Arista's POV
The last exam ended without applause.
Just the scrape of chairs, the thud of bags hitting shoulders, and the strange silence that follows something important ending.
I walked out slowly, letting everyone pass me. My brain felt numb, like it had run out of thoughts.
Outside, Sana stretched her arms. "Freedom at last."
"Temporary freedom," Mira corrected. "New session in a week."
Zoe laughed. "Still. I'm sleeping for two days straight."
I smiled at them, but it didn't reach my eyes.
Because one seat had stayed empty through the entire exam week.
And now that everything was over, that absence felt louder than ever.
---
Kaelor's POV
I stood outside the campus gate, backpack slung over one shoulder, watching students pour out.
I didn't go in.
I couldn't.
I had already said goodbye to the building — to the classrooms, the corridors, the laughter during games period.
But not to her.
That was the hardest part.
Leaving without closure feels cowardly.
But staying would have been cruel.
So I watched from a distance, memorizing the way she walked, the way she tilted her head when she listened, the way she laughed with her friends.
I told myself this was necessary.
I didn't believe it.
---
Arista's POV
A week later, the new session began.
Fresh timetables. Rearranged seating. New notice boards.
I walked into the classroom with Advi, chatting absently about subjects and electives.
Then I stopped.
His seat was still there.
But it was empty.
"Maybe he's late," Advi said casually.
I nodded.
But something inside me already knew.
First period passed.
Second period passed.
Lunch came and went.
The seat stayed empty.
---
Kaelor's POV
I was on a train by then.
Fields blurred past the window, green fading into gray.
My phone buzzed in my pocket.
Messages from Devin. From Tarek.
I didn't open them.
I knew what they'd say.
She's asking.
They've noticed.
You should have told her.
I closed my eyes.
I imagined her sitting in class, pretending not to care.
That image hurt more than anything else.
---
Arista's POV
By the third day, rumors started.
"He transferred."
"No, expelled."
"My cousin saw him at another school."
None of them felt real.
On the fourth day, Devin finally sat beside me during break.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Yes," I lied.
He sighed. "You're not."
I didn't respond.
He leaned back, staring at the ceiling. "Kaelor left."
The words landed gently — and still broke something.
"When?" I asked.
"After exams."
"Why?"
Devin hesitated. "He didn't say. Just told me to… look out for you."
I laughed softly. "He always does things like that."
"Yeah," Devin said. "That's the problem."
---
Kaelor's POV
I stood in my new room that night — unfamiliar walls, unfamiliar silence.
Everything was different.
Except my thoughts.
I pulled out my phone, scrolled to her name.
Stopped.
I had chosen distance.
I had to live with it.
---
Arista's POV
Days passed.
Life resumed its rhythm.
Classes. Notes. Laughter.
But something fundamental had shifted.
I caught myself glancing at the door during attendance.
Waiting for footsteps that never came.
One afternoon, as sunlight poured into the classroom, I looked at his empty seat and felt something settle inside me.
Not pain.
Acceptance.
"He left," I whispered to myself.
And for the first time, I allowed myself to feel it fully.
Not the loss of a boy.
But the loss of a chapter.
I was going inside the classroom and suddenly Derek stopped me.
"He finally cleared my way."
"You knew that Kaelor was going to leave. Then you must've known that why he left. Why?!" I yelled so loud at him that the whole corridor started looking at us. A tear ran down my cheeks.
"I had already told you to stay away from people around you you don't know what they have been hiding from you but you didn't listened to me back then-"
"Stop the crap and tell me" I stopped him in mid sentence.
"Why are you asking me about him? You should ask to the person who left you unanswered. Mr. Kaelor Han himself."
Actually he was right. I was just banging my head on the wall by asking him all this.
I ignored him and went in the class.
---
Kaelor's POV
Somewhere between stations, I realized something important.
Leaving didn't erase what we were.
It just paused it.
And pauses… aren't endings.
---
Arista's POV
On the last day of the week, as I packed my bag, Sana nudged me.
"You okay?"
I nodded. "Yeah."
She smiled knowingly. "You'll be more than okay." she left, leaving me behind.
I looked once more at the empty seat. I went near and sat on it. I moved my hand on the desk , trying to imagine how he'd look while sitting here, teasing me. Unknowingly a tear fell down my cheeks and fell down on the desk. I wiped it and I saw something written on it.I think it's korean. Did Kaelor knew Korean?
"How many secrets are you hiding Kaelor?" I wispered.
I finally stood up looked at it a final time
Then I turned away. Deciding this was an end of an era.