Kavish didn't throw a tantrum. He didn't confront her. Instead, he did what hurt the most—he quietly stepped back. *Self-respect bhi koi cheez hoti hai,* he told himself. He stopped texting her first. He stopped checking up on whether she had eaten or reached her room safely. He immersed himself in his own studies, joined a coding club, and started hanging out with his own set of friends.

A month passed. Then two.

One day, Rishaa was sitting in the college canteen with Satvik. Satvik was talking about a new movie script, but for some reason, Rishaa wasn't listening. Her eyes were fixed on a corner table. Kavish was sitting there, laughing out loud at something a classmate named Tanya had said . He looked genuinely happy.

Rishaa’s heart gave a strange, uncomfortable tug. *Kavish ne mujhe pichle do hafte se ek bhi message nahi kiya,* she suddenly realized.

"Hey, Rishaa? Earth to Rishaa?" Satvik snapped his fingers in front of her face. "Kahan kho gayi? Main pooch raha tha ki weekend par concert ka kya plan hai?"

"Huh? Yeah, standard tickets booked hain na?" she mumbled, her eyes drifting back to Kavish. But when she looked again, Kavish was gone.

That evening, Rishaa couldn't take it anymore. She walked over to Kavish's hostel block and waited by the juice stall where they used to meet. When she saw him walking by, she called out, "Kavish!"

Kavish stopped, surprised. He walked up to her, his hands casually shoved into his pockets. "Hey, Rishaa. Sab theek? Kuch kaam tha?"

*Kuch kaam tha?* The formality in his voice stung her. "Tujhse baat karne ke liye ab kaam hona zaroori hai? Tu kahan gayab hai aajkal? No texts, no calls. WhatsApp par bhi tu bas 'Hmm' aur 'Ok' likhta hai. Are you ignoring me?"

Kavish looked at her calmly, his expression unreadable. "Main ignore nahi kar raha, Rish. Tujhe pata hi hai college mein kitna load hai. Plus, you’re busy with your theater group and Satvik. I just didn't want to disturb you."

"Satvik is my friend, Kavish! But you... you are my childhood friend. Humaari families hume saath bheji thi taaki hum ek doosre ke saath rahein," she said, her voice cracking slightly.

"Aur hum saath hi hain, Rishaa. We live in the same campus," he replied with a polite, distant smile. "Mujhe ek lab assignment submit karna hai. Main chalta hoon. Take care."

He turned and walked away. Rishaa stood there, staring at his retreating back, feeling a cold emptiness she had never experienced before.