Sam, James, Mark, Julie, Elena, and a handful of others became inseparable during their first year of college. Late night study sessions turned into spontaneous road trips, movie nights, and traditions that made campus feel like home. James was the sarcastic one who could make anyone laugh, Mark was dependable and levelheaded, Julie had a way of keeping everyone together, and Elena brought a quiet confidence that balanced the chaos. Somewhere between all those shared moments, Sam fell completely in love with her.

Their relationship lasted nearly two years. They fit together naturally, supporting each other through exams, family problems, and every milestone college threw at them. But as graduation grew closer, so did the realization that they wanted different futures. Sam dreamed of traveling the world before settling anywhere. Elena wanted to stay close to home, build a career, and create a stable life after graduation. Neither of them wanted the other to give up those dreams, so they ended things together, believing it was the right decision even if it hurt.

Since then, they had become experts at pretending everything was fine. Around their friends, Sam could joke with James while Elena laughed with Julie, and they would occasionally exchange a casual smile as if nothing had changed. If someone mentioned the time they all went camping or brought up an old inside joke from when Sam and Elena were together, they both smiled through it without missing a beat. They congratulated each other on good grades, wished each other luck before presentations, and spoke politely whenever the group was together. To everyone else, they looked like two mature exes who had moved on without any drama.

The act always fell apart whenever they were left alone. Walking to the parking lot after class became an unbearable stretch of silence. Waiting for coffee while everyone else looked for a table somehow felt longer than an entire lecture. Even standing beside each other in line at the bookstore was enough to make both of them suddenly interested in their phones. Every word felt carefully chosen, every pause stretched too long, and every glance reminded them that neither of them had really let go. They wanted to look okay for each other just as much as they wanted to look okay for everyone else, but pretending only made the awkwardness worse.

One Friday night, the group crowded into their usual booth at the local bar. James kept everyone laughing with ridiculous stories, Mark argued about sports with strangers at the next table, and Julie somehow convinced half the group to play darts. Sam laughed when everyone else laughed. Elena smiled when everyone else smiled. From the outside, it looked exactly like it always had.

As the night wound down, people slowly started leaving. Mark remembered he had an early class. Julie offered James a ride. One by one, everyone filtered out until the booth was quiet.

Sam and Elena sat across from each other in the empty booth, surrounded by abandoned glasses and the muffled sound of music filling the silence neither of them seemed willing to break.

"Uh.… I think they changed the lights in here."