Indhu's POV
Term 1 had begun, and time moved forward as if nothing from the past had ever happened.
But for me, the past didn't disappear — it quietly shaped the present.
I had changed.
Not in a broken way.
Not in a bitter way.
I was brighter than ever — happy, jolly, energetic. I laughed louder, cracked more jokes, spoke freely with people around me. It wasn't something I forced myself to do. It felt natural. Like I was finally finding myself again.
But one change stayed firm and silent.
I no longer spoke to Leonor.
Not out of anger.
Not out of drama.
Just silence.
A peaceful silence — the kind that comes when you finally understand where your energy belongs. I didn't avoid her deliberately, and I didn't think about her either. It was as if she simply didn't exist in my world anymore.
Even though I hadn't talked much to Rohan or Aditya back in 9th, I could feel something shifting now. Slowly, quietly, my bond with them was growing.
Charlotte noticed it first — the way I naturally stepped away whenever Leonor was nearby. No obvious avoidance. No tension. Just… distance.
Swetha noticed too. She never said anything. She only smiled softly whenever I burst out laughing at something silly Rohan or Aditya said.
Rohan, as always, observed quietly, amused by my sharp replies.
And Aditya — he never stopped teasing me.
"You got first rank! You got first rank!" he repeated dramatically, waving his report card like a trophy.
I rolled my eyes and laughed, pretending to be annoyed.
It wasn't just me who had changed.
The whole class had settled into a rhythm. The fire between people had cooled — or maybe everyone had simply learned how to cope in their own way.
But one thing was certain.
I had moved on.
Not by forgetting —
but by growing stronger.
And Leonor?
She noticed. Of course she did.
That evening, something new happened.
The five of us — Charlotte, Swetha, Rohan, Aditya, and me — went to a café near our school.
Of course, our parents were hesitant at first. In the end, Charlotte's sister came along as the responsible adult. She sat at another table, put on her headphones, and promised not to disturb us.
At the time, we didn't know it.
But this café would become a place where memories were made.
We ordered our food and settled in, our laughter filling the small space. It felt light. Easy. Real.
When the food arrived, a sudden silence passed through the table — the kind that comes when everyone is hungry and happy at the same time.
We started eating.
Rohan immediately began teasing Swetha because she had sauce on her nose.
She swatted his hand away, embarrassed, while Aditya laughed.
Charlotte and Aditya got caught up in their own conversation.
And me?
I just watched them.
The smiles.
The comfort.
The way we fit together without trying.
Everything looked perfect.
Yet somewhere beneath the laughter, something unsaid lingered — quiet thoughts floating between us, waiting for the right moment to be spoken.
But for now…
I let myself enjoy the moment.
Because for the first time in a long while,
I felt like I truly belonged.