CHAPTER 4

Chapter Four – The Quiet Distance

Monday morning came with the usual buzz of campus life—groups of students spilling into the courtyard, voices rising and falling like waves, the faint bell ringing above the chatter. Rudra sat at the back of the lecture hall, his notebook open but his mind restless. Almost unconsciously, his eyes kept flicking to the doorway.

When Ruhi finally walked in, her hair tied back neatly, a slim file of notes clutched in her hand, his heart gave a small jolt. She paused for a moment, her gaze skimming over the room. Their eyes met briefly—long enough for him to hope—but instead of walking toward her usual seat beside him, she offered a polite nod and slipped into a spot three rows ahead.

It was a small gesture. Almost unnoticeable. But Rudra felt it like a weight in his chest.

During the lecture, she didn’t turn around once. No whispered jokes between them, no exchanged glances. She was attentive, scribbling notes quickly, her shoulders squared in a way that almost screamed she didn’t want to be disturbed.

After class, Rudra caught up with her just outside the corridor.

“Ruhi,” he called softly.

She stopped, smiled politely—too politely. “Hey, Rudra.”

“You didn’t sit with me today,” he said lightly, trying not to sound hurt.

“I just… had some things to go over. Needed to focus,” she replied quickly, clutching her file tighter. “Anyway, I have to run. Some things to do.”

Before he could respond, she turned and walked away, her steps brisk, leaving him staring after her.

By lunchtime, unease had taken root in his chest. At the canteen, Arjun was retelling some ridiculous story, laughing at his own joke, Sameer doubling over beside him. Rudra forced a smile, but his gaze kept wandering around the crowded room.

“Where’s Ruhi?” he asked, trying to sound casual.

Samaira, sitting unusually close to him, stirred her coffee with slow, deliberate motions. A lazy smile played on her lips. “Library, probably. She’s been… keeping to herself lately.”

Rudra’s head turned. “You’ve noticed too?”

Samaira tilted her head, her voice soft but sharp. “Maybe she realised she doesn’t really fit in here. Different backgrounds, different worlds… you know how it is.”

His jaw tightened. “That’s not it.”

“Isn’t it?” Samaira leaned closer, her perfume drifting faintly toward him. “Sometimes people like her… they don’t want to get too close. Maybe she’s uncomfortable. Or maybe she’s just smart enough to know when not to cross lines.”

Her words struck deeper than he cared to admit. He looked away, unwilling to give her the satisfaction of seeing his turmoil. But the thought gnawed at him, clawing silently.

That evening, Rudra drove home in silence, the hum of the engine the only companion to his unsettled thoughts. The family estate, with its sprawling gardens and polished marble floors, looked grand under the fading light. Yet to him it felt like a hollow shell.

His uncle was away on business, as always. The staff moved quietly through the corridors, polite, efficient, but distant—like shadows instead of people.

In his room, Rudra sank into the chair by the window. The city lights blinked far in the distance, scattered stars against the darkening sky. He thought of his parents—of how the house had never felt like a home since their deaths. Empty spaces had become something he had grown used to.

But tonight, he felt the ache more sharply than ever. Because for the first time, he realised he didn’t want to get used to it anymore.

And somehow, without meaning to, it was Ruhi who had made that realisation take shape.

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