Chapter 18 - The Life Between Lines
Chapter 18: The Life Between Lines
The semester was coming to a close.
Final projects. Exam stress. Farewell class photos. The hallways had a bittersweet hum to them — the kind of collective energy that said something’s ending, but something else is waiting.
Isabelle felt it more than most.
Because while her friends were prepping for final years or already locking down job offers, her future was… quieter.
She’d accepted a role as a tuition teacher — something she knew she’d be good at. She liked helping. Liked watching people get it, not just in academics but in life.
But part of her wondered: Where would he be in all this?
They met one evening at the top of ADM hill again — their spot now.
She brought snacks. He brought kaya toast from a random café that reminded him of his childhood.
They talked about work. About the ridiculous cost of petrol. About whether salted egg anything had gone too far.
Then she asked it — the question that had been forming in the back of her mind for weeks.
“What happens after I graduate?”
He didn’t flinch.
He just looked out over the campus, then back at her.
“Well… I’ll still be here.”
She nodded. “And me?”
He smiled softly. “Wherever you want to be.”
She hesitated. “It’s not that simple.”
“I know.”
And then, gently: “Do you want to try?”
She looked down at her fingers. “I think I do. But I’m scared.”
“Of what?”
“That the version of us in university won’t survive the version of us in the real world.”
He nodded, understanding. “Then let’s not try to preserve the version that fits here. Let’s build the one that fits out there.”
They didn’t solve anything that night. No promises. No five-year plans.
But when she rested her head against his shoulder again, this time, it wasn’t out of comfort.
It was a choice.
A silent: Let’s see where this can go — together.
A few days later, Crystal casually brought up post-grad life over lunch with Isabelle.
“What’s the plan with your mystery man?” she teased.
Isabelle stirred her drink. “We’re not rushing. But we’re thinking.”
Crystal smiled. “You’ve changed.”
“Have I?”
“You’re clearer now. Still soft — but not uncertain.”
Isabelle paused. Then smiled, too.
Maybe that was it.
She was still her — still thoughtful, still feeling too much.
But now, she had someone who helped her ground those feelings.
Someone who wasn’t just in love with her quiet.
But who stayed long enough to understand the silence behind it.