The compliment was delivered without any of the sleazy undertones I had learned to expect from successful men, and I found myself blushing like a teenager despite my professional confidence and romantic experience.

Chapter 2: A Whirlwind Courtship

Our relationship progressed with the kind of intensity that normally would have made me cautious, but Raghav’s attention felt so genuine and his gestures so thoughtful that my usual analytical nature seemed to shut down whenever I was with him. He had a way of making me feel special that was both intoxicating and addictive, as if I had been waiting my entire life to be loved in exactly this way.

The flowers started arriving at my office within a week of our first date—not the generic bouquets that most men order online, but carefully selected arrangements that reflected conversations we had shared. When I mentioned that my grandmother had grown jasmine in her garden, he sent a stunning arrangement of jasmine and roses with a note that read: “For someone who carries the sweetness of memory and the beauty of the present.”

Weekend getaways became a regular part of our relationship, each one more thoughtfully planned than the last. We went to Rishikesh for a spiritual retreat where we practiced yoga together at sunrise, to Goa for long walks on the beach and candlelit dinners overlooking the Arabian Sea, and to Shimla for cozy evenings by the fireplace in a luxury resort nestled in the Himalayan foothills.