From the outside, Meher Kapoor's life looked like something people followed.
Her Instagram was a gallery of outfits, cafés, perfect angles, perfect lighting. She always knew which filter to use, which caption to write, which version of herself to show.
But Room 407 had started to notice what cameras didn't.
The way she stayed up scrolling long after the lights were off.
The way she went quiet after calls from home.
The way she dressed up even when she had nowhere to go.
That afternoon, Ananya found her alone in the hostel common room, staring at her phone without moving.
"You missed rehearsal," Ananya said gently.
Meher didn't look up. "I know."
"You okay?"
Meher laughed once. "Define okay."
Ananya sat beside her.
They didn't talk for a minute.
Then Meher said, "My parents announced their separation today. At breakfast. Like they were changing channels."
Ananya's chest tightened.
"They said I can choose who to live with. Like I'm choosing a hostel room."
Her voice cracked despite her attempt to keep it smooth.
"All my life they told me I was lucky. Big house. Foreign trips. No financial stress."
She finally looked at Ananya.
"But no one ever stayed."
Ananya didn't say she understood.
She said, "That's not a small thing."
Meher wiped her eyes angrily. "I don't know who I am when no one is watching me."
Ananya leaned her head lightly against Meher's shoulder.
"Then this is where you find out."
Meher closed her eyes.
And for the first time since Mumbai, she didn't pretend.