The school auditorium was packed, its stage glowing under the harsh lights. It was the annual Literary Fest, and students buzzed with excitement as competitions unfolded—debates, extempore, poetry slams. Ananya sat in the third row with her class, trying to look calm, but her fingers fidgeted against her skirt. Her name was next on the list.
She was about to recite a poem.
Not one of the usual ones written to impress judges or please teachers. This one came from her heart.
From the pain she'd buried.
From the hope she was just beginning to feel again.
Karthik, sitting a few seats away, caught her eyes. He gave a small nod. The kind of nod that said, You've got this. I see you.
She stepped onto the stage.
The mic stand was taller than expected. Her voice nearly cracked during the introduction. But then she looked into the crowd—and focused only on one face.
His.
She began.
> "They told me to smile,
With teeth like pearls and eyes like stars,
To walk without tripping,
To speak only if I sparkled."
> "But what if I'm not light?
What if I'm storm and sea and silence?
What if I'm a thunder that waits,
For a sky to echo it back?"
Each word carried weight, a trembling truth woven into rhythm. The hall fell quiet. Even the judges stopped writing. The poem wasn't flawless, but it was raw. Real.
> "And then—someone sat beside me.
Not to fix, not to flatter.
Just to listen.
Just to say,
I like your silence too."
She ended.
The applause didn't erupt—it built slowly, spreading from one row to another like ripples in still water. Some students even stood up. But all Ananya heard was the sound of her own heartbeat. Calmer now.
When she stepped off the stage, Karthik was waiting at the steps. He didn't say "good job" or "that was amazing." He just held out a bottle of water, eyes soft.
She took it, smiling. "You listened."
"Every word," he said. "I felt them all."
She touched his arm, not out of shyness—but because she wanted to. "Thank you… for helping me find my voice."
He looked at her, eyes dark and sincere. "You already had it. I just made sure the world stopped to hear it."
And in that moment, something shifted again between them.
Something deeper than before.
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End of chapter 100