Benefits of Being Lesbian

2. Extrovert Crush!

When I was in college, I had two best friends who were both lovely, beautiful, and strong. One was an introvert named Jaya, and the other, an extrovert, named Rekha.

Having two best friends might sound ridiculous to some, but Jaya was my batch partner, and I admired Rekha for her personality. I wanted to learn from Rekha, especially how she interacted with people. She was so extroverted that she would hug strangers, while I struggled with a proper handshake.

I first met Rekha during exam time. She was really busy, but I mustered the courage to talk to her. With my heart pounding, I introduced myself, "Hey! I am your classmate."

She smiled and offered me a seat next to her. Since no one else was around, it was easy to start a conversation. Trying to find a topic, I noticed her eyes had dark circles and asked, "Did you not sleep last night?"

I realized it was a personal question, but I just wanted to talk. She left shortly after, and I was bored waiting for her return. To pass the time, I played a silly love game, matching our names, Diksha and Rekha, to see how compatible we were. It was stupid, but I couldn't help myself.

Since we were in the library and everyone else was studying, I picked up a book. I didn't want to top the college; I'd already studied enough. What I really wanted was to become more extroverted. My dream was to perform on stage with confidence, and I hoped Rekha could guide me. Who was I kidding? I was just really attracted to her. My friend Smrithi had gone to a different college and was busy with new friends, so I needed someone new.

Rekha returned after 20 minutes. I wondered if she had a boyfriend—who talks on the phone for 20 minutes? I thought about leaving, but then she come-back & asked me, "Do you know how to solve this?"

It was an easy question, one I'd recently solved. Nervous, I shared my book, hoping she wouldn't see the love game on the last page. She asked if she could calculate on the last page, and I couldn't say a word. She turned to the last page. My face turned red with embarrassment, hoping she wouldn't see my scribbles. She smiled and said, "You were asking why I didn't sleep?"

"Yes," I replied, taking back my book. My heart was racing.

"I'm ill. I have typhoid and can't study right now."

"Studying is easy. If you have any doubts in any subject, you can ask me. I'll help you."

"Thank you," she said and left.

I later found her on Instagram. I couldn't ask for her number; I was afraid she'd wonder why I needed it. She didn't come to college for 2-3 days, and I was so worried that I messaged her. Her profile was public, so it was easy to follow her. She had 10k followers, Okay Okay 9.8k which was impressive. Her raw, unfiltered images melted my heart. She was an honest and strong woman. I messaged her to ask why she hadn't been coming to college, and she told me it was due to health issues. I shared daily motivational quotes, which made her feel happy and strong. Finally, she sent me what I had been waiting for:

"Why are we talking through Instagram? Here's my number."

Finally, I had her number. We were becoming friends. She said she would be back at college the next day, and I couldn't wait to see her. I was so happy that I was smiling in my sleep. My mom noticed and asked,

"Why are you so happy? You were smiling in your sleep."

"Was I?" I denied everything, trying to hide my excitement.

The next day at college, I waited for her at the stairs. My classroom was on the 7th floor, and we had to use the stairs, so I stood there rehearsing what to say about her health. Jaya saw me and asked,