Self

Chapter 17

GULE

Rainie was all about that sashimi life. She went straight for the fresh salmon and snagged some shrimp, too.

Yara was not a fan of cold dishes, so she got herself a steamy bowl of ramen and some sushi.

The ramen was just okay, but hey, at least the ingredients were super fresh.

Rainie watched Yara eat all prim and proper and could not help but tease her. She said, “This salmon is melt–in–your–mouth good. Are you sure you don’t want to give it a shot? It might blow your mind.”

Yara smiled and gave her a no–go sign. “You know that raw food and don’t mix. I’m good with my ramen.

“Some things never change with you, do they?”

Rainie knew Yara was all in on stuff she liked and out on things she did not. She had known that since the first time they met.

“Man, I haven’t been to the spa in forever. I’ve been so busy, and my hands are like sandpaper.”

Rainie sighed and started venting, “It’s all because of my dad. He’s on this kick about setting me up on dates. And my mom? Instead of backing me up, she’s in on the plan.

“It’s not like they can’t afford to keep me around. Is all this necessary? And hey, Wade’s got his act together, and he’s not rushing to tie the knot. So why should I?”

Thinking of Wade, Yara remembered they were neighbors but barely saw each other. After sharing a meal, she had only caught up with him once when she dropped off a sandwich.

Clueless to Yara’s daydreaming, Rainie popped a piece of sushi in her mouth and thought back to their last meetup.

“When you and Wade went to see Professor Olson, what went down after that?”

Yara zoned in, slurping her noodles like there was no tomorrow. After a quick chew and gulp, she finally said, “So yeah, that’s the deal. The professor saved me a spot, so acing the grad exams this year is a must.”

Rainie gave a round of applause. “That’s my girl, always so full of confidence! As a treat, I’m whisking you away to a surprise spot this weekend. What do you say?”

Yara’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. “Where to?”

“You’ll see when we get there.”

Rainie drove Yara back to the library after a hearty meal and at Yara’s

behest.

There was plenty of time for a study sprint before closing.

She plowed through a couple of problem sets and then glanced up to see the evening sky blushing with sunset.

Perched by the window, she basked in the sunbeams dancing through. the glass, bathing her in a warm, golden glow.

Yara stretched out; she was cozy. Just as she tidied up her study mess, the library’s closing announcement crackled over the PA system.

She grabbed her bag and headed out right on the dot.

The sky was ablaze with an orange glow, the clouds stacked like a vibrant canvas.

Yara’s steps slowed as her mind wandered to

dinner plans.

Before she knew it, she was downstairs, and a shadowy figure. suddenly caught her eye.

Just a week back, an error appeared in the lab’s fresh batch of data. Wade had been burning the midnight oil and redoing tests, but

nothing was adding up.

The guy running the experiment was a 40–something man who had been around since Wade stepped in

With the lab in a jam, he was fretting big time. “Everything kicked off so well, and we were on track. How’d the numbers go haywire?”

Wade pinched the bridge of his nose, deep in thought. “Hey, we’re here to make mistakes and learn. It’s not just about the right answers, you know?”

“Look, if our numbers are off, our whole experiment’s a bust. We’ve been banging our heads against this so many times. Hasn’t a week been enough time to get our act together?”

The team leader glanced at Wade warily and said, “I mean, if we’re stuck, maybe we should just call it quits? There’s no harm in trying a new angle, right?”

Wade’s cool gaze cut through his lenses as he said, “What’s really bugging you? Scared we’ll flop, or just itching to jump on Professor Watson’s bandwagon because you think it’ll pay off better?”

He adjusted his glasses and said, “Physics isn’t a sprint; it’s a

marathon. It has its own beat, and you can’t just pause because you feel like it.”

The team leader mumbled awkwardly, “I was just throwing it out there…”