It's all about Her

The Unfolding Goodbyes...

With time, everything seemed to slip out of my grasp.

The things I held dear started shrinking, and with him, it felt like the world around me became smaller.

After him, I could never trust anyone the way I trusted him.

Maybe he was the last person I could truly rely on.

And then, the golden period of our journey ended, and the CA Foundation exams loomed over us.

We travelled to Indore for the exams-a time that felt more challenging than anything I'd ever faced before.

It wasn't just the exam pressure; it was the separation from home that broke me.

For others, it might have been a mere eight days, but for me, it felt like an eternity.

Not seeing my Mum, even for that short time, was like losing my anchor.

The only thing that excited me during those days was the thought of seeing you at the exam centre.

Those brief moments after each exam became the highlight of my day.

Just an hour together, yet it meant everything.

Your presence had a way of grounding me.

Your eyes could stop me in my tracks, making me wonder what you were about to say next.

Your laughter stirred something deep inside me, and the fear of never hearing it again weighed on my heart.

Even your voice-somehow, it calmed my worst anxieties.

It made me feel as though, no matter what you spoke about, I'd listen to every word.

And your smile-oh, it shattered and rebuilt me all at once.

My chest would quake, my lungs felt tight, and yet, I'd breathe easier, as if your smile alone could refresh my entire being.

With all these emotions swirling within me, the exams finally ended.

But we knew what awaited us, the results.

We didn't need the official announcement to know that we had stumbled somewhere along the way.

There was always that one paper, one question, where things slipped.

And so, even before the result, we had started preparing ourselves to try again.

During that time, I lost someone I never thought would disappear.

His name was Nick.

I had never met him in person, he was just a guy I knew through social media, but he became a steady presence in my life.

At 24, he offered me advice and guidance like an older brother.

In moments when I needed direction, Nick was always there with his words.

But one day, his account vanished without a trace.

No goodbyes, no explanation-just gone.

And with him, I lost another piece of the support I desperately needed.

Inspired by him, I adopted the pen name theartist_nick.

It felt like my way of keeping him close, a tribute to the friend I never met but deeply valued.

And in his absence, I found solace in writing.

I turned to my diary, filling its pages with the thoughts and emotions I could no longer share with anyone.

One by one, everything and everyone seemed to slip away from me, and I clung to the words on those pages like they were my last refuge.

Then came the day we dreaded, February 3, 2023.

As expected, we all failed.

But strangely, the failure didn't sting the way we thought it would.

It was almost as if we had already made peace with the outcome.

What truly hit us was the realization that life was about to become even more challenging.

With the result in hand, the next step became clear: we had to move to Indore for coaching, to give it another shot.

It was a decision we knew would change everything.

Leaving home behind felt like tearing away a part of our souls.

For me, at least, I still had our gem-the one person who had been by my side from the beginning.

But for you, the journey was different.

You were stepping into an unfamiliar city all alone, without anyone to lean on.

I could see how much you were connected to your family, especially in moments when the homesickness would creep in.

Leaving everything behind, especially for someone like you, was far from easy.

And yet, you carried yourself with such quiet strength.

You were on your own, in a city that felt strange and distant, navigating it without the comfort of the familiar.

And that's how it all happened in the period of unfolding goodbyes...