We met for the first time in 2018 at PayPal Chennai, where we were both summer interns. What were the odds? Me, an engineering student from IIT Madras meeting her, an economics major from Madras School of Economics at a tech company? One day, she saw me sitting alone at the cafeteria lunch table and invited me to join the table with her and her other college friends who were also interning there. That was our first interaction. My heart could feel something special right there. It turned out to be the start of a beautiful friendship. Fast forward to 2019, we had both graduated from our colleges and were both placed in IT companies located in the concrete jungle of Bengaluru, living just minutes away from each other. Again, what were the chances? Each time we met or spoke, I felt so comfortable and at ease. I was slowly convinced that there could be something special between us, more than just a friendship. I was slowly mustering up my courage to ask her and find out if she shared the same feelings about me. But guess who had the last laugh! It was COVID-19 and we both went back to our hometowns - Chennai and Hyderabad respectively, where we were holed up for the entirety of the lockdown. We were still in touch - sharing each other's life updates every now and then. She always used to remember and wish me on festivals! Those 'once in a blue moon' catch ups often stretched with text messages sparsely spread over many days, making it feel like we were in touch everyday. I used to wonder, "What if the lockdown didn't happen? Would things have been different by now?". We'll never know. Time passed by and it was the year 2022. I had gotten an offer to relocate to my company's HQ in San Jose, California. I was mainly looking for a change in environment after spending the last couple of years in lockdown. Meanwhile she had left her corporate job long ago, to prepare full time for the civil service exams in India. During our last conversation in early 2022 - I shared the news with her that I had gotten an offer and I'll be moving to the US in August 2022. She congratulated and wished me all the best. The clueless romantic in me wondered, "If I shared my feelings with her, would she have asked me to stay?". We'll never know. Once I moved to the US, it took a while for me to get adjusted to the new surroundings. Few months passed by. On the new year's eve, it hit me that I hadn't spoken with her in a while. And I was wondering is she okay? Why didn't she wish me on Diwali as she usually does? I sent her a new years greeting and we started exchanging messages. It magically felt like we just continued from where left off. I again started wondering of the same question - "What if the lockdown didn't happen and we had spent more time together in Bengaluru? Would things have been different?". This time, it wasn't just in my mind and I had actually sent it off as a message to her. Next few minutes, waiting for her response were probably the most anxious I had ever been. But I had a gut feeling that if I don't ask her this now, then I would definitely regret it for the rest of my life. Turned out that our feelings were mutual. Did we have a lot of questions and uncertainties because of being on the opposite sides of the world, our careers, etc? A big yes. We had thought for long about all the challenges we were going to face, but all that only made us realize that we really cared about wanting the best for each other so much. The empathy we had for each other helped build the trust to take a leap of faith and bridge the thousands of miles that physically separated us from the start. From endless video calls to cherishing a few days of time we got meeting each other in person whenever I visited India, to the hardest good byes. Finally, here we are, looking forward to our forever. Our love bridged the distance.