As the world started to open, a numb curiosity to meet people was often on my mind. I felt I wanted to see what and who existed in the world after being trapped in my own space for so long.

With this feeling, I began meeting guys, and on New Year’s Eve, I met someone who left me in complete awe. I didn’t know what would happen with this relationship, but I knew that I was meant to meet him, and it was a positive situation. 

I immediately got butterflies that made me happy and liberated. I wasn’t aware that I could feel that way about someone until that evening. But while I was so positive about the situation, there was some guilt and fear I felt from meeting him. And I knew that if this were to lead to something else, it could cause problems.  

This person is Muslim, and I am Hindu. He’s from Pakistan, and I am from India. Our families and religions are completely different.

It would be a weird and interesting mix. However, the differences didn’t just lie there. They also moved deeper into how we were shaped as people. He had both parents and siblings and a supportive family. He was succeeding in life and had a solid career. And who was I? I struggled with my career, and the pandemic was not helping. I struggled with family, I grew up in a single-family household. 

I was definitely out of his league, right? 

But, as we spent a lot of time together, I also started to get my life together. I was spending time in the gym. I was working on reconstructing my career. And I was working on my glow-up. I truly fell in love.

But none of that would even matter. 

Because this man was someone who couldn’t stand up to his family and their decisions. He made promises for marriage and building a life together. He gave in to the family and their old-school demands. I spent a significant amount of time in the dark falling in love with someone who was looking at possible arranged marriage proposals. 

I guess I should have known when so many differences exist. I could never have the one person I fell in love with. 

It seemed like it was too good to be true. 

What a failed love story.

Today, he’s not a part of my life. But I have a career I love. I am healthier than I once was. And I continue to improve my health. I am traveling a lot more. I have improved my finances. And I am spending more time finding the things that make me happy as I heal from the relationship.

So, I guess the relationship, even though failed, was worth something.