Third Chapter

Weeks passed by uneventfully…

The apartment was eventually kept clean, surprisingly due to the boy being inside his room most of the time. While she thought nothing of it at first, the girl’s mind started to suspect the existence of the boy after a while.

[Is he even alive in there?]

[I can hear him every now and then; making food, cleaning dishes, going to the bathroom. Other than that, it’s as if I’m alone in this place. Not that I’m complaining, it’s actually better this way.]

She had talked to her boyfriend by that time. He opposed the idea of her being around another man, but they had no other choice. She had explained that moving out would pose difficulties.

[I know that he’s still opposed to the idea, but what can we do?]

Her first university course will start soon, much to her excitement. The open day from the year before already gave her some of the much needed directions and familiarity.

She hadn’t met anyone nor knew anyone in her field. [It’s like I’m starting anew.]

[As far as I know, all my friends from my hometown went elsewhere. If ever, I might be able to meet one or two, but surely not within my department.]

She knew she needed to make new connections. Though the idea excited her, there was also a slight nervousness.

[...]

The girl had decided to go to the nearest supermarket. She had found one nearby earlier; she had been going there to buy a newfound discovery for herself – pre-cooked meals that only needed to be heated up with a microwave. [This way I don’t have to take the time to make food!] While her cooking abilities were admirable, the allure of convenience store-grade meals and their efficiency far outshone the effort it would take to make a decent meal by hand.

Right after checkout, a girl with dyed hair politely asked her: “Uhm.. excuse me, are you from here? I need some help with some directions, if you don’t mind.”

“Oh! Hi.” She was startled at first, “I just recently moved here, but what is it about?”

[She looks friendly, and sweet. Also, she looks about the same age as me.]

“Well, you see… I also moved here quite recently. I’ll be a new student at the university, and I’m thinking of where I could buy some cheap home products like small storage boxes, and whatnot…”

“To be honest, I only moved here a couple weeks ago. And I’ve been so busy with moving in that I completely forgot to buy those myself too, so I do not know myself. Sorry about that…”

[Ah, she looks a bit troubled.]

“That’s totally fine! Don’t worry about it. Are you perhaps a student of the university nearby too? Did you recently move in?” The girl she met brightened up, perhaps in anticipation that she can make friends.

“Yes! I will be doing my bachelor’s degree in social sciences.”

“Really?!” The girl with dyed hair looked pleased, and smiled. “Me too! That makes me feel so relieved…”

[This is actually really good, I should befriend her.] She, too, was pleased to hear. [At least I’ll know someone by the time I start university.]

“Oh please, let’s be friends.” She asked, the girl with dyed hair was happy about that as she nodded her head. She then invited her out: “Perhaps we can look for the store together where we could buy your storage boxes, I also need to buy something where I can store my clothes.”

“For sure!” The girl with dyed hair was happy to hear that, “and perhaps we can go for drinks after?”

“That’d be fun!”