It was a Thursday, and the day began like any other—morning assembly, hurried notebooks being passed around to copy homework, and the usual chaos of class monitors trying to restore order. But something about Ananya was different today.
She was quiet. Too quiet.
Her usual smile was missing. She didn't tease Karthik. She didn't laugh with her friends. Instead, she sat in the last bench, chin resting on her palm, eyes glazed over like she wasn't really there.
Karthik noticed immediately.
During lunch, when the classroom emptied out and the clamor faded into the distant echo of the playground, he walked over to her.
"Hey," he said gently, "you okay?"
She didn't answer right away. Her eyes stayed fixed on the window, where the sunlight dappled the floor in shifting patterns.
"Just tired," she murmured. "It's nothing."
But Karthik knew better. Her voice had a crack she didn't intend, like she was holding something in.
He sat beside her without asking. "You don't have to pretend with me."
For a moment, silence hung heavy between them. Then she exhaled sharply, the dam inside her breaking just a little.
"My mom wants me to quit all the extracurriculars after this event," she said. "Says it's distracting me from studies. From my future."
Karthik stayed quiet, letting her speak.
"She doesn't get it," Ananya continued. "She sees me smiling, winning things, being liked… but she doesn't see the pressure. The stress. Sometimes I just want to disappear. Just for a little while. Breathe."
Her voice trembled. She wiped her eyes quickly, annoyed at herself for crying in front of anyone—especially Karthik.
"You don't have to disappear," he said softly. "You can just… rest. With me."
She turned to him, eyes glassy but touched with warmth. "Why are you always this good when I'm at my worst?"
"Maybe because I've been there," he said. "Still am, sometimes."
They sat in silence again, but this time it wasn't empty. It was understanding.
Then Karthik gently nudged a juice box toward her from his bag. "Apple. Not my favorite. But I thought you might need it more."
She chuckled weakly. "I hate apple juice."
"Well," he said with a smile, "at least you're honest again."
The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch, but they didn't move. Ananya took the juice anyway, holding it in her hands like it mattered.
"Thank you," she whispered.
Karthik looked at her—not the girl everyone adored, but the one who was breaking quietly. And he decided he'd do anything to protect that version of her too.
Even if it meant walking through shadows.
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Chapter 94