I had feelings for a man who already had a girlfriend, so I couldn’t act on them. But I couldn’t let go either.
I made a pilgrimage to Omiwa Shrine in Nara Prefecture, where there is a famous pair of sacred “couple rocks” said to bring matchmaking blessings. I made my prayer with quiet determination.
Half a year after my first visit, I heard that he had broken up with his girlfriend. By then, he and I had been exchanging emails regularly and had become close friends. Summoning courage, I confessed my feelings — and he told me, “Honestly, I had been thinking about you too. I broke up with her because I didn’t want to be in a two-track situation. I was going to ask you out soon.”
We have been dating ever since.