Friendship No One Asked For

When Taru left her home, leaving behind family and friends for higher education, she decided not to make new friends because she thought more friends means more chaos. Little did she know that the Universe had a different and better plan for her survival in a foreign land. 

Taru and her family traveled via car to Kota to get her admitted to renowned coaching to secure a rank to get admission to a prestigious college. They arrived at 8 a.m. and decided to go straight to the coaching. After admission formalities, her parents would find a place for her to live. Taru felt excited as she was nearing her dream, but her parents were anxious as they had to leave their daughter alone in an unknown city. They explored the city to find a suitable PG for Taru, and after multiple hunts, they came to a place where the owner ran a girl's PG on the first floor of her property, and her family lived on the ground floor.

Her parents liked the place, and the owner's behavior was appealing. They decided to leave Taru under that lady's care for a year. Taru settled in her single bedroom. There were minimal amenities to keep her distraction-free, including a table, a duct for chill in summer, and an almirah. In the evening, her parents bid adios and wished her all the best for her new journey. 

It was evening, but the warmth in the weather persisted. By 8 p.m., the food arrived, and Taru went up the stairs on the fourth floor. There was no lift in her pg. While going up, she realized it was silent, and she could hear her breathing. She loved the atmosphere of seriousness. However, when she reached the dining hall, she heard a baby crying and girls chatting about their day. The cook lived with his wife and child near the kitchen area in the dining hall. Taru was not involved in the conversation. She remembered her decision not to make new friends.

The night did not go well. Being in a new place, Taru could not sleep well. She tried to lie down and rest because she had to attend classes with a fresh mind the next day. Her alarm rang at 6 a.m. She got up at once and got ready for the coaching. Her parents booked a van service for her to travel to and fro from coaching. The cab driver rang at 7:30 a.m. She left for the coaching. As she reached the coaching center, she looked for her allotted classroom. She sat in the front row and waited for the teacher to commence.

When the teacher arrived, everybody stood to greet him in unison and took their seats. One after the other, she attended five classes with a break of fifteen minutes in each class. After the class, she called the van driver to drop her to pg. In the van, she met with a girl named Rashi from the same pg. Rashi greeted Taru and asked about her. Taru felt hesitant but introduced herself and told her where she lived. Rashi felt glad to find they shared the same PG. When they reached PG, they went to the dining hall for lunch.

After finishing their lunch, when they reached their rooms, they found they lived in neighboring rooms. Taru hid her agitation, but Rashi could not control her excitement, finding Taru as her neighbor. She told Taru, "Now, we can go coaching and have meals together." Taru smiled awkwardly, agreeing with Rashi. 

Taru entered her room and latched the door. She threw her bag on the bed and cursed her stars to have her meet with Rashi. She sat for some time and thought about how to get rid of her. Soon, she realized it was all nonsense and that she should focus on her studies. She slept for an hour and woke up with a thud on her door. Taru rose and opened the door, finding ever-elated Rashi asking her to go for tea in the dining area. Rashi did not see Taru was half-slept and kept insisting until Taru told her to leave at once as she did not drink tea. 

Disappointed, Rashi left for tea and thought to herself that she annoyed Taru. She decided to apologize to her at dinner. Taru woke up and sat with her worksheets to finish her homework. She did not realise when time passed, and another bang on her door distracted her, making her realize it was already 8:30 p.m. With a sulking face, she opened the door, finding Rashi again. Rashi asked her to accompany her for dinner, and Taru could not refuse her as she was hungry, too.

What started from van rides and dining hall walks blossomed into a new friendship. 

This post is a part of Friend Indeed Blog Hop hosted by Sukaina Majeed and Manali Desai.