The days passed quickly, and the project between Riya and Aryan was almost finished.
But even though they spent a lot of time together, Riya still felt that Aryan was hiding something.
There were moments when he suddenly became quiet, staring at nothing as if lost in his thoughts.
One evening they were sitting in the library again.
Most students had already left, and the room was almost empty.
Riya closed her notebook and looked at Aryan.
"You seem distracted today," she said gently.
Aryan looked up.
"I'm fine."
Riya shook her head slightly.
"You always say that."
For a moment Aryan didn't respond.
Then he sighed softly.
"It's nothing important."
Riya leaned forward slightly.
"If something is bothering you, you can tell me."
Aryan stayed silent for a few seconds.
Finally, he said quietly, "My family moves a lot."
Riya remembered him mentioning that before.
"But that's not the real reason," Aryan continued.
He looked down at his hands.
"My father changes jobs very often. Because of that, we have to move to different cities again and again."
Riya listened carefully.
"I've changed schools many times," Aryan said.
"Every time I make friends, I have to leave them."
His voice sounded calm, but Riya could feel the sadness behind it.
"So you stopped getting close to people," she said softly.
Aryan nodded.
"It felt easier that way."
For a moment neither of them spoke.
The quiet library seemed even more silent.
Riya felt a deep sympathy for him.
"It must be difficult," she said.
Aryan gave a small smile.
"I'm used to it."
But Riya could tell that he wasn't truly used to it.
She realized that Aryan wasn't distant because he didn't care about people.
He was distant because he was afraid of losing them.
Riya looked at him and said gently, "You know… not everyone leaves."
Aryan looked surprised.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean… sometimes people stay."
Aryan didn't say anything.
But for the first time, his expression looked softer.
Outside the library window, the sky had already turned dark.
After a few minutes Aryan stood up.
"We should go," he said.
Riya nodded and packed her bag.
They walked out of the library together.
As they walked through the quiet campus, Aryan suddenly said something unexpected.
"I'm glad I met you."
Riya looked at him in surprise.
Aryan smiled slightly.
"You're different from everyone else."
Riya didn't know how to respond.
But she felt happy hearing those words.
Neither of them realized that their friendship was slowly becoming something much deeper.
But soon, a misunderstanding was going to test their relationship.
And things were about to become more complicated than either of them expected.