“Van, are you busy?” Devandra’s voice came through the phone.

Vania stared at her screen. The call rang for a long time, but she didn’t answer. She just looked at his name, her thumb hovering over the accept button, then slowly pulling away.

The ringing stopped. She exhaled softly. I need space… I need distance.

For the past few days, Vania had been deliberately keeping her distance from Devandra. The short messages he sent were barely glanced at, never replied to. Phone calls went unanswered. She even took different routes just to avoid “accidentally” running into him.

But somehow, Devandra always showed up.

---

That afternoon, Vania sat at a...