Days passed.
And something changed again.
But this time…
Not in the way Amara expected.
Kieran kept his distance.
No waiting.
No random conversations.
No quiet presence beside her.
Just space.
Exactly what she asked for.
And yet…
It didn't feel right.
It started with small things.
Like noticing his absence in places he used to be.
Like realizing no one was watching her the way he used to.
Like missing something she told herself she didn't need.
"You're thinking about him again," Tessa said one afternoon.
Amara frowned.
"I'm not."
"You are."
Amara looked away.
Because this time…
She couldn't argue.
"I just don't understand," she admitted quietly.
"Understand what?"
"Why it feels different now."
Tessa tilted her head.
"Because now he's not chasing you."
That answer hit immediately.
Amara went silent.
Because it made sense.
Before, she was trying to escape him.
Now?
She was noticing his absence.
And that scared her.
Because it meant something she didn't want to admit.
Meanwhile, across campus—
Kieran sat with his friends, barely paying attention to their conversation.
"She's talking to someone else, you know."
That statement pulled him back.
"What?" he asked.
His friend nodded toward the distance.
Kieran followed his gaze.
And there she was.
Amara.
Talking to a guy.
Laughing.
Not forced.
Not fake.
Real.
Something tightened in his chest.
"Who's that?" he asked, his voice lower now.
"New transfer student," his friend replied.
"Seems nice."
Nice.
Kieran didn't like that word.
Because "nice" was safe.
And safe…
Was something he had never been.
He watched them for a moment longer.
The way she smiled.
The way she looked comfortable.
And for the first time…
He felt it.
Something unfamiliar.
Something sharp.
Jealousy.