I was in London then. It was early spring of 2012. I was working for a copywriting agency. For any budding writer with moderate ambition, it was a dream job. Other go-getter writers were aiming for giant media moguls like Starcom. Our small little office in Carnaby Street was cozy, (some said it was small) and felt friendly. Sam was the spark of the office. He would light up the quiet ones like Edward, a 65-year old accountant who would sit there all day doing the crossword on Independent. Sometimes he would work too. Then there was Sabrina - the receptionist. She was everyone's favorite - a pretty English rose. Her father was from the Caribbean and her mother was from Southbank (London). And I was in love with her. There was a slight problem ...

Sabrina Was Engaged

It was the classic tale of a man who's fallen in love with the wrong woman. In my case, this woman had also become a close friend. Every day at work, I would take bitesize breaks and hang around the reception sharing jokes that would make her go red in an attempt to laugh quietly. When Jeremy (the Boss) was around, she would stealthily hand me little folded chits with jokes and suggestions. We felt like we were back in elementary school trying to hide stuff from the class teacher. The trouble was all that time, I was falling more and more for Sabrina. Every time she looked at me, I felt a knot in my stomach, my heart pounded whenever she leaned on me, And whenever we went out for a few drinks after work, I would invariably want to kiss her. When she was with me, I felt like I owned the world.

The Dinner. The Everlasting Rose. The Perfect Setup.

I invited Sabrina for dinner one Friday. Asked her to bring her boyfriend fully knowing he wasn't in town. "Sorry, Pete's in Newcastle this weekend. But I'll come", she lipped with her innocent smile. I felt guilty as I wasn't so naive.

I planned it well. I made the perfect setup - a cozy, romantic ambiance. The lights were down, a dozen scented candles lit up the room dimly - casting tall shadows on the walls. Jazzy tempo with the silky smooth voice of Frank Sinatra gently floated in from my Home Pod.

But that wasn't all. Sat on the coffee table next to the couch was an everlasting rose in a glass dome with fairy lights inside. I saw these roses first in New York at a friend's apartment. He had told me that he used the everlasting rose to propose to his wife. There was something quite magical and mysterious about this everlasting rose - a real rose frozen in time, standing in perpetual beauty. It was the perfect setup. The perfect rose, the candle, and the perfect movie - The Beauty and The Beast - a classic tale of love with a similar infinity rose.

I was going to let my heart out.

Did we hook up? Did she stay true to her vows? Find out what happened in the next part. Don't miss it. Click here to check if it’s already published.