‘I can’t believe it. I just can’t believe it,’ I whisper. And the next thing I know, I’m sobbing vehemently. It’s like I’ve been possessed by a spirit that only knows how to cry. I feel so guilty and ashamed about crying in front of a stranger, but I’m helpless. I cannot control my body or my mind enough to stop the tears. Even as these thoughts run in my mind, I realize that this feels like the time I had my first panic attack. Maybe I was having a panic attack again?

Eventually, with Shahnawaz talking me through it and ensuring I focus on my breathing, I stop crying.

‘Tell me about it,’ he gently urges me to talk once I’m calm enough.

‘I met this guy a couple of weeks ago, and I fell in love with him. But now I can’t reach out to him.’

‘Did he block you?’

‘No. Much worse. The app where we met deemed us incompatible and cut off our connection.’

‘So just call him. You’ve met him, right?’

‘No, it isn’t that simple. We’ve only met virtually. We’ve had no contact outside of the app’s universe.’

‘This sounds strange and unfamiliar. What’s going on with you young people in this new world?!’

‘You won’t get it, Shahnawaz. Maybe you’re a bit too old to understand.’

‘Maybe. But there must be some way to reach him, no?’

‘Not from here. I know he lives in India, and he’s a bigshot entrepreneur there. The main launch event for this app will happen soon in India. I could probably go back and try to cajole the app’s founder to share his details with me. But then that’s a breach of confidentiality. She might not want to help. But she’s also my ex-classmate and she still owes me a favour from our time in the university. She’d passed out drunk at a bar one night and I’d driven her safely back home and put her to bed,’ I blabber on like a kid who’s suddenly found out that rainbows and unicorns could just be real.

‘See, you have all the answers with you. So, what’s stopping you? Apply for some leave from work and go back to India!’

‘Unless I just let things be and give this new match a try.’

‘What?’

‘I don’t want to go back to India.’

‘Why?’