Chapter 5: Roses and Silence

The class prefect, sensing the awkwardness, quickly pulled out the bouquet of roses he’d prepared.

A dozen desi red roses—thorns left untrimmed, the plastic wrap slightly crushed from his sweaty palms. "It’s nothing, Ananya. Happy graduation."

"I know it’s sudden, but I just wanted to tell you how I feel. If I don’t say it now, it’ll be too late."

The teasing grew louder and louder.

The whole restaurant was buzzing.

Someone at the samosa counter snorted, and aunty from the school PTA, who’d come to pick up her son, tried not to stare. Aunty at the next table was openly eavesdropping, while the manager tried to hush the giggling. [Arjun’s face went pale—how could he have known the class prefect prepared all this?]

[He actually cares a lot, right?]

[He’s so nervous, afraid Ananya will actually say yes.]

Amid everyone’s anticipation, I politely turned down the class prefect’s confession.

But after he insisted, I accepted the flowers.

My hand trembled as I took the bouquet—was it relief, or guilt?

"Thank you."

In my previous life, I didn’t even accept the flowers for Arjun’s sake.

My heart would not allow it—my loyalty, my stubbornness, my foolish teenage love. But being liked by someone isn’t something to be ashamed of, is it?

"So the topper is still the most important—are you still going to chase him?"

No one seemed willing to let the topic go.

They leaned in, hungry for drama, like every extended family at a wedding. But it was time to put an end to things. I smiled.

"I’m not chasing anymore. I’m tired."

As soon as I finished, both the comments and the classmates at the scene fell silent.

Even the Bluetooth speaker seemed to falter, the old Kishore Kumar song skipping a beat. It was as if the entire world took a deep breath and forgot how to exhale. Arjun suddenly looked up.