Madam Sonam started calling out the names. The air in the room was tight, as students waited to hear their appointments. Kinga fidgeted his fingers on his desk, his head flooded by a mixture of anticipation and disappointment.
"Kinga," Madam Sonam called out his name.
Kinga sat up, instantly feeling his heart pound. He half-listened as other names were read.
"And Pelmo," she added.
There was a moment of silence as Kinga's gaze cut through to Pelmo, who stared back into his eyes, equally surprised. A slow grin spread across her face, and Kinga couldn't help but chuckle. Both had been so convinced they would never be together.
"Well, that's a nice surprise," Kinga whispered to himself, relieved.
Pelmo was still grinning as she leaned forward. "Looks like we're in luck," she mouthed to him.
Kinga nodded back at her, giving her a thumbs-up. Well, guess we don't have to worry about any awkward team dynamics now.
With the other groups being called out by Madam Sonam, Kinga felt his tummy fill up with excitement. Working with Pelmo meant he could actually share his ideas openly and that they could build on each other's thoughts. It also meant the coming activity would be a lot more fun.
"Alright, people! Get together with your groups and start discussing the assignment on boundaries," Madam Sonam instructed.
Kinga got his notebook in a flash and went and sat beside Pelmo. Hunched over, he whispered to her, "You ready for this?" As he sat down beside her, he whispered, "You ready for this?"
Pelmo nodded, her eyes shining with enthusiasm. "Absolutely. Let's show them what a good team can do."
With that, they plunged into the discussion, ready to take up the challenge before them. Whatever jitters they felt blew away and were replaced by a sense of comradery and eagerness for the challenge.
The next day, Kinga had just woken up, still half-dazed, and saw a message from Pelmo on WhatsApp. She was already at the dentist, waiting in line. He rubbed his eyes and decided that he would reply and bring some humor into her nervous morning.
Kinga: *Morning, Pelmo! Already at the dentist?* 
Pelmo: *Yeah, waiting for my turn. Freaking out!* 
Kinga: *Haha, don't worry! Hope the doctor goes easy on your tooth.* 
Pelmo: *Easy for you to say! I hate dentists.* 
Kinga grinned at his phone and thought he needed to divert her attention by sharing his "legendary" dental experience.
Kinga: *Oh man, I still remember when I got a tooth pulled. I hope that isn't the case with you!* ????
Pelmo: *What happened? Spill!
Kinga: *So there I was, sitting in the chair. Suddenly, two nurses grabbed my arms, and the doc started yanking my tooth like he was trying to pull Excalibur from the stone!* 
Pelmo: *LOL, stop it! I'm dying here!* 
Kinga: *No joke! And when they finally got it out, they gave me this anesthesia. Next thing I knew, I was walking like a zombie down the hall.* 
Pelmo: *You mean like the living dead?*
Kinga: *Exactly! I even tried to push a door that said 'PULL' and kept at it for a solid minute. The nurses were dying of laughter.*
Pelmo: *OMG, I wish I could have seen that!* 
Kinga: *Trust me, it was like a bad slapstick comedy. Hope your experience is more. dignified.*