There’s something about college friendships that feels especially intense. Maybe it’s the shared stress, the growing pains, or the fact that you’re all figuring things out at the same time. But just as quickly as those friendships form, life has a way of quietly pulling people in different directions. No big fallout, no dramatic ending—just distance, time, and new routines.
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I met my college best friend, Ella, while I was studying at the University of Santo Tomas. We were classmates in PE, which, if you’ve ever taken a PE class in college, you know is already a bonding experience in itself.
It was our freshman year, and she approached me after noticing that we were from the same college—same uniforms, same building, same general sense of familiarity. That small moment turned into a friendship that defined a big part of my college years.
She was, without a doubt, the Serena van der Woodsen to my Blair Waldorf. She loved Gossip Girl, talked about it often, and somehow managed to pull me into that world too. Through her, I picked up the references, the characters, the iconic lines. It became one of those shared interests that only made sense within the friendship. We spent a lot of time together—between classes, after school, during moments that felt ordinary then but stand out now.
After graduation, things slowly changed. We stopped talking regularly. Careers began, priorities shifted, and the years passed faster than expected. Eight years went by. There wasn’t a clear moment where we decided to stop being friends—it just happened. Occasionally, I’d think about her, wonder how she was doing, what life looked like for her now, but I never acted on it.
Then, in December of this year, we started talking again.
It didn’t begin with a long message or a dramatic explanation. It was small. Casual. A simple “Miss you.” From there, more messages followed—short check-ins that felt easy and unforced. At some point, she told me she was proud of what I’ve accomplished. That she’s been cheering me on from the sidelines all these years.
It caught me off guard in the best way. To know that someone who hasn’t been actively part of your daily life still noticed, still cared, still rooted for you quietly—it hits differently. There was no pressure to explain the lost years or justify the silence. We just picked up where we could.
This month, we’re hoping to finally see each other again. No big plans yet, just catching up—talking about where life took us, what we’ve learned, and who we’ve become over the years. There’s something comforting about knowing that after all this time, the connection is still there, just waiting for the right moment to resurface.
Reconnecting with her reminded me that not all friendships need constant maintenance to remain meaningful. Some exist in the background, steady and unchanged, even when life gets busy. Sometimes, they come back quietly, through short messages and honest words, at a time when you least expect it.
Eight years later, it doesn’t feel like starting over. It just feels like continuing a conversation that paused for a while—and maybe that’s what real friendship looks like.
ALSO READ: I Broke Up With My Best Friend
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