Page 60 of Protect my Heart

I take a step closer to her. The air between us feels quieter out here. Heavier too.

“You’re still sulking about the game?” I ask, my voice low.

She doesn’t turn, just stares ahead. “I’m not sulking. I’m processing.”

“Processing?” I echo, amused. “You lost one round, not a war.”

She finally looks at me. Her eyes have that look—one part irritation, two parts defense mechanism. “You were distracting me." She huffs and folds her hands against her chest.

I laugh softly. “That sounds like a ‘you’problem.”

She looks at me; her mouth opens wide, but nothing comes out of her mouth. I chuckle. Silence falls between us. I reach out in my pocket, taking out the Kinder Joy I bought while Maa sent me to buy groceries. Reason: because Anika loved it in childhood. I am not sure about now, but I am going to still give it to her.

“I have something for you.” She looks at me expectantly as I forward my hand. This is so childish. We are not children anymore, dude. Yet, my heart blooms with warmth as her eyes shine. Anika gasps beside me.

“Kinder Joy,” she exclaims, her eyes lighting up like Diwali sparklers. That smile—wide, genuine, and so unapologetically her—hits me like a punch to the chest.

“How, when…?” She trails off, then quickly snatches it from my hand like she’s afraid it’ll vanish. I let her.I always let her.

She turns the egg-shaped plastic in her palm like it’s treasure. And to her, maybe it is.

“Why did you buy this?” she asks, eyebrows raised as she peels the seal.

“You used to like it,” I reply simply, with a shrug.

She pauses, halfway through tearing the foil. “You remember that?”

I don’t even blink. “I remember everything about you, Anu.” My voice comes out lower than I intended. Quieter. Slower. Like, I mean, every syllable. Because I do.

She looks at me—soft, searching—and for a second, the past doesn't feel so far away.

Her lips lift in the gentlest smile as she cracks it open. She eats one of the two chocolate balls, then offers me the little spoon.

I blink and raise an eyebrow at her. “Half-half,” she says, nudging it toward me again. “Like always.”

I laugh under my breath. “You know I hated chocolate, right?”

She shrugs. “You still ate it when I gave it to you.”

And she’s right. I did, but back then it was because she said only psychopaths don’t like chocolates; now I am going to eat it to see her smile. Without another word, I take the spoon from her and eat the second one, ignoring how overly sweet it is. She watches me, hiding a smile behind her hand.

Kajal’s voice breaks the moment. “Aarav, Anika—the game’s starting! You’re up next.”

Anika sighs. “Duty calls.”

We walk back, shoulders brushing once, accidentally-on-purpose. I notice the way she shudders against me.

“The next round is one-word clues,” Aaryan announces as we walk in. “You say one word. Your partner has to guess. No gestures. No drama. Just vibes.”

“Basically, trust,” Kajal adds, as Aditi feeds a chip to her. Kajal is Aditi’s best friend; I have known her since college, andI can see how they are friends because they are mostly the same person in different fonts.

I sit on the floor, stretching my legs. Anika takes the spot beside me. Not too close. Not too far. Just… right.

“We’re starting with Aarav and Anika,” Aaryan declares with a mischievous grin. “Obviously.”

Siddhant snorts. “Yeah, they’re scarily good at this.”

Kajal nods toward us. “Are you ready?”