A Brief Encounter
Self-introspection and lack of fun friends doesn’t sound like big plans for New Year’s Eve, does it? But well, it was the year 2020 and nothing seemed abnormal after spending almost nine months in a lockdown. However, every special or not so special day of my life revolves around Potboilers Coffeehouse, and hence not visiting the coffeehouse on an alone date for New Year’s Eve would have been a crime.
Although the alone date was fun, that is not how my life works. I had to spice things up after a lousy year as I entered 2021. And what could have been a better option at adding spice than installing dating apps, again? I have been a sucker for online dating for as long as I can remember. Every dating app rendezvous I ever got into had a different story to tell — sometimes funny and sometimes utterly boring. Although, this short encounter was something different.
Swiping left and right, I hardly had any matches as I was very picky in my own ways. And then, I came across him. It was not just a pretty face. There was something interesting in the way he expressed himself. I sensed honesty in the modern era of pretentious dating profiles. I swiped right and got the first match where I was more than excited to strike a conversation. There were hardly any filters once it came to having stupid discussions with him. An honest and natural conversation amidst the artificiality we live in was rare. And what was rarer was to find someone as weird and socially awkward as you are even in this extroverted social world! He knew the way to use his humour in his non-existential date life. And who knows better about non-existentialism than someone like me, who makes self-deprecatory jokes in socially awkward situations?
I was someone who took a long time opening up to people around me. My experiences made me as reserved as a person could get. However, it was different in this escapade of mine. It was easier to be my natural self in front of a stranger for once. There were no judgements for the past or promises for the future. I lived right at the moment I was in whenever I was with my little friend. For the first time, I could share comfortable silences with a stranger over our favourite playlists. It was both bizarre and beautiful how this time I had a wholesome story from a dating app run into.
But not all encounters are supposed to be long lasting. We shared a short journey together, where I felt content even if I was at my worst at times. This new connection brought with it happiness in a limited number of days, and for that, I shall be grateful forever. We met and we talked and it was epic. But then the sun came up and the reality set in. Maybe this wasn’t the bond we were destined to share till the sunset, but there is a feeling of solace in embracing the encounter to date.
This short escapade came bearing heartwarming moments that I would cherish for a prolonged period. Parting ways, now we both again have our roles to play as we move ahead. However, this story will remain very close to my heart for as long as I can think of.
