Over the course of the last few months - what with being whisked away to an island and having no one notice, and then having dreams about being alone - Padma was coming to realize that she was far too withdrawn for her own good. Sure, she liked having friends, but she liked being by herself too much and those friendships tended to wither. She told herself it wasn't entirely her fault, that other people were perfectly capable of reaching out, but she didn't always believe it.
She knew that, if she wasn't careful, she could lose these friends, too, and she really, really wanted to keep them because she liked them and she liked being around them and it wouldn't kill her to go out one night every couple weeks or so and be social. Even if it was a Saturday and she preferred to stay in with takeaway on Saturdays.
Despite having to force herself out the door, she arrived early. She liked being early because it meant she wasn't late, and she hated being late. It was a very twisted bit of logic, but she thought it sound enough. Feeling only slightly apprehensive about gathering with people in an unknown space, she raised a hand to knock.
Her smile when Toby answered was warm and genuine. "Hi."