Author's Note
Friendships grow strongest in small moments—sharing food, laughter, and secrets. Yet sometimes, even the kindest questions touch hidden wounds. In this chapter, playful teasing and silly jokes give way to Ryu's most vulnerable truth.
Blurb
On the bus, laughter echoes as new bonds form—sandwiches shared, jokes exchanged, siblings teased. But when the game turns serious, Ryu's heart stops at a single question about her mother. A buried truth resurfaces, and everyone's perspective shifts.
✦ Chapter ✦
The bus rattled along the road, carrying chatter and bursts of laughter. The guardians sat near the front, leaving the children free to claim the back rows. Excitement hung in the air like a spark waiting to catch fire.
Ryu shifted in her seat with a small smile. Around her were Siya, Kabir, Avyann, and the siblings Kiara(kabir), Siya (ravi sister), Ishani, and Aryan.(avyann sibling)
To break the ice, Ryu pulled out a carefully packed lunchbox.
"I… uh, made sandwiches," she offered hesitantly, opening the foil.
"Oooooh, food!" Kabir's eyes widened dramatically. "You're already my favorite."
Avyann snatched one instantly. "Don't mind him, Ryu. He just hasn't eaten since the last century."
✦ Ryu's POV
Seriously? These two are unbelievable. Like hungry wolves the second food appears. At least say thank you!
She crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes at them.
"Excuse me," Ryu scolded, her tone sharp but playful, "is this how you behave? Snatching food like monsters? Kabir, you didn't even wait for me to offer! And Avyann, chew before you talk."
Both boys froze mid-bite, eyes widening.
"Sorry, Didi," Kabir said, pretending to look innocent.
Avyann raised his hands in surrender. "Fine, fine, guilty as charged. But hey, these are really good!"
Ryu shook her head, trying to stay serious, but the corners of her mouth betrayed her with a smile.
The others laughed, Siya leaning closer. "Wow, you scold them better than the teachers."
Even Maya chimed in with a grin. "Careful, boys. Ryu might adopt you as her little brothers at this rate."
Kabir groaned. "One mom is enough, thanks."
Avyann smirked. "Yeah, but at least this one comes with sandwiches."
The group burst out laughing again, while Ryu sighed dramatically.
Hopeless. Absolutely hopeless.
The group chuckled as Ryu handed them around. Even Siya, sitting beside Ravi, smiled warmly.
"Thanks, Ryu," Siya said gently. "You're sweet. I'm Ravi's sister, by the way. Official disclaimer: I keep him in check."
"Hey!" Ravi protested from a row ahead, turning with mock offense. "That's slander."
Ryu laughed, shoulders easing. For the first time, she felt like she belonged.
Ryu was still trying to keep Kabir and Avyann from snatching the sandwiches too fast when two familiar voices cut through the chaos.
"Didi!" Aarav popped his head over the seat, grinning from ear to ear. "You did bring sandwiches for us, right?"
Anika climbed up right beside him, eyes shining. "Of course she did. She always saves the best ones for me."
Ryu chuckled, shaking her head fondly. "You two never change." She pulled out two sandwiches and handed them over. "Here you go, little partners-in-crime."
Anika took hers with a grin. "See, Aarav? She likes me more. That's why I got mine first."
Aarav gasped dramatically. "That's not fair! She's my best friend too."
"Nooo," Anika said, taking a huge bite and speaking through it, "you're just the bodyguard. I'm the superhero."
"Liar!" Aarav shouted, spraying crumbs everywhere. "I'm the superhero! You're my sidekick."
"Ha!" Anika stuck out her tongue. "You can't even sit still on a bus. What kind of superhero is that?"
The group exploded with laughter, Maya nearly choking on her own sandwich, while Kabir and Avyann pounded the seat in amusement.
Ryu sighed, but her smile was warm as she wiped a crumb off Anika's cheek. "Honestly, both of you are superheroes. Just… very noisy ones."
Teasing Rey
Kabir nudged Avyann, both grinning wickedly.
"Careful, Rey," Kabir said loudly, "your siblings just upgraded Ryu to family member status."
Avyann leaned closer, smirking. "Yeah, maybe we should start calling her Bhabhi already."
The entire back of the bus roared with laughter. Even Siya covered her mouth, trying not to giggle.
Ryu flushed red. "You two are impossible!"
Rey's POV (Longer)
Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable.
Rey pinched the bridge of his nose, groaning as the teasing grew louder. Why do these idiots never shut up?
He risked a glance at Ryu. She was laughing with Aarav and Anika, her eyes soft and her smile brighter than he had ever seen. She looks… happy with them. Happier than I've ever made her.
His stomach twisted uncomfortably. Why does that bother me? She's just being nice. That's what Ryu does. But Aarav and Anika—ugh, they're already acting like she belongs with us. With… me.
The sound of Avyann's voice cut through his thoughts. "Bhabhi!"
Rey's ears burned. Great. Now she'll think they're serious. She'll think I— He clenched his fists. No. I don't. I can't. Then why does it feel like I've already lost something I never even had?
He turned to glare at his siblings, who were still giggling around Ryu. Aarav waved his sandwich in the air, shouting, "See, Bhaiya? Ryu Didi loves us more than you!"
Anika smirked wickedly. "Yeah, Bhaiya, you're jealous!"
The bus shook with more laughter. Rey sank deeper into his seat, wishing the ground would just swallow him whole.
Hopeless. They're all hopeless. And me? I'm the biggest fool of them all.
Maya Joins In
Sliding into the seat beside Ryu, Maya grinned knowingly, her elbow nudging Ryu's arm.
"You know, Rey's pretending not to listen, but his ears turned red five minutes ago."
Ryu blinked, choking a little on her sandwich. "Maya! Stop it."
Ryu's POV (thoughts): Why am I blushing? He's just… Rey. Nothing more. Right? Ugh, Maya always knows how to make things worse.
Rey shifted in his seat, coughing as if he hadn't heard, but his fingers fiddled nervously with the strap of his bag.
Maya leaned closer, whispering with a smug smile, "Uh-huh. Deny it all you want."
Before Ryu could reply, Kabir leaned over the table dramatically. "Wait—what are we denying? 👀"
Avyann smirked immediately, catching on. "Ohhh, this looks interesting."
Ryu groaned, hiding her face in her hands. "Maya, I swear—"
Maya only winked. "I live for this."
Ryu's POV
I quickly turned my face away, heat rushing to my cheeks. Why is she saying that so loudly? Everyone's going to notice.
"Maya, stop it!" I hissed, trying to keep my voice low, but I could still feel Kabir and Avyann exchanging mischievous looks from across the table. Great. Just great.
Inside, my thoughts were a mess. Why am I blushing? He's Rey. The same Rey who treated me like I was his enemy when we first met. He barely even looked at me back then. So why now? Why is he… different?
Maya smirked, leaning on her elbow like she knew exactly what was running through my head."Uh-huh, deny it all you want, Ryu. I can practically see the hearts floating around."
My eyes snapped wide. "Maya!" I whisper-shouted, glaring, but it only made her chuckle harder.
I pressed my sandwich tighter in my hands, trying to focus on anything else, but every time my eyes wandered, they landed on Rey… and, of course, his ears were still red.
Ryu handed Ravi the first sandwich with a small smile.Ravi beamed, "Knew it, I'm the favorite."
Out of the corner of her eye, Ryu noticed Rey stiffen. His jaw clenched almost imperceptibly as Ravi grinned smugly at him.Rey's POV: Favorite? Tch. She's just being polite. Why's she smiling like that at him though? She never smiled like that at me.
"Here, Rey," Ryu said, pushing the second sandwich toward him. His hand brushed against hers for the briefest second, and his heartbeat kicked up.But before he could say anything, Ravi muttered, "Second place, huh?" smirking.Rey's POV (jealous): Second place? Me? No way. Not to him. Why does she even… why him first?
Then, without warning, Ryu slid another sandwich across the table, this time toward Aakash."Here, you should eat too."
Aakash blinked, surprised, before flashing her a grateful smile. Something about that smile… that face…Ryu's POV: The moment he smiled, my chest tightened. That face—it looked so familiar. That day, when he first came, I had been holding that old photo. The little boy in it—those same eyes, that same curve of lips. He looks like a bigger version of that boy. Could it really be…?
Her thoughts tangled, her fingers tightened slightly on the edge of the table. She forced herself to shake it off, but the feeling lingered.
Meanwhile, Ravi leaned back, scoffing. "Wow, now even Aakash gets one before me? Guess I'm back in the line."And Rey, though he had already gotten his, frowned, his brows knitting together.Rey's POV (jealous): Why's she staring at him like that? Like he's… special. What's with that look in her eyes? No. I don't like this. Not one bit.
Truth or Dare game started
Eventually, Aryan yelled, "Let's play Truth or Dare!"
Everyone cheered. The game kicked off with laughter: silly dares, harmless secrets, and funny confessions.
"Who snores the loudest?""Sing your favorite cartoon song!""Confess your crush!"
Even Aarav and Anika joined in, daring each other to make silly faces and roar like lions.
But then, someone asked the question that silenced the bus.
"Ryu… where is your mother?"
Ryu's Breakdown
The laughter died instantly. Ryu's hands froze mid-air, sandwich forgotten. Her heart pounded, and her chest tightened like iron chains.
Ryu's POV (thoughts):No. Not this. Please not this. Why did they ask? Why now?
Her breaths grew sharp, her fingers trembling. Horrifying memories—hospital rooms, her father's silence, her grandmother's stories—flooded her.
She couldn't breathe.
Maya grabbed her hand. "Ryu. Look at me. You're okay. Breathe with me, okay? In… out… in… out."
Ryu's lips quivered. "She… she died."
The words fell like shards of glass. Silence swallowed the bus.
Later, when things calmed, Ryu whispered to Maya, "My grandmother told me… my mother was foreigner. My father worked there, they married… but when I was little, she died. I barely… I barely remember her."
Maya's eyes softened, squeezing her hand. "You don't have to carry that alone anymore."
Ravi's Support
Ravi leaned over gently. "Ryu, if you don't want to answer, you don't have to. Don't let anyone push you."
Ryu nodded, tears brimming. "Thank you."
Joking Again
To lighten the moment, Maya smirked. "Next time, just tell them your mother was a secret agent."
Ravi grinned. "And you inherited her superpowers."
"Exactly," Maya agreed. "Code name: Sandwich Ninja."
Ryu laughed, the sound shaky but real. For a moment, the shadows lifted.
Rey's Jealousy
But Rey watched quietly, fists clenched.
Rey's POV (thoughts):She laughs so easily with Ravi. That soft smile, the way her eyes shine—she's never looked at me like that. It shouldn't matter. It doesn't matter. Then why… why does it burn so much?
My chest tightens every time she leans closer to him, every time she hands him something first like he's the one who deserves her attention. I know it's childish, I know I shouldn't care, but the way she lights up around him makes me feel like I'm invisible.
And then—she gives me the sandwich, smiling like nothing's wrong, like my world isn't tilting in ways I can't control. For a second, relief washes over me… but it fades the moment Aakash walks in. She looks at him differently. Almost… searching. Like she's seen him before, like he carries a piece of something she lost.
I hate it. I hate how my stomach knots when she looks at him that way. I hate how jealous I feel over something I can't even name. Why do I care this much? She was supposed to be my rival, my irritation… not the one making my heart twist with every glance.
🔥 Whose jealousy did you enjoy more — Ravi's or Rey's?
👀 Do you think Aakash is really connected to Ryu's photo, or is it just her imagination?
🖤 If you were in Ryu's place, how would you handle Maya's teasing?