Chapter 171: just friends

Chapter 171: Just Friends

POV: Astrid Vale

"You’re still blushing," I said, unable to let it go.

"I’m not blushing."

"You’re very visibly blushing."

Ivy crossed her arms. "We’re just friends. I stayed with him because he was struggling. That’s it."

"Does Roshan hand out drinks to everyone who helps him through an emotional crisis?"

"Stop before you invent an entire romance out of nothing."

"You’re blushing again."

"Astrid." Her voice carried a real warning now, something more serious underneath the embarrassment. "He’s dealing with something painful. I don’t want you turning one decent interaction into gossip."

That landed, and I softened immediately, understanding she wasn’t just being defensive about her own feelings. "You’re right," I said. "I’ll stop."

"Thank you."

"For now."

She groaned, and I laughed, the tension easing between us as we gathered our things.

Eliza appeared a moment later, unusually cheerful, already halfway through announcing that we’d be late for Witchcraft Fundamentals if we didn’t hurry. I grabbed my bag, but couldn’t resist leaning toward Ivy one last time.

"Just friends?"

"Yes."

"Little birdie?"

"I’m going to throw you out of a window."

I laughed the entire walk to class.

Witchcraft Fundamentals began with Professor Mirelle Veyra introducing a practical exercise, channeling controlled magical energy into an object without damaging it or affecting anyone nearby. Eliza performed with her usual confidence, the small stone in her hands glowing steadily within seconds, while several other students struggled to maintain any consistency at all.

When my turn came, I tried the same approach that had worked before, letting go of deliberate force and simply focusing on the sensation instead of trying to command it. The stone warmed gently in my palm, the glow steady and unusually smooth compared to what I’d produced in previous attempts.

Professor Veyra’s eyes lingered on me a moment longer than necessary. "Repeat it," she said.

I did, though the second attempt wavered slightly, less stable than the first. She watched carefully, saying nothing about what it meant, simply instructing me to keep practicing and record what I experienced each time.

I didn’t push for more explanation, though the curiosity sat uncomfortably in my chest the rest of the lesson.

By lunch, I was still turning it over when Ivy and I joined Eliza in the cafeteria, settling into our usual table with trays of food neither of us had fully touched yet.

Roshan appeared without warning, cutting straight through the noise around us. He didn’t acknowledge the rest of the table, his attention going directly to Ivy.

"Have you eaten?" he asked.

Ivy glanced down at her tray. "I’m eating."

"Good." He set a small paper bag beside her. "Take this with you later."

He left before she could ask anything else.

I was immediately fascinated. Ivy opened the bag cautiously, revealing a small pastry from the bakery near the academy gates, still warm enough that the scent drifted across the table.

"Just friends, huh?" I said.

"I will stop speaking to you."

Eliza, who’d missed the earlier part of our conversation entirely, looked between us with obvious confusion. "What’s happening?"

I told her everything, the party, the garden, the drink that morning, the little birdie nickname, and by the time I finished, Eliza had joined me entirely in teasing Ivy mercilessly, both of us grinning while Ivy buried her face in her hands.

"You’re both terrible," she muttered.

"We’re concerned friends," I said.

"You’re vultures."

While Eliza and Ivy continued arguing, my eyes drifted across the cafeteria, catching sight of Roshan sitting with a few other students near the far wall. For a brief moment, his expression slipped, something tired and hollow settling behind his eyes before another student said something and he pulled the familiar easy smile back into place almost instantly.

I thought about Ivy leaving the apartment the night before and returning that morning with a blush she couldn’t explain away. Whatever had happened between them belonged to the two of them, and I decided, watching him across the room, not to push further.

He seemed different today. Not healed, not suddenly lighter. Just slightly less determined to shut everyone out entirely, and something about that small shift felt important enough that I let the teasing settle for now, content to simply notice it quietly.

After lunch, a notice appeared across our schedules, an upcoming practical assessment for the merged supernatural curriculum. Students would work in mixed groups, combining abilities and disciplines they’d been studying separately, and I found myself assigned alongside Eliza and another student whose combat training apparently complemented our magical focus.

"This is exciting," Eliza said, already pulling up details on her phone.

"It’s homework," I said.

"It’s an opportunity."

"It’s homework with extra steps."

She laughed, undeterred by my lack of enthusiasm, already drafting ideas for how we might approach the assessment together. I suspected, watching her genuine excitement, that she might be the only person in our entire group who actually looked forward to extra assignments.

Still, something about it felt different from the usual academic obligations, a challenge I could actually prepare for properly rather than something trying to kill me unexpectedly. I found myself, despite my complaints, mildly curious about what the assessment would actually involve.

At the end of the school day, I waited for Ivy outside her last class, and as she approached, I noticed Roshan standing further down the corridor. The moment he spotted her, he raised a hand slightly in quiet acknowledgment.

Ivy returned the gesture before she seemed to fully register she was doing it, her hand lifting almost automatically.

I caught the exchange immediately.

I opened my mouth.

"Don’t," Ivy said, pointing a warning finger at me before I could get a single word out.

"I’m not saying anything."

"You’re thinking it."

"Unfortunately, I can’t control my thoughts."

She walked away, muttering something under her breath about regretting our entire friendship, and I followed, laughing at how thoroughly flustered she still was.

As we turned the corner, I glanced back one last time. Roshan still stood where we’d left him, his attention lingering on Ivy’s retreating figure.

This time, when Ivy looked back over her shoulder, he didn’t look away first.