A New Friend And An Old Secret

“Hey guys! Meet Mythili! Our dear junior.” said Aashvi while pushing the girl forward.

“Nice to meet ya! I’m Vishal.”

“Hi.” I continued.

“Ram! I almost didn’t recognize you…” Mythili added.

“Well, not that my face has changed in just a few months.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. How’ve you been?”

“Wait! Ram and Mythili knew each other!?” said a shocked Aashvi.

“We met once and texted a few times,” I replied.

“Yeah. We met a few months ago,” said Mythili, smiling nervously.

“Well, now the mood became a bit somber. To lighten it up, I’ve got a suggestion! Let’s make Myhtili our group member.”

“That sounds great, but did you consider how she feels about it?”

“It would be my pleasure. I am alone and unfamiliar with people and things here.” Mythili said, expressing her gratitude for the offer.

The three then look at my face as if waiting for my permission.

“I don’t mind… N-Nice to have you with us” My lips stuttered.

Maybe I am not yet used to speaking with Mythili comfortably.

We then shared lunch at the cafeteria, but I was mostly quiet and avoided eye contact by staring at my phone. After lunch, the girls parted ways and went back to their dorms.

At the girl’s dorm after dinner-

“Excuse me, ma'am”

“Just call me Aashvi.”

“A-Aashvi...” muttered a shy Mythili.

“Good. You were about to say something?”

“Thank you very much for saving me back there. I was impressed by the way you handled the situation and talked in a way that neither offended them, didn’t ruin your image nor would cause any trouble in the future. You inspired me a lot.”

“Ahahaha it was nothing. Besides, it was Ram who instructed me to do that and I just did exactly as told. He knows how to read people and situations better than us. On top of that, he's got a good sense of humor too.”

“Is that so… I’ll have to thank him too.”

“He may seem unapproachable at first. Although he doesn't have many friends besides us, he’s a good guy to those who know him.”

“I can see that. Hehe. After hearing what you said, I wanna know more about him. Can you please tell me?”

“Vishal knows him better than I do since he was the only friend of Ram through middle and high school. If you need to know anything about Ram, he is your best bet.”

“I’ll speak with Vishal when I get an opportunity then.”

“Keep one thing in mind- Don’t you dare flirt with Vishal.”

“Ahh… I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you. Have a good night. Hehe.”

“Yeah, good night.”

At the boys’ dorm-

I looked at him with a puzzled face and called out to him-

“Hey Vishal!” 

“I get what you’re gonna ask me. Let’s just leave it to Aashvi to smooth things down. It’s not like you guys fought to death right? Just that it’s been a while since both of you contacted each other.”

“Yeah but-”

“You are the one who darkened the mood first. So, you better be normal from tomorrow.”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Just stop thinking about it and go to sleep.”

“You are right. Good night then.”

“Nighty night!”

The next morning-

“Hey guys!” yelled a cheerful Aashvi.

"How do you do it? How are you so active right from the beginning of the day? I'm exhausted just watching you." I responded with a dull tone.

“Some people become weird while some are just born weird. She’s the latter,” added Vishal.

"Whoa, you guys sure bring down the energy of the entire population around you," Aashvi retorted.

Mythili was just chuckling while covering her mouth with her palm.

She looked so cute when she smiled. I had to go to great lengths to stop myself from grinning after looking at her radiant beauty. I took a deep breath and tried to engage in the conversation in a bright tone, as Vishal had warned me to do. There's no telling what Vishal does when he gets mad, so it's better not to irritate him.

We met the girls in front of the campus gate. I smiled while Vishal waved at them. I then noticed Mythili glancing at Vishal, then looking at Aashvi. Although it seemed odd, I chose not to pry into it.

After classes ended, Vishal told me he had some pressing matters to attend to and asked me to go on ahead, which I did.

At the cafeteria-

“Hello, sir.”

“Vishal is fine. Why did you call me here?”

“I don’t know how to start this but, I've known Ram since a few months ago.”

“I know about that.”

“Yes… We texted each other for a while but after some time we stopped contacting each other. So, it was awkward when we saw each other. I was shocked when he displayed aversion towards me when we met again after a long time. He acted distant all day. But today it seemed like he was putting on an act. I thought you, as his close friend, might know something about this.”

“Some things are better understood by oneself rather than being explained by someone else. But, if you wanna do something good to him, just let him be and act how you normally do.”

“What… do you mean by that?”

“You will understand it yourself.”

“...”

“Is there anything else you wanna ask?”

“Yes. Aashvi told me that you were the only one who was close to him in the past. That he didn’t have many friends. As far as she knew, Ram was a very nice guy who also had a good sense of humor so, she found it odd that he showed an aversion to socializing. Is there a particular reason why? Can you please tell me, I really wanna know”

“Hmm…”

“Please…”

“Okay, but I’d appreciate it if you keep this to yourself and- ”

"I will not breathe a word of this to anyone."

"Yes, it happened before we met. He told me that he had been betrayed by someone twice he trusted deeply and that he wouldn't allow it to happen a third time. I tried to ask him more about it on a few occasions, but he refused to elaborate. Only he and those involved know what transpired. As a result, I stopped pressing him. As far as I know, he has never spoken about this to anyone else in his life."

“It feels like I understand him some more.”

“I said earlier but-”

“I’ll keep this a secret.”

“Thanks.”

“Bye Vishal.”

“Bye…”