Late February arrived, holding its breath between seasons. The sharp edge of winter had dulled, but spring's true warmth was still a promise. Days were often a tapestry of moody gray skies, pierced by occasional, brilliant shafts of sunlight that felt more like a memory than a reality. On the campus, determined green shoots pushed through the cold earth beneath the skeletal trees, a quiet rebellion against the lingering chill. The air itself felt charged with anticipation, a collective, unspoken feeling of imminent change. 🗻
Within this suspended atmosphere, the final stretch of the academic year began to exert its immense pressure.
For Ariana, life was a relentless cycle. Her forensic accounting thesis was a demanding specter, its March deadline looming. She spent her days cross-referencing complex financial data, her world reduced to spreadsheets and legal precedents, often working until her eyes burned with fatigue.
Kian, too, was submerged. With Seya's project complete, his focus had narrowed entirely on his own final thesis;an ambitious, sustainable housing design that demanded countless hours of modeling and theoretical justification. Simultaneously, he was preparing his portfolio, applying for junior architect positions, and helping Lucas and Jessica with the twins, his own sleep a casualty of his ambition.
Even Hazon and Seya, in their newly engaged bliss, were not immune. He was buried in criminal law case studies for his end-of-year exams, while she was deep in the logistical whirlwind of launching her boutique, her phone constantly buzzing with messages from contractors and suppliers.
They moved through the days like ships in a faint, pre-dawn fog, their paths crossing in brief, supportive moments;a shared coffee, a tired smile, a text of encouragement. They were all in the final, grueling lap of their current lives, racing toward the starting line of their futures. 🎠