As our conversation continues, we delve into the depths of our past, sharing stories of love and loss, of triumphs and trials. With each word, we close the distance between us and relive memories that stretch across the years.

‘What made you travel all the way to India?’ I ask her.

‘I was persuaded by my Pakistani neighbour to fly back and attend this event!’

‘What? A neighbour? From Pakistan?’ I laugh. ‘Finally, Pakistan did something great for India. Tell me more.’

‘Ahh! It’s a long story. I’ll share it with you some other day.’

I nod. Taking a deep breath, I reach out to hold her hands in my trembling ones. ‘Kiranjeet, from the moment I first met you in school, my life has been filled with more love and happiness than I ever thought was possible. You are my best friend, my soulmate, my love,’ I confess.

‘Nirvaan, I love you more than I can put into words,’ she replies.

I smile, my eyes shining with tears. And then I ask her hesitantly, ‘Kiranjeet, will you marry me?’

Tears stream down her cheeks as she nods. ‘Yes, Nirvaan, yes! I will marry you, in this and in every other timeline, every other life.’

This time, I don’t want to waste a single minute looking for the perfect time or the perfect place to begin the next chapter of my life. This, now, here, it’s the best time and the best place.

‘Will you move to India or do I move to the States?’ I ask her bluntly. ‘For me, home is wherever you choose to be!’

‘We live in the twenty-first century; we can pursue our careers from anywhere we wish to. But honestly, I have no problem moving back, not anymore. I can resign from my position at Beta and join Asmitha, if she’ll have me, that is!’

‘All right, but let’s meet your parents today! I need to take their permission before we get married. And you need to meet my family as well!’ I’m running ahead at breakneck speed with everything that has to be done.

‘Okay! Okay! You’re an old-school guy, huh? Who asks for parental permission in today’s day and age? But maybe we’ll get to it in a few days? Let me at least savour this moment I have with you first,’ she says with a smile.

‘Okay!’ I hug her tightly before kissing her.

A little later, we step out into the warm Bengaluru night, surrounded by the glow of neon lights and the hum of the city, and we know that it has all been worth it. For here, in this bustling metropolis where the old meets the new, anything is possible and the future is ours to shape.

‘I travelled the world only to come back home to you, my mother, my homeland! Nirvaan, never leave me. You are my home.’

‘Never, Kiranjeet, never!’