There are some people in your life who start off as \u201cfriends,\u201d but somewhere along the way, that word just stops being enough. It feels too small for everything they\u2019ve come to mean. That\u2019s what happened with us three classmates who grew up sharing classrooms, chai, heartbreaks, and a hundred terrible selfies. <\/p>\n
Now? We\u2019re all in different corners of the world. <\/p>\n
One\u2019s abroad, chasing something big and beautiful. One\u2019s still in Kerala, just a few hours away but busy in his own world. And I\u2019m in Chennai living a life I never imagined but still carrying them quietly in everything I do. <\/p>\n
We\u2019re not the kind of friends who talk every day. In fact, there are weeks that pass without a single message. No good mornings. No \u201chow was your day?\u201d texts. But somehow, the bond never changes. It just lives in silence, in memory, in knowing. <\/p>\n
We\u2019re Not a Movie <\/p>\n
We\u2019re not like the best friends you see in movies. You know, the type who are constantly on calls, posting stories together, sending long messages on birthdays. That\u2019s not us. <\/p>\n
We don\u2019t do that. <\/p>\n
In fact, most of our chats begin with someone calling the other an idiot. Or roasting someone\u2019s new profile picture. Or pulling up an old embarrassing memory just for laughs. <\/p>\n
But behind all that nonsense is the kind of comfort you can\u2019t fake. <\/p>\n
We\u2019ve seen each other at our worst\u2014post-exam breakdowns, awkward haircuts, relationship messes, family drama. And somehow, we\u2019ve always found our way back to the same space, without apology or explanation. <\/p>\n
Teasing Is Our Love Language <\/p>\n
In our group, two of us always end up teasing the third. It could be anyone, really. Today it\u2019s me, tomorrow it\u2019s the other guy. But it\u2019s never mean. It\u2019s just how we talk\u2014how we show love. <\/p>\n
When one of us has a bad day, we still show up. Maybe not with flowers or big pep talks, but with memes, sarcasm, and an unspoken \u201cI got you.\u201d <\/p>\n
That\u2019s always been our way. <\/p>\n
Distance Changed Everything\u2014Except Us <\/p>\n
Back in college, we were inseparable. The same jokes, the same chai shop, the same corner in the canteen. We were each other\u2019s every day. <\/p>\n
Now we\u2019re building lives in different places, around different people. But when something really big happens\u2014when life hits hard or when something great finally works out\u2014I find myself typing into our group chat without even thinking. <\/p>\n
No matter how long it\u2019s been, we always pick up where we left off. No awkwardness. No guilt trips. Just connection. Pure, raw, and unshakable. <\/p>\n
We Fight. Of Course, We Do. <\/p>\n
I won\u2019t sugarcoat it\u2014we\u2019ve had fights. Misunderstandings. Times when one of us felt left out. Hurt. But the thing is, our fights have never lasted. <\/p>\n
Maybe because deep down, we know the bond is bigger than the ego. <\/p>\n
Even after an argument, when one of us really needed the others, we always came through. No questions asked. <\/p>\n
Friendship Doesn\u2019t Need a Day <\/p>\n
I don\u2019t really need Friendship Day to remember them. They\u2019re stitched into my life in ways I can\u2019t explain. <\/p>\n
Sometimes it\u2019s a song on the radio that reminds me of a trip we took. <\/p>\n
Sometimes it\u2019s the way I still make Maggi\u2014just like one of them used to. <\/p>\n
Sometimes it\u2019s just a meme I scroll past, and I smile, knowing exactly how they\u2019d react. <\/p>\n
That\u2019s the thing. We don\u2019t talk every day. But they never really leave. They\u2019re in my thoughts, my habits, my stories. <\/p>\n
Not \u201cGood Friends\u201d or \u201cBad Friends\u201d\u2014Just My Friends <\/p>\n
You know how people say there are good friends and bad friends? I don\u2019t believe in that. I think there are just your friends. The ones who understand your silence. Who know your old pain and your new hope? Who may not show up with flowers, but will always show up with you. <\/p>\n
We\u2019ve accepted that we\u2019re not going to be those perfect, picture-posting, quote-sharing kind of friends. We\u2019re messy. We\u2019re chaotic. We forget birthdays sometimes. We miss calls. But we\u2019re there when it truly matters. Always. <\/p>\n
So no, I won\u2019t be posting a \u201cHappy Friendship Day\u201d message for them on Instagram. I won\u2019t send long emotional texts either. <\/p>\n
But if they call, I\u2019ll pick up on the first ring. <\/p>\n
Because real friendship doesn\u2019t need a reminder. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
There are some people in your life who start off as \u201cfriends,\u201d but somewhere along the way, that word just stops being enough. It feels too small for everything they\u2019ve come to mean. That\u2019s what happened with us three classmates who grew up sharing classrooms, chai, heartbreaks, and a hundred terrible selfies. Now? We\u2019re all…<\/p>\n