Indhu's POV
It was a slow, humid afternoon after Charlotte's birthday, and the V5 had gathered in our usual classroom corner during the lunch break.
Everyone was chatting and joking around like usual, but something felt… different. Maybe it was the calm after the storm of the birthday.
Charlotte suddenly dropped her pen.
She knelt down to pick it up — and that's when she noticed something wedged between the back cupboard and the wall.
A worn, dark green diary.
With a half-faded name etched on the front — "Rohan M."
Charlotte blinked. "Wait… is this Rohan's?"
Rohan was at the canteen with Aditya, so the rest of us circled around as Charlotte brought the book out and opened it.
Swetha hesitated. "Should we be reading this?"
I couldn't help but whisper, "It literally says 'personal' on the first page… but we already opened it now."
The pages were filled with neat, dated entries — some short rants, some lists, and some deep reflections.
As we flipped through, we came across a section titled:
"How I See the V5"
Each name had a paragraph beneath it, written with Rohan's raw and honest voice.
Charlotte
"The anchor. She's louder than she thinks and quieter than she pretends. If there's anyone I'd trust to lead a group into a storm, it's her. But I wonder if she knows how much she hides her own stress just to keep us steady."
I felt a sudden warmth in my chest.
Charlotte's eyes widened as she read, and she looked at us like she didn't know what to do with the truth.
Aditya
"The quietest volcano. People see the calm, not the heat under it. He gets frustrated more than he shows, but he's also the one who's quietly cleaning up our messes behind the scenes. He doesn't talk about what hurts him. I wish he would."
Charlotte looked down at her hands.
I could see her trying not to cry, but her eyes looked far away — like she was seeing Aditya's struggles in a way she never had before.
Indhu
"The unpredictable one. There are times I think she's in her own world entirely — and then suddenly, she says something that makes me rethink everything. I don't think I'll ever understand her completely… but I don't want to stop trying."
My heart skipped a beat.
I read it twice.
Then again.
It felt strange… and beautiful.
Like someone had finally seen the part of me I never show.
Swetha
"The one I didn't expect to matter so much. There's a wall around her, but once you get through… it feels like home. I don't know what this feeling is, but every time I see her laugh, I feel like something is right in the world."
At that line, everyone turned to look at Swetha —
and I noticed her cheeks were slightly pink, eyes frozen on the words.
I snorted softly. "Someone's blushing."
Swetha rolled her eyes, but a shy smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
Charlotte couldn't help it — she tickled Swetha, making her giggle.
We were about to turn the page when we heard footsteps.
Rohan had returned.
He stopped in his tracks as he saw the open diary in Charlotte's hand.
"…That's mine."
The classroom went completely silent.
Swetha started, "Rohan, we didn't mean to—"
But Rohan just walked over, took a breath, and… smiled faintly.
"It's okay. I guess… some pages aren't meant to stay hidden forever."
We sat together, for once not joking or teasing, but just being.
A rare, reflective quiet filled the air — the kind that said, I see you. And I'm glad you're here.