As the days passed and exams crept closer, something about Vansh began to change. Sitting beside Aanya no longer brought discomfort—it was oddly calming now. The sting of resentment had dulled, though a quiet hollowness still echoed in his chest. He often found himself thinking that Aanya could've chosen better friends, someone easier to talk to, someone less complicated. But she didn't. She remained beside him—steadfast, patient, and quietly waiting to be called a friend. He remembered that evening clearly, the way she'd said she'd wait, the way her smile had slipped past all his defences and gripped something tightly in his heart—something he couldn't quite put into words.
Most days, he would fall asleep while reading, head tilted awkwardly over textbooks. Aanya never woke him harshly. Instead, she'd gently brush his hair back like a mother tending to her son, watching his sleeping face with a hint of fondness before returning to her notes. Even Dhanush, who had once eyed her with suspicion, had mellowed.
One afternoon, as Vansh dozed off again, Aanya spoke softly, "It's fine, Dhanush. I won't take your friend away." Dhanush blinked, caught off guard.
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
She smiled faintly and replied, "I know you two were following me and Vansh that day in the corridor." That's when Srujan blurted in, "Damn, I told you to crouch lower! You can't even spy properly! Tch! I told Dhanush to hide properly, but nooo, Mr. I-Hide-Behind-Pillars couldn't listen!"
Dhanush slapped a hand over his mouth to shut him up, cheeks reddening. Aanya only laughed. "Relax. I just want to be friends with him. So there's nothing to worry about."
Dhanush smirked, feigning indifference. "Wasn't scared anyway," he muttered.
She smiled and looked over at Vansh, who was still fast asleep.
Eventually, Vansh stirred and stretched, yawning into his hands. Aanya was still buried in her notes. He took a sip from his bottle and blinked at her. "Still reading?"
"Still dreaming?" she replied without looking up. Aanya was still reading. He took a sip from his water bottle, yawned, and tried to stretch away the sleep.
It was lunchtime. The classroom buzzed softly with the sounds of students unwrapping their meals, chatting in small groups. Aanya quietly took out her lunchbox. Unlike the first time—when all she had were a few jellies and fruit drinks—this time her meal looked decent, a balanced portion with vegetables and proper sides.
Across from her, Vansh sat with his lunch open, but his spoon remained stuck halfway into his food. His gaze was distant, lost in thought.
"What happened?" Aanya asked gently.
At the front desk, Dhanush and Srujan were eating together. Srujan, full of energy as always, was gobbling down all the meat from his box, carefully pushing aside the vegetables.
"Don't be a picky eater, Srujan. Eat your veggies too," Dhanush scolded.
"No way," Srujan grinned. "Vansh can eat my veggies. Right, Vansh?"
He turned to Vansh, expecting a teasing reply. Vansh smiled faintly, but it didn't reach his eyes. His face dimmed again, eyes lowering.
Dhanush noticed. "Hey, what happened?"
Aanya reached out and touched Vansh's arm. He blinked, as if snapping out of a daze. He looked at them for a moment, said nothing, and then silently closed his lunchbox.
Without another word, he packed it up, stood, and slipped the box back into his bag.
"Is something wrong?" Aanya asked again.
"Nothing," Vansh said shortly. "Just lost my appetite."
He picked up his water bottle and stepped out of the classroom to fill it, leaving behind a puzzled silence.
Later that day, as they packed up, Aanya turned to him and asked, "Will you come to the park this evening?"
Vansh paused. His first instinct was to say no, but then he caught the three pairs of eyes on him—Aanya, Srujan, and Dhanush—all silently waiting.
"…Alright," he sighed. Exams were five days away, but this wasn't about studies anymore.
At home, just as he was about to sneak out, his mother caught him and ordered him back to his room. Obediently, he returned, laying back on his bed and staring at the ceiling. Everything felt dull—the walls, the streets outside, even the breeze through his window. He looked out the window. Just the same dull road. Same boring rooftops. Until... something strange caught his eye.
A ladder. A rusty old ladder being hoisted up toward his window, wobbling dangerously. Below, three silhouettes—Srujan, Dhanush, and Aanya—struggled to steady it. It tilted to one side, nearly crashing into the wall, but somehow managed to land right against his window frame. Vansh was stunned. Aanya gave him a confident nod to climb down. He hesitated, worried about his mother catching him, but then Srujan threw a tiny stone... which missed entirely and clacked against the house wall. Dhanush immediately smacked him on the head. Vansh sighed. These idiots. But... they came for him.
He climbed down, slipping halfway in what felt like a comedic near-death fall, but landed with a stumble and found himself smiling a little—not visibly, but inside. They ran to the park together, laughing, panting, and filled with a kind of energy he hadn't felt in a long time.
Once at the park, they realized no one had any idea what to do. They stood around awkwardly near the swings until Srujan, smirking with mischief, "Leave it to me," he said. He plucked two sticks from the ground. He tossed one at Vansh, who caught it instinctively. Vansh caught it with a confused blink.
"A stick?"
"Not just a stick. A sword. Duh, Let's duel,"
They took positions like knights duelling at dusk. Vansh raised an eyebrow but played along. Srujan circled right. Vansh stepped left. The breeze was sharp. With a mock battle cry, Srujan charged—and was swiftly blocked. Dhanush watched and, for once, looked genuinely impressed by Srujan's stupidity. Inspired, Dhanush grabbed Aanya's wrist like a hostage-taker and declared, "Defeat me and Srujan, or say goodbye to this girl forever!" Aanya played along, dramatically pretending to be kidnapped. "Oh nooo! Save me, brave knight!". The moment Dhanush held Aanya's wrist, Vansh's eyes locked onto it—silent, still, and burning with something he didn't care to name.
Vansh rolled his eyes—but for the first time in a while, his lips twitched . A real one. Vansh, without warning, pulled out a move they later dubbed "Dragon's Lair" and downed Srujan with a single twist.
Now came the real challenge. Dhanush was a tougher opponent, matching Vansh's every move with brute strength. But then, for the first time in what felt like years, Vansh smirked. A real smirk. It made Aanya's heart skip, and the wind blew her hair across her face like a perfect cinematic moment. Dhanush was grinning too—evil mode activated. They clashed, stick to stick, until Vansh threw a handful of dirt into Dhanush's face with a laugh and struck the final blow.
And there she was. Aanya. Waiting. Watching. His stick pointed toward her, the wind brushing her hair as they looked at each other in silence. Vansh stood in front of Aanya, victorious, panting. Their eyes met. He smiled. Not just a smirk. A real, genuine, full-hearted smile. Then he collapsed backward on the grass, laughing. The others panicked for half a second until they saw his shoulders shaking in joy. They all fell beside him, laughing, wheezing, staring up at the sky as strangers walked by and smiled at the sound of carefree youth.
And somewhere in the middle of that carefree moment, Dhanush suddenly recalled something.
A memory from the very same day—after they had invited Vansh into their group and he had left class early.
The rest of them had stayed behind, only to hear the usual murmurs from their classmates.
"He gives off such a weird vibe… like, seriously, how do they sit with him?"
"I swear I'd go crazy spending even five minutes near him."
"Maybe she's just desperate for attention. Or pitying him."
"She must be faking it. No one actually wants to hang around someone like him."
Aanya slowly turned around, her expression unreadable. The room grew quieter—not out of respect, but curiosity. Aanya wasn't known to confront people. But now, she stood tall, her gaze cold and unwavering.
"You all talk like you know him," she said, voice firm but even. "But you don't. None of you even tried."
Someone scoffed. "What's there to try? He drains the room."
She walked toward them slowly. "Then maybe this room deserves to be drained if all it does is judge and gossip."
A few students flinched. One tried to laugh it off, but her stare silenced him.
"If you feel disgusted by someone who minds his own business, then maybe the problem isn't him—it's you."
There was a heavy pause. No one had expected her to speak like that—least of all with that fierce conviction in her eyes.
Aanya smiled, but it wasn't soft. It was sharp, knowing.
"You say I'm with him for attention? No. I'm with him because at least he doesn't wear a mask every day like the rest of you."
Her words hung in the air like a slap. No one responded. No one dared.
Dhanush, who had watched it all unfold from his seat, couldn't help the grin that tugged at his lips.
That day, Aanya didn't just defend Vansh.
She warned the whole class:
You mess with him, you deal with me.
And that memory made him smile now, lying on the grass with the others, watching Vansh laugh like a kid again.
To the present—where laughter echoed, and carefree joy filled the air. Aanya sat a little to the side, her eyes quietly tracing Vansh's face as he laughed, truly laughed, for the first time in what felt like ages. That rare, unguarded smile of his—how it softened everything around him. Once their evening together drew to a close, they each went their separate ways. Vansh climbed the ladder back into his room with a slight ache in his muscles but warmth in his chest, while the other three carefully lowered the ladder and shared silent waves before disappearing into the night.
He stood by his window for a moment, breath steady but mind full. The golden hues of the setting sun painted the sky outside, and he watched Aanya's figure walking away—her smile still lingering like a quiet flame. That smile did something to him. It lifted the weight he didn't know he was carrying. And then, he looked to where Dhanush and Srujan had vanished, a rare feeling of pride blooming inside him.
Today wasn't just another day—it was a day etched into memory. A day when Vansh finally felt... like he belonged.