‘Kiranjeet, wait!’ I shout at the top of my voice. I cannot let her go, not again, not like this. I jump out of my seat and push my way past the people towards her. The entire hall is abuzz with anticipation now, and I see people turning in their seats as they watch me run up to her.

When I reach her, it feels like I’m in a dream. I cannot believe she is real. I look deep into her eyes, unable to find the words to break the silence between us. After God only knows how many minutes have passed, I say, ‘I’m Nirvaan, but you know me as Neer.’

I can see the shock and the disbelief in her eyes as she struggles to accept this piece of information.

‘Why did you leave?’ She finally demands an explanation.

‘I did not! The app cut us off due to a software update that found us incompatible.’

‘What? But why? How? Everything went so well during our virtual tour.’

‘We need to leave right now, Kiranjeet. Trust me, I’ll explain everything, but not here!’

‘No, wait. Are you an investor in the app? Do you know Asmitha? What are you doing here?’

‘I’ll explain everything, I promise, but let’s just get out of here,’ I whisper in her ear.

We stand side by side, our eyes locked in a silent exchange that speaks volumes about the emotional upheaval both of us are going through. The unspoken words, the longing to be with each other after all the years of despair, I can see it all.

Someone in the audience claps just then and inadvertently breaks the silence that had threatened to stretch on until the end of time. More people from the audience join the applause. They’ve probably assumed that we are the app’s ‘success story’ that’s to be presented to them.

The emcee’s voice cuts through the applause like a knife, breaking the spell that had enveloped the entire room. ‘Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honour to introduce to you the two individuals whose love story has captivated us all,’ she announces. ‘Please join me in welcoming Cheryl and Dino.’

The lights go out for a bit. Asmitha and a bunch of people from her team approach us hurriedly and escort us out to the green room behind the stage. They don’t want to confuse the audience about what’s happening. As we leave the hall, I request Asmitha, ‘Please cancel my keynote. Say that we were running out of time or something.’ She nods and hurries back.