Tarini's POV

It was lunchtime, and with my phone in hand, I left my laptop behind and strolled to my regular restaurant. I can pay via phone so I didn't carry my bag, I crossed the sidewalk,and was walking on the sidewalk. The restaurant was 5 minutes walk from my office.

I do carry my lunch on most of the days but on days when I have meeting I tend to not worry about packing myself a lunch, so I come to the restaurant

I opened the door and went and sat on my regular seat and placed my order and awaited for the arrival of my friends, Aadhya and Navya

Aadhya,was my college roommate hailing from Kerala,and Navya whom Aadhya introduced me to, have become my closest confidantes since our first meeting when we all three were in our first year of college

Aadhya works in marketing nearby, while Navya, with aspirations of establishing her own gallery, delves into realm of artistry

Aadhya and me instantly clicked and since she didn't knew anyone from college we stuck together and Navya happened to bump into Aadhya in our hostel corridor and they became friends, and later Aadhya introduced me to her

So this is how we met

"A tumultuous meeting," Navya inquired, prompting a frustrated recount of the day's events from my end.

Dealing with demanding clients, relentless project demands, and the pressures of managing both professional and personal life made for a relentless existence, leaving me longing for occasional moments of tranquility.

"Don't even ask, he is such a jerk, he is like I want 'new designs' and that's it and then said his P.A will tell us when the next meeting is,you call us according to your preference and we should be on our toes come see you? And it was so quick we couldn't even introduce ourselves" I replied with a frustrated tone

Soon our food came and we enjoyed our lunch while gossiping. We love gossiping. We are way too invested in other people's lives. We love it. We live for it.

Soon we finished our lunch and we went back to work

Back at the office, I dived into the never-ending demands of my job. Juggling client preferences, endless revisions, and the intense creativity required for new projects, I often longed for a break. Managing both personal and work commitments while facing judgment from society, family expectations, and constant criticism required a strength I sometimes doubted I had.

Sometimes I just want to shut down everything and live peacefully in the woods with no connection with the outer world, if you're not strong enough the world will gobble you up. Everyone will have something or the other to say.

In this world, if you do something good, they'll find fault with it. If you make a mistake, they'll tell you to grow up. If you're overweight, they'll tell you to lose weight, but if you do, they'll tell you to gain it back.

No matter what, they will always criticize you for everything you do and it's applicable to all the genders. After some time you come at a point where you are tired of listening to everything the society, relatives, parents say that you learn to ignore them

But at the end of the day we are all human, there's only so much we can hear and tolerate.

It was time to go home so I packed everything and grabbed my bag and left for the parking lot. I decided to do some grocery shopping today since I need some snacks for myself to hog on, I plugged my aux in and played 'Style' by Taylor Swift.

I rolled the window down to feel some natural air against my skin, well mumbai air is equivalent to the polluted air, never mind

I reached D-Mart and parked my car in the parking lot and went inside. I grabbed a trolley and started with the food section. I grabbed some daal, vegetables, instant noodles, snacks and everything I could find which won't get expire for a long time

I like eating healthy because I'm really health-conscious but that doesn't mean all I eat is green vegetables, I like my snacks but I make sure I eat it in less proportion.

I grabbed some cute cutlery I found which is going to go in the showcase because I don't use them. I like spending money on things like this since I don't have anyone else to spend money on.

I bought some cute tops too, well for first they are cute and second they're cheap. There's no harm in buying good quality clothes for a cheap price.

After getting down to the billing counter I realized I bought too many things. I am an impulsive shopper but good for me. I know how to save, and have mutual funds for my future. I am smart

I transferred everything into the bag and kept the trolley out. Thankfully I always keep bags in the car because who is going to spend extra money on bags every time? Not me

I drove through the sea link, and since it was night time the view was amazing. I reached home and changed my clothes and did yesterday's and today's laundry while the food was cooking on low heat.

After all the chores I served myself some noodles and went to the balcony. I decided to facetime Navya and Aadhya while eating my dinner

Despite the fatigue that had settled into my bones, the warmth of their companionship infused my tired spirit with a sense of solace and belonging, a reminder that amidst life's chaos, there remains a safe haven within the bond of friendship

After talking to both of them I went to sleep immediately after my skincare. I was so tired that I fell asleep as soon as my body hit the mattress