Indhu's POV
It was a bright holiday morning, and I was slumped on my couch, bored out of my mind. My body felt tired from the fever, but my mind and heart refused to rest. I scrolled through my phone, sighed dramatically, and stared at the ceiling like it could give me a new life.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
"Charlotte? Swetha?!" I blinked, surprised.
They stood at my doorstep, holding cold drinks and chips.
"You looked so dead on the class group chat," Charlotte teased. "So we came to revive you."
I couldn't help but smile. Their presence felt like sunlight entering a dark room.
My eyes lit up with sudden excitement. "Wait here," I said mysteriously, and dialed Aditya.
"Get Rohan and come over now. I have a plan."
Twenty minutes later, the full V5 gang was seated in my backyard.
"Why so serious?" Rohan asked, chewing gum. "What is this top-secret thing?"
I leaned forward and whispered into their ears, one by one.
Charlotte's eyes widened. Swetha gasped. Rohan grinned. Aditya blinked.
"You want to build a what?" he asked.
"A secret underground room," I announced, pointing toward the small garage beside my house. I opened a loose wooden hatch, revealing a hidden underground pit layered with dust and old bricks.
"Let's build our own home here. Let's stay here for 24 hours. We'll call it… The Vision Home."
The group cheered.
Then they all dialed their parents to ask permission.
I dialed my parents who were at work . They talked to my friends parents and secured permission ..
And in that moment, my heart felt like it was about to burst with happiness.
We split into roles:
I went shopping for quirky decorations—dreamcatchers, fairy lights, soft rugs, photo frames, and even a moon-shaped lamp.
Aditya collected building tools and leftover plywood, hammering planks and sealing corners like a pro.
Swetha picked up indoor plants, a small fan, and speakers.
Charlotte raided the supermarket for snacks, juice boxes, marshmallows, and emergency candy.
Rohan took charge of cleaning and wiring—fixing up lights and creating a warm, cozy atmosphere.
By sunset, the Vision Home was ready.
Inside, soft pillows lined the corners, LED strips glowed in warm yellow, and a fabric ceiling covered the top, making it feel like a dreamy cave. The walls were decorated with silly childhood pictures and doodles.
We even stuck a poster that read: "V5 Forever" beside the snack shelf.
Laughter echoed. Swetha roasted marshmallows with a hair-straightener. Charlotte tried to scare Aditya with a horror story. Rohan rapped about building the Vision Home, and I laughed until I snorted.
The room felt like a dream I never wanted to wake up from.
But just as everyone began to yawn and curl up into their sleeping bags, I stood up.
"Wait," I said, stepping out of the underground room.
I returned with a small box.
"What's that?" Aditya asked, raising an eyebrow.
I grinned and opened the box. Inside was a miniature star projector.
Aditya froze. "No way…"
I plugged it in and turned it on.
The walls and ceiling of our secret room shimmered with constellations, nebula clouds, and twinkling lights. Stars drifted across our faces, and for a moment, the tiny room felt as wide as the universe.
"You all once said you wanted to visit the planetarium museum," I said softly. "We couldn't get tickets, so I thought… we could bring the stars here instead."
Nobody spoke.
They just stared.
Then, one by one, they hugged me.
Tightly.
My eyes burned, but not because of sadness. It was because of warmth—pure, comforting warmth.
The night melted into silent smiles, muffled whispers, and starlit dreams.
We stayed awake longer than we thought, just to talk, just to be there.
The next morning was calm.
We scribbled a memory on the wall in bold marker:
"24 hours. 5 hearts. 1 secret home."
We promised to never tell anyone where it was.
And we never did.
A diary sits on a desk.
The pages are old, slightly yellow, full of sketches, torn wrappers, pressed petals, and scribbled notes.
It closes halfway with a soft thud.
I'm grown now.
I brush my fingers across its surface.
I look at an old, wrinkled photo glued inside the cover—V5 smiling in the secret underground room.
My fingers waggle the corner of the photo.
"So much changed," I whisper. "But not us. Not really."
I smile.
Close the diary.
And pick up a fresh pen.
Because the story wasn't over.
It was still being written.