Chapter Two

A month later,

"Have you packed everything?" My grandma asked for the millionth time on our way to the airport and Eshika chuckled, giving me an apologetic look.

"Yes, grandma. You even double-checked my suitcase, remember?" I smiled, shaking my head a little. The day had finally arrived and I was freaking out of my mind. We were on our way to the airport in a taxi and I almost felt like throwing up.

This entire week had been so chaotic and emotional for me and I wasn't ready to leave yet. I've been spending every day for the past week with Eshika and my grandma, the two people who mean the world to me. They tried their best to keep their emotions in check and cheer me up but I knew them better.

God, this is harder than I thought.

The taxi arrived at the airport and we got out together. After unloading my luggage, we started to walk in silently and neither of us said a word. My flight was on time and it was scheduled to leave in an hour. My grandma asked me to sit down for some time before I could pass through the boarding gate and I took a huge breath, trying to calm my nerves.

"Beta, I want to give you something." She started to speak and I turned to her side to face her. Eshika was standing in front of us, busy looking at the flight schedule.

"I should have told you about this sooner but I didn't want you to take the easy way out."

I scrunched my eyebrows in confusion as she was not making any sense at all.

"I want you to have this." She pulled out a thick envelope from her bag and handed it over to me. I took the envelope from her hands and examined the familiar font on top of the envelope which read 'RIDHI'S TUITION FUND'

"Your mom and dad started savings account for your education when you were a kid and they wanted you to have it." I remained frozen and my eyes started to brim with unshed tears, "I know you got a scholarship but that doesn't mean you shouldn't have the money. It's all yours, Beta and you can use it for your expenses over there. All the account details are present in this envelope." She continued to speak but my mind went blank and I couldn't hold back myself anymore.

I pulled her in for a tight hug and could instantly feel the warmth of home. I squeezed my eyes shut and sobbed silently, thinking about my parents. They wanted me to have a better life and this is definitely a sign that they are looking out for me even now.

"I love you so much, Grandma, and thank you for holding on to this." I sniffled and pulled back, wiping away my tears and she kissed my forehead, wiping away her own tears.

"And I love you too, Beta." She gave me one of her adorable smiles.

"Woah! What about me?" Eshika asked in an offended tone, making us both laugh. I stood up to hug her and she hugged me back tightly. I was definitely going to miss seeing this pretty face every day.

"Damn, I thought I was done with all the tears yesterday. Phew! This is crazy." She choked out, trying to hold back her emotions. We both pulled back and I took a deep breath, wiping away my tears.

God, I was such a crying mess!

"You better text me every single day or I swear to God, I will kill you." She threatened, making me laugh through my tears and I nodded in agreement.

"This is so hard, babe. Just go before I drag you along with me." She waved her hands and I knew it was time for me to leave.

After saying our heavy goodbyes, I walked towards the boarding gate, and just when I was about to pass through, Eshika called out to me, making me turn around.

"Check your phone once you are on the plane," she yelled and I nodded in confusion, not knowing what she was talking about.

Once I was inside the plane, I sat down and quickly pulled out my phone to see what she was talking about before they ask me to turn off the phone.

1 text message from Eshika

I clicked on the notification to find the link to the apartment advertisement that we went through last week followed by a text message.

'You better make an offer for that apartment right NOW!!!!' -Eshika

Oh my God! She was right.

I have enough money now with the envelope my grandma gave me and I am pretty sure I can afford that amazing apartment but I have no idea who was the owner/roommate. The only information about the seller was the email address which read [e-mail]

I don't have a problem living with a guy. I would be worried if my grandma knows about it but she thinks I'm staying on campus so that shouldn't be a problem and even if she finds out, I can convince her later on.

This is my only chance of freedom and I need to learn to live independently and adapt to the foreign environment. I took a deep breath and hit the make offer button on the link without thinking twice.

Holy Fuck!

This is going to be so crazy and exciting.

I switched off my phone and put on the seatbelts ready to embrace the next 18 hours of flight from India to Texas for my new beginning.

Here we go!

"Excuse me, do you know how far is this address from the airport?" I asked a middle-aged woman, showing her the address of the apartment on my phone.

As soon as I landed, I switched on my phone and sent a quick message to both my grandma and Eshika, notifying them upon my safe arrival even though I was aware of the time differences. I was also happy to see that my offer on the apartment was accepted by the seller and I was provided with a phone number to contact for more details.

Thankfully, I didn't have to spend a day or so in some random hotel, waiting for the response.

"You can take a taxi." She replied and walked away without waiting for my reply.

"Thanks for nothing," I muttered under my breath and tried to call the seller but it went straight to voicemail. I licked my lips and thought for a while not sure about what to do.

Do I just show up at the apartment?

The seller has no idea about me and it would be creepy as hell.

I decided to send a text message, explaining the details and also that I was on my way right now.

That seems pretty normal, right?

I took a deep breath and got in a taxi, ready to see my new home, hopefully for the next two years. I was nervous and anxious throughout the entire ride, wondering who might be my roommate.

What if he or she is a weirdo?

Or worse, what if they think I'm weird and strange because I'm from India?

The sound of the notification alert from my phone broke my chain of thoughts and I picked it up from my lap immediately.

1 text message from the Seller.

'Just saw your text, Ridhi. Everything is cool, dude. I'm at the apartment right now. Can't wait to meet my new roomie. BTW, I'm Ray Anderson.' -Seller.

My lips curved into a small smile at the friendly tone of the text and I was able to relax a bit now. I changed the contact name from Seller to Ray Anderson.

Ray Anderson!

That's definitely a guy's name and now I couldn't help but wonder if he was a hot guy.

You can't blame me, I am a girl after all.

Once I reached the destination, I got out and unloaded my luggage with the driver's help. I finally took a look around at my surroundings and everything looked so beautiful and serene, completely opposite to India.

The building in front of me looked so cool and posh. It must have at least twenty floors and I needed to find on which floor, the apartment I am looking for is located.

I entered the building and the wooden board, hanging on the wall in front of me had the apartment numbers for each floor. Apartment number 107 was located on the tenth floor.

Thankfully, there was an elevator. After getting my bags inside the elevator, I pushed the button to the tenth floor and waited patiently.

I quickly brushed through my hair using my fingers and looked at my own reflection on the steel doors of the elevator, hoping that the eighteen hours of flight didn't make me look like a zombie. The elevator came to a halt and I was already a nervous wreck.

I slowly made my way towards the apartment which was way down the hallway with my heavy luggage. I stopped in front of the door which had the number 107 attached to it and pressed the doorbell, without thinking twice.

I could hear a few rustling sounds behind the door before it flung open, only to reveal the hottest guy I've ever laid my eyes on after Enrique Iglesias, of course.

Holy fucking shit!

I mean I was kinda hoping to see a hot guy but this is way hotter than what I imagined.

Fuck! I would be so bummed if he was Ray Anderson's brother or friend.

He was wearing a white polo t-shirt along with a pair of khaki shorts. He looked a year or two older than me but he was perfectly built with the right amount of muscles, way taller than me with sparkling green eyes, brown hair, and an impeccable jawline which made me drool instantly.

Keep it together, Ridhi!

"I hope you are done checking me out. I don't blame you though but how can I help you?" he asked me with a cheeky grin, making me blush so hard.

Talk about embarrassment!

He was right though. He can't obviously blame me.

I mean, ugh! Look at this guy!

"Uhh--I..err--umm...I mean, I'm looking for Ray Anderson." I cleared my throat and uttered a complete sentence by making a complete fool of myself.

"I'm Ray Anderson. How can I help you, darling?" He asked in a flirty tone with a small sexy smirk, folding his arms in front of his chest which made his biceps bulge.

Thank you, God! I'm already in love with Texas.

"I'm Ridhi D'Souza. We texted a while ago regarding the apartment." I replied with a small smile and extended my hand for him to shake.