Say you love me! ✨️

Chapter 3: The Strength in Focus

The football match came and went without Ananya's attendance. As tempting as Aarav's invitation had been, she knew herself well enough to understand that distractions, no matter how appealing, weren't something she could afford in senior year. And while Aarav's presence in her thoughts had become more frequent lately, her commitment to her studies was unwavering.

Sitting at her study desk at home one evening, Ananya was immersed in a particularly challenging set of chemistry problems. The house was quiet, save for the soft ticking of the clock and the distant hum of the evening news from the living room where her parents were. The world outside her window was slowly darkening as dusk settled in, but Ananya didn't notice. Once she was focused, nothing could break her concentration.

She was in the middle of balancing a tricky chemical equation when her phone buzzed. It was a text from Arohi, asking if she wanted to join her and Simran for a late-night movie marathon. Without looking up from her notebook, Ananya typed a quick response.

*Can't. Busy with Chem. You guys enjoy!*

She placed the phone back on silent mode and returned to the equations in front of her. It wasn't that she didn't want to join her friends; she did. But when she was studying, especially a subject like Chemistry that required precision and deep understanding, everything else faded into the background. Her focus was absolute, a skill honed over years of balancing the demands of school with the expectations that came with being the daughter of Mihir Gupta.

As she worked through the problems, the numbers and symbols on the page began to click into place, forming patterns and connections that made perfect sense to her. Ananya was in her element, the challenges of the day melting away as she immersed herself in the familiar comfort of academic rigor.

Yet, despite her strengths in most subjects, there was one that always required a little extra effort-Mathematics.

Ananya had always had a complicated relationship with the subject. It wasn't that she was bad at it, but compared to her ease with subjects like Chemistry and Biology, Maths was a puzzle she sometimes struggled to piece together. It didn't help that her father was the senior Maths teacher at Sunshine Academy. The pressure to excel in the subject was immense, and while she usually managed to keep up, it was never without hours of extra practice and countless problem sets.

When she finally closed her Chemistry notebook, the clock on her desk showed that it was well past ten. Ananya stretched, her back aching from sitting in the same position for hours. She considered calling it a night, but then her eyes fell on her Maths textbook. Tomorrow's homework involved trigonometric identities-her least favorite topic.

With a resigned sigh, she pulled the book closer and opened it to the assigned problems. As she began working through the first one, her mind wandered back to Aarav. For all his playful, carefree attitude, there was one thing about him that had always surprised her-his love for Mathematics.

Aarav was one of the few people in their class who seemed to genuinely enjoy Maths. While most students groaned at the sight of complex equations, Aarav approached them with the same enthusiasm he had for sports. He had once mentioned that he'd been fascinated by numbers and patterns since childhood, a passion that had only grown stronger over the years. It was one of the few academic areas where he consistently outshone even her.

As much as Ananya hated to admit it, Aarav was far better at Maths than she was. He had an intuitive understanding of concepts that she often struggled to grasp, and she had seen him solve problems in minutes that would take her much longer. It was a humbling realization, but it also pushed her to work harder.

She stared at the trigonometric equation in front of her, the symbols blurring together as fatigue began to set in. She knew that giving up wasn't an option, but the solution was eluding her, no matter how many times she tried to approach it from different angles.

A small voice in the back of her mind suggested that maybe she could ask Aarav for help. He had offered his assistance in the past, during the few times they had been partnered for group work. But Ananya quickly dismissed the thought. She was determined to solve it on her own. She had always prided herself on her independence, and this was no different.

Taking a deep breath, she refocused on the problem, breaking it down into smaller, more manageable steps. Slowly but surely, the pieces began to fall into place, and after what felt like an eternity, she arrived at the correct answer.

Exhaling in relief, Ananya leaned back in her chair, a tired smile spreading across her face. The satisfaction of solving a difficult problem was unlike anything else. It was moments like these that reminded her why she worked so hard-why she put in the extra hours, why she sacrificed social events, and why she always pushed herself to be the best.

But as she closed her textbook for the night, another thought crept into her mind. Maybe, just maybe, there was something to be said for accepting help when it was offered. Aarav's talent for Maths was undeniable, and while she was proud of her own achievements, she couldn't deny that there was always room for improvement.

Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to let him in, even if just a little.

With that thought lingering in her mind, Ananya switched off her desk lamp and climbed into bed, her mind already racing ahead to the next day. Senior year was turning out to be more challenging than she had anticipated, but she was determined to face it head-on, just like she always had.

And who knew? Maybe this year, she'd learn that strength didn't just come from doing everything on her own-it also came from knowing when to let someone else in.