Ananya didn't open the email immediately.
She closed the laptop.
Opened it again.
Closed it again.
Pihu noticed. "That's not a normal student reaction. That's a life-altering email reaction."
Nandini leaned closer. "Read it."
Meher said nothing. She was watching Ananya's face.
Ananya finally opened it.
A youth-focused digital media platform had seen her fest clip.
They liked her presence.
They were launching a city-based college segment.
They wanted her to come for a meeting.
Not an audition.
A meeting.
"I think…" Ananya said slowly, "…this is real."
Pihu squealed.
Nandini smiled like she'd expected it.
Meher's lips curved upward.
"Go," Meher said. "Even if it scares you."
"It does," Ananya admitted. "A lot."
Meher nodded. "Good. That's the feeling of walking toward yourself."
The office was in Andheri.
Glass walls.
Exposed brick.
Young people with laptops and confidence.
Ananya sat across from two women who couldn't have been older than thirty.
They asked about her.
Not her marks.
Her mind.
Her opinions.
Her view of youth culture.
Her reasons.
At one point, one of them said, "You don't speak to impress. You speak to connect. That's rare."
Ananya felt something steady inside her.
They offered her a trial role.
Campus correspondent.
Youth host.
Paid.
Not huge.
But real.
When she walked out of the building, Mumbai felt… different.
Not bigger.
Possible.
She didn't scream.
She didn't cry.
She just stood on the footpath, phone in hand, breathing.
Then she messaged one place only.
Room 407 group chat:
I think I just took my first real step.
Three replies came immediately.
Pihu: RUNNING BACK TO HOSTEL. EMERGENCY HUGS.
Nandini: Proud is a small word.
Meher: Welcome to the beginning.