The calendar was no longer a blur of dates and deadlines. It was a ticking clock — loud, insistent, impossible to ignore.

Only two weeks left until the big day.

Vinna sat at her desk, jaw clenched, eyes scanning a complicated physics problem for the tenth time. The hours of sleep she'd sacrificed were beginning to show as dark circles spread beneath her eyes.

Her phone buzzed — a message from Rishi.

Rishi [3:17 PM]:
"Snack break? I brought parathas."

She smiled despite the exhaustion and texted back immediately.

Vinna [3:18 PM]:
"You're a lifesaver. Bring them up."

The moment he arrived, the atmosphere changed. Parathas in one hand, a thermos of chai in the other, and that quiet, steady presence she'd come to rely on.

They ate together, laughing about a silly mistake she'd made earlier — mixing up Coulomb's law with Newton's third law.

"Easy mistake," Rishi said, grinning. "You're human."

Vinna smiled, grateful not just for the food but for the company. For the quiet assurance that she wasn't alone.

Days blurred into nights. Timetables were rewritten, practice papers marked, formulas recited like mantras.

And through it all, they leaned on each other.

When Vinna felt a wave of doubt crashing over her, Rishi was there with a calm voice:
"You've got this."

When Rishi's patience wore thin after a long day, Vinna made sure to remind him,
"Even superheroes need breaks."

One evening, as they studied side by side on Vinna's bedroom floor, the rain tapping gently on the window, Rishi looked over at her.

"Remember when we started this?"

Vinna nodded, smiling. "Nervous, shy, overwhelmed."

He smiled back. "And now?"

"Still nervous," she admitted. "But less alone."

He reached out and squeezed her hand briefly — a simple gesture that said more than words ever could.

The countdown wasn't just about exams anymore.

It was about dreams, yes.

But also about them — the quiet strength they found in each other.

And no matter what the results would say, that was a victory already.