The morning sun filtered through the school corridors, casting long slants of golden light onto the tiled floor. Karthik stood alone by the library steps, waiting. Not because he had to. Because he wanted to.
He had been doing that more lately—waiting for Ananya. And she always came.
Today, she did too—smiling, though her eyes held a kind of tiredness he recognized.
"Long night?" he asked.
"Family drama," she replied, brushing hair from her face. "My mom thinks I'm not focused enough. She wants me to start preparing for medical entrance full swing."
Karthik frowned. "But you want journalism."
She nodded. "We fight about it a lot. She thinks I'm wasting my potential."
He stayed quiet for a second. Then said, "You're not. You're choosing your story."
Ananya looked at him like he'd just handed her the most precious sentence in the world.
They walked side by side to class, passing the usual morning chaos—latecomers, sports team warm-ups, loud laughter in the corridors. It felt… normal. For the first time, he felt like part of it.
During lunch, while the others chatted away, Ananya pulled out a notebook. "Wanna see something?"
He nodded.
Inside were doodles, quotes, and messy story ideas. But the last page had something different—lines she'd scribbled late at night, raw and vulnerable:
"He made me believe I wasn't alone in a room full of noise."
Karthik stared at the sentence. "That about me?"
"Of course," she said, nudging him. "Idiot."
He smiled—genuinely, without hesitation.
Later that day, during computer lab, their hands brushed while reaching for the mouse. Neither of them pulled away.
"Karthik," she whispered.
"Hmm?"
"Do you believe people can change?"
He met her eyes. "I think people can heal. If they have the right person beside them."
Ananya's voice was softer now. "I think you're becoming that person for me."
His heart skipped. He didn't say anything. Just looked down, cheeks turning slightly red.
And for the first time, the boy who once believed he was a shadow… felt seen.
As the bell rang and they packed their things, Karthik realized something important:
He didn't fear the darkness anymore.
Because when Ananya was around, it always seemed to fade.
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End of Chapter 60
End of Arc 2: A Blossoming Friendship