Room 101 — 30 August — 8:00 PM
The room was quiet.
Soft evening light filtered through the curtains — pale gold, fading into blue.
The shadows of palm trees swayed gently against the walls.
C was asleep.
Her body had finally surrendered to exhaustion.
The eighteen-hour journey, the airport, the strangers, the elevator, the rules — all of it had pressed down on her until she couldn’t keep her eyes open.
She lay on her bed, still fully covered, her dupatta wrapped around her like a cocoon.
Her bag sat beside her, unopened.
Her phone rested inside her small purse, silent.
Around her, the roommates were also asleep.
Riya had collapsed onto her bed without changing.
Aminah lay on her side, one arm hanging off the mattress.
Neha had her headphones on, music still playing softly.
Yasmin had curled into a small ball, her sketchbook open beside her.
Six girls.
One room.
Three bunk beds.
Home, C had thought before sleep took her.
This is my home now.
The Call
Her phone buzzed.
C stirred, her eyes fluttering open.
The room was darker now — the gold had faded to deep blue.
She reached for her purse, fingers fumbling with the zipper.
Hamad Bhai.
Her heart leaped.
She answered immediately, her voice soft but full of warmth.
“Assalam o Alaikum, Hamad Bhai!
How are you?
How is Ami?
Baba?
Anita D?
Bisma?
I miss you all!”
She paused, breathless.
“I called you earlier, but I don’t know about the time zone — I didn’t know when you would be awake —”
Hamad’s voice came through, calm and steady, like it always was.
“Relax, kid.
Take a deep breath.
All good, okay?”
C’s chest was tight.
She hadn’t realized how scared she had been — how much she needed to hear his voice.
“I don’t know —”
“Deep breath, kid.
Okay?”
She closed her eyes and breathed in.
Then out.
“Okay.”
“Walikum Assalam,” Hamad said warmly.
“We’re all fine.
Ami, Baba — we all prayed for you.
For your long flight.
For your safety.
We’re happy you reached the hostel safe and sound.”
C felt tears prick at her eyes, but she blinked them away.
“Yes, it was a big plane.
I sat near the window — I saw the sky, bhai.
It was so blue.
So big.
I’ve never seen anything like it.”
She took a breath, the words tumbling out.
“I stayed three hours in Doha.
The airport was enormous — bigger than anything I’ve ever seen.
Then twelve hours to California.
The plane landed at 5 AM.
The sky here is…
different, bhai.
Strange.
But beautiful.”
She paused.
“I saw huge buildings.
Really huge.
And our hostel is so big — and there’s an elevator, bhai.
I didn’t like it.”
On the other end, she heard laughter.
Hamad.
Ami.
Bisma.
Anita D.
Even Baba — she could imagine him listening quietly, his stern face softened with pride.
Hamad laughed warmly.
“It’s okay, kid.
Take one step at a time.
It will feel like home soon.”
He paused.
“So — you met your roommates?”
C blinked.
“How do you know?”
“Just a guess.
You sound calmer.”
“Yes,” she said, a small smile forming.
“They are so nice.
So sweet.
They’re all asleep now.”
She told him about Riya — the bold one with red hair who hugged her like they were sisters.
About Aminah, gentle and warm, who didn’t try to hug her.
About Neha, the software engineering senior with sharp eyes.
About Yasmin, soft-spoken, from Iran.
“They’re all so different,” C said.
“But they’re…
kind.”
Ami’s voice came through, soft and worried.
“Assalam o Alaikum, my bacha.
How are you?”
C’s heart swelled.
“Walikum Assalam, Ami.
I miss you.
I miss hugging you.
It’s different here.”
She didn’t cry.
But her voice was sad — too sad to hide.
The Roommates Wake
Riya stirred first.
She sat up, her red hair wild, her green eyes blinking sleepily.
She saw C on the bed, phone in hand, voice soft.
“Family?” Riya mouthed.
C nodded.
Aminah opened her eyes next.
She sat up slowly, reached for her dupatta, and wrapped it around her head before coming to sit beside C.
“C, is this your family?”
“Jee.
My Ami.”
Aminah smiled and leaned closer to the phone.
“Assalam o Alaikum, Aunty.
I’m Aminah — third year, Statistics student.
How are you?”
Ami’s voice warmed.
“Walikum Assalam, Aminah.
How are you, beta?”
Aminah grinned.
“I’m good, Aunty.
And C is really like you — you’re so beautiful.”
Laughter erupted from the phone.
Bisma, Anita, even Ami.
Anita’s voice came through.
“Yes, our Ami is so beautiful.
And she makes the best food.
Hi, Aminah — I’m C’s elder sister, Anita.
Please take care of her.
It’s her first time away from home.
She’s never been alone before.”
Riya moved closer, wrapping an arm around C’s shoulder.
Her English accent was warm, almost musical.
“Hi, everyone!
I’m Riya Stewart.
The university assigned your sister to me.
Don’t worry — I’ll take care of her, okay?
No worries.
All chill.
I’ll show her the university, I won’t leave her arm.
You guys just relax.”
Ami’s voice was soft with gratitude. New chapters come out on g.com first.
“Thank you, beta.
You are all so nice.
Thank you.”
Then — a small voice.
“Assalam o Alaikum.
I’m Bisma.
C’s younger sister.”
Aminah’s face lit up.
“Walikum Assalam, cutie pie!
You are so cute.
Which class are you in?”
“Eight.
Soon to be nine.”
Riya grinned.
“That’s great.”
C looked at the phone, at the faces she couldn’t see but could feel.
“I miss you all,” she whispered.
Ami’s voice was gentle.
“We’re here, bacha.
Pray five times.
Study.
Health is important too.
Rest.
Take care of yourself.
We’ll call soon.”
C swallowed.
“Ami, I miss you.
It’s so far away.”
Hamad’s voice came back.
“C, remember why you went there.
Remember your dream.”
She did.
The plot for Baba.
The car.
The bigger shop.
Anita D’s studies.
Her dream.
She nodded.
“I remember, bhai.
Take care.
Allah Hafiz.”
“Allah Hafiz, kid.”
The call ended.
The Comfort
Riya hugged her.
Not a quick hug — a real one.
Warm.
Firm.
Like she meant it.
“It’s okay, C,” she said softly.
“They said you’ve never been alone before.
First time away from home, right?”
C nodded.
“I’ve never gone anywhere,” she admitted.
“Just home.
School.
College.
Home again.”
Aminah sat beside her.
“So what did you do at home?”
C looked at her.
“Study.
That’s all.”
Aminah smiled — not mocking, just understanding.
“Well,” she said, “we’ll take care of you.
Come — freshen up.
We’ll show you the canteen first.
Then the warden’s office for your cards.”
C hesitated.
“Aminah baji, can I pray first?
I missed my prayer.
I was sleeping.”
Aminah’s eyes softened.
“Of course, C.
Go.”
The Prayer
C went to the washroom.
She performed wudu — the familiar ritual, the cold water waking her up, grounding her.
The same movements she had done thousands of times, in a different room, in a different country.
Some things don’t change, she thought.
She came out, fully covered in her pink dupatta,
Aminah showed her the direction to face.
C laid out her prayer mat on the floor.
She prayed.
Esha.
The night prayer.
Her voice was soft, barely a whisper, but her heart was loud.
Ya Allah, guide me.
Protect my family.
Help me study.
Help me remember why I’m here.
Behind her, Yasmin had woken.
She watched quietly — the way C bowed, the way she prostrated, the way she whispered to her Lord.
She’s beautiful, Yasmin thought.
Even covered.
Especially covered.
Aminah prayed too.
When C finished, she folded her mat carefully and stood.
The Warden’s Office
The four of them walked downstairs together — C, Riya, Aminah, Yasmin.
The hallway was quiet now.
The evening rush had passed.
A few girls moved slowly, heading to the canteen or the study room.
The warden’s office was still open.
Elizabeth looked up and smiled.
“Good evening, C.
You slept well?”
C nodded politely.
“Assalam o Alaikum, Mam.
Jee.
I slept.”
The clerk handed her two cards — one white, one blue.
Elizabeth explained: “This is your hostel card.
And this is your meal card.
Timing for going out is 5 AM to 11 PM.
Remember — entry must be registered every time.
The meal card works in both the hostel canteen and the university canteen.”
C took the cards carefully, running her fingers over the smooth plastic.
“Thank you, Mam.”
Elizabeth waved her hand.
“Go.
Eat.
You must be hungry.”
The Canteen
The mess hall was large — bigger than C expected.
Rows of tables stretched across the room, some full, some empty.
The air smelled of warm bread, spices, and something sweet she couldn’t name.
Fluorescent lights hummed overhead, casting everything in a soft white glow.
Girls stood in a long line, trays in hand, chatting and laughing.
C gripped her meal card tightly.
“Come,” Aminah said gently.
“I’ll show you.”
They joined the line.
Aminah pointed to a small machine at the start of the counter.
“See that?
You tap your card here.
Like this.”
She demonstrated — a soft beep, a green light.
“Then you take a tray and move along the counter.
Choose what you want.”
C watched carefully, memorizing every step.
When it was her turn, she tapped her card.
Beep.
Green.
She took a tray.
The Halal Section
Aminah guided her to a separate section at the end of the counter.
“This is the halal section,” she said.
“For us.”
Halal, she thought.
They thought about us.
She looked at the food — rice, chicken curry, grilled fish, fresh salad, yogurt, bread.
Simple.
Familiar.
She pointed at the rice.
Aminah nodded.
“Yes, take as much as you want.”
C served herself a small portion.
Then some chicken curry.
Then a small salad.
She didn’t take too much.
She didn’t want to waste.
Riya appeared beside her.
“That’s it?
You need to eat more, little girl.”
C shook her head.
“It’s enough.”
Riya sighed but didn’t push.
The Table
They found a table near the window.
C sat between Aminah and Yasmin.
Riya sat across from her, already digging into her food.
The evening light had faded completely now.
Outside, the sky was deep blue, scattered with stars C didn’t recognize.
Different stars, she thought.
Different sky.
Same moon.
She took a small bite of rice.
It was good.
Different from Ami’s cooking — less spice, milder — but good.
Yasmin looked at her.
“So, C,” she said softly, “I love sketching.
That’s what I do when I’m not studying.
What about you?”
C paused.
“I study,” she said simply.
Yasmin blinked.
“That’s it?”
“I like coding.
And math.
And reading my textbooks.”
“No sketching?
No painting?
No…
hobbies?”
C shook her head.
“I never had time.
There was always studying.”
Yasmin looked at her differently — not pity, just…
understanding.
“I’ll teach you sometime,” she said.
“If you want.”
C didn’t know what to say.
No one had ever offered to teach her something that wasn’t in a textbook.
“Okay,” she said softly.
Riya’s Story
Riya finished a bite of her food and leaned back.
“So, C — I’m from New York.
Born and raised.
But I applied here for software engineering.
Best decision ever.”
She gestured around the canteen.
“California is different.
Slower.
Warmer.
People actually smile at you here.”
She grinned.
“My cousins live here too.
That’s why I’m not completely alone.
Azhan — the one who picked you up — he’s my cousin.
I called him at the last minute because I had to go to NovaTech.”
C’s heart beat faster.
Azhan, she thought.
She remembered his blue eyes.
His calm voice.
The way he taught her the seatbelt.
She didn’t know why her heart was beating faster.
Maybe I’m still tired, she thought.
Maybe the food is too warm.
She took another bite of rice, but her appetite had faded.
Riya continued, oblivious.
“NovaTech is the big tech company connected to the university.
They work on real projects — medical software, AI, all that.
I’m hoping to get an internship there.”
C nodded, but her mind was elsewhere.
Blue eyes.
Silver rings.
The way he smiled when I buckled the seatbelt.
Why do I keep remembering?
Stop it, she told herself.
Focus on your food.
Focus on your studies.
That’s why you’re here.
She ate slowly, her eyes fixed on her plate.
Yasmin’s Iran
Yasmin spoke softly, filling the silence.
“I’m from Iran,” she said.
“Tehran.
Me and Aminah are cousins.
Our families moved here together.”
She smiled.
“It was hard at first.
The language, the food, the people — everything was different.
I cried every night for a month.”
C looked up.
“Really?”
“Really.
But then…
it became normal.
The crying stopped.
The fear faded.
And one day, I woke up and realized — this feels like home now.”
She touched C’s hand gently.
“It will happen for you too.
Just give it time.”
C nodded, not trusting her voice.
The Walk Back
They finished eating and returned their trays.
The night air was cool as they walked back toward the hostel.
The stars were brighter now — thousands of them, scattered across the sky like dust.
C looked up.
Same moon, she thought.
Different stars.
Aminah walked beside her.
“You okay?”
C nodded.
“Just…
thinking.”
“About home?”
“About everything.”
Aminah didn’t push.
She simply walked beside her in silence — a quiet presence, a gentle comfort.
When they reached Room 101, C paused at the door.
She looked down the hallway — at the cream walls, the simple lights, the other doors with their gold numbers.
This is my home now, she thought.
For now.
Until I finish my studies.
Until I make my family proud.
She touched the key in her pocket — cold metal, warm from her skin — and smiled.
✍️
Author’s Thoughts A card, a tray, a simple meal, A heart still learning how to feel.
She doesn’t know why blue eyes stay— She pushes thoughts of him away.
But somewhere deep, a seed is sown, A story that is not yet known.
Not love—not yet—just something new.
A girl.
A stranger.
A sky so blue.
Next: Room 101 — First Night.