Amara found herself paired with Dara, a quiet but brilliant girl from the Department of Fine Arts. Dara was everything Amara was not—creative, spontaneous, and emotionally open.
At first, their interactions were strictly academic. But over time, something shifted.
Dara had a way of seeing people—not just looking at them, but understanding them. She noticed how Amara's voice softened when she talked about her younger siblings. How her eyes carried both determination and exhaustion.
"You don't have to carry everything alone," Dara said one evening as they worked under a dim hostel light.
Amara paused. No one had ever said that to her before.
That was the beginning.