The distance didn't stay hidden for long.
At first, Aarvika tried to ignore it. She told herself it was nothing, just small things that didn't really matter. Maybe she was overthinking. Maybe everything was still the same, and only her feelings were changing.
But slowly, it became harder to believe that.
Anika and Naina were not the same anymore.
Not in a way that anyone else would notice.
But Aarvika could feel it.
The way they spoke to her.
The way they sometimes didn't.
The way their silence felt heavier than before.
There were moments that didn't feel right.
Small comments.
Unclear expressions.
Situations that looked normal from the outside, but didn't feel normal to her.
At first, she stayed quiet like always.
She didn't ask anything.
She didn't react.
Because reacting would make it real.
And she wasn't ready for that.
But things didn't stop.
Instead, they slowly became clearer.
Especially after Kavya became close to her.
Kavya was different.
She was confident, clear, and focused. She was good in studies, and teachers noticed her. Being around her didn't feel uncomfortable. It felt simple.
Slowly, Aarvika and Kavya started studying together more often. Sitting together, helping each other, sharing notes without overthinking.
One day, during class, the teacher checked their work.
She paused for a moment while looking at their notebooks.
Then she smiled.
"Good," she said. "This is how it should be done."
It wasn't a big moment for anyone else.
But for Aarvika, it stayed.
Because it didn't happen often.
Being noticed.
Being appreciated.
After that, it happened again.
And again.
The teacher started praising both of them together.
And that's when Aarvika noticed it—
the change in Anika and Naina.
The way they looked.
The way they reacted.
Something about it didn't feel right anymore.
Now it wasn't just distance.
It felt like something else.
Something sharper.
Something like jealousy.
They didn't say it directly.
But it was there.
In small things.
In the way they spoke.
In the way they sometimes left her out.
In the way they reacted to Kavya.
Aarvika noticed everything.
But she didn't say anything.
Because she already understood.
This wasn't confusion anymore.
This was real.
One day, something small happened again.
Nothing big.
Nothing loud.
But enough.
Enough to make her stop ignoring.
For the first time, she didn't explain it away.
She didn't tell herself it was nothing.
She just accepted it.
Things had changed.
And they were not going back.
There was no argument.
No confrontation.
No scene.
Just a quiet realization.
And after that—
something inside her shifted.
She stopped trying.
Stopped adjusting.
Stopped holding onto something that didn't feel right anymore.
She didn't walk away loudly.
She didn't say anything.
But she stepped back.
Completely.
And this time—
it was her choice.
Not something happening to her.
Something she decided.
Kavya stayed.
The only one who felt real.
The only one who didn't make things complicated.
With her, Aarvika didn't feel confused.
She didn't have to think before speaking.
She didn't have to stay careful all the time.
For the first time—
being with someone felt easy.
It felt safe.
And that was enough.
Because Aarvika had understood something important.
Not everyone who comes into your life stays the same.
And not everyone who stays—
is meant to stay close.
Some distances are not losses.
Some are necessary.
And this time—
she understood the difference.