Ananya sat on her bed, staring at the ceiling, completely shaken.
The dream shouldn't have meant anything. It was just a dream.
But her stupid heart wouldn't stop racing.
And the more she thought about it… the more she realized—this wasn't new.
This weird feeling around Karthik.
This sudden awareness of him.
This strange nervousness whenever he looked at her a little too long.
It had been there for weeks.
And she had been too blind to notice.
---
Acting Normal? Impossible.
The next morning, Ananya convinced herself she could act normal.
She had always been bold and confident. This was just another problem to deal with.
But the moment she saw Karthik outside the school gate, waiting like he always did—her stomach did a weird flip.
And when he looked up and smiled at her—
Her brain completely shut down.
"Oi, why are you staring like that?" Karthik asked, raising an eyebrow.
Ananya blinked. "I—what? I wasn't staring."
"Uh, yeah, you were."
"No, I wasn't."
"You definitely were."
"Shut up."
Karthik smirked. "Weirdo."
He started walking, and Ananya followed, forcing herself to breathe normally.
It was just Karthik. Her best friend.
Except… was he still just that?
---
The Worst Possible Moment to Blush
During lunch, the group was having their usual chaotic conversations.
Vikram was ranting about homework.
Shruthi was laughing at something dumb Karthik said.
Ananya was pretending to be fine.
But then—
"Oi, Karthik, be honest," Vikram suddenly said. "If you had to date someone in our class, who would it be?"
Karthik choked on his food. "What kind of stupid question—"
"Just answer."
Karthik scowled. "No one."
"Liar."
"I'm serious. I'm not interested in anyone."
Ananya should've felt relieved. But instead, there was an uncomfortable tightness in her chest.
And before she could stop herself, she muttered, "What, am I not good enough?"
The second the words left her mouth, she froze.
Karthik did too.
The whole table went silent.
Shruthi and Vikram stared at her like she had just grown two heads.
And Karthik…
He was looking at her differently.
Like he was surprised. Like he hadn't expected her to say that.
Like he was thinking about it.
OH. NO.
---
What Did She Just Say?!
Ananya felt her face heat up. "I—I didn't mean—"
Karthik cleared his throat, looking away. "Uh… I mean… obviously, you're—uh—"
Shruthi's eyes widened. "Wait. WAIT. Is there something going on between you two?"
Vikram grinned. "Yeah, Ananya, why did you say that?"
"I DIDN'T MEAN IT LIKE THAT!"
Karthik quickly shoved food into his mouth, avoiding everyone's eyes. "Can we talk about literally anything else?"
But the damage was done.
And as Ananya sat there, desperately trying to recover from her own stupidity, she realized something horrifying—
She was in trouble.
Because now, Karthik was looking at her differently.
And worse?
She was looking at him differently too.
---
End of Chapter 20