Friday came with an odd sense of peace. After weeks of emotional chaos, Karthik felt like he was standing on more solid ground. The quiet moments with Ananya, their silent hand-holding, the shared smiles—they meant something. Something real.
But peace didn't last long in school.
During the last period, the class was split into teams for an inter-school debate competition. Karthik was placed on Team B—opposite Ananya. She smirked when she heard.
"Looks like we're enemies now."
He shrugged, though his nerves spiked. "Only for today."
Their classmates buzzed with excitement, expecting sparks to fly between the two. And fly they did—but not how anyone expected.
When it was Karthik's turn to speak, his voice cracked on the second line. He looked down at his cue card—and all the words blurred. His fingers trembled.
He couldn't speak.
Not because he didn't know the content. But because all the eyes felt too heavy, too sharp.
The room fell silent. Whispers started.
Then, from the front row, a voice called out—clear and calm.
"Karthik, you've got this."
It was Ananya.
She didn't shout. She didn't make a scene.
She just reminded him—he wasn't alone.
He looked up. She gave the tiniest nod. And something inside him steadied.
He started again. This time, slower. Quieter. But stronger.
By the end of his argument, the room was silent for a different reason—everyone was listening.
And when he finally sat down, breathless and flushed, Ananya gave him a tiny thumbs up from across the aisle. His heart did something strange—like a balloon quietly rising.
---
After class, she walked beside him, shoulder to shoulder.
"You did well," she said.
"I blanked out."
"Yeah, but then you fought through it. That's what matters."
He looked at her. "Would you still think that if we weren't… friends?"
She stopped walking. "Karthik. I don't support you because we're close. I support you because you try. That matters more than you know."
He nodded, unsure what to say. Words always failed him in moments like this.
But this time, he didn't need them.
He gently reached out, letting his pinky brush against hers. She didn't pull away.
---
End of Chapter 89