Just A Friend?

Chapter Four

Days slipped by in a blur, each one leaving Sweety feeling more invisible, more forgotten, as Prabhas seemed to slip further and further away from her. He was always with Teju Sri now, laughing with her, talking to her, walking her to and from classes. The tight-knit bond that Sweety had shared with him for years felt like it was unraveling before her eyes. Every time she tried to reach out, he was too busy or too distracted, leaving her heart aching in a way she never thought possible.

The love that had bloomed in her heart was no longer just a whisper—it had grown into something undeniable, something that consumed her thoughts and made her chest tighten with every glance he cast towards someone else. She knew she loved him now, with a certainty that was both exhilarating and terrifying. But every time she gathered the courage to confess her feelings, Teju Sri was there, occupying the space that used to belong to her.

Then, one afternoon, she saw him sitting alone in the canteen, his usual companion is nowhere in sight. It felt like a moment of fate, a fleeting opportunity that she couldn't afford to miss. Her heart pounded in her chest as she rushed over, almost tripping over her own feet in her eagerness. She slid into the chair across from him, breathless, her hands trembling slightly as she grasped the edge of the table.

"Prabhas!" she called out, her voice louder than she intended, but she didn't care.

Prabhas looked up from his phone, his expression a mix of confusion and mild amusement. "What?" he asked, his tone light, as though he didn't quite grasp the seriousness in her voice.

Sweety's heart tightened at his casual response, but she pushed forward, hoping he would finally see the hurt he was causing her. "Why haven't you been spending time with me? We used to be inseparable, and now... now you're always with Teju," she said, her voice cracking under the weight of the emotions she'd been holding back for far too long.

He blinked, clearly taken aback by her outburst. With a dismissive shrug, Prabhas returned his attention to his phone, as if their conversation were a trivial distraction. "Can't you see I'm busy with Teju? We've been hanging out, and she's just... fun," he said, his tone light, as though he believed he was explaining something simple, something obvious.

The casualness of his words only fanned the flames of irritation burning in Sweety's chest. She leaned forward, her hands clenching into fists as she tried to contain the frustration that had been building inside her. "That's exactly what I'm asking, Prabhas! Why is she so important to you now? Why does she get all your attention while I'm left behind?" Her voice was tinged with both anger and a deep-seated sadness, the kind that only comes from feeling invisible to someone who once made you feel seen.

Finally, he looked up at her, but instead of the understanding she was desperate to see in his eyes, there was only a faint flicker of annoyance. He frowned slightly, as though she was making a fuss over nothing. "What's your problem, Sweety?" he asked, his tone sharper than he likely intended. "It's just that she's gorgeous, she's the hottest girl in college, and I need to make sure I win her over before someone else does."

He said it so matter-of-factly, with the air of someone who believed he was merely stating the obvious. Sweety felt her throat tighten, a painful lump forming as she struggled to keep her emotions in check. She wanted to tell him how much his words hurt, how much she wanted to be seen as more than just the girl who was always there for him.

She wasn't ready to back down, not yet. "I'm beautiful too, Prabhas!" she insisted, the words escaping her lips with a quiet desperation that she struggled to conceal. There was a trembling vulnerability in her tone now, as if she was holding onto the edge of something precious that was slipping away. "Why can't you see me that way? Why can't we be a couple?"