The moment Rose stepped out of the airport, the morning light welcomed her, after a long flight walking out of the airport. she called home. Her mother answered on the first ring, worry already softening into relief when Rose said, "I've arrived." Her father took the phone next, reminding her to eat properly, while Steve's voice echoed in the background, already nagging her to beware.
She smiled.
With her luggage beside her, Rose waved down a taxi and settled into the back seat, eyes wandering as the car moved through Havenport.
The city was alive.
Traffic buzzed endlessly, people hurried across streets, cafés spilled noise onto sidewalks, and tall buildings stretched toward the sky. Everything moved fast—restless, loud, impatient. It was the complete opposite of Elmridge, where mornings were slow and silence felt comforting.
Here, silence didn't exist.
The taxi driver glanced at her through the mirror. "New student?"
"Yes," Rose replied.
"Fresher?" he asked with a grin.
She nodded.
"Best of luck," he said warmly. "These years change everything."
She smiled back. "Thank you."
At the university gates, Rose paid him and stepped out, pausing as she looked up at the engraved name—
Westbridge University
The letters felt heavy with meaning.
For a moment, memories stirred again. A phone call. A voice she hadn't heard since. A boy she hadn't said goodbye to. Just once, she allowed herself to think of him.
Then she inhaled deeply.
And let it go.
"Move forward," she told herself.
"Four years. Live quietly. Live freely."
She whispered a small promise under her breath, "Good luck, Rose."
The campus stretched endlessly before her—grand buildings, wide pathways, students rushing in every direction. Some laughed loudly, some ate while walking, some argued over schedules. Life flowed everywhere.
She approached a senior passing by. "Excuse me, can you tell me where the dorms are?"
He looked at her suitcase, then at her face. "Fresher, huh?"
"Yes."
"Department?"
"Computer Science."
He smirked. "Ah, the serious ones. Welcome to chaos."
She smiled politely. "Thank you."
After collecting her dorm number from the administration office, Rose dragged her suitcase toward her building. When she entered her room, she paused.
Four beds.
Three already occupied. One empty.
'Everyone came early,' she thought quietly.
No one was inside—the room was silent, echoing with newness. She unpacked slowly, arranging her belongings neatly, placing pieces of home where they felt right.
Then she stepped onto the balcony.
Sunlight washed over her face, warm and steady. On both sides, dorm buildings stood tall. Ahead, a green garden stretched wide, students moving through it like scattered thoughts.
Rose lifted her face to the sky.
For the first time in days, her chest felt lighter.
Maybe this place wouldn't replace what she lost.
But it could become something new.
She closed her eyes, letting the sun touch her skin, and believed—
'Everything is going to be fine.'
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