The Distance I Chose
That night, I was scrolling through YouTube on my mother's phone when a short video popped up with a quote:
"Sometimes, it's not the warning that scares you, it's the silence that follows."
After reading it, I just paused.
And then it started again, that moment replaying in my head.
Their words.
Their expressions.
The way Nitesh answered so casually.
Everything felt normal at first, but the more I thought about it, the heavier it became.
Somewhere in between all of that, a question started growing, one I didn't want to ask Neetu.
The next day felt different.
Nothing had changed on the outside.
Same classes. Same people. Same routine.
But inside me, something was off.
That warning didn't leave.
So I kept thinking about it, and the conclusion I reached was simple: maybe people around us were criticizing Neetu for being with someone like me.
That's why I started to slowly drift away from her.
At first, it felt wrong.
Like I was losing something without even being asked to.
But I still did it, because I thought it was the only way to protect her from criticism.
I slowly started pulling myself back.
Not because I wanted to, but becauseI thought she deserved better than me
And I tried to make sure she wouldn't notice.
So I didn't leave her life suddenly.
I just began to fade.
A little less talking.
A little more distance.
Until it started to feel normal.
But she was smart enough to notice.
She started questioning me, asking if I was ignoring her, and every time I tried to brush it off.
This went on for days.
Then one day, Neetu lost her cool.
She grabbed my wrist and said,
"If you got a new girlfriend, just tell me. But don't ignore me like this. It hurts."
I hesitated for a moment.
"New girlfriend? I don't talk to any girl except you."
She looked at me seriously.
"That's a good thing. But if you ever try to cheat on me, I'll smash your face. Got it?"
I gave a small, nervous smile.
"Understood."
Then she asked again,
"So tell me, why are you ignoring me?"
"I'm not ignoring you," I replied.
She didn't believe me.
"What happened to you? Are you hiding something? Did someone say something to you?"
I looked away.
"I can't tell you that," I said softly.
Her expression changed instantly.
"Is it really that important? You can't even tell me?"
By now, we had everyone's attention, which was the worst thing that could happen.
People started whispering.
"Are they fighting?"
"Maybe it's his fault."
"Look, Neetu is crying. It's definitely his fault."
That last line hit me.
Crying?
I looked at her face. Her eyes were filled with tears.
Finally, I gave in.
"Okay, fine. I'll tell you the reason."
I took a breath.
"I'm ignoring you because it's affecting my studies."
For a moment, she stood still.
Then suddenly, she slapped me and walked upstairs.
I stood there, stunned.
When I looked around, everyone was staring at me with shocked expressions.
I quietly went upstairs to find her.
She was standing alone on the balcony.
I walked over and stood beside her, but I had no words.
She spoke first.
"Did you ever think about me? About how I've been feeling these days? I kept thinking that maybe I did something wrong… maybe I hurt you."
I shook my head.
"It's not like that. I'm ignoring you because you said something that hurt me… but honestly, it's all getting too much for me to handle at the same time—studies, our relationship, school, homework."
I was about to tell her the real reason, but before I could—
She looked at me, with a faint smile and tears in her eyes.
"If that's the solution you came up with, then I'm not going to stop you."
After that, she left with Saniya and Divya.