The One Who Made College Feel Like Home

she met him late.

 Not in life but in the timeline of college - the second year, when bonds were already built and stories halfway written.

But somehow, he found his peace chapter like he was always meant to show up halfway through.

He liked her. Everyone could tell. So could she.

And yet, on one of their earliest walks, she told him, "I am already in love with someone else."

But that didn't scare him away. He stayed.

With her. For her. Near her.

He let her ride pillion on road trips through monsoons, even when her mood matched the rain.

He waited after lectures, showed up before exams, listened more than he spoke. he made the city feel warmer, the hostels less lonely, and her life lighter.

He made the chaos of college feel like comfort.

They sat in a café full of books,
but the real story was them.

But sometimes, comfort attracts eyes,

People whispered, assumed, judged.

And their innocent friendship became a rumour neither of them wanted to sign up for. she got uncomfortable. not with him.but the weight of assumptions.

She began pulling away- not because she didn't care, 

but because she didn't want to be misunderstood.

She asked for time.

He continued texting.

She got annoyed.

He kept trying.

And she snapped.

Silence. Ghosting. Avoidance.

A messy habit she couldn't unlearn in time

What followed was worse than silence - he spoke, just not to her. Words flew behind her back - rude, cutting, unrecognizable. 

The boy who once handed her warm lunch now served cold comments.

She never replied. Never explained. Not then. Not even when college ended. 

But on his birthday, she still wished him. 

Only to find herself, she blocked. 

Months later, one random night, she read through their old chats. The rain rides. The missed calls. The laughter. 

And she realized something she'd never said out loud and her heart whispered something her ego never let her say,

"I miss you. Not as a lover. Not even as a friend. But as someone who made my ordinary college life feel unforgettable." he made her college feel like home. 

So, she texted. Just one sentence. 

"I missed you. "

He replied:

"Just wanted to say... Have a great life. "

And that was the last page of a story, 

the story ended- not with closure, but with clarity. 

Some people don't stay.

 But they give us warmth that stays forever.

Not every bond needs a label. Not every ending needs a villain.

Sometimes, it is just... Time. 

Maybe one day they will meet in another cafe,

no blame, no words- just two stories that once shared a chapter.