The Arrival
"Okay, Mridu! Love you ! Bye",Payal excitedly exclaimed in her phone , as she flopped down on her dorm bed.
Her best friend ,Mridula, was the first person she had called after her parents once she reached her new college campus, NR College of Mumbai. Not just this time, Payal had always been with her only and best friend of 10 years. You would say she was a loner, but no , she was the kind of a girl who would find happiness in the smallest of the things. She didn't need many friends to make her happy. Just Mridula by her side would make her day . She never had a boyfriend or been in a romantic relationship. Not because she wasn't pretty . She was beautiful . But because she never found someone who had intrigued her and also due to her family. And according to Payal, the feelings that arose in teenage were nothing but hormonal urges and could be controlled over. And that's what she did. Controlled and collected herself.
Coming from a conservative family with a strict father ,Mr. Shivraj Mahale and mother, Mrs. Geeta Mahale , she had refrained from partying and such stuff. She had always led a disciplined and restricted life , but she never complained. Moreover, she enjoyed that way of living. Instead of spending her time in such enjoyments, she had developed a hobby of reading books and writing in English language from a small age. She had written her first story at the age of 8 years and her first poem at the age of 10. Since then she had made her mind to study more about the language and to become a master in it.
So, here she was, in one of the best colleges in Mumbai ,pursuing an honors in English.
"Your bestfriend?",asked Rashi, Payal's roommate, as she too sat on the bed opposite to Payal's, smiling softly at her.
Rashi was a cute girl , who was as introverted as Payal, which led them to become good friends in just a few hours. She had come from Jaipur . Her attire was similar to Payal's ,a kurta and leggings with matching jhumkas.
Payal nodded, smiling fondly. "Yes , that was my best friend ,Mridula. She was fussing over me about the college and my dorm room. Always acting like my mom".
Rashi chuckled and replied ,"yeah, just like my bestie back in my hometown .I guess all bffs are the same.So ,where did she join?"
"Mridu ? She joined RV college in Bangalore. Aerospace engineering. She always had this dream since we were in 9th class.She aced her entrance exam and guess now she gets to fulfill the dream.She is so excited .I'm happy for her ", Payal chimed looking at the ceiling , still smiling dreamily.
Rashi hmmed .She was not much of a talker ,but whatever she said ,it sure was sincere and sweet.
"So, tomorrow starts the journey of our dreams . Let's make the journey more beautiful than the goal, shall we?" Rashi said dramatically and walked across the room to sit beside her roommate, looking at her excitedly.
Payal jumped up and put her arm on Rashi's shoulder and declared with a big smile on her face ,"of course , Rashi. By Juliet, let's make the best out of this ."
Rashi laughed at her diction and threw her arm around Payal's shoulder, as they continued to talk about their exciting plan for their college life.
It was 2 in the afternoon when they finally got tired .As they had eaten some fruits while chatting and were both full, Rashi decided to sleep off her weariness from the journey to the college. But Payal had different plans.
Payal got up from her bed, stretched her body and grinned at her roommate,"Rashi ,I'm hungry for some literature . Let me go find the college library". And in seconds she was out in the hallways, leaving an amused,chuckling Rashi behind her.