The school auditorium was dimly lit, filled with echoing chatter as students gathered for drama club auditions. Karthik wasn't here to audition—God forbid that kind of spotlight—but Ananya had convinced him to at least come and watch.
"You might actually enjoy it," she had said that morning, poking his arm. "Drama isn't just about acting. It's about seeing life from someone else's shoes. Sounds like your kind of thing, mister broody."
He hadn't argued. Mostly because she'd smiled while saying it, and he didn't want to ruin the moment.
Now, sitting on the farthest seat in the last row, Karthik observed. The stage lit up with students trying out roles—some dramatic, some hilarious, a few awkward. He wasn't bored, surprisingly. In fact, he felt... curious.
Ananya finally appeared on stage.
She was playing a scene as a girl torn between choosing her dreams or her family's expectations. Her voice trembled just enough to feel real, and for a second, Karthik wasn't watching Ananya, but the character she became.
But he also saw the truth in her performance. It wasn't just acting.
After the scene, she came down and slipped into the seat next to him, cheeks still flushed from adrenaline.
"Well?" she asked, panting slightly.
Karthik looked at her for a long moment. "Was that... you?"
She didn't pretend. "Yeah."
He nodded. "They don't see it, do they? The pressure. The fear."
She laughed quietly. "Everyone thinks I'm confident all the time. But you're the only one who sees past it."
Silence fell between them. But it wasn't awkward.
"Do you still... have those dark thoughts?" she asked cautiously, not looking at him.
"Sometimes," he admitted. "But they don't stay as long anymore."
"Because of me?"
"Partly. And partly because I think I've started seeing value in myself."
Ananya leaned her head on his shoulder. He froze, then slowly relaxed.
"No one sees how lonely it can get at the top," she whispered. "Everyone assumes I have it all."
"You don't have to carry that alone," he said. "Not anymore."
In the hush of the auditorium, their shared secrets danced quietly in the space between their breaths.
They didn't need big declarations. Not yet.
Because trust, comfort, and unspoken understanding were already growing.
And in that small, shared silence, they both felt a little more whole.
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End of Chapter 59