It had been a week since the music competition, but to Aarav and Ishika, it felt like they had known each other far longer. In the short time since their accidental encounter backstage, a quiet familiarity had begun to grow between them. They spoke more in class now—sometimes about school, sometimes about music, and sometimes about nothing important at all. Their lunch breaks, once routine, were now something both of them secretly looked forward to.That night, Ishika lay on her side under the dim glow of her bedside lamp, her schoolbooks pushed to the edge of the table. Her phone