‘There’s always a way out. We’ve got the internet now. It’s easy to stay connected. I’ll take up a job in whichever city you are in. We don’t have to break up like this,’ I tried reasoning with her.

‘Nirvaan, I believe it’s best that both of us move on. We don’t know what the future holds for us. What if our paths never cross again?’ she asked. From the tone of her voice, I knew that she’d already made her decision.

‘But what if they do?’ I persisted. I still had hope for us.

‘I might never come back to India,’ Kiranjeet’s voice quivered as she said this.

‘I’ll come for you, Kiranjeet, wherever you are. I love you,’ I said, desperate to change her mind.

‘I love you too, Nirvaan. But I’ve failed you, and it would be very selfish of me to hold you back. I don’t want to do that.’ It seemed like she was well prepared to counter whatever I said to her.

‘Can we please meet once and then talk about this? Please?’ I begged.

‘No. I’m leaving soon.’

Her words felt like nails being driven into my coffin.

‘What! When are you leaving? When’s your flight?’ I started panicking.

‘I’m leaving in three weeks.’

‘Kiranjeet, I don’t know what to say. How do I process this? How can you just leave me like this? Don’t I deserve a chance to at least say goodbye?’ I asked helplessly.

‘Because I will love you forever, Nirvaan. And I don’t want to say goodbye.’

‘But what’s the point if we never meet again?’ I broke down into tears.

‘To love someone doesn’t mean that you’ll end up being with them forever. Sometimes, we just fall in love, and that’s that. Love doesn’t always culminate in a long-term relationship. It’s not me or you. It’s the circumstances that are forcing us apart,’ she tried reassuring me.

‘I’ll come to the airport. I have to see you before you leave,’ I said.

‘Please don’t. Don’t come to the airport. My parents might come to drop me off.’

‘But …’ I muttered.

‘I love you, Nirvaan.’ And with these last words, she hung up on me.