Indhu POV
It was a random Friday, and somehow the whole week had felt unusually lazy. I was lying flat on my desk when I told Shweta and Charlotte,
"My parents are going out of town this weekend. I'm not going anywhere either—I have some work to do."
Charlotte raised an eyebrow immediately. "Work? Are you sure?"
I waved my hand lazily. "Yes, yes… nothing big. Just some tidying and organizing."
Shweta's eyes sparkled with an idea. "Then why don't we have a sleepover at your house tomorrow?"
I sat up instantly. "Yeah, that's perfect! Just… let me check if my parents are okay with it."
Once they agreed, I told Aditya and Rohan. As expected, Aditya said yes without even thinking, and soon everyone was on board.
Saturday came faster than I expected. I went into full preparation mode—bean bag, sleeping bag, soft pillows, popcorn I borrowed from the V5 house, fairy lights, games, movies—everything had to be perfect. I wanted this sleepover to feel special.
When everyone arrived, they looked around my house with curiosity. It felt strange seeing them here, in a space that was so me. They laughed while looking at my childhood photos, teasing me endlessly at the embarrassing ones and smiling softly at the rest.
As night settled in, we gathered in the living room for truth or dare. Questions flew everywhere—teasing, laughing, shouting—until our stomachs hurt. Later, we curled up with blankets and popcorn to watch a movie.
And then… the lights went out.
The room fell into sudden darkness. My heart skipped. I quickly lit a candle, the shadows stretching across the walls.
That's when I realized—Shweta wasn't there.
"Shweta?" Rohan called out, his voice shaky.
We searched everywhere. My heart raced faster with every step. Aditya tried calling her, but it went straight to voicemail.
Then we saw her in the garden.
Something about her felt wrong—her movements stiff, her head tilted, her eyes wide with fear. A cold wind brushed past us as she turned slowly to face us.
"Don't… come too close," she whispered.
I stepped forward, holding the candle. "Shweta… what's wrong?"
Suddenly, the lights flickered back on.
Shweta stood there holding a cupcake, her normal smile back.
"It's just that… today marks one year since V5 began."
For a second, we were all silent—then Rohan gasped dramatically,
"We became that old?! Oh my god!"
Charlotte immediately smacked his head. "Stop it, drama king."
We burst out laughing.
We celebrated with cake, teasing, selfies, and later changed into comfy night dresses. I laminated one photo and hung it in the V5 house—it felt right, like sealing the memory.
Aditya sat beside me on the bean bag. "Even with all the scares… this was fun."
I smiled. "Yeah. Just don't scare me like that again."
Rohan nudged Shweta. "You were acting strange out there."
She crossed her arms, trying to be serious, but smiled anyway. "Maybe. I had my reasons."
Before sleeping, Charlotte passed me my camera, and we took one last photo—saving yet another moment.
As the laughter slowly faded and the house grew quiet, I realized something.
This wasn't just a sleepover.
It was another memory I'd never want to forget.