Indhu POV
The night at Swetha's house was pure comfort. Snacks everywhere, gossip flowing nonstop, and the three of us—me, Swetha, and Charlotte—curled up in blankets like nothing else in the world mattered. A pile of chips sat between us as we finally settled on a movie.
Amaran.
At first, it was all fun—whispered comments, quiet laughs, teasing reactions. But by the climax, Swetha was completely gone. Tears, tissues, sniffles—everything.
"Why does this always happen?!" she cried.
I wiped my own eyes, not as dramatically. "I cried too, but you're competing with the rain right now."
Charlotte just shook her head with a smirk. "You two are hopeless."
Sometime later, after one last round of whispered gossip, sleep quietly took over.
Next day morning I was the last one to wake up.
I stretched lazily, scratching my head, my hair tied into a messy bun, still in my nightdress. When I opened my eyes properly, I noticed Charlotte already freshened up, sitting calmly near the window.
"Wake up," she said casually. "Everybody's here."
Everybody?
Still half-asleep, I walked into the hall—and froze.
Aditya and Rohan were sitting there. Casually. Comfortably. Drinking juice like this was completely normal.
Aditya looked up at the exact moment our eyes met.
My messy bun.
My nightdress.
My sleepy face.
"Oh my god," I muttered, wishing the floor would just swallow me.
Aditya smirked instantly. "Nice look, Indhu. Is that the Pajama Queen Collection?"
"Shut up," I snapped.
Rohan laughed quietly, which only made it worse.
Aditya leaned back. "Or maybe… Didn't-Brush-But-Showed-Up edition?"
That was it.
I grabbed the nearest pillow and threw it straight at him.
Thwack.
"Oof! Violence before breakfast!" he groaned dramatically, while Charlotte and Rohan burst out laughing.
Swetha walked in then—perfectly dressed, fresh, like she'd been awake for hours. I stared at her in disbelief.
"Why are you so ready? And Charlotte too?!"
She raised an eyebrow. "You forgot? You slept too much. We planned this outing, remember?"
Charlotte smirked. "Park exploration for our science project. You didn't think we'd just rot here all day, did you?"
I groaned into my hands as Aditya whispered loudly, "Better hurry, Rockstar Pajama."
He barely escaped the second pillow.
By afternoon, all five of us were out—bags, notebooks, water bottles, snacks. The park was wide and green, with a small pond and peaceful corners perfect for exploration. Birds chirped, the breeze felt light, and everything felt… easy.
We moved around, noting plants and insects, stopping often to take silly pictures. Rohan acted overly serious, scribbling like a real scientist, while Swetha pointed at random leaves as if she'd discovered something revolutionary.
I was explaining something about the flowers when—
Splash.
Water hit my face.
I froze.
Slowly, I turned to Aditya.
"Aditya," I said calmly, "did you just—"
Before he could answer, I grabbed his water bottle, walked straight to the pond, and emptied it in.
"There," I said. "Problem solved."
"Hey!" he protested, staring at the empty bottle.
I smirked. "Now you don't have water to waste."
Big mistake.
He scooped water from the pond with his hands and splashed me again.
"WHAT?!" I screamed, chasing him immediately.
In seconds, it turned into chaos—laughing, yelling, splashing—while Charlotte, Swetha, and Rohan stood aside, watching like it was a live show.
Finally, soaked and laughing, I filled his bottle halfway and shoved it back to him.
"Here. Next time you waste it, you're going in the pond."
He raised his hands. "Noted, Your Highness."
The others burst out laughing, and we went back to exploring—still teasing us endlessly about our little water war.
Later, we stopped at a cozy restaurant. Plates filled the table, and our noise easily drowned out the background music.
That's when Swetha noticed Rohan was unusually quiet.
"What? Lost your energy already?" she asked. "Or are you just shy outside school?"
"I'm fine," he said. "Just hungry."
That was our cue.
"Rohan has butterflies in his heart," Charlotte teased.
Aditya grinned. "He told me once. Didn't you?"
Rohan panicked. "I—hey! Don't twist my words!"
I placed a hand on my chest dramatically. "Aww, Rohan. In love with butterflies? That's adorable."
Swetha laughed so hard she nearly choked.
"I'm never telling you anything again," Rohan muttered, covering his face.
"Too late, butterfly boy," Aditya said.
On the way back, the evening felt calm and soft.
I pulled out my mini-cam. "No excuses. Group photo."
We huddled together on the pathway—messy hair, tired eyes, genuine smiles. The flash clicked just as Charlotte and Swetha burst out laughing at something Rohan whispered.
Another memory captured.
Proof that even a science project could turn into one of the most unforgettable days of our friendship. And my instax camera played an important role in our adventure capturing our moments..