For the next three weeks, Aryan spent every afternoon at Ananya's house. At first, they were very formal. Aryan would say "Namaste" to her parents and sit stiffly on the chair.
They decided to build something unique for the fair: The Solar-Cooler. In India, the summers were brutal, and many poor students couldn't study because of the heat. They wanted to make a fan that ran on sun power but used earthen pots (matkas) to cool the air.
As they glued wires and fixed the small solar panel, the distance between them vanished.
"Why are you so quiet in class?" Ananya asked one day, handing him a plate of hot samosas.
"I'm afraid people will laugh if I say the wrong thing," Aryan admitted.
Ananya looked at him seriously. "Your drawings say more than most people speak, Aryan. I saw your sketch of the old gatekeeper. It was beautiful."
Aryan felt a spark of courage. "I have a sketch of you, too," he whispered.