Shabil suddenly laughed at something that wasn't even funny anymore. It was an old inside joke from years ago, the kind only a few people would still understand. “Ribs” by Lorde happened to be playing, and for a second he felt that weird ache of realizing how much had changed since then. People who used to be around every day now had their own lives, conversations became occasional check-ins, and those carefree days slowly turned into stories he told with a “remember when?” He hated how nostalgic it made him feel, because nothing was really wrong—life was just moving forward without asking if he was ready. And honestly, that was the part that hurt.