The morning light filtered through the tall windows of the hostel room, casting soft golden hues across the floor. Ruhi sat on her bed, neatly dressed in a soft blue kurta and beige palazzos, the fabric crisp, yet comforting.

Her roommates, Prisha and Aria, were already up and getting ready. Aria stood in front of the mirror tying her hair back into a sleek ponytail, while Prisha sifted through her makeup pouch, humming lightly.

Ruhi watched them for a moment, still absorbing the unfamiliar yet exciting feeling of a new chapter beginning. Milan felt foreign in so many ways, its rhythm, language, even the sun felt a bit different, but there was something grounding about this place too. Maybe it was the scent of fabric in the air at the institute.

"You ready?" Prisha asked, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

"As I'll ever be," Ruhi said with a small laugh, grabbing her own bag and following the two girls out of the room.

The institute campus was a blend of modern European design and old-world charm. Wide hallways with high ceilings, natural light streaming in through skylights, and quiet echoes of footsteps and murmured conversations filled the air. Students bustled past them, holding sketchbooks, fabric swatches, and rolls of pattern paper.

Her first stop was a class on fashion history. The professor, an elegant older woman with silver-streaked hair and a sharp eye for detail, dived into a discussion on the Renaissance's influence on Italian couture. Ruhi scribbled notes frantically, already feeling the weight of the week she had missed.

The next session was more hands-on-Textile Exploration. Here, her hands touched Italian silks and local wools, but what thrilled her most was when they introduced the segment for traditional global weaves. She couldn't help but beam as a display included Banarasi brocade and Chanderi.

After the class, Ruhi, Prisha, and Aria grabbed a quick lunch at the campus café. Over pasta and iced tea, their conversation turned light.

"So, Ruhi," Aria said between bites, "how are you settling in?"

"I'm getting there," she replied, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "It's a lot to take in, but... I like it. It's where I always dreamed of being."

"You'll do well here," Prisha chimed in. "You're passionate. That's more important than anything else."

"And besides," Aria added with a smile, "now you've got us."

Ruhi smiled. It was nice to feel accepted so quickly. To feel seen.

As the afternoon sun drifted lazily over the arched windows of the studio classroom, Ruhi found herself seated at a long table surrounded by bolts of fabric, sketch pads, and the mild, intoxicating scent of new materials. It was a design techniques workshop one of the most hands-on classes at the institute and students were already pairing up, flipping open their tools, pencils scratching across paper.

She adjusted the strap of her bag, glancing around for an empty seat that wasn't already half-claimed. Most people seemed to know each other already laughing, calling out nicknames, exchanging ideas from last week's assignments.

Then a soft voice cut through the scattered chatter.

"Hey, you can sit here if you want."

Ruhi turned. A girl with wavy chestnut-brown hair and warm hazel eyes gestured to the stool next to her. She had a quiet presence about her, calm but confident. Ruhi gave her a grateful smile and sat down.

"Thanks. I'm Ruhi."

"I figured," the girl replied, a friendly smirk playing on her lips. "Everyone's been talking about the new Indian girl who got in mid-semester. I'm Eva."

Ruhi's cheeks flushed. "Wow. That didn't take long."

Eva chuckled. "Trust me, nothing stays private in fashion school. Someone probably saw your fabric swatches and wrote a blog post about them already."

Ruhi laughed, instantly liking her. "Are you from Milan?"

"No, Florence," Eva said, flipping open her design notebook. "But I've been in and out of Milan for a while now. My mom's a patternmaker, and my dad's an architect. So I grew up around shapes and stitches."

"That's so cool," Ruhi said.

As their professor walked in and began outlining the workshop's goals constructing a fabric manipulation prototype from scratch Eva leaned over and whispered, "By the way, these sessions can get intense. If your fabric starts attacking you, don't panic."

Ruhi grinned. "Noted."

The rest of the class went by in a blur of measuring tapes, thread, and shared stories. Eva and Ruhi worked in sync both cautious, thoughtful, yet pushing each other just enough. By the end of the hour, they had crafted a surprisingly polished piece for a first-time collaboration.

When the bell rang, they gathered their things slowly.

"Wanna grab a coffee after this?" Eva offered. "There's a small café across the street. Not exactly five-star, but their espresso saves lives."

Ruhi nodded eagerly. "I'd love to."

As they walked out, the air felt a little lighter. The nerves of being new hadn't completely gone, but something in Ruhi had shifted. She wasn't just adjusting to Milan she was beginning to belong to it.

_______________________________

It was late evening by the time Shivaang finally returned home. As he stepped inside, his eyes instinctively drifted toward the couch and the television in the hallway, expecting to see Shinchan playing, but the screen was pitch black and the silence felt unusually heavy.

He didn't dwell on it. Instead, he walked to his room, changed out of his clothes, and returned to the dining area, only to find his salad already set on the table. It was the only Italian dish he could tolerate eating every day. Familiar, predictable, and increasingly lifeless.

He sat down quietly. The large dining space, once just another part of his routine, now seemed to echo with emptiness. Everyone had left hours ago the staff, the cook, leaving behind a house that felt far too quiet for comfort. No sounds, no footsteps, no laughter. Just him and the kind of silence that felt like a weight on his chest.

After two bites, he put down his fork. The desire to eat had disappeared. He muttered under his breath, his voice low and bitter.

"You knew the day you signed up for RAW, you gave your life to the country and your soul to solitude. Then why the fu—"

He sighed sharply and looked away, his jaw tightening. "Why does it ache for someone who stayed here barely five or six days?"

Another breath escaped him, slower this time, almost like defeat. "Come on, Shrivastav, pull your shit together."

He forced himself to finish the rest of the food, bite by bite, more out of discipline than hunger. Then, without another word or pause, he rose from the table and returned to his work, the only companion that never abandoned him.

_________________________________

The sun had dipped by the time Ruhi stepped through the gates of the hostel, her bag heavier than she remembered and her mind even more so. The day had been long filled with new faces, fresh pages of notes, and introductions that blurred together. 

Though she had managed to make a friend in class, and Prisha and Aria were warm and easy to talk to, there was still something quietly exhausting about adjusting to an unfamiliar world.

Her footsteps echoed softly down the corridor as she pushed open the door to her shared room. The lights were dim. Aria's bed was neatly made but empty, and Prisha had left a note stuck to the wall mirror in her loopy handwriting:

"Dinner's at 8! If you're late, we're saving you a seat!"

There was a smiley face drawn beside it, but Ruhi only smiled faintly in response.

She set her bag down gently, and sat on the edge of her bed. For a long moment, she didn't move. The soft hum of city life outside the window buzzed like a lullaby. Her back ached. 

Her thoughts drifted to home, to her sister, and unexpectedly to Shivaang. Had he eaten? Ghaas-phuss hi khaya hoga. That thought made her sit up a little straighter, before she caught herself and sighed.

The room felt oddly warm, and her body pulled her into the mattress like gravity. She lay down just for a minute, not even bothering to change. The pillow felt cool against her cheek.

She didn't even realize when her eyes fluttered shut.

By the time Prisha returned with dinner and called her name softly, Ruhi was fast asleep wrapped in her duppatta, breathing gently, lost in the kind of tiredness that no food could fix. Prisha smiled quietly, dimmed the light a little, put on a blanket and let her rest.

The soft rays of morning sunlight filtered through the curtains, casting a gentle glow on the room. Ruhi stirred, her eyelids fluttering open to the unfamiliar quiet of the hostel room. For a second, she forgot where she was, her surroundings blurry and distant. But the events of yesterday quickly came rushing back, and she sat up with a small sigh.

Her body felt stiff from the unfamiliar bed, and the exhaustion from the day before still clung to her like a second skin. She rubbed her eyes and glanced at the clock. It was already past 7, and the smell of food wafted in from the hallway.

She blinked, still half in a haze, and that's when she saw it a neatly folded note on her bed, tucked under the corner of the pillow. Her name was written on it in Prisha's flowing handwriting:

"Good morning, sleepyhead! We saved you some breakfast in the dining area. Don't worry about rushing! :) - P & A"

Ruhi smiled, a little warmth blooming in her chest. She picked up the note, carefully reading it again, as if to make sure she hadn't imagined it. They'd remembered. It felt so simple, but so warm.

She stretched and stood up, the grogginess slowly fading. After a quick shower, she slipped into comfortable clothes, prayed for her close-ones to her shivji and walked to the dining area, her stomach finally reminding her that it had been too long since her last meal.

As she entered the small communal space, she saw Aria and Prisha sitting at a table, already digging into their plates.

"There she is!" Prisha said brightly, waving a piece of toast in the air. "We saved you a seat!"

Ruhi smiled, feeling the warmth of their welcome, and made her way to join them. Aria pushed a plate toward her, along with a steaming cup of chai.

"You looked like you needed rest," Aria said with a knowing smile, "you didn't even make it to dinner last night, huh?"

Ruhi laughed softly, accepting the plate. "I guess I was more tired than I thought."

"Well, don't worry, the first week is always a whirlwind," Prisha added, taking a sip of her chai. "But we've got your back. We'll show you the ropes around here."

"Thanks," Ruhi said gratefully, feeling a little more at ease as she sat down. She dug into the breakfast, savoring the warmth and the kindness of her new friends. It was a small thing, but it felt like a lifeline in the midst of the unknown.

____________________________________

Ruhi had spent the past few days settling into the rhythms of her new life at the fashion institute. Each morning, she navigated through her classes, carefully absorbing what she could. Despite the excitement that had initially filled her heart upon stepping into this world, there were moments when she felt overwhelmed, lost among so many talented and driven individuals.

Today, though, was different. As she sat in one of her core classes, drumming her fingers absentmindedly on the desk, she noticed her professor walking in with a large stack of papers. The lecture began as usual, but halfway through, the professor's voice gained a certain energy.

"As some of you already know," she started, her gaze scanning the room, "at the end of this month, we'll be hosting a grand event here at the institute a showcase of designs by our passing-out students. It's not only an opportunity for them to present their final collections but also a chance for the industry to see the best of what our institute has to offer."

The room stirred with excitement, murmurs traveling from one corner to the next.

Ruhi leaned forward, her curiosity piqued. She hadn't heard much about this event yet. The professor continued, "We encourage all of you to participate in this event. If you are interested, you can join one of the groups of passing-out seniors to get firsthand exposure to the inner workings of the event helping with organization, logistics, and, of course, gaining invaluable experience in the industry."

Ruhi's mind raced as the professor spoke. This was the opportunity she had been waiting for. The event would be the perfect way to integrate herself deeper into the world she had come to love, and perhaps it would even give her a chance to showcase her own skills. She could already imagine herself helping behind the scenes, learning from the seniors, and witnessing the creative energy that powered the fashion world.

After class, Ruhi lingered for a moment, glancing at the bulletin board outside, which was plastered with event details and schedules. She reached for a flyer that had been pinned up its bold letters announcing the "Grand Fashion Showcase: A Celebration of the Year's Best Collections." She noted the date at the end of the month, feeling a twinge of excitement.

With the flyer in hand, Ruhi made her way back to the hostel, her mind buzzing with possibilities. She still wasn't sure exactly how this would fit into her own journey, but she knew it was an opportunity she couldn't let slip away.

When she reached her room, the door was slightly ajar, and she could hear Prisha and Aria talking. They must have been waiting for her.

"Ruhi, you're back!" Prisha exclaimed as she stepped inside, a wide smile spreading across her face. "How was class?"

"Good, actually," Ruhi replied, her excitement creeping into her voice. She waved the flyer in front of them. "I have something to tell you both. They're organizing a huge fashion showcase at the end of the month for the graduating students. And... they're allowing us to join their groups to help out with the event!"

Prisha's eyes lit up. "What? That's amazing, Ruhi! This is like your chance to get real experience in the industry!"

Aria, who had been sitting on her bed flipping through a sketchbook, looked up in surprise. "Wait, they're letting first-years join? That's huge! You'll be able to learn so much just by being involved behind the scenes."

Ruhi nodded enthusiastically. "Exactly! I didn't even know about it until today, but now I'm determined to be part of it. I think it's the perfect way to get closer to the action and gain some real-world exposure."

Prisha stood up and grabbed Ruhi's hands, almost jumping with excitement. "You have to do it! Imagine being part of something this big seeing all the designers, the models, the industry professionals. You'll be at the heart of it!"

Ruhi couldn't help but smile at the energy around her. "I know, right? I've always dreamed of this. I didn't expect it to happen so soon, but I'm not going to let it pass me by."

Aria closed her sketchbook and leaned back against her bed, considering the idea. "I think I'll try for it, too. I'm not graduating yet, but this could be a great learning experience. It'll give me the chance to see how events like these are organized from the inside."

Prisha grinned. "Yes, we'll all be there, getting the inside scoop on the fashion world! It'll be fun."

Ruhi felt a wave of gratitude toward her roommates. It was comforting to know that they were just as excited as she was, and it made the thought of joining this event even more thrilling. She hadn't expected to find such a supportive group so quickly, but here she was, already forming connections that felt like they might last a lifetime.

"I think I'm going to sign up for the volunteer work today," Ruhi said, her decision firm. "This is the perfect chance to start my journey here."

Prisha and Aria exchanged a look, both clearly impressed with her determination. "You're going to rock it," Aria said with a smile.

"I know! Let's all make it happen," Prisha added, giving Ruhi a thumbs-up. "We're going to make sure you shine, Ruhi."

Ruhi's heart swelled with appreciation. She had only just arrived, but already, the people around her were making her feel like she belonged.

************************************************************************************

I know this chapter felt a little slow -- just Ruhi settling into college, meeting people, finding her rhythm. But trust me, this was just a breather before things start spiraling in ways you won't expect. So please stay tuned... the story is just warming up :)

With love,
Reva ♡