By Friday, the tension had learned how to hide.
It wasn't loud. It didn't announce itself. It slipped between conversations and sat quietly in the spaces no one filled. Campus 2 looked the same as always, students crossing paths, laughter bouncing between buildings, life continuing without pause.
But for XH, everything felt slightly off-center.
He noticed it first in small ways.
NS no longer waited for him outside class. He didn't walk beside him without thinking. He didn't lean over to whisper comments during lectures. Instead, NS arrived early, sat farther away, and left quickly, like proximity itself had become something dangerous.
XH told himself it was nothing.
He told himself people had moods. That routines changed. That not everything meant something.
But the pit in his stomach disagreed.
That morning, XH arrived at lecture to find Kitty already seated near the aisle. She looked focused, flipping through her notes, lips pressed together in concentration. When she noticed him, her eyes softened.
"Morning," she said.
"Morning," XH replied, relieved by how natural it sounded.
He took the seat beside her this time, closer than he had in days. Their shoulders brushed lightly when he sat down.
Kitty didn't pull away.
That small acceptance felt bigger than it should have.
Behind them, TR dropped into a seat loudly. "Why do you both look like you're about to be accused of something?"
Kitty smiled faintly. "Because you're about to accuse us of something."
TR grinned. "Correct."
JP sat two rows ahead, already typing, headphones in, uninterested in anything that didn't involve efficiency. HS sat nearby, calm as ever. PL fidgeted with his pen, clearly bored already.
NS entered last.
He scanned the room once, eyes passing over XH and Kitty together. His jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.
Then he chose a seat on the opposite side.
XH felt it like a physical distance.
The lecture began, something about systems and processes, but XH struggled to focus. He kept glancing toward NS, watching the way his friend leaned forward, elbows on the desk, posture closed.
Kitty noticed.
"You okay?" she whispered.
XH nodded. "Yeah. Just… distracted."
Kitty followed his gaze, then looked back at her notes. "NS?"
XH hesitated. "He's been quiet."
Kitty's expression turned thoughtful. "He does that when he's bothered."
XH looked at her. "You noticed too?"
Kitty smiled gently. "I notice things."
That answer stayed with him.
When the lecture ended, students stood and moved all at once. XH packed his bag quickly and waited, hoping NS might slow down.
He didn't.
NS walked straight out.
XH caught up to him in the hallway. "Hey."
NS stopped, turning slowly. "Yeah?"
The tone was neutral. Too neutral.
"You leaving already?" XH asked.
NS shrugged. "Got things to do."
XH searched his face. "Did I do something?"
NS looked away for a moment, like he was deciding whether honesty was worth the trouble.
Then he looked back. "You ever think about how things look?"
XH frowned. "Look like what?"
NS's eyes flicked briefly down the hallway, where Kitty stood waiting a few steps away.
"Like that," NS said quietly.
XH followed his gaze, then looked back. "She's my friend."
NS let out a short breath. "You say that like it explains everything."
XH's chest tightened. "What's that supposed to mean?"
NS's voice stayed calm, but there was something sharp underneath. "It means you don't notice when you're pulling people in without deciding what to do with them."
The words hit harder than XH expected.
"I'm not pulling anyone," XH said defensively.
NS met his eyes. "That's worse."
Before XH could respond, Kitty approached, sensing the tension immediately.
"Hey," she said softly. "Is everything okay?"
NS straightened. "Yeah."
It was a lie, and they all knew it.
Kitty glanced between them. "Did I interrupt something?"
"No," XH said too quickly.
NS nodded. "We're done."
He walked away.
Kitty watched him go, worry creasing her brow. "He's upset."
XH exhaled slowly. "I think so."
"About… us?" she asked carefully.
XH hesitated. That hesitation was becoming a pattern. "I don't know."
Kitty studied him for a moment, then nodded. "Okay."
But her voice sounded less certain.
The day unfolded with that tension humming quietly beneath everything. During lunch, NS sat with JP and HS instead of the usual group. He laughed at something JP said, but the sound didn't reach his eyes.
TR noticed immediately. "Why does it feel like a breakup happened and nobody told me?"
PL squinted. "Is it us? Did we do something?"
TZ Royal leaned back. "Nah. This is personal drama."
Kitty poked at her food, appetite clearly gone. XH watched her, guilt pooling heavy in his chest.
After lunch, Kitty packed up early. "I'm going to the library," she said.
XH stood. "I'll come with—"
She paused, then smiled politely. "I need some quiet."
The rejection was gentle.
It still stung.
That evening, the group gathered in the common area as usual. TR and PL argued about a game. TZ Royal lay sprawled across a couch like stress didn't exist. HS sat reading.
XH arrived late.
NS was already there.
They didn't speak at first.
Finally, XH sat down across from him. "We should talk."
NS looked up slowly. "About what?"
"About earlier."
NS's expression hardened slightly. "I said what I needed to say."
XH leaned forward. "Then say it again."
Silence stretched.
NS exhaled. "You want the truth?"
"Yes."
NS's voice dropped. "You're selfish without realizing it."
XH stiffened. "That's not fair."
NS continued anyway. "You let people get close because it feels good. Because it's comfortable. But when it's time to choose, you freeze."
XH clenched his fists. "I'm not choosing between anyone."
"That's the problem," NS replied. "You don't think you are. But Kitty does."
The name landed like a weight.
XH's voice wavered. "I never promised her anything."
NS shook his head. "You don't have to promise. Attention is a promise when someone's already vulnerable."
XH stared at the floor. "I don't want to hurt her."
NS softened just a little. "Then stop pretending time will solve it for you."
TR cleared his throat loudly from the couch. "Do I need to leave, or is this a moment?"
"Stay," NS said flatly.
TR raised his hands. "I'll emotionally distance myself."
The tension cracked slightly.
NS stood. "I'm not saying this to fight. I'm saying it because I care."
XH looked up. "About me?"
NS met his eyes. "About all of you."
He walked away, leaving the words behind.
Later that night, XH found Kitty sitting alone near the dorm courtyard, headphones in, staring at nothing. He approached slowly.
"Hey," he said.
She looked up, surprised. "Oh."
"Can we talk?" he asked.
Kitty hesitated, then removed her headphones. "Okay."
They sat on a bench, space between them deliberate.
"NS thinks I'm hurting you," XH said.
Kitty's fingers curled around her sleeves. "Do you think you are?"
XH swallowed. "I don't want to."
"That's not the same thing," she said gently.
Silence followed.
Kitty looked at him then, eyes clear. "I like you. I think you know that."
XH's chest tightened painfully.
"But," she continued, "I won't compete for attention. And I won't stay if I feel like I'm being kept… undecided."
XH's voice was barely audible. "I never meant—"
"I know," Kitty said. "That's what scares me."
She stood.
"I need space," she said softly. "Just a little."
Then she walked away.
XH stayed seated, the night air cool against his skin, realizing something had shifted again.
Not dramatically.
But enough.
Across the courtyard, NS watched from a distance, expression unreadable.
The lines had been drawn.
And none of them knew how to step back without crossing something they couldn't uncross.