Love Before Graduation

Tuition finally ended — and it felt like my heart let out a long, tired breath.

"Thank God..."

That awkward, tangled, sometimes funny, sometimes silently suffocating session was finally over.

I quietly closed my notebook and slipped it into my bag... along with that candy Arin had given me.

I’d told myself, "It doesn’t mean anything."

And yet, I kept it.

As if someone had silently touched my hand and said, "You still matter."

The rain had stopped, but the air was still damp — like the scent of dried tears on an old love letter.

With each step, my sneakers splashed a little — water, memories, or maybe some nameless feeling.

I couldn’t tell.

"I’m starving now, yaar," Riyan muttered, like he was carrying a burden he couldn’t wait to drop.