Chapter 24 - Quiet Milestones
Chapter 24: Quiet Milestones
The thing no one tells you about adulthood is that the milestones aren’t loud.
They don’t come with fireworks or background music. There’s no applause, no one handing you a medal. Most of the time, you don’t even realise you’ve crossed a line until you look back and think—oh. That was growth.
And so it was for ABIX.
Isabelle Moves Out
The first to take the leap was Isabelle.
It wasn’t a dramatic move. Just a small rental flat in Bukit Panjang, close to her workplace, quiet enough to hear the birds in the morning.
She didn’t post about it. She didn’t throw a housewarming. She just texted:
Isabelle: Got the keys today.
Crystal replied first.
Crystal: You need plants. I’m bringing three. You have no say.
Ivan: I’m bringing a fire extinguisher. Just in case Crystal brings candles again.
Aleem: I’ll handle your Wi-Fi setup. Trust no one else.
They came over that weekend. No fanfare—just four friends building IKEA furniture and eating takeaway from the floor. Isabelle’s new place didn’t feel like hers until she saw their shoes by the door.
Ivan’s First Promotion
Ivan never mentioned it until Crystal caught him replying to emails during lunch.
“You have a team now?” she asked.
He shrugged. “They report to me. I still don’t know how to give feedback without sounding like a villain.”
Aleem, who understood quiet pride when he saw it, nodded. “You’re the right person for it.”
Isabelle sent him a tiny congratulations cake via delivery.
Inside the box, a note:
To the train man with the brain plan. You’re doing great.
Ivan didn’t say much.
But he kept the note pinned to his cubicle wall for weeks.
Crystal’s First Real Break
For once, it was Crystal who slowed down.
After back-to-back events and months of overworking, her manager insisted she take a week off.
At first, she didn’t know what to do with herself.
“Guys,” she texted one morning, “I haven’t touched my work email in 3 days. Who even am I?”
Aleem replied with a photo of kaya toast.
Aleem: You’re someone who needs breakfast and peace.
So she tried.
Long walks. Afternoon naps. Even a solo art class she swore she’d hate.
On the last day of leave, she texted the group again.
Crystal: I think… I forgot what rest felt like. Thank you for reminding me to try.
Aleem Learns to Breathe
He never said it out loud, but after Penang, Aleem had changed.
He stopped trying to rush ahead. Stopped framing his life in terms of “what’s next.” He still worked hard. Still showed up early. But there was a calmness now. A softness.
He started volunteering on Saturdays at a local youth centre. Quiet tech mentoring. No big speeches. Just him and a group of teenagers who reminded him of who he used to be—eager, unsure, holding back too much.
It wasn’t a milestone in the traditional sense.
But it was a healing.
Their Monthly Meetup
One month, they met at Crystal’s favourite rooftop bar. The view was ridiculous. The drinks overpriced. But none of that mattered.
They spent the night talking about nothing and everything. Isabelle brought printed photos from university days. Ivan told a long story about a colleague named Frank who thought Ctrl+Z worked in real life. Aleem listened more than he spoke.
As the city lights blinked below, Crystal raised her glass.
“This is what I want,” she said. “Not big moments. Just this. A little light. A little laughter. With the same people.”
No one needed to toast.
They just nodded.
Because these were the milestones that mattered.