Chapter 21

Subhi

The silence between us had dragged on for too long. I had no idea what had happened, or why I felt so distant from him. The last few weeks had been filled with awkwardness, with him avoiding me more and more, leaving me to wonder if something was wrong. What had changed? Why had everything seemed to fall apart again after the exams?

I tried to convince myself that I wasn’t overthinking, that maybe I was just imagining things, but deep down, I knew I wasn’t. Something had shifted, and I couldn’t put my finger on it. He had always been unpredictable, but this—this distance between us felt different. It hurt more than I wanted to admit.

As I sat in the library, scrolling mindlessly through my phone, I tried to distract myself. Maybe if I kept my mind busy, I wouldn’t think about the empty space where our conversations used to be. Maybe if I stayed distracted, I wouldn’t have to face the nagging feeling that something was wrong.

But then, I felt it—the weight of his presence before I even saw him. It was almost as if the world had quieted down just for him. My heart raced as I looked up, and there he was. His eyes locked with mine, but instead of the usual teasing, the usual playful look, all I saw was… something unreadable. Something cold.

"Shubhi," he said, his voice low, cautious, like he didn’t know how to start. I knew what this moment was. The moment I’d been dreading. The moment where we couldn’t hide behind the silence anymore.

I held my breath, waiting for him to say more, but he didn’t. He just stood there, watching me as if waiting for me to speak. I looked at him, trying to read his expression. Was he angry? Confused? Hurt?

“Abhimanyu, what do you want?” I finally asked, the words slipping out before I could stop them. I immediately regretted it, but there was no turning back now.

He didn’t answer at first. Instead, his gaze flickered down at the phone in my hand, and something seemed to pass between us. His eyes hardened, and I could tell he was struggling with his own thoughts. I wasn’t sure what was going through his head, but I couldn’t ignore the discomfort that had settled between us. The air felt thick with unsaid words.

“I’m not sure I want to talk about it right now,” he finally replied, his tone distant.

My stomach dropped at his words. Not sure? We’d been avoiding each other for days, and now he was telling me he wasn’t sure? It was like a punch to the gut.

“Fine.” I stood up, the frustration bubbling up inside me, my voice shaky. “Then what do you want, Abhimanyu? Because I don’t know what we’re doing anymore. It’s like you’ve shut me out completely.”

I could see the guilt in his eyes, but he didn’t say anything. And that silence between us felt heavier than ever.

“I need answers,” I