Chapter 34 - The Life After the Finish Line

Chapter 34: The Life After the Finish Line

Ivan didn’t mind working.

The structure suited him — morning routines, system dashboards, quiet lunch breaks with spreadsheets and black coffee.

But what he hadn’t expected was the emptiness after the chase.

He had graduated. Gotten the job. Checked all the boxes.

Now what?

The group chat was quieter on his end lately.

Not because he didn’t care. But because everyone else was… busy with living.

Crystal was jetting between meetings and romance. Isabelle had semester stress and a partner who made her laugh mid-crisis. Aleem was suddenly softer — steadier — ever since Hana.

Ivan had always been the constant.

Now, for the first time, he didn’t know what to say.

Aleem noticed when Ivan stopped replying with his usual one-liners.

So he did what he always did when things got weird — showed up at Ivan’s flat with drinks.

This time: iced long black and kaya toast.

Ivan opened the door in track pants, expression unreadable.

Aleem lifted the food. “Fuel for someone who pretends he’s okay with three hours of sleep.”

They sat by the window. Fan spinning. No music. The city quiet outside.

Aleem leaned back. “So. Work?”

Ivan stared at his toast.

“Everything’s… fine. Not great. Just fine.”

Aleem sipped his coffee. “You hate it?”

“No. But I think I’m starting to resent how normal it all is.”

He went on:

“Every day feels like… a repetition of the last. No challenge, no breakthrough. And I can’t complain because I have stability. A job. A plan.”

Aleem tilted his head. “But not a spark.”

Ivan nodded slowly.

“I thought once I crossed the finish line, I’d feel it. That click. But it’s just silence.”

Aleem smirked. “That’s because no one told us graduation wasn’t an ending. It’s just… a switch in scenery.”

He paused. Then added,

“You’ve never needed noise to find meaning. But maybe you need to stop thinking of your life as a checklist.”

Ivan blinked. “So what do I do instead?”

Aleem grinned.

“Try something pointless. Stupid. Non-optimized.”

Ivan gave him a look. “That sounds inefficient.”

“Exactly.”

They didn’t talk much after that.

But Ivan messaged the ABIX chat the next morning.

Anyone up for something unproductive this weekend? Like ice cream at 10am or buying a plant we’ll all forget to water?

Aleem replied:

You’re becoming dangerously whimsical. I approve.

Crystal: If there’s ice cream, count me in.

Isabelle: Can we get matching succulents?

That night, Aleem wrote:

Ivan doesn’t need direction.
He just needs permission to be a little lost.
Not because he’s failing — but because even the most stable people need to drift to know they’re alive.