*November 2nd - 7:30 AM Central Time*
Noa's alarm hadn't even gone off when her phone started buzzing with what sounded like the opening notes of a mariachi band. She cracked one eye open to see Haruki's contact photo—a ridiculous selfie he'd taken with a deep-dish pizza that made him look like he was being attacked by cheese—filling her screen.
"Do you know what time it is?" she groaned into the phone, her voice thick with sleep.
"Time for you to check your email and then probably scream loud enough to wake up all of Hyde Park," Haruki's voice practically vibrated with excitement. "Also, good morning, beautiful. Did you sleep well? Are you eating enough vegetables? Your mother would want me to ask."
"Haruki Sakamoto, if you woke me up at seven-thirty in the morning to lecture me about vegetables, I'm going to—" She paused mid-threat as her laptop chimed with a new email notification. "Wait. What am I looking for?"
"Subject line: 'Formal Invitation to Present at University of Michigan.' Sender: Dr. James Richardson. Attachment: Travel expense reimbursement forms that are going to make us feel very fancy and important."
Noa fumbled for her laptop, nearly knocking over the half-empty coffee mug that had been serving as her nightstand water glass for three days. "Oh my god. Oh my GOD. Haruki, this is—"
"I know!"
"They want us to present to the entire psychology department!"
"I know!"
"In front of actual professors who have actual tenure and actual respect in the field!"
"I KNOW!"
"And they're paying for our hotel!"
"Okay, that part I'm less excited about, but yes!"
Noa flopped back onto her pillow, staring at the ceiling of her tiny Chicago apartment. Six months ago, she'd been a nervous undergraduate in Kyoto, worried about whether her English was good enough for graduate school. Now she was being invited to present groundbreaking research at one of America's top psychology programs.
"This is insane," she said finally.
"Good insane or bad insane?"
"Good insane. Definitely good insane. Also terrifying insane."
"Want to grab breakfast and have a proper freak-out together? I'm thinking Lou Mitchell's. Nothing says 'we're about to become famous academics' like a stack of pancakes that could feed a small village."
"It's seven-thirty in the morning, Haruki."
"It's seven-thirty in the morning and we just got invited to present our research at the University of Michigan. Normal breakfast rules don't apply."
Twenty minutes later, Noa found herself sliding into a booth across from Haruki at Lou Mitchell's, a classic American diner that had become their go-to spot for processing major life developments over unhealthy quantities of carbohydrates. Haruki had already ordered coffee for both of them and was bouncing slightly in his seat like an overcaffeinated golden retriever.
"Okay," she said, wrapping her hands around her coffee mug for warmth. "Walk me through the details again. Slowly this time."
"Dr. Richardson wants us to present our research findings to the entire University of Michigan psychology department on November 15th. That's next Friday. They're offering to cover travel expenses, accommodation, and meals. Plus, he mentioned that several other universities have expressed interest in similar presentations."
"Other universities?"
"Stanford. Yale. Princeton." Haruki paused dramatically. "Harvard."
Noa nearly choked on her coffee. "Harvard? As in, Dr. Helena Voss's Harvard?"
"The very same. Apparently, our Michigan validation results have been making the rounds at psychology conferences, and everyone wants to hear about the critical period hypothesis directly from us."
"That's..." Noa stared at him. "That's incredible. And absolutely terrifying."
"I prefer to think of it as incredibly terrifying. More accurate."
Their waitress appeared—a woman in her fifties who had clearly been serving breakfast to stressed-out graduate students for decades and could spot an academic crisis from across the restaurant.
"Let me guess," she said, refilling their coffee cups without being asked. "Thesis defense? Job interview? Relationship drama?"
"Research breakthrough," Haruki said. "We accidentally discovered something important and now people want us to talk about it in public."
"Honey, that's the American dream right there. What can I get you to celebrate?"
"Pancakes," Noa said. "Lots of pancakes."
"And bacon," Haruki added. "When in doubt, add bacon. It's very American."
After the waitress left, they sat in comfortable silence for a moment, both processing the magnitude of what was happening to their lives.
"Can I ask you something?" Noa said finally.
"Always."
"Are you scared?"
Haruki considered the question seriously, his expression shifting from excitement to something more vulnerable.
"Terrified," he admitted. "Six months ago, I could barely order coffee without feeling self-conscious about my accent. Now I'm supposed to present research to some of the most respected psychologists in America?"
"Your accent is cute, by the way."
"That's not helping my academic credibility, Noa."
"Your academic credibility is fine. Your research speaks for itself. But your accent is still cute."
"You're not taking this seriously."
"I'm taking it very seriously. I'm also trying not to have a complete panic attack in the middle of a diner." She reached across the table and took his hand. "We're good at this, Haruki. Our research is solid, our findings are important, and we work well together. The Michigan replication proves that."
"But what if we freeze up? What if we can't answer their questions? What if they ask about our relationship and we don't know how to maintain professional boundaries?"
"Then we'll figure it out together. Like we always do."
"Even if it means embarrassing ourselves in front of the entire academic psychology community?"
"Especially then. Though I'd prefer we not embarrass ourselves if possible."
Their food arrived—stacks of pancakes that were indeed large enough to feed a small village, accompanied by enough bacon to supply a medium-sized breakfast buffet. They ate in companionable silence for a while, both lost in their own thoughts about the opportunities and challenges ahead.
"Noa?"
"Mmm?" she mumbled around a bite of pancake.
"I love you. Not because of our research or our academic success or any of that. Just... you. The way you make terrible jokes when you're nervous. The way you steal bacon off my plate when you think I'm not looking. The way you believe we can handle whatever comes next."
She swallowed her pancake and looked at him seriously. "I love you too. Even when you wake me up at seven-thirty in the morning with life-changing news."
"Especially then?"
"Especially then."
"Good. Because there's one more thing I didn't mention about the Michigan invitation."
"What?"
"Dr. Richardson specifically requested that we present our research as a collaborative partnership. He wants to highlight how our personal relationship contributed to our scientific findings."
Noa set down her fork. "Meaning?"
"Meaning we're not just presenting research. We're presenting ourselves. Our relationship. How we work together, how we communicate, how we've navigated the challenges of conducting research on our own romantic development."
"So we're going to be performing our relationship for academic audiences?"
"More like demonstrating it. Showing how the communication patterns and conflict resolution strategies we identified actually work in practice."
"That's..." Noa paused, considering the implications. "Actually kind of brilliant. Instead of just talking about attachment theory, we get to show it in action."
"You're not worried about the lack of privacy?"
"I'm terrified about the lack of privacy. But I'm also excited about the possibility of helping other couples by showing them what healthy relationship dynamics actually look like."
"Even if it means sharing intimate details about our communication patterns and conflict resolution strategies?"
"As long as we maintain boundaries about what we share and what we keep private, yes."
Haruki smiled, the expression carrying relief and affection in equal measure. "Have I mentioned that I love how you think?"
"Not in the last five minutes."
"Consider it mentioned."
They finished breakfast planning their Michigan presentation, discussing everything from slide design to outfit choices to the logistics of presenting as a couple rather than as individual researchers. By the time they left the diner, both felt ready to tackle the challenges ahead—together, as always, but with a clearer sense of what those challenges might entail.
"One more thing," Noa said as they walked toward the El station.
"Yeah?"
"If we're going to be presenting our relationship to academic audiences, we should probably practice not stealing each other's bacon during professional meals."
"That's a sacrifice I'm not sure I'm prepared to make."
"Then we'll just have to order extra bacon."
"See? This is why our relationship works so well. Excellent problem-solving skills."
"That's going in the presentation."
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*End of Chapter 10*