There was a time my best friend and I were inseparable, we could finish each other’s sentences, we did almost everything together from buying food in school to gisting late into the night about random things, she was my go to person for advice, jokes and even silence then slowly, things started changing, it wasn’t sudden, it just happened. Calls reduced, chats became shorter and then the vibe wasn’t the same again, I noticed it but I kept brushing it off, thinking maybe it was just a phase that will pass, sometimes I would call and she would say, “I will call you back" but the call never came till today then one day, I saw her at a party, she was laughing with some new friends and for a second, I felt like an outsider. She looked genuinely happy but not in a way that included me anymore, I smiled but it wasn’t a genuine smile, it was one of those smiles that hide a small sting inside and when we finally talked that night, the conversation felt forced like two people trying to remember how they used to be close.
That night, I couldn’t sleep, I kept replaying everything in my head, wondering if I did something wrong but as time went on, I realised it wasn’t about fault but people just grow differently and sometimes the person who once understood your silence suddenly doesn’t get your words anymore.
It still hurts sometimes but I have made peace with it and I learned that distance doesn’t erase memories but it just changes how we see them and even if we are not as close as before, she will always be a part of my story.
Though I still think of her sometimes and I smile saying to myself maybe we both served our purpose in each other’s lives, maybe we were meant to grow together for a season, not forever and that is okay because losing my best friend without a fight taught me one thing that love and connection don’t always stay the same but the memories will always remain beautiful.
It is actually how some goodbyes don’t come with words, just silence that says everything.