I went home that evening with a smile. It had been a pretty good day. Just like that, a few more days passed. We started texting more often. I found myself wanting to talk to him. Our conversations flowed easily. We met a few more times, enjoying simple outings to nearby gardens for evening walks and casual hangouts filled with laughter, jokes, and daily updates.
It was easy. Comfortable. Uncomplicated.
Somewhere along the way, without realizing it, I had found a good friend in him. He had slowly become a part of my everyday life. It felt natural, like he had always been there in the background, and now he was just present—a constant.
Then, not long after, it was his birthday.
I remembered, of course. He had mentioned it casually a few days earlier. So I did what anyone would do: I tagged him in a story and wished him a Happy Birthday. Nothing grand. Just a simple gesture.
The very next day, he texted me. "Are you free?"
I told him I already had plans—with my friend Shiva, actually. I asked casually,
"Why? What's up?"
He replied, "Can you make a little time? I want to take you out for ice cream, A birthday treat "
(My favorite.)
You have to understand, saying no to ice cream is almost impossible for me. And saying no to the birthday boy? Even harder. So I found the time. We went out. It was nothing extravagant—just two people sharing a cold dessert on a chilly evening.
It was silly, small, and so simple. But somehow, that day, the ice cream I had ,always loved ,became his favorite too.
Why? Well, you'll understand that soon.
---
A few days later, I was heading back home for a while—actually, for a whole month. There wasn't much to do in Jaipur during that time, so I figured I might as well go home, see my family, and maybe enjoy a few free meals, if I'm being honest.
While I was home, our texting slowed down. That was understandable. I was with family, caught up in little things. He didn't text much either—just an occasional reel, a meme here and there, and some short chatter.
But what truly surprised me was how eager he was for me to come back.
He kept telling me all the places he wanted to visit with me in Jaipur—even though he was from the city himself. Funny, right? A local boy who hadn't really explored his own city until now.
What made me really notice him was those last two days before I returned to Jaipur.
He texted me quite a few times a day, asking, "Where are you now?"
"How far have you reached?"
"When will you get back?"
Constant check-ins. Constant care. And I liked it.
It made me feel something I hadn't felt in a while—seen, important, and most of all… cared for. And maybe that was exactly what I had been craving all along.....