I was sweating profusely though the air-conditioned was on. I was oblivious to the people milling around. The sounds of the surroundings and the voices floating in the air were white noise to me. I was focused. Men, generally, are told to have a single-track mind and at this moment, I was the epitome of it. I was focused on the door. It could open any minute, and I would get to see her. The anticipation was building up and I could hear my heart thumping against my chest. I closed my eyes and went back to when I first got to know her.

It was months ago when I confessed to my friends that I had fallen in love again. They looked at me quizzically because they knew I wasn’t that sort of a guy. But they could see the truth and commitment in my eyes and realised I was serious. They understood this was one side loved with hardly any chance of reciprocation from the other side in the new future. They were decent enough to not call it a waste of time but termed me a hopeless romantic in love. I wore that tag proudly.

I didn’t know how to express my love. Words may not be enough. My words may not make sense to her, but I strongly believed that even if she didn’t understand the meaning behind my words, she would realise from my voice that I adored her and was deeply in love. Unsaid love is a regret maybe half the world population carries, and I wanted to be in the other 50%.

I started communicating with her, albeit slowly. I was an unknown entity and didn’t want to scare her. I followed her everywhere inconspicuously. She probably sensed my presence, but pretty much ignored me for the first few months. I wasn’t just a hopeless romantic, but a relentless one too. I kept following her, trying to establish contact. She felt my presence sometimes as I could see a subtle change in her body language. But she didn’t look at me nor did she utter a word. My entire world started revolving around her.

I finally decided enough was enough. I had been patiently waiting all along and the days have turned into dreary, long months. It was time to meet. It was time to make her conscious of my presence and my love for her. She may not know it, but I was convinced she was chosen for me and was destined to be mine.

The opening of the door I was fixated on, jolted me back to the present. I saw the lady in the blue attire and looked at her arms. Nestled in the soft blue was the most beautiful face I had ever seen. The face that would rule me for years to come. The face of my newborn daughter.

She was crying because she didn’t know me. I teared up because I finally knew her!