"I was not supposed to stay long that afternoon. One cup of black coffee, a quiet corner of the café, and back to my perfectly planned day. Then she walked in. Big glasses, a smile that somehow filled the room before she even sat down, and a bag so wonderfully overstuffed with chocolates, keychains and little trinkets that it looked like she had been quietly collecting the world, one small piece at a time. I do not know what exactly it was about that moment, but I forgot about leaving. I forgot about the plan entirely."

"We talked for three hours that felt like twenty minutes. Somewhere in that conversation we found out that we both love Biryani with an intensity that is slightly unreasonable and completely non-negotiable. When we finally stepped out into the evening, we shared a cab home, sitting in that quiet backseat with the city lights blurring past the windows, neither of us in any hurry to reach our stop. I remember thinking somewhere on that ride that this felt like the beginning of something. I just did not know yet how much"

"A few weeks later at the ice skating rink, she slipped and I caught her. Time slowed down just enough in that moment for our eyes to meet and say everything that words could not. That was it for me. And somewhere between that moment and everything that followed, we also somehow ended up at Barbeque Nation celebrating our anniversary. Our fake anniversary. We had invented a date, walked in like a couple who had been married for years, and sat there eating way too much and laughing even more. The waiter wished us and we thanked him with completely straight faces. I think that evening told me everything I needed to know about her and about us."

"She is spontaneous and lives fully in every moment. I plan, I organise, I make spreadsheets for things that probably do not need spreadsheets. She makes me forget the plan. I help her find the destination. Together we dance like fools when no one is watching, eat like there is no tomorrow, and have very seriously agreed that Biryani counts as a love language. We are opposites who make perfect, beautiful sense of each other. And when we both knew this was it, we did what felt right. We brought our families into the same room. We had both quietly set it up, each of us nudging our parents toward that one evening without making it feel like a big thing, and somehow it was the easiest conversation anyone had ever had. Our families sat together, laughed together, and got along like they had known each other for years. We looked at each other across the room that evening and understood immediately why. Our parents are just carbon copies of us. Turns out, the chaos and the calm run in the family."

"And now, we are getting married. For real this time. No fake anniversaries. I still cannot believe I get to say that.”"