Say you love me! ✨️

Chapter 19: The Confession

The school courtyard buzzed with the usual after-lunch chatter. Students huddled in small groups, discussing homework, sports, and the latest gossip. Ananya sat with Arohi and Simran at their usual spot under the big banyan tree, the shade offering some relief from the midday sun.

Arohi was flipping through her notes while Simran munched on a packet of chips. They had been sitting in companionable silence for a while, but both Arohi and Simran had noticed something different about Ananya lately. She was distracted, her usual sharp focus wavering at times, and it didn’t take long for them to connect the dots.

“Okay, spill it,” Simran said suddenly, breaking the quiet. She leaned in, eyes narrowed at Ananya. “What’s going on with you?”

Ananya looked up, startled. “What? Nothing. I’m fine.”

Arohi raised an eyebrow. “Come on, Ananya. We’ve known you forever. Something’s been off with you for the past few days. Is it about Aarav?”

At the mention of Aarav’s name, Ananya stiffened, her heart skipping a beat. She tried to play it off with a shrug, but her friends were not fooled.

“It is about him, isn’t it?” Simran pressed, giving her a knowing look. “You’ve been acting weird ever since the play. And don’t think we didn’t notice how you reacted when his friends were shipping him with Riya.”

Ananya’s defenses crumbled. She sighed, running a hand through her hair as she looked down at her hands. “Okay, fine,” she muttered. “You’re right. It’s about Aarav.”

Arohi and Simran exchanged glances, but neither of them said anything, giving Ananya the space to continue. She took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts.

“It’s just… I don’t know what’s happening to me,” Ananya admitted, her voice quiet but steady. “I’ve known Aarav my whole life. We’ve always been… well, you know how we are—quarreling, teasing, and just being playful. But lately, things have been different. I’ve been feeling… something else.”

“Something else?” Arohi asked, her tone gentle but curious. “Like what?”

Ananya bit her lip, her heart pounding. “I think I’m… starting to like him.”

The words hung in the air, heavy with meaning. It was the first time Ananya had said it out loud, and even as she spoke, the reality of it settled over her like a weight she hadn’t realized she was carrying.

Simran leaned forward, eyes wide. “Wait, you like him? As in, like like him?”

Ananya nodded slowly. “Yeah, I think so. I mean, I don’t know when it started, but it’s been happening for a while now. And it’s driving me crazy because I don’t know what to do about it.”

Arohi, ever the calm one, spoke up next. “Is that why you were so upset about the whole play thing? You were jealous?”

Ananya nodded again, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. “Yeah. When they paired him with Riya, I felt… jealous. And I hated feeling that way because Riya’s been my friend since we were kids. She’s amazing, and she doesn’t even think of Aarav like that. But still, every time I saw them together, it just—”

“Hurt?” Simran finished for her.

Ananya sighed. “Yeah. It hurt.”

There was a brief silence as her friends absorbed everything she had just revealed. Ananya felt a strange sense of relief after finally admitting her feelings, but it also made her feel vulnerable in a way she wasn’t used to.

“So, what are you going to do about it?” Arohi asked carefully.

Ananya shook her head. “I don’t know. I don’t even know if Aarav feels the same way. We’ve never been more than rivals, and I can’t imagine him seeing me as anything more than that.”

Simran frowned. “But didn’t he give you that chocolate after the winter break? That’s not something he’d do for just anyone.”

Ananya looked at her friends, her expression torn. “I don’t know what that meant. Maybe it was just him being… I don’t know, nice? Or maybe he was teasing me, like always. I didn’t even think much of it until you guys brought it up.”

Arohi leaned forward, her voice soft. “Ananya, I think you need to stop second-guessing everything. You’ve spent so much time overthinking this, trying to figure out if Aarav feels the same, that you’re driving yourself crazy. Maybe it’s time to just let things happen. See where it goes.”

Simran nodded in agreement. “Yeah, you’ll never know unless you give it a chance. Maybe Aarav feels something for you too, but he’s just waiting for the right moment to show it. Or maybe he doesn’t. But either way, you’ll never find out if you keep hiding from your own feelings.”

Ananya listened quietly, her friends’ words slowly sinking in. They were right, of course. She had spent so much time analyzing every little thing that she hadn’t allowed herself to actually feel. She had been so focused on maintaining her control, her composure, that she hadn’t even considered the possibility that Aarav could feel something too.

“What if he doesn’t like me that way?” Ananya asked, her voice small.

Arohi smiled reassuringly. “Then you’ll move on. But at least you’ll know.”

Simran grinned, nudging her playfully. “Besides, we all know Aarav’s not as heartless as you think. I bet he’s already head over heels for you and just doesn’t know it yet.”

Ananya couldn’t help but laugh at that, shaking her head. “Yeah, right.”

But even as she joked, a small part of her wondered if there might be some truth to what Simran said. Could Aarav really feel something for her? Had she been missing the signs all along?

Whatever the case, one thing was clear: her feelings for Aarav were real, and it was time to stop running from them. Whether or not anything came of it, Ananya knew she had to face the truth of what she felt.

For the first time in weeks, she felt a strange sense of peace settle over her, like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Maybe, just maybe, things would work out after all.