I have been on the other side of that situation. I have been the person who needed space but couldn’t get any. If the person is going through something and they ask for space or are not willing to share, the best strategy is to just leave it upto them. Because if they don’t want to talk about it, for their own reasons, and you keep asking about it, it will only hurt you more.
I wish this situation was handled better back then. Lost a friend over it (and some other stuff).