Kathmandu, Feb. 14 -- On Valentine's Day last year, Anshu Dhakal, 22, from Chitwan, wore red.

It was her first proper date. The restaurant was glowing with lights, couples leaning close across tables. She remembers thinking that this is what it must feel like to be grown up.

Then she saw her school teacher. He was sitting three tables away with his wife.

For a few seconds, she tried to convince herself it was someone else. It wasn't. Their eyes met. The music continued, people laughed, but for Dhakal, the moment turned unbearably awkward. That encounter reshaped how she would celebrate Valentine's Day again. This year, she and her boyfriend planned their date a week early, choosing safety over the social spotlight.

It is a small adjus...