My Last And My Only

Chapter 71: Distance Learned in Silence

The following morning arrived with the familiar rhythm of another school day.

The university grounds were already alive by the time Lindtsey stepped through the front gates. She walked across the pathway, carefully avoiding the students rushing toward their first classes. Unlike most mornings, she wasn't running late. In fact, she had arrived almost twenty minutes earlier than usual, hoping to enjoy a few moments of peace before lectures consumed the rest of her day.

She stopped by the small coffee kiosk near the Communication building and ordered her usual iced latte. The barista smiled as he handed her the drink, already familiar with her order after nearly three years.

"Thank you."

She turned around, only to halt when she found someone standing a few feet away.

Christine.

Lindtsey rolled her eyes.

Of all the people she expected to see this early...

It wasn't her.

Christine looked just as surprised.

For a brief second, neither of them moved.

The silence felt oddly familiar.

Almost three years had already passed since the day Christine confessed her feelings. Years since Lindtsey, overwhelmed and unprepared, chose to quietly distance herself instead of facing the situation head-on.

They remained friends.
At least...
That's what everyone else believed.
Only the two of them knew that something had changed.

Something neither of them had found the courage to fix.

Christine was the first to recover.

"Good morning." She gave Lindtsey her sweetest smile.

Lindtsey again rolled her eyes. She didn't greet her back.

Christine laughed. That was exactly the kind of response she expected from Lindtsey. They were technically friends now, but things were still awkward whenever it was just the two of them. Old habits died hard, and most of the time, they still behaved more like enemies than friends.

Christine glanced at the empty table beside the kiosk.

"You waiting for someone?"

Lindtsey shook her head.

"No."

Christine smiled sheepishly.

"I was supposed to meet Francheska, but she texted me five minutes ago saying she overslept."

"OK." said Lindtsey with disinterested voice.

"Still addicted to iced lattes?"

Lindtsey raised an eyebrow.

"You're one to talk. You still drink caramel macchiatos every morning."

"So you remember." Christine chuckled.

The words slipped out before she could stop herself. Lindtsey looked away. Of course she remembered. She remembered a lot of things she wished she didn't. Friendship wasn't something you simply forgot. No matter how complicated it became.

A few buildings away, Khae walked slowly toward the Communication department. She had barely slept the night before. Not because she was thinking about the encounter in the hallway anymore. But because every time she closed her eyes she remembered the photograph Lindtsey had sent in the group chat.