed, I was there.
Forms. Travel. Practice conversations. Mock interviews.
At one point, we even started learning basic foreign-language phrases together just for fun.
Half the time we pronounced words incorrectly and ended up laughing at each other.
Still… those moments felt beautiful.
Then finally the day came when she had to leave for training in Delhi.
I still remember that morning clearly.
Her entire family had come to drop her at the railway station.
And because our relationship was still unofficial from their side… I couldn’t openly stand beside her.
So instead, I played hide-and-seek like some criminal.
Standing behind pillars. Moving between crowds. Trying to catch one glimpse of her without attracting attention.
And finally…
she saw me.
The moment our eyes met, a smile appeared on her face instantly.
That smile alone made the entire station disappear for me.
No matter how crowded the platform was… at that moment, I could only see her.
My dhingulu.
The train slowly started moving.
And just like that… for the first time in our relationship, real distance entered between us.
After reaching Delhi, things became hectic for her.
Her brother was there initially. New place. New people. New routine.
For two or three days, we barely got proper time to talk.
And honestly… I missed her terribly.
I had become so habitual to her presence that even normal days started feeling incomplete without her messages.
One evening during a call, she told me:
“The training will continue for around one and a half months.”
That sounded huge at that time.
But slowly we adjusted.
And strangely… distance brought us even closer emotionally.
Now we waited desperately for calls.
Video calls became the best part of the day.
Morning calls before work. Night calls before sleeping. Random messages during lunch breaks.
To talk more comfortably at night, I even installed Wi-Fi at home.
Official reason: “Internet is useful.”
Actual reason: Video calls with my love.
Most evenings ended the same way.
Both of us staring at screens smiling stupidly for no reason.
Sometimes we talked for hours.
Sometimes we just stayed connected silently while doing our own things.
And honestly… even silence with her felt comforting.
Around that time, her birthday was approaching.
And I wanted to make it special.
Very special.
For days I secretly worked on a customized birthday video.
Old pictures. Chat screenshots. Memories. Songs.
Everything.
I wanted her to feel loved even from another city.
On her birthday night, I sent the video around 11:55 PM because I wanted my message to reach before everyone else.
Then I waited.
11:58.
12:05.
12:15.
Still no reply.
Slowly my excitement started turning into sadness.
Finally around 12:30, she came online.
Her message came instantly:
“Sorry diku! Everyone here was celebrating my birthday.”
Honestly… I was slightly upset.
But it was her special day.
So instead of fighting, I simply asked:
“Did you like the video?”
Her reply came immediately.
“It’s the best gift anyone has ever given me.”
And just like that… my anger disappeared completely.
That was my weakness.
No matter how upset I became… one emotional message from her was enough to melt everything.
Over time, even her friends started teasing her.
“Your boyfriend is too possessive.”
And honestly? Maybe I was.
But not because I wanted control.
I was possessive because she had become my safe place.
The person I shared everything with.
The person I imagined in every future plan.
Then finally, after completing her training, she came back home.
And the moment I saw her again after so many weeks…
it genuinely felt like my world had returned.