The final round of the hackathon had begun, but the air around Team 7 was lighter now. With Dev and Riya gone, the room seemed to breathe again. Tina sat at her workstation, the glow of her laptop illuminating her determined face. She wasn't coding out of fear anymore — she was coding because she wanted to win.
Ishaan leaned over her shoulder, watching the encryption module fire through the final test cases. "Perfect," he murmured. "I don't even need to double-check your work anymore. It's flawless."
She smirked slightly. "High praise coming from Mr. UI Genius."
"Mr. UI Genius is just lucky to be on Team Tina."
Mira, on the other side of the table, rolled her eyes. "If you two are done flirting, we have a presentation to give."
Tina shot her a look. "Mira—"
"Not denying it, huh?" Mira grinned. "Focus, Rathod. We're winning this."
---
When it was their turn, Tina walked to the stage with Ishaan and Mira. Her heartbeat was steady, not frantic like before. She looked out at the audience — students, professors, sponsors — and felt something she hadn't in years: confidence.
"Our project," she began, "isn't just about encryption. It's about safety. It's about building walls that can't be broken — because for some people, safety isn't just a feature, it's survival."
Her voice didn't waver. Not once. Ishaan smiled at her like she'd just moved a mountain.
Mira demonstrated the interface, Ishaan showcased the real-time decryption process, and then Tina walked through the advanced security layers. The applause that followed wasn't just polite — it was loud, genuine, and impressed.
When the results were announced an hour later, Team 7 stood first.
---
The courtyard outside the university hall was alive with the sound of rain and chatter. Mira had already dragged half their friends to the nearest café to celebrate, but Tina lingered under the awning, her laptop bag slung over her shoulder.
Ishaan found her there. "Shouldn't the star of the day be inside, basking in victory?"
She smiled softly. "I don't really… do crowds."
"Fair," he said, leaning against the railing beside her. "But you do win. And you crushed it out there."
Tina looked at him, her voice quiet. "I wouldn't have. Not without you."
He tilted his head. "You would have. You just didn't believe you could."
For a moment, neither spoke. The rain dripped from the edges of the roof in soft, rhythmic taps. Tina stared at the wet ground, the reflection of streetlights glowing in the puddles.
"You know," Ishaan said suddenly, "when I first met you, I thought you were… untouchable. Like this storm-proof wall."
She laughed, a short, surprised sound. "That's the nicest way anyone's called me emotionally unavailable."
"Hey, I'm serious," he said with a grin. "But now I know… you're not untouchable. You're just strong. Stronger than anyone who's tried to break you."
His words hit her harder than she expected. Her throat tightened, but this time it wasn't fear or anger — it was something warmer. Something she hadn't let herself feel in a long time.
---
When Mira texted that she'd be late, Ishaan and Tina stayed outside, the silence between them strangely comfortable.
"Tina," Ishaan said after a long pause, his voice softer now. "I hope you know I wasn't just standing up for you back there because of the team. I… I care."
She looked up at him, the raindrops reflecting in his dark eyes. "I know," she whispered. "And that's what scares me."
He frowned slightly. "Scares you?"
"Because I'm not used to people staying," she admitted, her voice trembling just a little. "People either leave or… hurt you."
"I'm not leaving," he said firmly. "Not now, not after everything."
Tina's breath hitched. For a moment, the world felt quiet except for the rain and the sound of her own heartbeat.
She didn't kiss him. Not yet. But when she looked at him, something shifted. She let the walls drop — just a little.
---
Later that night, when she returned to her dorm, Tina sat by the window, laptop open but untouched. She thought about the hackathon, about winning, about the faces of Riya and Dev as they were escorted out.
But more than that, she thought about Ishaan's words. I'm not leaving.
For the first time in years, she believed it.
She didn't know what tomorrow would bring — whether Dev would try another trick, or if her past would come crawling back in new forms — but for now, she felt… safe. And that was more precious than any trophy.
---
To be continued…