Main Beta hu : Stuck in Time Loop

Chapter - 2 End of a Friendship

The unraveling of Arjun and Aarav's friendship began subtly, as most deep fractures do. What had started as an easy bond of shared laughs and mutual interests—debating WWE champions, swapping notes, and passing time watching matches—began to fade into a growing chasm during their 11th standard.

Saumya entered the picture like a queen stepping into a palace. She was a girl whose beauty and confidence captivated everyone. Untouchable, magnetic, and seemingly above it all, Saumya was the kind of person whose presence alone shifted dynamics in a room. Arjun, like everyone else, was entranced. He admired her from a distance, weaving quiet fantasies where she might one day notice him.

But it wasn't Arjun she noticed—it was Aarav. His funny, effortless charm and knack for connecting with people drew her in. It started innocently, with brief conversations at the back of the classroom. Soon, the two of them were talking during breaks, texting late into the night, and sharing laughs in ways that seemed alien to Arjun. Their budding relationship became official not long after, and suddenly Aarav was no longer the same person to Arjun.

Aarav began skipping their usual WWE debates to hang out with Saumya and her clique, the "cool crowd." Movie nights and hangouts with Arjun became rare, then nonexistent. When Arjun called, Aarav's responses were short, distracted. "Sorry, bro, I have plans with Saumya. Next time, okay?"

There was no next time. Each ignored call or casual brush-off felt like a splinter driving deeper into Arjun's heart. The jealousy Arjun initially felt toward Aarav was small—a pang of envy at seeing his friend achieve what he had always dreamed of: a connection with a girl like Saumya. But as time passed, that envy twisted into something darker. It wasn't just about Saumya anymore; it was about Aarav leaving him behind, choosing a life and a crowd that didn't include Arjun.

Arjun's resentment grew in silence, feeding on every slight—real or imagined. He began to see Aarav as selfish, a user who had taken his help with studies only to abandon him when he no longer needed it. The betrayal felt personal. Arjun wanted to say something, to call Aarav out, but the words never came. He withdrew instead, retreating into himself, his fantasies of Saumya now tinged with bitterness.

By the time school ended, their friendship was a ghost of what it once was. They barely spoke during farewell events, and after graduation, they went their separate ways. Aarav and Saumya stayed together, their relationship growing stronger. Social media became a cruel mirror for Arjun, reflecting the life Aarav was living—a life Arjun had once dreamed of. Saumya's radiant posts, their romantic dates, the vacations they took together—it all felt like salt in a wound.

Years later, when Aarav and Saumya got married, the news reached Arjun through mutual friends. He didn't attend the wedding. He couldn't. The hatred he had nurtured for Aarav made it impossible to wish him well, even after all these years. It wasn't just about losing a friend anymore—it was about losing the version of life Arjun had built in his head, a version where he was the one with the confidence, the girl, the happy ending.

Now, as an adult, Arjun carries that baggage, the weight of jealousy and betrayal still heavy on his shoulders. But the world hasn't stopped moving.