Episode 4

— Still Trying, Still Holding On

The distance didn’t arrive all at once.

It came quietly.

In the spaces between replies.

In the pauses before messages were sent.

In conversations that ended sooner than they used to.

They still talked.

But something had shifted.

Before, messages came naturally.

Now, she waited....

Sometimes minutes.....

Sometimes hours.....

When his reply finally came, it was short.

Too short.....

“I was busy.”

“Sorry, long day.”

“Talk later?”

She told herself it was okay.

Everyone gets busy.

Life doesn’t stop for feelings.

She tried to be understanding.

She didn’t complain.

Didn’t question too much.

Instead, she tried harder.

She sent good morning texts.

Checked if he ate.

Asked about his day.

Just like before.

He noticed.

And it made him feel guilty.

Because he still cared.

He still wanted to be there for her.

But his thoughts were heavier now.

The words his friends had said stayed in his mind.

This won’t work.

You’re too far.

Different places.

Different lives.

So he tried to protect her in his own way.

By not getting too close.

By hiding his fears.

By acting like everything was normal.

When she asked,

“Why are you so quiet lately?”

He replied,

“Nothing’s wrong. I’m just tired.”

She believed him.

Or maybe she wanted to.

Some nights, they still talked like old times.

Laughing at silly jokes.

Sharing random thoughts.

Teasing each other.

For a moment, it felt the same.

Like nothing had changed.

And those moments made the distance hurt more.

Because they reminded her of what they were slowly losing.

They still did video calls.

But not for hours.

Just a few minutes.

“Just wanted to see you,” she said once.

He smiled.

“Me too.”

And that smile made her stay.

Sometimes, he left her message on seen.

Not because he didn’t care.

But because he didn’t know what to say.

He replied later with,

“Sorry, I didn’t know how to reply.”

She typed,

“It’s okay.”

Even when it wasn’t.

She started noticing small things.

He didn’t ask as many questions.

Didn’t get jealous like before.

Didn’t react the same way.

It scared her.

Because jealousy meant feelings.

Silence felt like distance.

Still, she didn’t give up.

She believed in them.

In their bond.

In what they had built.

He tried too.

He checked on her when she went quiet.

“Are you okay?”

He remembered important dates.

Sent late replies even when tired.

He didn’t want to lose her.

Even if he didn’t know how to keep her close.

They were both trying.

In different ways.

Holding on from opposite sides.

One evening, she sent a long message.

About her day.

About how tired she was.

About missing him.

He read it slowly.

Then replied with,

“I’m here. Always.”

Those words meant everything to her.

Even if actions felt distant.

They still wished each other goodnight.

Still said “take care.”

Still checked if the other reached home safely.

Still acted like best friends.

Like something precious wasn’t slowly slipping through their fingers.

They didn’t talk about the distance.

Because talking about it would make it real.

And reality felt too heavy.

So they stayed quiet.

Smiling through screens.

Trying through texts.

Holding on through effort.

They weren’t the same anymore.

But they weren’t strangers either.

They were two people trying to save something they didn’t know how to define.

And somewhere between effort and silence…

Distance continued to grow.

Quietly.

Patiently.

Waiting.....

“They were still there — just not the same.

And as they slowly began putting others before each other,

a quiet question remained between them…

Were they growing up…

or growing apart.

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