"So, what now?"
It was her voice, but it was their question. What now? The simple ideas were the most complicated. They were happy as they were. And now that they were going to put on an act, were they to change? Or would they be fine as they were? Li was staring as it was. Wasn't that enough?
The answer was a few days in coming. And from an unexpected place.
One fine afternoon, after classes, Dee and Vy were studying. Annie squeezed in between, shut the notebook, and grabbed their attention.
"Enough already," Annie said in a voice void of the smallest hint of humour. "First, you're both always glued together. Like inseparable. The notebook makes for a great excuse. If only your heads aren't always leaning in like magnets. Your eyes are always glowing, and only seeing each other. Heck, I feel left out. Can't imagine what others must feel like. As if that's not enough, your hands, they just can't keep apart. You know what it looks like? Like you're in love. And you don't even realise you're showing off. And so, even though it seems a stupid thing to ask, I must. Are you two, together?"
Dee and Vy didn't answer immediately. Mostly because, in the exact moment that Annie asked the question, a lot else happened. The gang at the back was leaving the classroom, and was just passing by them. Li was among them. Everyone paused, for a short moment. Li's senses were frozen entirely on the answer. Also, Henry was sitting not too far away. And that concerned Dee, for the relationship between Henry and her was anything but simple.
Dee and Vy looked at each other. And smiled. They were thinking the same thing. Annie was absolutely fantastic. She got them the answer for the question that confounded them for a long while now.
"I guess you could say that," Dee answered, as Vy nodded.
The gang walked out. Henry turned away, like he hadn't ever been party to the conversation. Annie didn't look like she understood. And before Annie could say that, Dee continued to explain.
"We've got something on. I don't think we have an exact name for it. I'm not sure we can even define it exactly. It's more than friends. That much is certain."
"So you are together," Annie repeated.
"Yeah," Vy answered, taking Dee's hand deliberately but feeling no difference. "You can say that. We are together. Just don't ask if we've got any plans or anything like that. We don't. I think."
Dee shrugged in agreement. Dee and Vy smiled like themselves. Annie was delighted. It was amazing that she wasn't jumping and screaming already. She was talking to herself, saying how everything made sense. She should have seen it long ago. It was so bare for anyone to see.
And then came the questions that seemed like an endless stream, lasting the next several days. When did this happen? When did they start to be more than friends? Who took the first step? How did it start? How did it progress? What was happening now? In their now connected lives?
Dee and Vy took turns answering the questions. But it was mostly Dee. Because Vy was the one studying more seriously.
No one started it. It just happened. The only difference in their lives was that they were working extremely hard on the project. On their replicating program. What was supposed to be a simple program, as Vy promised initially, was unstoppably evolving into something almost too complex. Vy was in his element. And he left Dee no choice but to follow. Sure, he was taking it upon himself to make sure she understood every step. She was feeling her brain expand, and she wasn't sure it was a very enjoyable experience. And the smarter she felt, the more she realised how much smarter he was. That made her feel confused and proud at the same time. Did that make sense?
Annie was absolutely certain that it made perfect sense. That was love, she proclaimed. Vy coughed. Dee smiled, but her eyes gave her away. Annie felt the two were so cute. They were so in love, and they didn't even realise it. She decided she would be their cupid. For now, the only way she could think of was to hurl more questions their way, forcing them to confront the feelings they weren't aware they had and certainly weren't able to understand.
If Vy wasn't so very absorbed, maybe he would be able to see Annie's plan. But he was. And so, he was only amused. It was welcome relief from the stress. It would be so much easier if it was just him. He would be so much faster, and would be so much farther ahead. But he couldn't imagine leaving Dee. And he also bore the doubt that him explaining every step in such detail to Dee was actually cementing the ideas stronger in his own head, and maybe even making him see clearer. Maybe it was karma.
Dee loved Annie. And all of Annie's questions, made Dee realise how much she loved her sweet best friend. And even though Dee would never admit to it, Annie's questions did bring her to face uncomfortable questions about herself and the feelings growing inside her.
To the rest of the class, it looked like Annie had joined the suddenly studious duo. It looked like the birth of a new and profoundly deep friendship. It would have been perfect if Annie was in the same team. And when Annie wasn't with them, Dee and Vy looked very much like a couple. At their age, who didn't bear special feelings for a couple. Especially one so in love.
Li was seeing the same as the rest of the class. But unlike the rest, she was troubled. She endured for as long as she could. But she was affected. She was increasingly distracted. Her eyes were pulled more and for longer toward Dee and Vy. She felt a pang in her chest every time she looked at them. A pang that grew stronger and deeper continuously. Her friends had started to notice too. They were asking her if something was wrong, if she wasn't feeling well. Moni even asked her if she felt bothered by Dee and Vy. It wasn't that Li couldn't answer, but that she didn't want to. Because the truth was that she was bothered. And when she saw her work being affected, she had had enough. She needed to have a talk with Vy.
Li immediately acted on the decision. She walked toward Vy with purpose.
Dee saw Li, read the intent on Li's face, and knew she had to act first. Just as Li walked within earshot, she pulled at Vy. She held his face, turned it away from the book and toward her. And she spoke in the quietest voice that reached Li.
"I'm tired. I'm starving. Let's just go. Please. Let's call it a date."
Li almost faltered, but she was strong. She continued walking out without pausing, as if she had always intended to walk out the classroom.
Vy looked at Dee questioningly. Dee shook her head, but she proceeded to close the books. And dragged Vy out. They were holding hands as they walked past Li in the hallway. The three pairs of eyes met for a moment, and then separated.