Thuriha Writes

One fine evening, after weathering every tantrum the city traffic threw at her, Thuriha slowly accelerated her vehicle on the outskirts of Chennai. Her excitement was at its peak. She was heading to her best friend's wedding. The songs on the FM complemented her memories, and wave after wave of flashback rolled over her mind.

On the first day of university, Thuriha had no idea about the surprise waiting for her. The long speeches at orientation, followed by the never-ending round of introductions, left her completely worn out, and she hit the bed exhausted. Still, she never missed her nightly ritual of a few minutes on Facebook before sleep finally took over. As she'd rightly guessed, there were new friend requests and a few unread messages waiting, the perks of a first day at college. Among the unaccepted requests, the name "Akshan" caught her eye. She'd heard it a hundred times from her school friends. One look at the photo sparked her curiosity, and one click on the profile confirmed it was the same guy, thanks to his school and their mutual friends.

Thuriha had done her early schooling in her grandparents' town, and when her father wanted his only daughter close by, she left her paati and thatha behind and settled at her dad's place from 6th grade onward. Slowly, she lost touch with her school friends and got busy living her own childhood to the fullest. Then, one summer vacation, while out at the market with her paati, she ran into one of her childhood friends, Kiran. She was overjoyed. From then on, her old school contacts slowly found their way back to her, one by one. She was on cloud nine to learn that none of her school friends had forgotten her, and they spent hours talking about the good old school days.

During most of these conversations, one name kept coming up: Akshan. He'd joined her school after she left and taken over both her spot in class and her circle of friends. At first, she got a little irritated every time her friends brought him up. But gradually, without meaning to, she found herself interested in him. So when his name showed up in her friend requests, she accepted without a second thought.

A few days later, a message from Akshan landed in her inbox. With a mix of hesitation and excitement, she wrote back. From there, the conversation grew, and talking to each other became a daily habit. She told him everything, took his advice on her relationship troubles, leaned on his guidance for career choices, and slowly built complete trust in him. And it wasn't one-sided.

Once she started working after graduation, the new environment, new friends, and new independent life kept her busy, so busy that months passed without her realizing she hadn't spoken to him. When she finally called him one evening for a casual chat, she could sense he was angry and hurt, and only then did it strike her how much her silence had wounded him. From then on, she made an effort to talk every day, keeping him updated on her life and hearing all about his. That gap of a few months, oddly enough, ended up pulling them closer, and they were both glad for how things turned out.

One day, she mentioned her plan to visit Chennai the following weekend, and they quickly worked out a plan to meet. They caught a movie at Sathyam Cinemas. The film was a little boring, but they had their popcorn, their cold coffee, and perfect lighting for a round of selfies. After the movie, she pushed for the beach, and he agreed without any fuss. That evening turned into a beautiful one, full of conversations that refused to end.

Soon their meetings became regular, and he gradually pulled her into his friend circle. His roommates and colleagues became her good friends too, and their weekends turned into hangouts at every café and spot the city had to offer. One day she mentioned wanting to go on a vacation and try scuba diving in the Andamans. From then on, it became a shared dream. After the plan fell through more times than they could count, they finally made it happen and flew to the Andamans. It turned into one of the most memorable trips of her life. The others, Vicky, Naresh, Poorvi, Varun, made her feel completely at home and spoiled her rotten. Evening walks on the beach, endless photo sessions, a bumpy cruise ride, the hunt for good food, late-night laughter, all of it made the trip unforgettable for everyone.

By bringing more good people into her life, Akshan made hers a fuller, happier one. Looking back, she realized how her friends had shown up for her during her toughest times. Not just Akshan, but Vicky and Naresh too, who did everything they could to keep her happy. They made sure she never felt alone and helped her push through the hardest stretches of her life. Slowly, without either of them noticing, they all became like family to her, not just in words but in shared responsibility too.

Then, one evening, during a drive after a movie, Akshan showed her a picture on his phone. From the blush on his face, she could already guess who the girl was. Akshan had finally found his better half. Though Thuriha was thrilled for him, a small fear crept in too: the time had come when she'd take a back seat in his life. She found it a little hard to accept that he wouldn't be around as much on weekends. But her friends understood exactly how she felt, and they helped her come around to the change. As the days passed, she accepted the reality and threw herself into helping with the wedding preparations. Becoming friends with Akshan's fiancée made the whole thing a lot easier for her.

Thinking back on all the silly things she'd done, a helpless, stupid smile crept onto her lips. She caught herself grinning at nothing in particular, lost completely in the crazy, wonderful mess of it all.

By the time she reached the wedding hall, Thuriha was swept up in meeting everyone, since the guest list she shared with Akshan was massive. Together, they made it a wedding Akshan would never forget. Later that night, she walked alone along the beach, the sand cool under her feet and the waves keeping her quiet company, thinking about how much her life had changed over the years.

Walking there alone, Thuriha finally understood something simple: change is the one thing that never changes. However inevitable it is, it doesn't just make life tougher. It makes it richer and more worth loving too. She made up her mind to welcome whatever changes life still had waiting for her.