Prabha stepped outside the main gate waiting for someone to pick her up.
It had already been twenty minutes since she arrived, and no familiar face had appeared.
Her fingers trembled slightly. The tightness in her chest deepened.
Suddenly it felt like a panic attack had quietly crept inside her, wrapping its invisible hands around her breath.
She tried grounding herself - counting, breathing, pretending to be okay - but her mind spun in circles.
" In this foreign land, with no one beside me… how am I supposed to survive this?" She whispered in her mind.
Just then, a soft voice interrupted her spiraling thoughts, " excuse me..... ! Are you also going to Lysdal university ? "
She turned around and looked.
A young man stood before her. Dressed in casual jeans and hoodie, he looked like an innocent person.
There was something in him that made him less threatening than anyone else at that moment.
He was Aarav.
It was his first time in Norway too. His friends had promised to receive him ,but they were busy at the moment and could only arrive 2 hours later.
Tired of waiting , he decided to look for taxi on his own. As he looked around , his eyes caught a familiar logo on a tag hanging from someone's luggage.
Lysdal university of psychological sciences.
Yes ! the same one where he is going.
He was instantly overjoyed as he found someone heading towards the same place.
Relief flooded him. At least someone else was going the same way. He followed the tag, only to find the person attached to it was… a girl.
He paused...
As an introvert, speaking to strangers had always been a quiet battle. His heart debated with his head.
But after a few minutes of silent hesitation, he gathered all the courage he had, took a deep breath, and approached her.
Prabha recognized the voice--familiar, like home.
But when she turned to look, the face didn't match anything she'd known.
A complete stranger.
And yet… the kind of stranger that felt less foreign than the rest of the people around her.
She replied hesitantly, her voice soft and uncertain . " What .....did you ask just now ?? "
" I was asking if you were also heading towards Lysdal university of psychological sciences? " He asked once again with a hint of nervousness.
" Ummmm . Yes. " " How did you know that? " She asked looking surprised.
" I saw that logo on your luggage and guessed it." He replied as he pointed towards the logo.
" So... I mean... if you are comfortable , can we go together?
Of course , if you are not fine you can reject..." He stammered.
She glanced down at her bag, spotting the familiar logo he was talking about." Ohh ! That one !! "
Then , she noticed the logo on his luggage too.
Even though she was afraid to trust him, but the little flag charm in his bag re assured her.
It was the flag of her home country -- Nepal.
She still hesitated for a while and answered,
" But I also don't know anything.... "
" Uhhh...ohhhh... " He stammered looking confused and then asked, "Then are you waiting for someone to pick you up ?"
" My agency told me that someone will pick me up. But.....I guess they forgot. " She said with a small sigh.
There was a moment of silence in between them. But Aarav finally decided to break it.
" Then.... Should we go together? Maybe.... we can find way if we help each other....? If it is fine with you ....?" He asked once again.
" Hmmmm...." Prabha hesitated. The anxiety in her chest hadn't vanished, but something about his tone made it bearable.
" Let me call my agent first. " She dialed the number and called him.
" Hello ? "
" Hello ! miss Prabha ! Have you arrived at the airport? " The agency representative asked.
" Yes ! It's been 20 minutes already. "
" We are so sorry. The person who was supposed to pick you up will be slightly late. But please don't worry. We will make sure you will safely reach the university. "
" Okay . I am just nearby ". The call ended.
" So I guess I will wait for them. " She spoke .
" Okay.. then " he didn't ask anything further.
Prabha hesitated for a moment and turned towards aarav standing beside her,"
But if it's okay, then you can go with us. Since no one is picking you as well."
Aarav hesitated for a while but ultimately decided to go with her.
At least, it was better than waiting for another 2 hrs.
After a while,the representative arrived. He instantly recognised her and took her towards the taxi.
Aarav silently followed her.
The agent noticed and asked her,
" Excuse me Mam . Who is he ?? Is he with us ? But I was only informed about picking one person."
" Oh!! Him .
Actually he is also heading towards the same college and no one is here for him. So I asked him to come with us. Is there any problem?"
Prabha asked.
" I am so sorry. My friends were supposed to pick me up but currently they are unavailable so would you mind if I hop up with you guys? As for fare, let me pay my part . " Aarav instantly replied looking towards agent.
" Hmm. Then it's okay. You can go with us. As for fare, you don't need to worry. I will manage it. "
The agent gave him a hint of assured smile.
A brief silence settled in the taxi, but this time it wasn't filled with anxiety - it was quiet, almost peaceful.
They watched the roads pass by, side by side, not yet friends, not quite strangers anymore.
Both of them preferred to be silent rather than initiating the conversation.
And soon, together, they arrived at Lysdal University of Psychological Sciences.
As they got out of the taxi and took their respective luggage, Aarav turned towards her , wanting to say something.
Just as he was about to speak, something struck him and suddenly his words died at the moment.
Instead he turned to the agent and said ,"
"Takk skyssen! ( Thanks for the ride. ) . "
" Hallo !! Snakker du norsk?
( Hello ! Do you speak Norwegian ?) " The agent asked looking surprised.
"Bare litt, men jeg er ikke flytende.
(Just a little bit. But I am not fluent at it.) " Aarav replied.
" Bare fortsett å lære. Jeg er glad for at jeg kunne hjelpe deg. Hva heter du?"
(Okay, just keep learning. I'm glad I could help you. By the way, what is your name? )
" Navnet mitt er Aarav. Og du?" (My name is Aarav. And you?) he answered.
"Jeg er Olav. Hyggelig å møte deg . ( I am Olav. Nice to meet you ) "
Aarav extended his hand for a handshake and said, "Hyggelig å møte deg., ( nice to meet you too)"
Olav returned the gesture with a warm smile.
Prabha was flabbergasted watching him speak Norwegian language.
He actually sounded really good.
But Prabha hadn't gotten time to learn so she didn't say anything.
After a while Aarav left without saying a word, just giving a hint of grateful smile towards Prabha.
Prabha hesitated for a second but eventually smiled back.
(Just like this, their first meeting ended -- not with introduction or deep conversations-- with silence and kindness.)
With that simple gesture, their paths ended for a certain period of time.
The love story was about to unfold --- the kind that heals you, brings out of the best version of you and stays by your side in every path of life .
In its simplest form - yet in special way.