Akutu had always been selective with friendships. She wasn't the type to surround herself with a large crowd. She had Jenny, a few classmates she worked with, and that was enough—or so she thought.
But life had a way of introducing people when least expected.
It all started one afternoon at the campus library. Akutu had gone there to work on a new piece for the writing group. She found a quiet corner, pulled out her notebook, and let her pen dance across the page.
She was so lost in her writing that she didn't notice someone watching her.
"Are you a writer?" a voice asked.
Akutu looked up, startled. A guy stood there, holding a thick philosophy book. He had deep brown skin, intelligent eyes, and a curious expression.
"Um… I don't know," she admitted. "I just write."
He smiled. "That's what writers say before they realize they're writers."
She chuckled. "And you are?"
"Kweku," he said, sliding into the seat across from her. "I write poetry. Sometimes."
Akutu raised an eyebrow. "Poetry? That's deep."
Kweku shrugged. "Not always. Sometimes it's just words I don't know how to say aloud."
Something about that resonated with her. Writing had become her way of processing emotions, too.
Over the next few weeks, they kept running into each other—at the library, in the cafeteria, even at the writing group. Kweku was different from Jenny. He was quieter, more observant, and had a way of making even the simplest things seem profound.
One evening, as they sat on a bench near the faculty block, he asked, "Why do you write?"
Akutu hesitated. "Because it makes me feel… free. Like I can express things I wouldn't normally say."
Kweku nodded. "Same. I think words are the only things we truly own."
She had never thought of it that way, but it made sense.
Jenny noticed the new friendship. "You and Kweku seem close," she teased one day.
Akutu rolled her eyes. "It's not like that. We just… understand each other."
Jenny smirked. "Mmmhmm."
Akutu sighed. "Not every friendship is about romance, Jenny."
Jenny grinned. "If you say so."
Akutu didn't know what the future held, but one thing was clear—sometimes, the most unexpected friendships are the ones that help us grow the most.
The pulleys of life had shifted once again.