The days blurred into late-night study calls and half-finished puzzles.
Ren's boards loomed ahead, but so did the steady rhythm of Tulip's presence soft, dependable, almost healing.
Every 1AM call, every half-drawn doodle they swapped, felt like a thread weaving tighter between them.
He had started smiling more. Even Maya noticed.
And then came the envelope.
It didn't look like much. A cheap paper envelope with a barely readable return address:
"VisionSpark Tech Initiative."
Inside: a folded brochure, two travel coupons, and a letter that sounded more like a pyramid scheme than an opportunity.
"Congratulations, you've been selected for an exclusive tech exposure residency. 5 days. Limited slots. All expenses paid. Mentors from IIT. Future-ready skills."
Ren blinked at it.
His first instinct? Trash it.
But his dad had already opened it.
"It's a sign," he said. "Maybe it'll wake you up a bit. You've been too distracted lately."
Ren didn't argue. Not really.
Not when his father said "I've already confirmed it. You're going."
When he told Tulip, he kept it vague.
Ren: "Hey. I have some school thing. Kinda like a seminar-camp thing.
Might be offline for a few days."
Tulip: "Ooo secret agent camp? Can I pack snacks?"
Ren: "Only if they're virtual."He zipped up his bag in silence. His phone buzzed Tulip's message: 'Don't forget your invisible cloak.' He didn't smile back
She didn't ask many questions after that.
Maybe she trusted him.
Maybe she didn't want to push.
Either way, he left.
The camp was worse than he expected.
Far from a buzzing tech hub, it was a half-constructed retreat center with broken Wi-Fi, dry bread sandwiches, and a bunch of awkward teens who either wanted to code the next unicorn startup or brag about their JEE ranks.
He tried to fit in.
But the noise in his head was louder than the crowd.
Where was Tulip right now?
What meme did she send?
Did she draw something today?
Did she think he ghosted her?
The second night, he sat by a rusty gate, phone in hand.
No signal.
The third night, someone joked about "catching feelings instead of bugs."
He chuckled, but it hit a little too close.
Then he stared at the empty chair next to him.
Tulip would've made fun of that line.
He wanted to hear her voice more than he wanted to learn JavaScript.
By the fourth day, he cracked.
He walked out of a JavaScript lecture and found a shady spot near a tea stall.
Dialed home.
Ren: "Baba... this isn't for me."
His dad didn't argue much this time.
Maybe he heard it in Ren's voice the weariness, the honesty, the ache.
The next evening, Ren was on a bus back home.
The first thing he did when he got Wi-Fi?
Opened Instagram.
Dozens of messages from Tulip.
"I made a whole digital zine while you were gone. You're in it."
"Did you die?"
"If this is a kidnapping situation, blink twice."
"Ren I swear if you ghosted me- argh"
"Okay. I miss bullying you."
He didn't reply immediately.
Instead, he sat in silence for a bit.
Then he typed:
"I went somewhere. I didn't tell you the truth.
It wasn't a school thing. It was some tech camp. I thought it would make my parents proud.
But the only thing I kept checking for every Wi-Fi bar, every second was you
She replied with a meme of a raccoon dramatically looking out of a train window.
Tulip: "You cheesy idiot.
Next time, just say you need a hug."