Closeness wasn't just about proximity.
You could be right next to someone and still feel miles apart.
That was what Akutu and Nathan were beginning to realize.
Because sometimes, life pulled people in different directions.
And no matter how much they cared for each other, they weren't immune to the pull.
It started subtly.
Missed calls. Delayed replies. Plans that never quite happened.
Akutu was drowning in assignments, group projects, and extracurricular activities. Some nights, she barely had time to eat, let alone sit on the phone for hours like before.
Nathan, on the other hand, was struggling to balance his own workload. His internship applications were taking up more of his time, and his commitment to student leadership demanded even more.
They weren't ignoring each other.
But something felt… different.
Something felt distant.
One Friday evening, Akutu finally had a free moment. She checked her phone and realized Nathan hadn't texted her all day.
A month ago, she wouldn't have noticed.
Now?
Now, it bothered her.
She hesitated before typing a message.
Akutu: Hey, are we okay?
The response didn't come immediately. When it did, it was short.
Nathan: Of course. Just busy.
She stared at the screen, feeling a pang of something she couldn't quite define.
Was he really too busy, or was this the beginning of something she didn't want to name?
Nathan wasn't blind to what was happening either.
He knew they weren't as connected as they had been weeks ago.
But he didn't know how to fix it.
Should he be making more effort?
Or was this just part of life—the natural ebb and flow of relationships?
And if it was…
How did he know when the distance was temporary and when it was the start of something breaking?
That Sunday, they met at their usual spot outside the library.
Akutu looked at him carefully, trying to find the right words. "Nathan, do you feel like we're… I don't know… drifting?"
Nathan exhaled. "Yeah."
They sat in silence for a moment, both trying to figure out what to say next.
Then, Akutu took a deep breath. "I don't want to lose what we have. But I also don't want to force something if it's not working."
Nathan nodded slowly. "So what do we do?"
She thought for a moment. "Maybe we stop expecting things to be like they were before. Maybe we accept that sometimes, life pulls us apart—but that doesn't mean we don't care about each other."
Nathan smiled faintly. "So… we just let things be?"
Akutu reached for his hand. "We let things flow."
Nathan squeezed her fingers gently. "I can do that."
And for now, that was enough.
The pulleys of life had shifted once again.