That night, Riya couldn't sleep properly.
She kept turning from one side of the bed to the other, staring
at the ceiling of her room.
The events of Children's Day replayed again and again in her mind.
Lakshith entering the classroom.
The bright orange shirt.
The way everyone teased them.
The strange happiness she felt when she noticed they were wearing the same color.
Riya covered her face with the pillow.
"Why am I even thinking about this…" she muttered to herself.
She had always been a practical girl.
Being the only child in the family had made her mature earlier than most of her classmates.
She understood emotions better than many kids her age.
Which was exactly why she couldn't ignore what she was feeling now.
She liked Lakshith.
Maybe it had started as curiosity.
Maybe it was because he always argued with her.
Or maybe it was because of those ten-minute walks after school.
But whatever the reason was, the feeling had quietly grown stronger.
The next morning, Riya woke up still feeling weak from the fever, but her mind was strangely clear.
She decided one thing.
She wouldn't tell anyone.
Not her friends.
Not Lakshith.
It would remain her own small secret.
At school, everything
seemed normal as usual.
Students were chatting loudly before the teacher arrived.
Some were still talking about the Children's Day games.
Riya sat quietly in her seat.
A few minutes later, Lakshith entered the classroom with his usual carefree expression.
For some reason, Riya quickly looked away.
But her eyes slowly drifted back toward him again.
Lakshith noticed.
"What?" he asked casually, raising an eyebrow.
"Why are you staring like that?"
"I wasn't staring," Riya replied quickly.
"You were."
"I wasn't!"
Lakshith laughed softly and turned back to his friends.
Riya sighed quietly.
Even simple conversations with him made her nervous now.
During the games period , Riya sat with her friends under the tree near the playground playing carrom
and talking gossips.
They were talking about random things—homework, teachers,
and weekend plans.
But Riya wasn't really listening.
Her eyes kept wandering toward the boys playing cricket nearby.
Lakshith was there, laughing loudly with his friends as he tried to catch the ball.
For a moment, Riya watched him without realizing it.
One of her friends suddenly
nudged her.
"Why are you looking there?"
Riya quickly looked away.
"Nothing," she said calmly.
But inside her heart, she already knew the truth.
She didn't hate Lakshith.
She didn't just find him annoying anymore either.
Somewhere between arguments, teasing, and those quiet walks after school…
Lakshith had slowly become someone important in her small world.
And Riya had decided something else too.
Even if no one else knew…
She would quietly keep this feeling to herself.