It was a rare cloudy afternoon in Chennai, the kind that made the city seem softer, quieter. Classes had ended, the final bell long gone, but Karthik and Ananya hadn't left yet.
They walked together along the road leading away from school, side by side, their steps unhurried. Ananya had insisted on walking, even though her car waited at the gate.
"I wanted to walk with you today," she had said simply, as if it didn't carry any weight.
But it did. To Karthik, it felt like a gift.
Neither of them spoke for a while. The world around them buzzed gently—horns in the distance, children shouting, auto-rickshaws screeching past—but between them, there was only a silence that felt like peace.
"Do you remember the first time we walked home together?" Ananya asked, glancing at him.
Karthik smiled faintly. "You mean when I refused to talk the whole way?"
"And wouldn't even look at me," she teased. "You acted like I was radioactive."
"I thought you were too bright," he said. "And I wasn't ready for that kind of light."
She looked at him, her eyes soft. "And now?"
"I still think you're too bright," he admitted. "But… I've stopped hiding from it."
Ananya nudged his shoulder gently. "Good. Because I like walking with you. Even if you're bad at small talk."
"Noted," he said, trying not to grin too much.
They paused at a small roadside tea stall. Ananya ordered two cups of masala chai. Karthik watched her as she laughed with the vendor, so at ease in the world. It amazed him how someone like her could choose to spend time with someone like him.
She handed him a cup. "Drink before it gets cold."
The tea was warm, spicy, sweet. Just like her.
"You look like you're thinking too much again," she said, leaning against the wall next to him.
"I was just wondering if this moment is real," he said quietly.
She didn't laugh. Didn't tease. She just looked at him for a long second and said, "It is. And we get to keep it."
They stood like that for a while—two school uniforms, two cups of tea, and one slow, healing love.
When they started walking again, Karthik reached for her hand. She didn't hesitate.
They walked slower than usual.
Because some walks aren't meant to end quickly.
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END OF CHAPTER 147