Aira Kapoor spent the entire morning pretending she was normal.
She walked.
She smiled.
She answered questions.
She absolutely did not replay Reyhan's voice in her head every five seconds.
I'm not asking you to decide today.
That sentence alone made her chest feel lighter.
No pressure.
No demands.
No ultimatums.
Just… honesty.
Sia noticed immediately.
"You're glowing," she announced during recess, poking Aira's cheek.
"I am not glowing."
"You are. It's giving I emotionally survived last night."
Aira rolled her eyes. "Please go be dramatic somewhere else."
Sia leaned closer, lowering her voice. "So… did you choose him?"
Aira froze. "What?"
"You heard me."
Aira looked away. "I didn't say anything."
Sia smiled knowingly. "You don't have to. Your silence is louder than your words."
Aira hated how right she sounded.
---
Later, in English class, the teacher announced group presentations.
"Partners will present next week. Same partners as before."
Aira's heart jumped.
She felt Reyhan's presence before she saw him.
He sat beside her — not too close, not too far.
Balanced.
Comfortable.
"Looks like we're stuck again," he whispered.
She smiled before she could stop herself. "Unfortunately."
His eyebrow lifted. "Unfortunately?"
"Very," she said, then added quietly, "Not really."
He noticed that too.
He always did.
They worked silently for a few minutes.
No teasing.
No chaos.
Just easy understanding.
Reyhan finally broke the silence. "You didn't disappear."
Aira paused. "I said I wouldn't."
"I know," he replied softly. "I just wanted to say… thanks."
She glanced at him. "For what?"
"For staying," he said simply.
Her heart twisted.
---
After class, Aira walked toward the staircase.
She didn't tell Reyhan where she was going.
She didn't have to.
He walked beside her anyway.
"You know," she said quietly, "I still don't know what this is."
Reyhan nodded. "That's okay."
"I might mess it up."
"I know."
"I might panic and pull away again."
He smiled faintly. "Probably."
Aira frowned. "You're not even denying it?"
He looked at her gently. "I'm not scared of you being human."
Her chest ached — warm and painful at the same time.
They reached the landing where they usually parted.
Aira stopped walking.
Reyhan noticed.
She turned to him, nervous. "You said you wanted me to choose you back."
He waited.
Didn't interrupt.
Didn't rush her.
Aira took a breath.
"I don't know how to choose perfectly," she said quietly.
"But I think…"
Her voice trembled.
"I think I already am."
Reyhan didn't smile.
Didn't celebrate.
His eyes softened — deep, real, steady.
"That's all I wanted," he said quietly.
Aira swallowed. "You're not disappointed?"
"Not even a little."
They stood there for a moment — close but not touching.
The kind of closeness that felt intentional.
Safe.
Real.
Aira turned to leave.
Then stopped.
Without looking back, she said,
"Walk me to class?"
Reyhan's breath hitched slightly — just once.
"Always," he replied.
They walked side by side down the corridor, not hiding, not explaining, not rushing.
Just choosing each other in small, quiet ways.
And somehow… that felt bigger than any confession.
RULE #27: Don't pretend you don't choose Reyhan Malhotra.
Because the moment you stop pretending…
he already knows.