Karthik was not the kind of guy who overthought things.
His life was simple. Eat, joke around, play cricket, survive school.
But ever since Ananya blurted out that stupid question—
"What, am I not good enough?"
—he hadn't been able to stop thinking about her.
And now, thanks to Shruthi's words, a ridiculous idea had taken root in his mind:
Did Ananya actually like him?
---
The Thought He Couldn't Shake
At first, he brushed it off. Ananya, liking him? Impossible.
But then… he started noticing things.
The way she was avoiding him all of a sudden.
The way she got flustered whenever he looked at her too long.
The way she had run away from lunch like a maniac.
And the worst part?
Now that the thought was in his head, he couldn't unsee it.
Every glance, every moment between them—was it something more?
---
A Sudden Awareness
The next morning, Karthik tested his theory.
He casually stood next to Ananya before class, waiting to see if she'd acknowledge him.
She didn't. She stiffened.
Then—without a word—she grabbed her books and practically sprinted away.
Huh.
Interesting.
Vikram walked by and smirked. "Bro, what did you do to her?"
Karthik frowned. "I have no idea."
But he was going to find out.
---
Confrontation, Karthik-Style
At lunch, Karthik blocked her escape route.
Ananya froze mid-step, looking like a cornered rabbit.
"Oi. We need to talk."
"I don't think we do." She tried to sidestep him.
He stepped in front of her again. "Yeah, we do."
"No, we don't."
"Yes, we—"
"Look, a distraction!" Ananya pointed behind him and tried to bolt.
Karthik grabbed her wrist.
She froze.
And for some reason, his heart skipped a beat.
…Wait.
What.
---
The Moment Everything Changed
Ananya refused to look at him.
Karthik refused to let go.
Something in the air shifted.
For the first time, Karthik wasn't just teasing her. He wasn't just being playful.
He was actually looking at her.
Really looking.
And suddenly, he realized—
She wasn't the only one acting weird.
His own heart was racing.
His own thoughts were jumbled.
His own feelings were—
…Oh.
Oh.
Shit.
---
End of Chapter 22