28-06-2026, 10:15 PM
Chapter 72: Find Your Team Member - Tharun's first score
The energy in the hall was electric as Sharmi stepped back onto the small stage, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.
“Next game — Find Your Team Member,” she announced. “This one might feel a little illogical or purely based on luck… but we have a point to prove. Sometimes, the simplest things reveal the strongest bonds.”
She explained the rules clearly.
“Everyone will be blindfolded. You must find your teammates by handshake only. No watches, no rings, no accessories — remove everything that could give away patterns. The only way to identify someone is through familiarity — how their hand feels, the strength of their grip, the way they shake. Points are only awarded for mutual pairs. If you find someone and they also correctly identify you, that pair earns a point. Opposite team will shout random names to confuse you.”
Sharmi made a joke, don't think awkward, its just to show how many times you handshake for respect ..
The hall filled with excited murmurs and nervous laughter.
Sharmi added, “Highest number of correct mutual pairs wins additional team points.”
The Visualizers team was chosen to confuse the Coders first.
One by one, the Coders were blindfolded.
When it was Jay’s turn, the world went dark. Sharmi gently led him into the center. Hands reached out from all directions. Random shouts filled the air — “Ramesh!”, “Priya!”, “Sharmi!” — trying to throw him off.
But Jay moved with quiet confidence. One hand felt familiar — soft yet firm, with a slight hesitation he knew too well. He squeezed gently. The hand squeezed back. He had found another person too. But he knows it was a fluke as the guys hand was so small, a pattern that helped.
Nikitha.
He spoke her name clearly. Nikitha had a smile, this was first time she felt really happy.
A few moments later, when Nikitha was blindfolded, she moved through the crowd with surprising ease. One handshake felt like home — steady, protective, slightly calloused from years of typing. She didn’t hesitate.
“Jay,” she said softly.
She went on to find other hands too Tharun his hold was strong, she know it number of times offlate, the hands had holded hers, in rush to pull her into kiss, she smiled inside her and said Tharun.
Tharun felt a relief.
Tharun, when his turn came, searched carefully. He found one hand that felt warm and familiar — the same hand he had held on the beach. He smiled under the blindfold.
“Nikitha.”
The results were announced.
Coders team: 5 mutual pairs (including Jay-Nikitha and Tharun-Nikitha).
Additional point for highest individual finds.
Visualizers team: Only 1 pair.
Sharmi smiled on stage, but there was a flicker of disappointment in her eyes. Tharun scoring with Nikitha diluted the perfect pairing she had hoped to force between Jay and Nikitha. Still, the game had done its job — public closeness between the three of them was now undeniable.
Tharun, standing near the stage, felt a quiet satisfaction. He had finally won something with her. The way Nikitha remembered his touch made his chest warm. But Jay’s continuous success stung. How does he keep doing this?
Nikitha stood a little apart, her heart beating faster than she wanted to admit. The game had been fun on the surface, but every correct guess with Jay felt like a quiet accusation — a reminder of how deeply they still knew each other, even when she was trying so hard to move forward.
Sharmi announced cheerfully, “Moving on to the next round!”
But inside, the cupid was recalibrating.
The energy in the hall was electric as Sharmi stepped back onto the small stage, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.
“Next game — Find Your Team Member,” she announced. “This one might feel a little illogical or purely based on luck… but we have a point to prove. Sometimes, the simplest things reveal the strongest bonds.”
She explained the rules clearly.
“Everyone will be blindfolded. You must find your teammates by handshake only. No watches, no rings, no accessories — remove everything that could give away patterns. The only way to identify someone is through familiarity — how their hand feels, the strength of their grip, the way they shake. Points are only awarded for mutual pairs. If you find someone and they also correctly identify you, that pair earns a point. Opposite team will shout random names to confuse you.”
Sharmi made a joke, don't think awkward, its just to show how many times you handshake for respect ..
The hall filled with excited murmurs and nervous laughter.
Sharmi added, “Highest number of correct mutual pairs wins additional team points.”
The Visualizers team was chosen to confuse the Coders first.
One by one, the Coders were blindfolded.
When it was Jay’s turn, the world went dark. Sharmi gently led him into the center. Hands reached out from all directions. Random shouts filled the air — “Ramesh!”, “Priya!”, “Sharmi!” — trying to throw him off.
But Jay moved with quiet confidence. One hand felt familiar — soft yet firm, with a slight hesitation he knew too well. He squeezed gently. The hand squeezed back. He had found another person too. But he knows it was a fluke as the guys hand was so small, a pattern that helped.
Nikitha.
He spoke her name clearly. Nikitha had a smile, this was first time she felt really happy.
A few moments later, when Nikitha was blindfolded, she moved through the crowd with surprising ease. One handshake felt like home — steady, protective, slightly calloused from years of typing. She didn’t hesitate.
“Jay,” she said softly.
She went on to find other hands too Tharun his hold was strong, she know it number of times offlate, the hands had holded hers, in rush to pull her into kiss, she smiled inside her and said Tharun.
Tharun felt a relief.
Tharun, when his turn came, searched carefully. He found one hand that felt warm and familiar — the same hand he had held on the beach. He smiled under the blindfold.
“Nikitha.”
The results were announced.
Coders team: 5 mutual pairs (including Jay-Nikitha and Tharun-Nikitha).
Additional point for highest individual finds.
Visualizers team: Only 1 pair.
Sharmi smiled on stage, but there was a flicker of disappointment in her eyes. Tharun scoring with Nikitha diluted the perfect pairing she had hoped to force between Jay and Nikitha. Still, the game had done its job — public closeness between the three of them was now undeniable.
Tharun, standing near the stage, felt a quiet satisfaction. He had finally won something with her. The way Nikitha remembered his touch made his chest warm. But Jay’s continuous success stung. How does he keep doing this?
Nikitha stood a little apart, her heart beating faster than she wanted to admit. The game had been fun on the surface, but every correct guess with Jay felt like a quiet accusation — a reminder of how deeply they still knew each other, even when she was trying so hard to move forward.
Sharmi announced cheerfully, “Moving on to the next round!”
But inside, the cupid was recalibrating.
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