Read Chapter 1 of From Power Suits to Hiking Boots

Available @ https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0DVPNS1GL

Chapter 1 - Dream Job and Breakup!

Jacob — in social media language, he was the walking definition of a complete green flag. I first met him during my law internship days, back when my life was a delicate balance of coffee, deadlines, and way too many case files. I was juggling a leaning tower of documents, trying to navigate the endless maze of office corridors, when I collided—quite literally—with someone solid.

“I am so sorry!” I blurted out, papers flying like confetti around us. And then I looked up… straight into a pair of warm, amused eyes that seemed to be laughing before his lips even moved. It was the kind of moment rom-com directors would have killed to film—minus my sweaty palms and the very real possibility that one of my case files had landed in a recycling bin.

He was tall, with a confident yet appreciable demeanour, and held out his hand to steady me. It turned out he was a fellow intern, working on a different team but equally drowning in legal research and deadlines.

Over the next few weeks, we kept running into each other, whether it was in the break room, at the copy machine, or during late nights spent in the library. He had a knack for making the most stressful moments bearable, cracking a joke when I was buried under paperwork. What started as casual chats, our coffee breaks grew into deeper conversations about our dreams, our love for the law, and our shared frustration about the profession.

One evening as we walked out of the office together under the soft glow of the streetlights, he casually asked if I would like to grab a dinner. That simple question marked the beginning of something special. Amidst the intensity of the internship, he became my calm, my confidant, and eventually my partner in both work and life.

We both decided to apply for the jobs in the same company, but as Allen Sanders said, “Life is what happens to us while we are making other plans,” we both landed our dream jobs in different cities, we promised ourselves that distant wouldn’t change anything.

And we were determined to make it work. At first, it felt like an adventure counting down the days until our next visit, sending long texts, and staying up late on video calls. But over time, the miles between us started to feel heavier.

The calls grew shorter, and the messages came less often. The time difference became an excuse, and the connection we used to feel seemed harder to hold on to. I told myself it was just a phase, that we’d get back to the way we were.

And one day, he called me. His voice was calm, steady—almost too steady—but there was something final hidden beneath the softness.

“Zoe,” he said quietly, and I already knew. “I don’t think this is working anymore.”

My heart sank, a slow, heavy drop I could feel everywhere at once. I asked why, even though a part of me already knew the answer.

He talked about the distance, how it was stretching us thin, how it felt like we were living separate lives on separate timelines. He said he wanted something easier. And even though I understood every word, they still felt like tiny cracks splintering through the life we had built together.

“I still care about you,” he added, and I could hear the regret in his voice. But those words didn’t soften the blow.

I tried to fight back tears, keeping my voice steady as I told him I understood. I wanted to say more about how I was willing to keep trying, how I believed we could get through this, but deep down, I knew he had already let go.

When the call ended, I sat there, staring at my phone like it had betrayed me.

Long-distance relationships are supposed to be about trust, love, and perseverance. For a while, we had all of that. But there came a point when I caught myself thinking—maybe love isn’t always enough to hold two people together when they’re living in completely different worlds. We tried everything. Late-night calls. Endless messages. Shared playlists. Little rituals meant to make us feel closer. But slowly, even the strongest bonds started to weaken when distance kept pulling at them.