When Emma arrived in New York City for her semester abroad, she quickly realised that the city moved at a different speed than home. People walked fast, spoke fast, ordered coffee fast, and even smiled fast. The campus was lively, and although she liked the energy, she often felt like she was one step behind everyone else.

During her first week, she noticed a girl from her psychology class who always seemed relaxed in a way Emma could never be. Her name was Lily. She wore colourful sweaters, carried a reusable water bottle covered with stickers, and somehow made friends with every person she sat next to. One afternoon after class, Lily turned to Emma with a friendly smile.

“You’re in the dorms on West 12th, right? I live there too! You should come over sometime.”

Emma felt a warm wave of relief. A real invitation. She nodded eagerly. “I would like that.”

“Awesome! My room is 304. Come by anytime!” Lily said before running off to catch her next class.

For the rest of the day, Emma walked around campus with a lighter step. “Anytime” sounded like a wonderful word. Back home, people were polite and friendly, but they did not invite someone to their house unless they truly meant it. An invitation was a sign of interest and trust. She felt proud, like she had passed the first invisible test of making friends abroad.

On Friday evening, after a long day of classes and too much reading, she decided that a spontaneous visit might be exactly what she needed. She remembered Lily’s words clearly: Come by anytime. It was six in the evening — not too early, not too late. She even stopped at a small bakery near the dorm to buy muffins, thinking it would be polite to bring something.

When she reached Room 304, she knocked confidently.

Inside, she heard voices, music, and laughter. Perfect, she thought. It sounded social. Lily opened the door with a surprised expression, holding a hair straightener in one hand.

“Emma! Hi! Uh… what’s up?”

Emma smiled, holding up the box of muffins like a peace offering. “You said I could come anytime, so… I came.”

For a moment, Lily didn’t speak. Behind her, the room was a mess of clothes, makeup, and two girls getting ready in front of the mirror. Music was playing loudly, and the floor was covered in curling irons, open drawers, and half-packed bags.

“Oh! Yeah!” Lily said, recovering her cheerful tone. “We’re actually getting ready to go out. It’s girls’ night. We’re leaving in ten minutes.”

Emma froze. She had imagined sitting on the bed, talking about classes, maybe watching a movie. She definitely had not imagined crashing a pre-party.

One of the girls in the background waved and shouted, “Cute muffins!” before returning to her eyeliner.

Emma suddenly felt like she had walked into the wrong movie. “I… I can go,” she said quickly. “It’s okay. I just thought… you invited me.”

Lily’s face softened. “No, I’m glad you came! It’s just… When Americans say ‘anytime’, we don’t always mean literally anytime. It’s more like, ‘I like you, we should hang out soon.’ But not like… right now, without a plan.” She gave a small laugh, amused but not unkind.

“Oh,” Emma replied, heat rising to her face. She suddenly wanted to hide behind her back the muffins. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“You didn’t!” Lily said. “Tell you what — we’ll do a proper hangout this weekend, okay? I’ll text you, we’ll plan it.”

Emma nodded, smiled politely, and left the room as fast as she could without actually running. She heard the girls laughing again, and although she knew it wasn’t about her, she still felt a sting of embarrassment.

As she stepped into the hallway, she wished she could rewind the evening and stay in her own room, eating the muffins alone in peace.

On the way back, she passed the common room where a group of students were watching a film. A guy she had seen in the laundry room before noticed the muffins.

“Are those for sharing?” he asked with a grin.

Emma hesitated, then thought: Why not? The evening can still be saved.

She sat down on the sofa, opened the box, and before long she was surrounded by three people she hadn’t met before. They introduced themselves, thanked her for the muffins, and soon the awkwardness faded. They watched a comedy together and laughed at the same parts, slowly moving from strangers to something a little closer.

Later, when Emma returned to her room, her phone buzzed. It was a message from Lily: Let’s hang out on Sunday. Coffee? This time I’ll pick the time, so no surprises

Emma smiled at the screen. It wasn’t perfect, but it wasn’t a disaster either.