23M from Hyderabad travels to Goa to meet long‑distance 20F girlfriend (2021)

[Menon]

It all began on 2 December 2020. I (23M) was trying to save a friend's number from Pune, but I typed one digit wrong. When I refreshed WhatsApp, instead of my friend I saw a girl in a red saree, her back to the camera. I couldn't see her face, but I knew it was the wrong number. Still, a weird mix of anxiety and excitement hit me and I just had to text her.

I sent a simple "Hi." She replied, "Who is this?" I told her it was a mistake, but introduced myself anyway: "I'm Prashanth, 23, from Hyderabad." She answered, "I'm Pratiksha, 20, from Goa." That was it – our story started there. We had a massive language barrier – I didn't speak Hindi or Konkani, she didn't know Telugu – so we stuck to English. A few days later she video‑called me and I saw her face for the first time. She was so pretty. After that we were on video calls constantly, three or four hours a day.

There's one moment I'll never forget. We were on a video call, her parents were in the room so she couldn't talk. I was doing all the talking, just looking at her, and I said, "I love you so much. If you love me too, put your finger on your nose." She couldn't speak, but she looked straight at me and slowly placed her finger on her nose. That was the moment – we were in love.

From then on we were inseparable, staying on calls from about 9 PM until 1 AM or until my battery died. Most nights her parents were right next to her, so she would just stay on the line, listening to me ramble for hours. When her family finally slept around 11, she would hide under her blanket and whisper to me. Sometimes we even fell asleep on the call because she wanted to feel I was there with her.

Those days were pure happiness, but eventually a screen wasn't enough. She wanted to meet. So on 19 January 2021 I left for Goa. I reached Panjim bus station on the morning of the 20th. She was already there; we were trying to spot each other in the crowd over the phone.

When I finally saw her, I froze. I didn't run to her – I was too shy. I started walking the opposite way, thinking "fuck, fuck, fuck". I sat on a bench, trying to collect myself. She walked over and sat next to me. I still kept my headphones on and talked to her through the phone, even though she was just inches away. She laughed and said, "I'm right here, and you're still talking to me on the phone?"

We then walked to a park near the bus station. She reached out and held my hand – the first time I ever touched a girl. We sat on a swing, finally looking into each other's eyes without a screen in the way. Later we went to a hotel; the moment we entered the room she hugged me tight, kissed me and whispered, "I love you so much, Prashanth." It was the happiest moment of my life – my first love, and hers too.

We spent hours talking, reliving the last two months. But reality hit soon. She had lied to her parents, saying she was going to a baseball match, just to meet me. She had to leave by 4 PM.

Saying goodbye that first day was brutal, but I knew I'd see her the next morning because I had the room for two nights. I walked her to the bus, and as soon as it pulled away she called me, saying, "This was a lovely day with you, Prashanth. The best day of my life." She stayed on the call for the whole two‑hour ride home. We freshened up and hopped back on video at 9 PM, keeping saying, "The best day of my life." We talked until 11 PM and fell asleep, waiting for morning.

On 21 January she texted that she started traveling at 8 AM. I went to pick her up at the bus stand, but she was quiet. We took a cab to the hotel, about 2 km away, and she didn't say a word the whole ride. I was confused and worried.

The moment we entered the room she hugged me and burst into tears. I asked, "Why are you crying, Chonu?" (We never used real names. "Shonu" means love in Konkani, we made it "Chonu" to be cute.) She looked at me, tears streaming, and said, "Chonu, you're going back to Hyderabad this evening. I've been upset since this morning just thinking about it." I melted. It was the first time a girl cried because I was leaving. I held her and promised, "Chonu, I will come back again. Don't cry."

We spent the rest of the day cuddling, trying to pause time, but eventually we packed my bags and went to the bus stand. The goodbye was awful – hugs, cries, stolen kisses before I boarded the bus to Hyderabad.

Those two days were the best of my life, and I think they were hers too.

It's March 2026 now – five years later. She's no longer in my life, but I can still see those two days clearly, as if they really happened. Sometimes I feel I'm the only one who remembers her, like it was just an intense fever dream.

[Aman]

Reading this felt like a scene from a movie.

[Navya]

Please don't reveal your name or the names of the people you're referring to.

[Mahima]

What a beautiful story!

[Mahima]

Do people actually play baseball in Goa?

[Anirudh]

Why did you break up?