Friends who can sit in silence with you for an hour have made it past the audition.

Early friendship runs on effort. There is a stretch where somebody always has to be entertaining, filling gaps, keeping the thing afloat, and that work is the audition. Silence is what happens when it is over, because neither of you needs to prove anything to stay in the room. It feels like nothing much, and it is the whole thing.

Notice who you can be quiet around and do more of that. Study in the same room, or drive somewhere with the music on and no conversation. Stop treating a lull as a problem you have to solve.