Amy, who had stepped away earlier to use the washroom, returned to her seat.
"…Where's Ember?" she asked Anna.
Anna pointed toward the stage.
"You might want to look there."
Amy turned.
On stage—
Theo and Julia stood under the lights.
"Oh…"
"Is it Samy and the others' performance now?"
"I almost missed it."
She leaned forward slightly, scanning the stage.
"…Wait. Where's Samy? I can't see—"
The spotlight shifted.
And then—
Samy.
And beside him—
Ember.
Amy's eyes widened.
"…Ember…?"
"Why is she there…?"
"What's happening?"
Anna, still focused on the stage, replied calmly,
"It's a long story. I'll explain later."
A small pause.
"For now… let's just watch."
---
Amy didn't ask anything else.
Her questions remained unanswered—
but her eyes stayed on the stage.
Samy and Ember moved effortlessly.
Seamless.
Flawless.
Anna suddenly cheered loudly,
"That's my brother!"
Amy blinked, then looked back.
She watched them closely.
There was something about the way they moved.
The way they matched each other.
It felt…
natural.
---
Her expression softened.
She kept watching—
almost envying their moment.
Or maybe…
something else.
She couldn't tell.
Envy—
or admiration.
The line between the two blurred quietly inside her.
She couldn't tell what she was feeling either.
---
But one thing was certain—
She was smiling.
---
After the performance ended—
Julia, full of excitement, ran forward and hugged Ember.
Samy watched them, a small smile forming as they shared the moment.
Theo walked up to him.
"Nice work."
Samy nodded.
"You too."
They stepped off the stage together—
send off by the loudest cheers yet.
---
Ellie, waiting backstage, smiled.
"You all did great."
Julia who remained unknown to everything till the last moment jumped at Ellie saying,
"So THIS is why you took Theo earlier?"
"To find Em?"
Samy corrected,
"It's Ember, actually."
Julia looked at him.
"Yeah, I know. She told me yesterday."
She turned to Ember.
"Right?"
Ember nodded.
"Yeah."
Samy frowned slightly.
"Then why did you say her name was Em?"
Julia stared at him.
"…Are you stupid, or just an idiot?"
"we called her Em because It's short for Ember."
Samy blinked.
"…Wait. Am I the only one who thought her name was actually Em?"
Theo sighed.
"…Yeah. I think you are the only one."
Ember stepped in gently,
"You don't have to make a big deal out of it."
"You can call me Em or Ember—whatever you like."
Julia crossed her arms.
"On second thought Ember sounds way better."
Ellie nodded.
"Yeah… Ember suits you more."
Theo added,
"Definitely."
Ember then looked at Samy.
"What about you?"
"What do you think?"
Samy looked back at Ember.
Their eyes met.
For a moment—
neither of them spoke.
Then Samy said quietly,
"…Ember."
A small pause.
"I like Ember."
"It resembles the slow-burning moment on stage you had just like an ember burning slowly."
Ember looks away not knowing what to say anymore.
---
Ellie then stepped in, curious.
"That being said…"
"I don't think you're just a casual dancer."
"Are you actually a professional or something, Ember?"
Ember smiled faintly.
"Not really," she said.
"I used to dance in a lot of school programs…"
A brief pause.
"But I haven't been on stage for about a year now."
"That's why I hesitated earlier."
She looked at them—
"…but I guess it worked out just fine."
---
Ellie smiled warmly.
"It definitely did."
"Thank you for saving our performance today."
"Without you, it wouldn't have been what it was."
Ember shook her head lightly.
"Not really… I should be thanking you instead."
They looked at her.
"You gave me a reason to step back onto the stage."
A small breath.
"I don't think I would've had the courage to do it on my own."
She smiled softly.
"…So I'm glad I did."
As they were talking, Samy held the stone cat in his pocket.
His fingers gently pressed against it.
He thought about it—
how he had just shared an unforgettable moment
with a girl he barely knew.
And yet—
he didn't even knew her real name until now.
---
He started thinking—
what if even one thing from everything that happened so far
didn't happen?
Ellie getting injured.
Helping Amy.
Finding the stone.
Getting late for practice yesterday.
Meeting Ember.
That short, unexpected practice.
Uncle Joe.
Aunt Marie.
The guava.
The dog.
---
What if even one of those things didn't happen?
Would this moment still exist?
Would i still be here?
---
He exhaled slowly.
He started to feel thankful—
For every small thing that happened.
Every small thing that led to this moment.
Maybe…
every small thing collectively contributes
to something greater. He wondered.
---
Ember's voice brought him back.
"I should go back," she said.
"The other's will be waiting for me."
Samy nodded.
"I'll drop you."
She agreed.
---
Ellie called out Ember from behind,
"Jon us for the celebration later!"
Ember turned slightly.
"…Alright."
---
Samy and Ember walked off together.
As they passed by—
people started calling out to them.
"Great performance!"
"You guys were amazing!"
"Such a great couple!"
Samy gave a hesitant smile.
"We're not a couple," he said.
No one listened.
Of course.
---
After a few steps, Samy asked,
"So… you came with your friends?"
Ember paused.
"…I'm not sure what to call them."
Samy looked at her.
"What do you mean?"
"I met them only yesterday," she said.
"So it feels weird to call them my friends this early…"
A small pause.
"…but it also feels rude to say they're not."
---
Samy laughed softly.
"That's a funny way to put it."
He looked ahead.
"Why does it matter if you only met them yesterday or a hundred years ago?"
"Friendship isn't built on duration."
"It's built on moments."
"If you define friendship based on how long you've known them…Then I guess the only friend you'll have is yourself."
He smiled faintly.
"But if you define friends through moments…Then everyone becomes one."
"Theo. Julia. Ellie."
"The pani puri uncle."
"The random guy you talk to in the washroom."
"The mutual friend who appears only during gatherings."
"The dog that comes for biscuits—"
He paused.
"…okay maybe not the dog."
(remembering the dog that chased him)
"In that moment…"
"They're your friends."
A small pause.
He looked at her.
"…and right now…"
"You are too."
Ember stopped.
She looked at him.
For a moment—
she didn't speak.
Then—
"…I think you're right."
Samy smiled.
"See? I'm wise sometimes."
"No one is your friend forever."
"Even your closest ones will eventually choose their own path one day... But everyone can be your friend for a moment and that's the greatest part... Which is why we must aappreciate every moment of friendship"
A small pause.
After a few steps, Samy pointed ahead.
"Anyways, Let's eat something first."
"My treat."
"For the moment we shared on stage."
Ember agreed.
She picked fruits.
"A guava… or a mango…"
She looked at him.
"Which one?"
Samy looked at the guava.
And instantly—flashbacks started flowing.
his expression changed.
"…Mango."
Ember "alright".
She picked the mango.
Then—
unexpectedly—
she picked the guava too.
And handed it to him.
Samy froze.
"…I don't want to see guava for some time."
"I have… tragic memories with it."
Ember tilted her head.
"Oh?"
"Bad memories?"
Samy sighed.
"…You have no idea."
And without thinking—
he told her everything.
The dog.
The chase.
The tree.
The fall.
The worm.
Uncle Joe.
Aunt Marie.
Everything
No filter.
No hesitation.
No survival instinct.
"And then that uncle—Joe—"
"He was terrifying."
Ember stayed quiet.
"He started throwing legal sections at me like I committed a crime."
"All for one guava."
"And then he is forcing me to tutor his daughter."
"No pay."
"Just stress."
A pause.
"Honestly, I wish he was a little gentler."
---
Silence.
Ember didn't respond.
Samy finally looked up.
"…What?"
She was looking at him.
Not angry.
Not surprised.
Just—
watching.
"…You're very honest," she said.
Samy scratched his head.
"Yeah, I guess—"
A small pause.
"…That 'uncle'…"
"The terrifying one…"
"The one who threw legal charges at you over one guava…"
"The one who forced you to tutor his daughter for free…"
She said calmly—
"…is my father."
Samy stopped.
Processing…
Processing…
System error.
"…I'm sorry—what?"
Ember took a bite of her mango.
"You climbed our tree."
"You broke a branch."
"And then fainted."
"I saw everything from my room."
"I told my father you were being chased by our dog."
"That you climbed the tree to avoid getting bitten."
Samy blinked.
"…Oh."
Another blink.
"…OH."
He looked at the guava in his hand.
Then at her.
Then back at the guava.
"…This fruit is cursed.
"…Wait—what do you mean *our* dog?" Samy asked.
Ember answered calmly,
"The dog that was chasing you—"
"Pepper."
"is our dog"
Samy froze again.
oh I see make sense.
"…but Wait—"
"If you're Uncle Joe and Aunt Marie's daughter…"
"Then who is Amy?"
"I thought she was your daughter—"
He paused.
"…Wait, that came out wrong.
"I mean she was you"
Ember laughed.
"That's so dumb."
"Amy is the principal's daughter."
"She came to see the program preparations."
"She happens to be Anna's friend."
"So yesterday and today…"
"We were all just together."
Realization hit.Hard.
Samy slowly covered his face.
"I complained about Uncle Joe…"
"To his daughter…"
"While holding evidence."