Hey guys!Welcome!

Please note,that this was a story I had originally written sometime last year,when I had first tried my hand at writing.The beginning might be amateurish,but I hope you'll find it better as it progresses.

So let's begin! Naina and Rishab are excited to share their story with you.

"Excuse me .. Excuse me please..sorry! Excuse me ma'am," Naina rushed through the corridors in an attempt to reach her class before the lecturer could arrive.

Naina's punctuality had always been inversely proportional to her level of sincerity.

She reached the room and glanced inside to see if she was late. Lady Luck seemed to be on her side that day and she happily walked in,thanking God that she didn't make a bad first impression.

Naina let her eyes scan the room for any vacant seats until she found one,at the very last row, beside a guy.

She quickly climbed the broad stairs in the auditorium-like room and reached the last row.

"Excuse me ? Is this seat taken ?" she asked the guy,only to get a blank look for a response.

"Can I sit here?" she repeated and the guy slowly nodded.

Naina settled in her seat and placed her bag beside her.She spent the next two minutes,looking around the room,trying to get an idea of the kind of people she might have to spend her next four years with.

Some people were chatting like they had known one another for long.

'School mates probably',she thought and felt bad that her friend from school had joined another department in the same college.They wouldn't get to attend classes together.

'Cheer up,we'll make new friends here',she told herself and turned to the guy sitting beside her.

"Hey! I am Naina",she said and extended her hand for a hand shake.The guy though,seemed like he didn't want to lift his hand from the table.

Naina quickly lowered her hand,feeling embarrassed and wondered what his problem was.

A loud "Good morning everybody!" broke her chain of thoughts and all the students stood from their seats to wish their professor.The next half an hour was spent with the lecturer giving them an idea of the course and telling them all the practical aspects involved.

Electrical and communications engineering did seem interesting after all.

It was the first day and they didn't have much to do.Most of the classes were introductory sessions and after lunch,the students were asked to take a look around the college and familiarize themselves with the atmosphere.

The day came to an end and Naina went home a happy girl.The campus was amazing and she loved the ambience.

It so happened that even the next day and couple of days after that,Naina ended up coming late. Finding not many vacant seats,she was left with no choice but to sit beside Mr Silent.The vacant seats in the front were not considered, as she had never had the habit of sitting at the front.

Naina had started liking her class and had made some friends as days passed by.But the guy beside her,still remained a mystery. He would listen to every word every professor said with utmost attention,take notes diligently and even peep into her book once in a while if he missed something that the professor had told,but he just never spoke.

'May be he is dumb?',Naina arrived at the most logical and possible conclusion. What else could be the reason? He didn't speak to anyone,not just her.

Naina was passionate about dance and when she heard that her college culturals was coming up in couple of weeks,she didn't think for a moment before registering herself for the event.She made a lot of new friends there and absolutely loved the practice sessions after college.One day,as she was coming out of her college late evening after her rehearsal,what she heard and saw,disproved her theory about a certain someone.

"Papaji(Dad) I am good. How are you and Ma?",her Mr Silent whispered into the phone.

'So he can talk!What the hell is his problem then?'

She patiently waited for him to finish his call and after he was done, he turned to the other direction to go towards his hostel when he saw Naina.He gave her a small smile and was about to walk away.

'He is smiling at me ? He doesn't respond to anything and now he smiles' her frustrated mind complained.

"Hey!" she called before he could disappear into the Boys' hostel that was at the end of the row of buildings.

He turned and looked at her, to make sure she was calling him.

"So you can talk!"

"S..Sorry?" he said,his face expressing puzzlement.

"See! You can talk!!"

"Um..yeah I am aware of that fact.."

"Why have you not been talking to anyone then?"

Silence again.

"What is your problem? You seem over smart and solve even the toughest of questions in minutes,I don't get it..I am just curious,"Naina said,hoping to get a response out of him.

The guy was surprised.She was probably the only person who had even bothered asking him something like this and she seemed genuinely concerned.He wanted to answer her question.Taking a deep breath,he began his story.

"O..Okay.Listen.My problem is that..my problem is that I am new to this place and everything here is big and different.People are different,the approach to things is different,the way they talk ..just everything.

I am from a small town near Mumbai and I don't belong here.I am here to get a degree.I ..I will be the first graduate in my family if I do that.My parents struggled a lot to send me to an English medium school so that I don't feel left out in this society.I secured the first place in my school and I got a scholarship to enter this college..I am scared with the pace of things here..I am scared to make new friends..All this is new..",he trailed off,bringing his monologue to an end.

Naina had definitely not expected something like this to be the reason..He felt diffident because he is from a small town? Agreed,Mumbai is a huge city and it will definitely take time for someone from a town to get the feel of the city and adjust.But he was a brilliant guy and this cannot be an impediment in his life.He needs to and will achieve a lot of things with that brain of his but for that, he had to open up and talk to people! Communication is so important and no amount of study or good grades can compensate the exposure he would get through interacting with people from other walks of life.She had to make him understand.

"What's your name?"

"Rishab"

"Listen Rishab.I totally get your point.I know it is tough for you and it will require time for you to adjust here.But don't you think,talking to new people will broaden your perspective about many things ? Trust me it's such an exciting experience.

I had a friend in school who joined my class in sixth standard.She did not know English as she had studied in Hindi medium till then.But she made it a point to talk to everyone in class, at least in Hindi and she used to request us to tell her one new English word every day.I remember how much fun we used to have,doing that and she had so much passion despite everyone and everything around her being new.

I am just requesting you to not get into a shell. Imagine how cool it will be when you go around the place with a group of people who are of your age,interact with them,share their food,get together in some friend's place to watch an India Pakistan match! And the brainy guy that you are,you can help so many of us score better! "

Rishab smiled at that. He was so glad that someone could actually understand what he was going through.She even made an effort to help him feel at ease with the place and pace.

"Thankyou for giving me an idea of how things might be Naina.It is kind of exciting.I would like to experience it"

"Excellent! Can I be your first friend here?"she asked,extending her hand for the second time and this time,the gesture was reciprocated.

"Thankyou once again Naina.That little speech was an eye opener",he replied with a warm smile and Naina couldn't help but chuckle. She had made a new friend.She had finally found the secret of Mr Silent!

So guys,I know it wasn't good enough but it's just a light read.So,I just want you to have a nice time reading it and finish every part with a smile on your face.

Thanks for reading this part!