Indhu's POV
The next day felt… off.
Not bad. Not dramatic. Just one of those days where the air itself feels like it's holding onto something.
It started innocently—too innocently.
Swetha opened her lunchbox and froze.
"Oh no," she muttered. "I packed a fruit by mistake."
That was all it took.
Rohan spotted it from two benches away, and I swear I saw the color drain from his face.
Because just a few days ago, during some random conversation, he'd said, "I'm hungry."
And out of absolutely nowhere, Naira—sitting like a background character on the platform—had chirped,
"Do you want this fruit?"
The timing.
The tone.
The silence that followed.
Our entire group had laughed so hard that day, and Rohan had never recovered.
So now, watching Swetha slowly wave that exact same fruit in front of him felt… dangerous.
"Hungry, Rohan?" she asked sweetly, grinning like she'd won a trophy.
"Swetha!" he groaned, trying to grab it. "You're impossible!"
The fruit narrowly escaped his hand. The class didn't escape laughter.
I laughed too, of course—how could I not?—but I noticed Rohan's ears were bright red. Again.
Then came lab period.
And labs are never neutral territory.
We hovered near the door, half-inside, half-outside, debating whether we were actually allowed to step out. That's when Naira suddenly walked up, wearing that over-smart expression that always made my jaw clench.
"Why don't you all just go outside?" she said, smirking—and blocking the way.
Rohan snapped.
"They said not to go outside. What's your problem?"
His voice was sharp. Too sharp to joke away.
Naira immediately went quiet, stepping back with her lips pressed tight. For a second, the silence felt heavy—like something ugly might spill out.
Then Charlotte arrived.
Calm. Grounded. Charlotte.
She placed a hand lightly on Rohan's shoulder and said, "Come on. Let's just go inside."
And just like that, the tension dissolved. I don't know how she does that—how she walks in and steadies things without raising her voice.
Of course, Aditya ruined the calm within two seconds.
With fake seriousness, he announced,
"Breaking news: Rohan versus Naira. Round one. Fruit edition!"
Jyothi clapped dramatically like it was a live show.
From behind us, Leonor laughed. Loudly. Too loudly.
I felt it instantly—that irritation crawling up my spine. Swetha felt it too. We didn't say anything, but when our eyes met, I knew we were thinking the same thing.
Why does she enjoy this so much?
The lab period passed with experiments half-done and jokes half-whispered. Everything felt heavier than usual… yet somehow funnier too, like laughter was being used to cover something unspoken.
As I scribbled notes, I realized something.
These moments—awkward, annoying, ridiculous—
they were becoming part of us.
And whether Leonor liked it or not,
this story was still ours.