It was three days before their pathology midterm, and the apartment looked like a battlefield.
Textbooks were strewn across the couch, the floor, even the microwave (don't ask). There were empty coffee mugs everywhere. Talia had long since given up matching her socks, and Ezra was down to his last clean hoodie.
"Did you eat anything today?" Talia asked, pushing a pile of flashcards off the table to make room for two instant noodles.
Ezra blinked like he'd forgotten food was a thing. "I had a granola bar."
"Ezra."
"It was a big granola bar."
She rolled her eyes but handed him the cup anyway. "Eat. Then suffer."
They ate in silence, the kind that only came from studying too hard for too long. Outside, the city was quiet, lights flickering through the blinds. Inside, the air smelled like nerves and instant chicken flavoring.
Ezra put down his cup. "Do you ever think about how we got here?"
"Physically, emotionally, or academically?" she deadpanned.
He laughed. It was tired, a little hoarse, but real. "All of the above."
Talia leaned back on the couch, crossing her arms behind her head. "Honestly? I still don't know how you survived me freshman year."
"Fear," he said. "And maybe a little bit of love at first sight."
She arched an eyebrow. "You were afraid of me?"
"Terrified."
She snorted. "Fair."
That night, they crashed on the couch, their study plans in shambles. Talia was half-asleep with her head on Ezra's shoulder, and he was flipping through a textbook like it might whisper answers into his ear.
"I don't want to be just good at this," Ezra said quietly. "Medicine. School. Life. I want to be whole."
"You are," Talia mumbled.
He looked down. She wasn't quite asleep yet, but close. He brushed a strand of hair from her face.
"Am I, though? I've always been the guy who followed the map. Did the right thing. But maybe I was so busy building the perfect future, I forgot to check if it was the one I actually wanted."
Talia opened one eye lazily. "You're having a crisis."
"Little bit."
"You wanna talk about it? Or do you want me to lie and say you're definitely not the only med student who's cracked under pressure?"
He laughed. "Lie to me first, then talk."
She shifted closer. "You're definitely not the only one."
Ezra exhaled. "Okay. Good."
Later, when they'd dragged themselves to bed, neither of them could sleep.
"You think we'll make it?" Talia asked in the dark.
"You mean us?"
"Us. School. Everything."
Ezra turned on his side to face her, their foreheads nearly touching.
"I think we already are. It doesn't always look like we thought it would, but… it's real. And it's ours."
She didn't say anything for a moment. Then: "I've never had this before, you know."
"This?"
"Something that felt like it was built to last."
Ezra kissed her forehead. "Then let's build it."