The night after Juhu felt softer.
Not fixed.
But honest.
Room 407 didn't talk much. They didn't need to.
Pihu edited fest passes.
Nandini rewrote a script scene.
Meher sat cross-legged on her bed, hair in a loose bun, scrolling without interest.
Ananya stood near the window, rehearsing lines under her breath.
At around 11 p.m., there was a knock.
Soft. Uncertain.
Ananya opened the door.
Kabir stood there.
Not café calm.
Just… Kabir.
"Can I talk to you?" he asked.
She nodded and stepped into the corridor.
They walked a little away from the door.
"I didn't come as fest staff," he said. "I came as me."
Ananya waited.
"I'm stepping down from helping after the fest," he said. "I got an offer from a research institute in Bangalore. Full time."
She blinked. "That's… big. That's amazing."
He nodded. "It is. But I realized something while working here."
He hesitated. Then said, "I don't form attachments easily. But I did here."
Her heart thudded once. Harder than expected.
"And I don't want to leave without saying that you… changed my year."
Ananya swallowed.
"You didn't try to be anything," he continued. "You just were. And that pulled people together."
He looked at her fully now.
"I don't know what this is. I just know it matters."
Ananya felt warmth spread through her chest.
Not fireworks.
Something steadier.
"I'm glad you told me," she said softly. "Even if I don't know where to place it yet."
Kabir smiled.
"That's enough," he said.
And when he walked away, the corridor felt different.
Like something had been named.