The annual school cultural festival was just a week away.
Posters were splashed across the campus walls, music echoed from every corridor, and the energy was infectious. Every student was buzzing with rehearsals, preparations, and dreams of glory. For the first time in years, Karthik didn't feel like an outsider watching from the sidelines—he was a part of it.
"Can't believe you're actually helping with the drama team," Akshay teased, nudging Karthik as they painted props backstage.
"Blame Ananya," Karthik muttered, smirking.
And indeed, she was the reason.
Ananya had been cast as the lead in the main stage play—a poetic, romantic drama about two souls meeting across time. It was ambitious and dreamy, much like her. She'd convinced Karthik to join as the set design assistant. At first, he resisted. But now, as he dipped his brush into a palette of sunset oranges, he found unexpected joy in it.
"More clouds," Ananya said behind him, pointing at the background canvas. "Soft, wispy ones."
"Are you the director too?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No," she grinned. "Just the muse."
He rolled his eyes but started adding them anyway.
---
That evening, rehearsals ran late.
The auditorium echoed with half-memorized lines, laughter, and scolding from the drama teacher. Karthik sat at the edge of the stage, sketching quick set adjustments in his notebook when Ananya flopped beside him, dramatically exhausted.
"My legs are protesting," she said, head falling onto his shoulder.
Karthik froze for a second. Then relaxed. "Tell them to wait until the performance is over."
"Cruel man," she murmured, not moving.
The lights above dimmed slightly as other students began to pack up. But they stayed there in silence.
"This festival," Ananya said after a while, voice softer now, "It matters to me."
He turned to her.
"It's not just about winning or looking good on stage," she continued. "It's the one time I feel like… I'm seen for who I am, not just the 'model girl' or the 'perfect student.' Here, I get to be someone else—and still be me."
Karthik nodded. "I get that."
They looked at each other. No teasing this time. Just understanding.
Then she whispered, "Thank you for saying yes."
He smiled. "You didn't really give me a choice."
She leaned closer. "You'll thank me properly on opening night."
Karthik smirked. "We'll see."
---
Back home, Karthik lay in bed staring at the ceiling, the scent of paint still on his hands. His phone buzzed.
Ananya: Can I tell you something weird?
Karthik: You always do.
Ananya: Today… for the first time… I imagined what it'd be like if you were in my future.
Karthik stared at the message, heart skipping.
He typed. Then erased. Then typed again.
Karthik: You're already in mine.
There was no reply. But he knew she'd read it.
And that was enough.
---
END OF CHAPTER 135