Indhu's POV
The rain was still tapping on the window when our teacher announced the exhibition groups. I was half-listening, my mind drifting to the cloudy sky outside.
Then she said our names.
Indhu. Swetha. Charlotte. Rohan. Aditya.
All together.
For a moment, the room felt like it stopped moving.
Everyone else reacted with the usual gasps and whispers, but for me, it felt different. Like something had finally clicked into place.
Like fate.
We all looked at each other. My heart did a small, quiet jump.
Maybe this time, things would be different.
Saturday arrived, and the rain fell gently like it was trying to calm the world.
Our table at my house was full of books, chart papers, glue, and cups of tea. The smell of wet earth mixed with the warm tea made everything feel peaceful.
Charlotte was the first to make a mess.
She spilled glue all over Rohan's worksheet, and he looked at it like it was a crime scene.
Aditya immediately made a joke about "chemical reactions" and how Charlotte was clearly a dangerous substance.
Everyone burst into laughter.
Swetha leaned closer to me and whispered, "Professor I, your model is too perfect. Relax a little."
I smiled.
The warmth inside me rose like sunshine after the rain.
I wasn't thinking about Leonor.
I wasn't thinking about the past.
For the first time in a long time, I was simply happy.
Happy with these four people who felt like home.
When the time came to leave, Aditya looked at me and said casually,
"Indhu, you were born to lead this project. Just don't explode the house in the name of science."
We all laughed again.
It felt natural.
It felt right.
As we walked out into the drizzle, Charlotte stretched her arms and said,
"We should do this more often. Not just for marks… but for memories."
No one argued.
No one disagreed.
We all just nodded.
Because some bonds didn't need long talks.
Just moments like these.
After school, Swetha stayed beside me, but we didn't speak much. There was a calm silence between us — not awkward, but peaceful. It was like we understood each other without words.
Charlotte stayed back a little longer to sort the materials.
That's when she found it.
A tiny sticky note.
She held it carefully like it was something precious.
And when she looked at it, her face changed.
She didn't say anything.
But I knew.
Something had been written.
Something meant for me.
Something that would change the moment.