Kitty POV: Noise Without Warmth
The restaurant was louder than Kitty expected.
Music pulsed softly in the background. Glasses clinked. People laughed too easily, too loudly, like the night had already promised them something good and they were trying to keep up.
She sat across from him, hands folded loosely around her phone.
The guy smiled. He was nice. That was the problem.
Nice meant easy conversation. Nice meant attentive questions that didn't require real answers. Nice meant she could talk without risking anything important.
"So," he said, leaning back slightly, "you seem… different lately."
Kitty smiled. "Different how?"
He shrugged. "More confident. Like you don't care what people think."
The compliment slid off her.
She stirred her drink slowly, watching the ice spin. "Maybe I just stopped waiting."
He laughed lightly. "Waiting for what?"
Kitty hesitated.
Waiting for someone to decide she mattered enough to chase.
She didn't say that.
"Nothing," she replied instead.
The conversation continued smoothly. Too smoothly. They talked about classes, rumors, how chaotic the campus felt lately. He made jokes. She laughed at the right moments.
She even reached across the table once, touching his hand briefly.
The gesture felt practiced.
Empty.
When he smiled wider at the contact, something inside her twisted—not excitement, but guilt. Not because she was doing something wrong.
Because she was doing something meaningless on purpose.
Her phone buzzed on the table.
A group chat notification.
She didn't open it.
She already knew what she'd see.
Someone worrying about majors. Someone making a joke to hide fear. Someone pretending the night was normal.
Someone missing.
"So," he said, breaking the silence, "should we do this again?"
Kitty looked up at him.
She saw kindness. Interest. Predictability.
And suddenly, she wanted none of it.
"Maybe," she said gently.
He nodded, satisfied with that.
That was the moment she realized attention could keep you busy, but it couldn't keep you warm.
When the date ended, she walked back alone despite his offer to accompany her. The campus lights glowed softly ahead.
She didn't feel heartbroken.
She felt hollow.
June POV: Choosing Distance
June woke early the next morning.
Not because she had to.
Because she needed to think before the day demanded things from her.
She sat at her desk, notebook open, pen unmoving. Her thoughts weren't chaotic. They were precise.
She replayed the moment from the night before.
XH standing up.Hesitating.Sitting back down.
Not because he didn't care.
Because he didn't want the storm.
June closed her eyes briefly.
She had seen this before.
Men who wanted love but feared disruption. Men who delayed truth until circumstances made decisions for them.
She had promised herself she wouldn't build a future on that.
When she arrived on campus, she moved differently.
More contained.
More deliberate.
She greeted people politely but didn't linger. She sat farther from XH in class. Not dramatically. Just enough.
XH noticed immediately.
He leaned toward her during the break. "Are you okay?"
She smiled politely. "Of course."
The distance in the word was unmistakable.
"You left early last night," he said.
June nodded. "I needed sleep."
"That's not all," he pressed gently.
June looked at him then, really looked.
"I'm still here," she said calmly. "I'm just not leaning forward anymore."
The honesty stung.
She didn't soften it.
"I don't chase hesitation," June continued. "I observe it."
XH swallowed. "I didn't mean to—"
"I know," she interrupted gently. "Intent doesn't erase impact."
She gathered her things and walked away before the conversation could spiral into apology without change.
As she crossed the courtyard, she felt lighter.
Not happier.
Clearer.
Distance wasn't punishment.
It was protection.
NS: Saying What No One Else Will
NS found XH near the vending machines again.
He didn't announce himself.
He never did.
"You look like hell," NS said calmly.
XH snorted. "Good morning to you too."
NS leaned against the wall. "You didn't go after her."
XH stiffened. "You saw?"
NS nodded. "Everyone saw."
The words landed heavier than any accusation.
"I didn't want to make things worse," XH said defensively.
NS's gaze sharpened. "You already did."
XH looked away. "It's not that simple."
"It never is," NS replied. "But you keep using that as an excuse."
XH exhaled sharply. "What do you want me to do?"
NS crossed his arms. "Choose."
XH laughed bitterly. "That's easy for you to say."
NS stepped closer, voice low but steady. "No, it's not. But I do it anyway."
Silence stretched between them.
"You think you're protecting people by waiting," NS continued. "You're not. You're forcing them to protect themselves from you."
The truth hit harder than anger.
Kitty walked past at a distance then, laughing softly with someone else.
XH watched her go, chest tight.
"She's not okay," XH murmured.
NS nodded. "No. But she's coping."
June crossed the courtyard on the opposite side, posture calm, eyes forward.
"And her?" XH asked.
NS didn't hesitate. "She's closing the door. Slowly. Politely."
XH's stomach dropped.
"I don't know how to stop hurting people," XH admitted.
NS looked at him steadily. "Start by hurting yourself a little. Be uncomfortable. Walk into the storm."
XH swallowed. "What if I choose wrong?"
NS's voice softened just slightly. "Then you'll finally be responsible."
XH leaned back against the wall, the weight of it pressing down on him.
NS pushed off the wall. "You don't get infinite pauses."
Then he walked away.
Collision Without Contact
That evening, the group gathered again.
Routine had become ritual. Even when things fractured, familiarity pulled them together.
Kitty arrived late.
Alone.
She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes.
June arrived shortly after.
She sat across from XH instead of beside him.
The space was intentional.
TR tried to lighten the mood. "Okay, no drama rule tonight."
PL laughed nervously. "That's impossible."
Kitty laughed too. The sound was lighter than before. Brighter.
Armor polished.
June watched quietly.
XH felt like he was sitting between two closed doors.
At one point, Kitty caught his gaze.
Just for a second.
Something passed between them.
Not anger.
Not longing.
Acknowledgment.
Then she looked away.
June stood to leave early.
"I have an early morning," she said calmly.
XH stood too. "June—"
She paused.
"Yes?"
"I'm trying," he said.
June studied him for a moment.
"I believe you," she replied. "But belief isn't the same as safety."
She left.
Kitty watched her go, then looked at XH again.
"You should go after her," Kitty said quietly.
The words shocked him.
Kitty smiled faintly. "You always wait too long."
Then she stood, gathered her bag, and left too.
XH stood frozen.
Two exits.
One moment.
And for the first time, he didn't sit back down.
He took a step forward.
Not toward either door yet.
But forward.
Outside, Campus 2 hummed with uncertainty. Students still switched majors. The private university absorbed rumors like it always did, bruised but standing.
Inside XH, something shifted again.
This time, it wasn't confirmation.
It was pressure.
And pressure, finally, was starting to move him.