Part 7 — Test & Text

One evening, curious and restless, she decided to test him. She uploaded a picture on her status — herself with a boy she barely knew well.

The reply came faster than she expected.

Him: Who’s that?
Her: Just a friend.
Him: Friend? Or… boyfriend?
Her: laughing emoji Don’t be silly.
Him: No, seriously. Who is he?
Her: Someone I know.
Him: Oh. He seriously is not your boyfriend, right? I mean, you guys look rather close.
Her: He is just a friend.

She read his words again and again. A strange flutter stirred in her chest — part guilt, part satisfaction. He did care.

But at the same time, his persistence made her feel crowded. She felt overwhelmed. Was he serious? Or was it just friendly curiosity? She began replying less, pulling away before the friendship turned into something she couldn’t handle — sending shorter texts, answering hours later, until the chats slowly thinned out.

And then, one day, they simply stopped.

Part 8 — The Pang

Scrolling through social media weeks later, she saw a picture of him — smiling with a girl beside him.

A sudden pang hit her heart, sharp and unexpected. For a second, she couldn’t breathe. She quickly told herself it was nothing. It’s just because we’re not talking anymore. It’s not jealousy. I don’t like him. I can’t.

But no matter how much she reasoned, she couldn’t forget the twist in her chest when she saw him with someone else.

She pushed it away, buried it deep. Feelings like that were taboo for her — dangerous, distracting. So she told herself stories: It’s only loneliness. It’s only because things are different now.

And that was the moment their digital world faded completely.

Part 9 — Back to School

The world reopened, and with it, the school gates. She walked in with a mix of nerves and excitement, half-expecting things to return to how they were. Maybe they would laugh again in their circle of friends. Maybe he would smile and start a conversation.

But when she saw him in the corridor, her hope wavered.

He was there, just a few steps away, surrounded by classmates. He looked the same — handsome as always, quiet yet confident. For a second, their eyes met. She thought he might wave, or at least nod.

He didn’t.

Instead, he turned slightly, speaking to someone else.

Her chest tightened. Maybe he’s busy. Maybe later.

But later never came.

Part 10 — The Silence

They weren’t in the same class anymore. They had different majors, but some subjects brought them together again. She sat near the front, he toward the back. She could hear his voice when he answered questions, hear his laugh when he joked with others.

Yet not once did he direct a word at her.

She noticed he wasn’t the kind of boy to talk freely with girls anyway, but somehow, he still managed casual conversations with others. Just not with her.

The silence between them stretched, heavy and awkward. Every time they crossed paths in the hallway, she kept her eyes down, pretending to be busy. He did the same. And so, the space between them grew into something unspoken, something they couldn’t undo.

Part 11 — Strangers Again

Time moved forward, as it always does. To others, it seemed like nothing had ever existed between them.

But she remembered the little things.
How he pulled the chair slightly away, just to make her comfortable.
How he sat beside her in PE, not too close, not too far.
The guilt on his face when her book got torn.
The way he asked, quietly, if she had a boyfriend.
The intensity in his eyes on Sports Day when he held out his hand, waiting for hers.

And she remembered, too, the pang in her chest when she saw him with someone else.

Now, when they passed each other in the school corridors, they didn’t smile, didn’t speak. Their friend group remained the same; what changed was them. They were now just strangers, carrying a history only they knew.

Part 12 — What If

Sometimes, lying awake at night, she wondered.

What if I hadn’t pulled away?
What if I had admitted the pang in my heart?
What if I had smiled back when he held out his hand for more than a handshake?

He had liked her, in his quiet, careful way.
And she had liked him too, though she never admitted it — not even to herself.

In the end, it wasn’t rejection or confession that ended them. It was silence.

But still… what if they had shown more courage in accepting whatever it was? Maybe the chapter of their life — a silent, almost-love — was not left unfinished.