(Michelle Lui's POV)
Monday mornings always had their own kind of heaviness, but this one felt… different.
Not dramatic. Not sad. Just a quiet sort of strange — like one piece of the group's usual dynamic was missing.
It was only when I stepped onto the campus grounds, watching students shuffle around with coffee cups and half-awake expressions, that it clicked.
This was the first Monday without Andy.
No loud greetings from across the courtyard.
No teasing remarks thrown at Steven.
No dramatic monologues about his future awards.
The air felt too still.
I adjusted my bag on my shoulder and walked toward our building, the morning breeze tugging at the ribbons of my blouse. Everything looked the same as last week — the same trees lining the walkway, the same groups chatting by the benches — yet something essential was different.
After all, Andy's presence was like a bright lamp.
Turn it off, and you only then realize how much light it was giving.
Lara found me first.
