The Last Person I Loved - 17

The Interview She Failed for Love

After returning from Delhi, she looked different.
Not physically.
But emotionally.
More mature. More focused. And somehow… even more attached to me.
Maybe distance had affected both of us more than we expected.
Now every meeting felt special again.
Even normal evening rides started feeling emotional.
Sometimes while sitting behind me on the scooter, she would suddenly hug me tightly without saying anything.
And honestly… those silent moments said more than words ever could.
But her abroad process was still continuing.
The Delhi training was completed. Now the final step remained.
The interview in Mumbai.
I still remember how nervous she was before leaving.
Not because she was underprepared.
Actually, she was one of the most confident people I knew.
She had already cleared difficult stages. Learned quickly. Handled pressure well.
Deep inside, I was almost sure she would succeed.
And honestly… that thought scared me too.
Because if she succeeded, then one day she would actually leave.
Still, I never showed that fear to her.
The day she left for Mumbai, I kept waiting for updates constantly.
Checking phone every few minutes like an idiot.
Finally around afternoon, my phone rang.
It was her.
I immediately picked up excitedly.
“How was it?”
But the moment she spoke, I realized something was wrong.
Her voice was shaking.
“I couldn’t clear it.”
For a second I genuinely got shocked.
“What? How? You were fully prepared.”
There was silence from her side.
Then slowly she said something I never expected.
“I lied during the interview.”
I frowned immediately.
“Why?”
And then came the answer that stayed with me forever.
“Because of you.”
Honestly… for a few seconds my brain stopped working.
I couldn’t understand what she meant.
She continued softly:
“While waiting outside for my turn… I suddenly realized something.”
Her voice started breaking.
“If I get selected… I’ll have to leave you behind and go alone.”
Now even my throat became heavy.
She continued:
“That thought scared me more than the interview itself.”
I didn’t know what to say.
She started crying lightly while speaking.
“I can’t go without you, diku.”
And honestly… at that moment, I felt like the luckiest man alive.
Not because she failed.
But because someone loved me enough to choose me over their biggest opportunity.
She continued softly:
“I just want to come back to you. Please don’t scold me when you see me. Just hug me tightly.”
That sentence completely broke whatever emotional control I still had.
I smiled while my eyes became wet.
“Come back fast,” I replied softly. “My arms are waiting.”
The journey back took almost ten hours.
And that entire day felt endless.
Finally in the evening we met.
The moment she saw me… she walked straight toward me and hugged me tightly.
Very tightly.
Neither of us spoke properly for almost ten minutes.
And honestly… words weren’t needed.
Sometimes love becomes visible most clearly in silence.
When we finally looked at each other, both of us had wet eyes.
Then together, almost at the same time, we said:
“Love you.”
And started laughing immediately afterward.
That day, while looking at her smiling face, I genuinely believed one thing:
No matter what happens… we’ll somehow stay together.
Maybe love makes everyone overconfident.