*July 15th - Seven weeks into separation*
The research lab at Northwestern buzzed with the particular energy of summer productivity. Haruki sat across from Dr. Martinez in her spacious office, surrounded by whiteboards covered in theoretical frameworks and data analysis charts, discussing the expanded version of his attachment research that would form the foundation of his graduate work.
"Your preliminary findings are even stronger than I expected," Dr. Martinez said, reviewing the data he'd collected over the past month. "The correlation between conscious relationship work and improved attachment security is significant across multiple demographic variables."
"I'm excited about the longitudinal possibilities," Haruki replied, feeling the confidence that came from working on research that genuinely mattered to him. "Following participants over several years could show whether these improvements in attachment patterns persist and continue developing."
"That's exactly the kind of study we could design for your dissertation research. Multi-year tracking of relationship skill development with various intervention protocols."
"Professor Akizuki and Noa have been contributing insights from their perspectives too. Having multiple researchers examining the same questions from different angles is strengthening our analysis."
Dr. Martinez smiled. "How is the collaborative work proceeding? It's unusual for undergraduate research to continue across multiple institutions."
"Really well. We video conference weekly to discuss findings and methodology. Noa's work with Dr. Patel's team in Chicago is providing clinical application data that complements our theoretical framework."
"And personally? How are you managing the transition to graduate school preparation while maintaining a long-distance relationship?"
Haruki considered the question carefully. Over the past seven weeks, he'd discovered things about himself and about loving someone across distance that he hadn't anticipated.
"Better than expected. Having work I'm passionate about makes the separation feel purposeful rather than just difficult."
"What do you mean by purposeful?"
"I mean we're apart because we're both pursuing opportunities that will help us contribute something meaningful to the field. That makes missing each other feel like an investment in our shared future rather than just an obstacle to navigate."
"That's a mature perspective."
"We've learned that supporting each other's individual growth actually strengthens our relationship rather than threatening it."
---
That evening, Haruki called Noa from his small graduate housing apartment near Northwestern's campus. The space was basic but functional—a desk by the window for research work, bookshelves already filling with psychology journals, and photos from their undergraduate year that made the place feel like home.
"How was your day with Dr. Martinez?" Noa asked immediately, and he could hear the genuine interest in her voice that had become one of his favorite things about their daily conversations.
"Productive. She wants to expand my research into a longitudinal dissertation study. Following participants over multiple years to track how attachment patterns develop with different interventions."
"Haruki, that's incredible. That kind of study could have real implications for therapy and relationship education."
"What about your work with Dr. Patel's team? How did the data analysis session go?"
"Amazing. We're finding that attachment-informed therapy interventions are significantly more effective than traditional approaches for young adults with relationship difficulties."
"That aligns perfectly with my findings about conscious relationship work improving attachment security."
"It does. We're essentially studying the same phenomenon from different angles—you're looking at how people can deliberately develop healthier relationship patterns, and I'm examining how therapists can facilitate that development."
"Which means our graduate research could be genuinely collaborative rather than just parallel."
"Exactly. Dr. Patel mentioned the possibility of joint publications between her lab and Dr. Martinez's team."
Haruki felt excitement build in his chest. "Really? Cross-institutional research collaboration?"
"She said it's becoming more common in psychology research, especially when teams are studying complementary aspects of the same questions."
"That would be incredible. Working on research that matters with you, even from different cities."
"Professional partnership and personal partnership."
"The best kind of partnership."
---
*July 20th - Haruki's visit to Chicago*
The train ride from Chicago's Union Station to the university gave Haruki his first real sense of Noa's new environment. The city looked different from their small college town—bigger, more diverse, with the particular energy that came from multiple universities and research institutions concentrated in one area.
Noa met him at the psychology building, looking confident and settled in a way that made his heart do something complicated. She'd been thriving in Chicago, and it showed in her posture, her enthusiasm, and the easy way she navigated her new academic environment.
"Welcome to my world," she said, kissing him hello with the particular intensity that came from seven weeks of separation. "How was the train ride?"
"Long but good. I spent most of it reading the paper you sent on attachment-based therapeutic interventions."
"What did you think?"
"That your research is going to change how therapists work with young adults who have relationship difficulties."
"That's the goal. Come on, I want to show you the lab."
She led him through the psychology building, introducing him to graduate students and pointing out the spaces where she'd been spending her summer. Dr. Patel's lab was impressive—multiple research rooms, sophisticated data analysis software, and walls covered with charts tracking various longitudinal studies.
"Dr. Patel," Noa said as they approached a woman in her forties who looked up from a computer screen covered with statistical analyses, "this is Haruki, the researcher I've been collaborating with from Northwestern."
"Haruki! I've heard so much about your attachment pattern research. Noa's been sharing your findings with our team, and we're very impressed."
"Thank you. I'm excited to learn about your therapeutic intervention studies."
"Let me show you what we're discovering."
Dr. Patel spent the next hour walking them through her team's current projects, explaining how they were developing and testing therapy protocols specifically designed for young adults with different attachment patterns. The work was sophisticated and directly applicable to real-world therapeutic practice.
"Your research on conscious relationship work provides theoretical foundation for our clinical approaches," she told Haruki. "We're essentially testing whether the patterns you've identified can be deliberately cultivated in therapeutic settings."
"And your data could inform how we understand the mechanisms behind attachment pattern development."
"Exactly. This is why collaboration between institutions is so valuable—we can examine complex questions from multiple angles."
---
That evening, Noa took him to dinner at a small restaurant near her apartment, and they spent hours catching up on all the details that didn't translate well over phone calls and video chats.
"How does it feel to actually be here?" she asked as they shared dessert. "Seeing my new life in person instead of just hearing about it?"
"Good. Really good. You seem happy here in a way that goes beyond just liking your research work."
"I am happy here. Not just professionally, but personally. I feel like I'm becoming the person I'm meant to be."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean I'm working on research that could actually help people, I'm learning from mentors who respect my ideas, and I'm building relationships with other graduate students who share my interests."
"That sounds like exactly what graduate school should provide."
"It is. And the best part is that I don't feel like I'm compromising anything to be here. I'm pursuing my academic goals and maintaining our relationship and developing new friendships."
"No either-or choices."
"No either-or choices. Just growth in multiple directions simultaneously."
Haruki reached across the table for her hand, feeling the particular satisfaction that came from seeing someone he loved thriving in their chosen environment.
"I'm proud of you for taking the summer research position, even though it meant starting our separation earlier than planned."
"I'm proud of us for supporting each other's individual goals even when it's inconvenient for our relationship."
"Are you still glad we chose the programs that were best for our individual research interests instead of prioritizing geographic proximity?"
"Absolutely. Being here, doing this work, collaborating with Dr. Patel's team—this is exactly what I need to be doing right now."
"Even though it means months more of distance?"
"Even though it means months more of distance. Because we're both becoming the people we want to be, which makes our relationship stronger rather than weaker."
---
*July 22nd - Last day of the visit*
They spent Haruki's final morning in Chicago walking through the university campus, visiting the library where Noa had been doing her research and the coffee shops where she studied. It felt like a tour of her daily life, and Haruki found himself mentally mapping the spaces where she spent her time so he could picture her more clearly during their phone conversations.
"This is where I have my weekly meetings with Dr. Patel," she said, pointing to an office in the psychology building. "And this is the conference room where our research team discusses findings every Friday."
"It helps to see these places in person. Now when you talk about your work, I can visualize where you are."
"Same reason I want to visit Northwestern soon. I want to understand your daily environment."
"September? After you're settled into the regular semester schedule?"
"Perfect."
They had lunch at Noa's favorite café near her apartment, surrounded by other graduate students working on laptops and discussing research projects. The atmosphere was intellectually stimulating in a way that reminded Haruki of their undergraduate library conversations, but with the added intensity that came from people pursuing advanced degrees in subjects they genuinely cared about.
"Can I tell you something?" Noa said as they prepared to head to the train station.
"Always."
"These three days together have been perfect, but they've also shown me that we're both changing in good ways because of our separate experiences."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean you seem more confident about your research direction, more excited about graduate school, more sure of yourself academically. And I think I seem the same way to you."
"You do. You seem like someone who's found exactly the kind of work she's meant to be doing."
"So the distance isn't just something we're surviving—it's actually contributing to our individual growth."
"Which makes our relationship stronger when we are together."
"Exactly."
---
The train back to Northwestern gave Haruki time to process the visit and what he'd discovered about long-distance relationships, individual growth, and the particular satisfaction that came from seeing someone you loved thriving in their chosen environment.
His phone buzzed with a text from Noa: *Thank you for coming to see my Chicago life. Having you understand my daily environment makes the distance feel smaller somehow.*
*Thank you for showing me your world*, he replied. *I'm even more excited about your research now that I've seen the context for it.*
*Two more weeks until you start fall semester at Northwestern. Are you ready?*
*More ready than I've ever been for anything academic. Dr. Martinez's expectations are challenging, but they align perfectly with what I want to accomplish.*
*We're both exactly where we need to be.*
*We are. And we're both becoming the people we want to be because of the choices we've made.*
*Even though those choices mean being apart.*
*Especially because those choices mean being apart. We're supporting each other's growth instead of limiting it.*
*I love you.*
*I love you too. See you in September.*
*See you in September.*
Outside the train window, the Illinois landscape rolled past under a clear summer sky. Inside, Haruki sat surrounded by research notes and the satisfaction of having seen Noa thriving in her chosen academic environment, planning the graduate work that would occupy the next several years of his life.
It was exactly the kind of future worth building, one conscious choice at a time.
---
*End of Chapter 39*