*May 28th - Six days after graduation*
The week after graduation had passed in a blur of packing, family visits, and the surreal process of dismantling four years of college life into boxes and suitcases. Now Haruki stood in the parking lot outside Noa's dorm, watching her father load the last of her belongings into their car while her mother triple-checked that nothing important had been forgotten.
Noa emerged from the building carrying her laptop bag and the leather-bound journal he'd given her for Christmas, looking like someone who was ready for the next phase of her life but not quite ready to say goodbye to this one.
"I think that's everything," she said, setting her bag in the car and turning to face him with an expression that was equal parts excitement and sadness.
"Your research materials are all packed safely?"
"Triple-checked. My thesis notes, the attachment theory books, all of Professor Akizuki's handouts from class." She gestured to a carefully labeled box in the backseat. "Everything I need to continue our collaborative work from Chicago."
"Good. And you have all the contact information for Dr. Patel's research team?"
"Haruki." She stepped closer to him, reaching for his hands. "We don't have to talk through logistics right now. We've planned everything we can plan."
"I know. I'm just—" He paused, recognizing his tendency to focus on practical details when emotions felt overwhelming. "I'm going to miss you."
"I'm going to miss you too."
They stood holding hands in the parking lot, both aware that this was their first real goodbye as a couple—not a see-you-later after a date or a brief separation over winter break, but the beginning of months of distance and uncertainty.
"Are you ready for this?" Haruki asked quietly.
"No," Noa said immediately. "I'm excited about Chicago and the research opportunity, but I'm not ready to be eight hours away from you."
"But you're going anyway."
"I'm going anyway. Because we both know this is the right choice for my academic goals, even though it's hard for our relationship."
"And because we trust that our relationship is strong enough to handle the distance."
"That too."
Noa's parents finished their final preparations and approached them with the gentle consideration of people who understood they were witnessing something significant.
"We should probably get on the road," her father said softly. "The drive to Chicago is long, and Noa wants to get settled before her orientation tomorrow."
"Of course," Haruki said, though he made no move to step away from Noa.
Her mother pulled out her phone. "One more photo? Of you two before we leave?"
They posed together in front of the dorm where they'd spent so much time learning how to love each other, both trying to look happy rather than heartbroken, both aware that this picture would become important in ways they couldn't yet understand.
"Send that to me?" Haruki asked, and Noa's mother nodded with the kind of smile that suggested she understood exactly why he wanted it.
---
"I'll call you when I get there," Noa said as they prepared for the actual goodbye. "And every day after that, if you want."
"I want. I want to hear about your first day with the research team, about your new apartment, about everything you're discovering."
"And I want to hear about your summer research with Professor Akizuki, about your preparation for Northwestern, about all your insights and breakthroughs."
"We're going to stay connected to each other's lives."
"We are. Distance is just geography—it doesn't change how much we care about each other's experiences and growth."
They kissed goodbye with the particular intensity that came from not knowing when they'd next be able to touch each other. It was soft and desperate and full of promises they hoped they could keep.
"I love you," Noa whispered against his lips.
"I love you too. So much."
"See you soon?"
"See you soon."
Haruki stood in the parking lot watching their car disappear down the tree-lined street that led away from campus, feeling like a part of himself was being physically removed. But underneath the sadness of separation, he felt something else—pride in Noa for pursuing the opportunity that was right for her career, confidence in their ability to handle this challenge, and genuine excitement about what they'd both discover and accomplish over the summer.
---
The next day, his phone rang with a call from Noa, and the sound of her voice immediately made the distance feel both more real and more manageable.
"How was the drive to the airport and the flight to America?" he asked, settling into his desk chair with the kind of relief that came from reestablishing connection.
"Long but good. We talked about graduate school expectations and family visiting schedules. My parents are being very supportive about the long-distance relationship thing."
"What kind of support?"
"They offered to help with travel expenses for visits, and my mom said she'll send care packages to both of us during stressful periods."
"Your parents are wonderful."
"They like you. They want our relationship to succeed."
"How's your new apartment?"
"Small but perfect. I have a desk by the window for research work, and there's a coffee shop downstairs that's already become my favorite study spot."
"That sounds ideal for graduate school life."
"What about you? How does it feel to be back home?"
"Strange. My room looks exactly the same, but I feel completely different than I did when I left for college four years ago."
"Different how?"
"More sure of what I want to do with my life. More confident in my ability to maintain relationships that matter. More excited about academic work that could actually help people."
"Those are significant changes."
"They are. And most of them happened this year, through the research work and our relationship."
"We've been good influences on each other."
"The best influences."
They talked for another hour, sharing details about their days, their families' reactions to graduation, and their anticipation about starting their respective summer programs. By the time they hung up, Haruki felt like the distance was challenging but entirely manageable.
---
Over the next few days, they developed a rhythm of daily communication that felt natural rather than forced. Morning texts about their plans for the day, evening calls to process what they'd experienced, occasional photos of things that reminded them of each other or seemed worth sharing.
*Day 3: New favorite coffee shop*, Noa texted with a photo of a small café near her apartment. *The barista makes amazing lattes and there are always graduate students working here.*
*Looks perfect for writing*, Haruki replied. *I'm jealous of your academic environment already.*
*Day 5: Professor Akizuki wants to video call about our paper*, he wrote. *Can you join from Chicago tomorrow at 3 pm your time?*
*Absolutely. I've been working on the methodology section and have ideas for strengthening our analysis.*
*Day 7: First day with Dr. Patel's research team*, Noa called to report. *They're working on exactly the kind of attachment-based intervention studies I want to focus on. I think I'm going to learn so much this summer.*
"Tell me everything," Haruki said, settling into his favorite chair for what he knew would be a long, detailed conversation about her academic work.
She described the research projects, the graduate students she'd be working with, and Dr. Patel's expectations for her contribution to ongoing studies. Her voice carried the particular excitement that came from finding work that aligned perfectly with her interests and abilities.
"It sounds like exactly what you hoped for," Haruki said when she finished.
"It is. And the best part is that I get to contribute to research that might actually help therapists work more effectively with young adults who have attachment challenges."
"Your undergraduate thesis is already having real-world application."
"It feels incredible. Like the work I did this year wasn't just an academic exercise—it was preparation for contributing to something meaningful."
---
*Day 10: Visit planning*, Noa texted. *I can take a long weekend in three weeks if you want to visit Chicago. Or I could come back there if that's easier.*
*I'll come to Chicago*, Haruki replied immediately. *I want to see your new life and meet your research team.*
*Perfect. I'll plan a tour of the university and we can go to that attachment theory conference Dr. Patel mentioned.*
*Academic date activities. Very us.*
*The best kind of date activities.*
That evening, they video-called to coordinate his visit, and seeing Noa's face on his laptop screen felt both wonderful and inadequate. She looked happy and settled in her new environment, but he missed being able to reach for her hand or kiss her forehead when she said something particularly insightful.
"How are you really doing with the distance?" he asked during a lull in their visit planning.
"Honestly? Better than I expected. I miss you constantly, but it's not the devastating kind of missing that makes everything else impossible."
"What kind of missing is it?"
"The kind where I want to share experiences with you and hear your thoughts about what I'm learning. The kind where I see things that remind me of you and wish you were here to discuss them."
"That sounds manageable."
"It is manageable. What about you?"
"Similar. I miss having you physically present, but I don't feel disconnected from your life or your thoughts."
"Good. That's what we were hoping for."
"Plus, we're both doing work we're excited about. That makes the separation feel worthwhile instead of just difficult."
"Exactly. We're apart because we're both pursuing opportunities that will help us become the people we want to be."
"And in three weeks, we'll see each other again."
"And in three weeks, we'll see each other again."
---
After they hung up, Haruki sat in his childhood bedroom looking at the acceptance letter from Northwestern that was pinned to his bulletin board. In two months, he'd be moving to America, starting graduate school, and beginning research that could influence how people understood and developed healthier relationship patterns.
His phone buzzed with a text from Noa: *Thank you for supporting my decision to come to Chicago early. I know it made our separation harder, but this research opportunity is everything I hoped it would be.*
*Thank you for trusting our relationship enough to pursue the opportunity that was right for your career*, he replied. *I'm proud of you for being brave enough to choose your goals.*
*We're good at this, aren't we? Supporting each other's individual growth even when it's inconvenient.*
*We're very good at this. And we're going to keep getting better at it.*
*I love you.*
*I love you too. Sleep well in Chicago.*
*Sweet dreams in your childhood bedroom.*
Outside his window, summer was settling over his hometown with the particular peace that came with long days and warm evenings. But inside his room, surrounded by acceptance letters and research notes and photos from graduation, Haruki felt like he was exactly where he needed to be—not geographically, but in terms of the life he was building and the relationship he was maintaining across distance.
It was the beginning of everything, and it felt entirely possible.
---
*End of Chapter 38*