The campus was buzzing with noise that week.
Student Week was coming up - a mix of competitions, departments' showcases, talent shows, and a mini-fair on the main field.
Lily was obsessed with it.
She dragged me to meetings, planning committees, practice sessions.
She signed us both up for a fashion walk that our department was organizing.
I didn't even argue - Lily's excitement was impossible to say no to.
Meanwhile, Kade had become the opposite.
He wasn't interested in anything that wasn't me.
Every time I told him about an activity with Lily, he reacted the same way:
"Oh... okay. But spend time with me later, yeah?"
"When are you done? Can you come over?"
"You don't need all those events, babe. I just want you."
It didn't sound dangerous.
Just... clingy.
But clinginess can feel flattering when you're in love - and I was.
Still, something felt heavier each day.
During practice for the walk, Lily kept glancing at me.
"You're distracted," she said, finally.
I shrugged it off, fixing my hair in a mirror.
"Seriously," she pressed, "is everything with you and Kade okay?"
I told her yes - because in my head, love was supposed to be intense, right?
Maybe this was normal.
Maybe I was overthinking.
Lily didn't push, but her expression stayed worried.
Gentle.
Protective.
After practice, Kade was waiting for me outside the arts hall.
He kissed me the moment he saw me - long, deep, like he was trying to prove something.
But when I pulled away slightly because people were walking by, he sighed, frustrated.
"Why are you acting distant?" he asked.
I blinked.
"I'm not."
"You kinda are," he said quietly. "I just... I want more from us."
He didn't say what "more" meant.
He didn't have to.
I already knew.
I told him the same thing I always did - I wanted to take things slow.
He nodded, but his jaw tightened.
He wasn't angry.
Just disappointed enough to sit in my chest for the rest of the night.
The next morning, I ran into Rav at the cafeteria.
I hadn't seen him properly in weeks.
He looked at me for a moment - a long moment - like he was checking if I was really okay.
"You've been... different," he said, picking up a bottle of water.
I rolled my eyes playfully.
"I have a boyfriend now. That alone is stressful."
He didn't laugh.
Instead he said, "Just don't forget yourself in the process."
Something about the way he said it stayed with me - soft, not judging, just... true.
On the day of the Student Week showcase, Me and Lily performed perfectly.
Everyone clapped, cheered, and screamed our names.
But when I came off stage, flushed and excited, the first thing Kade asked wasn't:
"How was it?"
"Are you happy?"
"Did you enjoy yourself?"
Instead he said:
"You took too long. I've been waiting."
I froze.
Just a second.
Just long enough for Lily to notice.
Then I smiled, brushing it off, telling him I was glad he came.
But that night, lying on my bed, replaying everything, a quiet thought crept in:
Why does he only care when it's about him?
And why do I keep pretending I don't notice?