Something felt different.
Not between me and Adithya — he was still the same. Smiling. Funny. Always around.
But Arskaan…
He had changed.
He was still there, technically. In class. In the group.
But distant.
He didn't send memes anymore.
Didn't tease me.
Didn't pull the clip from my hair or make faces during lectures.
And it hurt more than I thought it would.
I wanted to talk to him — really talk — but I didn't know how to start.
Was it guilt? Was it sadness? I couldn't tell.
But I knew one thing:
He was my precious friend.
And I didn't want to lose him.
Meanwhile, Adithya's presence became a kind of comfort.
He made things lighter.
He made me laugh.
He filled up spaces I didn't know were empty.
But every time I smiled at his texts, a part of me felt like I was forgetting something.
Or someone.
⸻
During lunch, I sat with Adithya, laughing about something silly.
From across the room, I saw Arskaan looking in our direction.
Just for a second.
Then he looked away.
I don't know why, but it stayed with me.
⸻
That night, I scrolled through our old chats — Arskaan's messages.
The jokes.
The reels.
The random little check-ins.
And I remembered something.
He was the first one to ever call me his best friend.
And I never even told him what that meant to me.
⸻