Chapter 35

Subhi

The last time I saw Abhimanyu, he had broken down in front of me. He had let out the pain he had been hiding for so long, and in that moment, I had hugged him—not out of pity, but because I couldn’t bear to see him like that. I had never seen someone so shattered, yet trying so hard to hold themselves together.

But after that day, he disappeared.

At first, I thought he just needed space. Maybe he was embarrassed about what happened. Maybe he wanted time to process everything. But when he didn’t show up the next day, or the day after that, worry settled in my chest.

I tried asking around, but no one knew anything. Even his closest friends just shrugged, saying they hadn’t talked to him.

The days stretched painfully. Every morning, my eyes unconsciously searched for him in the hallways, in the classroom, in the library. But he was nowhere. It was like he had vanished.

And it hurt more than I wanted to admit.

I couldn’t focus on anything—classes felt meaningless, conversations felt empty. My mind kept replaying that moment over and over again. The way his voice cracked, the way his walls crumbled, the way he held onto me like I was the only thing keeping him from falling apart.

And then he left.

Why?

Was it because of me? Did I do something wrong?

The guilt was suffocating.

One evening, after another exhausting day of waiting for him, I went out for a walk. The air was cool, the streets quiet except for a few kids playing in the distance. I wasn’t even sure where I was going—I just needed to clear my mind.

And then I saw him.

Sitting alone on a park bench, his head down, elbows resting on his knees. His posture was slouched, defeated. The sight of him sent a jolt through me.

For a second, I froze.

He looked different. More tired. More distant.

I wanted to run to him, to shake him and ask why he had been avoiding me. But I hesitated.

What if he didn’t want to see me?

What if he had left because of me?

Taking a deep breath, I took a step forward. Then another. My heart pounded as I walked toward him, each step heavier than the last.

And just as I reached him, he slowly lifted his head.

His eyes met mine.

And in that moment, I realized—he had been waiting too.

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