The golden evening sun stretched across the paddy fields, turning the water channels into ribbons of fire. Ann carried her books close as she and Meera walked back from college.
Halfway down the road, Meera grinned slyly. "I'll take the long way home today. You… have company."
Ann frowned. "What do you mean?"
Before Meera could answer, Dennis stepped out from the small path between the trees, his smile calm but certain. "Hello, Ann."
Meera winked at her friend. "See you tomorrow!" And with that, she hurried away, leaving Ann staring at Dennis, her heart thudding.
"You shouldn't appear like that," Ann said, trying to sound stern.
Dennis tilted his head. "Then how else will I get a chance to talk to you without half the village watching?"
Despite herself, Ann's lips curved into the faintest smile. "You always find a way, don't you?"
"Only if it leads to you," he said simply.
They walked side by side, the silence filled with the sound of rustling crops and the distant call of birds. The fields stretched endlessly, and Ann felt a rare peace in the open air.
Dennis stopped near a patch of marigolds blooming at the edge of the field. He bent down, plucked one carefully, and held it out to her.
"For you," he said.
Ann blinked. "Why?"
"Because it reminds me of you," Dennis replied. "Bright. Simple. Yet it changes the whole field just by being there."
Her cheeks warmed as she accepted the flower, though she looked away to hide her smile. "You're too good with words."
"No," Dennis said gently. "I'm only good when I speak about you."
They walked a little further, the breeze tugging at her dupatta.
"Ann," Dennis said quietly, "do you ever wonder why I'm so certain about you?"
She glanced at him. "Every day."
He smiled faintly. "It's not magic. It's the way you carry yourself—with dignity, with care. When I saw you that first day, I thought—here is someone who will never pretend to be what she is not. And that's rare."
Ann's steps slowed. No one had ever noticed her like that, beyond her looks, beyond her family.
Ann's POV
Why do his words feel like sunlight in the cold corners of my heart? Why do I want to believe them so badly?
As they reached the end of the fields, Ann stopped. Her home was just around the bend. She turned to him, clutching the marigold.
"Dennis… I still don't know what my heart wants. But… I don't feel afraid when you're near."
Dennis's eyes softened. "That's all I need to hear."
The air between them grew quiet, filled with the hum of crickets and the faint blush of the sunset.
For the first time, Ann let herself smile fully, openly, without hiding.
Dennis's heart leapt at the sight, and he silently vowed to protect that smile for the rest of his life.