The rain had stopped by the time school ended. Puddles shimmered like liquid mirrors on the pavement, and the air smelled of wet earth and promise. Karthik walked beside Ananya as they exited the school gate, neither of them rushing, their footsteps in quiet rhythm.
"Do you think they noticed?" she asked casually, eyes still forward.
"Who?"
"The whole school. Us. Today."
He gave a half-smile. "Probably. But they always notice you. I'm just background noise."
Ananya stopped. Turned to face him.
"Don't say that," she said, her voice firm. "Not anymore."
He looked at her, startled—not because of her words, but because of the conviction in them. The same girl who once walked ahead of him without looking back was now standing in front of him like she was anchoring him in the world.
"You're not background noise, Karthik. You're… you're the reason I stay grounded."
He swallowed hard. "You're saying that like I've changed."
She tilted her head. "Haven't you?"
He didn't answer. Instead, he asked, "Do you remember the first time we really talked? On the stairwell?"
"I was annoyed by you," she grinned. "You were too quiet, too closed off."
"And you were too loud, too bright."
She laughed. "And now?"
"You're still loud," he said, smiling. "But I think I needed that. To break through my silence."
They walked again, their shoulders occasionally brushing.
At the corner, where they usually went their separate ways, Ananya paused.
"You know," she said slowly, "when I first met you, I thought you were hiding something dangerous."
Karthik met her eyes. "And now?"
"Now I know. You were just hiding your heart."
There was a beat of silence.
"And you?" he asked, voice soft.
Ananya looked down for a second, then back up. "I was hiding behind a smile. But you—somehow—you saw past it."
They didn't say anything more. They just stood there, at that quiet junction, a thousand unsaid feelings tangled in the silence.
And when they finally parted ways, they didn't need a goodbye.
Because something between them had already said it all.
Their hearts had spoken.
END OF CHAPTER 145