Indhu POV
The next day at school felt oddly light, like the air itself was teasing us. Charlotte was absent, which meant Shweta and I were together the entire time—walking during breaks, sitting side by side, whispering and laughing about the starry-night chaos from yesterday. Every time our eyes met, we almost laughed again.
But I could tell—Shweta was nervous.
Rohan definitely noticed.
During class, he leaned closer to her, lowering his voice.
"Come on… tell me. Who's the crush you mentioned last night?"
Shweta shook her head instantly. "No, Rohan. Not today."
Her ears were pink. Very pink.
Just then Aditya walked in. He caught the scene immediately and glanced at me, eyebrows raised, silently asking Do you know?
I kept my face completely neutral and shook my head, playing innocent. If only he knew.
The day dragged on in tiny moments—glances, whispers, suppressed laughter. During a free period, we sat in a quiet corner of the school garden. Rohan tried again, leaning in with that hopeful look.
Aditya and I exchanged a glance and almost lost it. I had already told him everything that morning, and holding in our laughter felt like an actual workout.
Meanwhile, Shweta was busy scribbling notes at full speed because the teacher had suddenly asked for submission. Rohan absent-mindedly nudged her again.
And that's when it happened.
"Fine… it's you, Rohan," she blurted out.
The second the words left her mouth, she froze—and then bolted halfway toward the staff room. Somewhere in between, realization hit her like a truck.
When she came back, one look at our faces confirmed everything.
She reached her desk, looked at Rohan like she was about to scream—
And Aditya and I completely broke down laughing.
Rohan, on the other hand, looked like time had stopped.
"Wait… what?" he said, eyes wide. "You're serious, Shweta?"
Aditya grinned like a villain. "Finally. Took you long enough."
I nudged Rohan, still laughing. "You look like someone just told you the world ended. Relax—it's just a crush!"
He turned bright red, scratching the back of his head. "I… I didn't expect that. Wow."
"Wow?" Aditya teased. "That's it? Romeo, say something!"
I added, "At least a dramatic bow or a 'thank you for trusting me' would be nice."
Rohan took a breath, then smiled—soft, shy, real.
"I'm glad you told me, Shweta. And… I like you too."
Shweta's face lit up instantly, relief and happiness mixing together.
She looked at him and asked quietly, "Then why didn't you say anything before?"
She shrugged, voice softer. "I was scared. After what happened in sixth standard… I thought you might reject me. I didn't want to lose our friendship."
Rohan gently nudged her shoulder. "Nothing's going to ruin our friendship. You didn't need to worry."
Aditya winked at me. "Mission Confession: completed. Bravery award goes to Shweta."
I laughed. "And Rohan, next time don't turn into a statue, okay? Speak up."
The rest of the walk passed in laughter, teasing, and that light, relieved feeling you get when a secret finally comes out—and nothing breaks because of it.