Arista's POV
By the time exams were officially announced, everyone was memorizing syllabus but I had memorized Kaelor's pattern.
Monday — present.
Tuesday — absent.
Wednesday — present but distant.
Thursday — absent again.
It wasn't the absence that hurt the most.
It was the unpredictability.
I hated not knowing which version of him I'd get — the one who teased me for chewing pens or the one who didn't even look at me.
The notice board outside the staff room was crowded, papers layered over papers, red ink circling dates.
EXAMS BEGIN NEXT WEEK.
Advi groaned beside me. "I swear, time just jumps when we're not ready."
"Yeah," I said, but my eyes drifted elsewhere.
Kaelor was standing near the staircase, laughing at something Devin said. His smile reached his lips but not his eyes.
Something in my chest tightened.
He felt… halfway gone.
---
Kaelor's POV
I could feel her watching.
I always could.
That awareness never faded — not even on the days I convinced myself distance was safer. Especially on those days.
"Bro, you're spacing out again," Devin muttered.
"I'm listening," I replied automatically.
He raised an eyebrow. "You sure? Because you've been weird lately."
Weird.
That word followed me everywhere.
I wasn't weird. I was trapped between staying and leaving, between honesty and protection.
And exams were making it worse.
Because endings always arrived quietly — disguised as routine.
---
Arista's POV
Group study sessions began after school.
Sana spread books across the library table. Meera highlighted notes aggressively. Zoe pretended to study while watching everyone else.
Kaelor didn't show up.
Again.
"You said he'd come," Zoe said, checking her phone.
I didn't reply.
I stopped waiting after the third time.
Later that evening, as I packed my bag, footsteps echoed behind me.
"Arista."
I turned.
Kaelor stood there, breath slightly uneven, as if he'd rushed.
"I… got held up," he said.
"It's fine," I replied, too quickly.
"It's not," he said quietly.
I looked at him then — really looked.
Dark circles under his eyes. Shoulders tense. Smile missing.
"You don't have to explain," I said softly. "Just don't pretend everything's normal."
He swallowed.
"I'm trying," he admitted.
"That's not the same thing."
I walked past him before he could respond.
For the first time, it felt like I was protecting myself.
---
Kaelor's POV
She was right.
Pretending was my biggest crime.
I watched her walk away and realized something terrifying —
She was learning how to exist without me.
And I had taught her how.
---
The next few days blurred together.
Classes. Revisions. Silence.
Some days I showed up. Some days I didn't.
And every time I wasn't there, I imagined her noticing the empty seat — imagining her eventually not noticing at all.
That scared me more than leaving.
---
Arista's POV
The last working day before exams arrived quietly.
No announcements. No drama.
Just the weight of something ending.
I walked into class early and stopped short.
Kaelor was already there.
Sitting in his seat.
Alive. Real. Here.
He looked up, surprised — then smiled gently.
"Morning," he said.
"Morning," I replied.
For a moment, it felt like old times.
Almost.
During class, I caught him glancing at me more than once. Like he wanted to say something but didn't know how.
At lunch, he sat beside me.
"I won't be here much during exams," he said suddenly.
My fingers tightened around my water bottle. "Why?"
He hesitated. "Personal stuff."
"That's vague."
"I know."
Silence stretched.
"Are you leaving?" I asked finally.
He looked at me then — really looked — and his eyes softened.
"Not yet."
Not yet.
The words felt like a warning. I don't want him to leave. Even if it's not now . I was feeling like I was all tied up and someone was tearing my heart like a paper and I couldn't do anything.
---
Kaelor's POV
I wanted to tell her everything.
About the decision I was being forced to make.
About how staying meant lying.
About how leaving meant losing her.
But exams weren't the right time.
And maybe… I wasn't brave enough.
So I stood up and smiled.
"Study well," I said lightly. "You'll top again."
She rolled her eyes. "You sound like you're saying goodbye."
I froze.
Then laughed. "you are overthinking."
She didn't laugh back.
---
Arista's POV
Exams came and went.
Long hours. Quiet halls. Stress-induced headaches.
And Kaelor…
He vanished.
Not completely — just enough to hurt.
Sometimes he showed up for a paper. Sometimes he didn't.
Sometimes his seat was warm. Sometimes it was painfully empty.
On the last exam day, I waited.
He never came.
As I walked out of the hall, papers done, heart unsettled, Devin stopped me.
"Arista."
"Yes?"
He looked uncomfortable. "Kaelor wanted to tell you something. But… he left."
"Left where?"
He hesitated. "I don't think he's coming back after this session."
The world tilted.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean… he's done with this school."
The words felt unreal.
I nodded slowly. "Okay."
But nothing was okay. At that moment 'okay' word can't even describe what I was saying.