Bella POV.
Mei awal: email fakultas terbit—sidang skripsi dua minggu lagi. Countdown ini berbeda dari countdown sidang bang Noah dulu; countdown ini milikku.
Persiapan mirip mock: bind hardcopy, update slide, outfit standby, skrip mental papi: *Kamu sudah persiapan, bukan sempurna.*
Minggu sebelum sidang, aku cuti magang partial—fokus revisi final pembahasan dan kesimpulan. Mami handle meal prep; papi review slide once—comment “Font ok, content strong.” Irash dihukum kalau ganggu kakak—main di kamar sendiri like good adik.
Ello-Naya update via Kiera gossip filtered: they coffee again, hold hands maybe once, Naya not announce couple. Slow—healthy. Aku happy for them without feeling replaced. Bang Noah? Grup keluarga photo Irash birthday—Noah hadir, aku hadir, jarak photo barisan. Normal.
Rabu co-author paper accepted internal journal RS—not international yet, but win. dr. Lestari invite present five minutes internal symposium RS. Aku accept—another stage mine.
Kamis magang evaluation final dr. Lestari: outstanding, recommend career community dentistry track. Aku cry happy in bathroom thirty seconds, splash water, return professional.
Malam buku catatan batch:
*Paper accepted internal. Mock sidang pass. CSR event ok. Sidang skripsi Mei—mine.*
Kimmy call: *So proud. Visit July maybe.* Maura: *Biyan back soon.* Kiera: *Ello-Naya slow burn cute.*
Noah POV:
Mei, gue hear Bella sidang date—bokap forward email admin somehow family network. Gue doa singkat, not text her good luck unless family grup appropriate. Aiden ask, “U wanna send Bel DM?” Gue jawab, “No. Respect.”
Site visit, gym, presentation. Life full.
Bella POV close:
Papi ketuk kamar Mei malam before sleep routine intensifies.
“Ratu sidang soon.”
“Ratu siap belajar, pih.”
“Always.”
Aku shalat, doa: sidang lancar, Naya-Ello baik, bang Noah aman, Irash ranking naik lagi—doa plural. Spreadsheet closed for tonight. Heart open but bounded.
Aku tidur, mimpi slide deck bukan mimpi lift.
Selasa Mei, aku dan mami beli outfit sidang modest—blazer cream, rok panjang, hijab style simple. Papi beli sepatu comfort—gift “for walking into senate calm.” Irash make banner kecil *Go Kak Bella* for home door, not for campus—save embarrassment.
Rabu evaluasi magang final signed dr. Lestari—rekomendasi karier komunitas kuat. Kamis mock sidang kedua informal dengan dosen pembimbing only—fifteen minutes, fine tune opening. Jumat puasa optional sunnah, doa sidang; mami cook sop for strength.
Sabtu full silence study—HP mode pesawat except family. Minggu papi drive around campus senate building—familiarize parking, gate, toilet location. Practical reduce anxiety. Malam buka grup keluarga—tante Adis doa thread for Bella sidang. Bang Noah comment *Semoga lancar.* Aku like, tidak DM. Enough.
Symposium internal Senin pagi—ruang RS penuh staf, gema mic tipis, slide lima menit edukasi gigi posyandu. dr. Lestari intro, “Co-author Bella Atmadja.” Aku jalan ke podium, Bismillah, suara steady. Q&A dua pertanyaan mudah—fluoride timing, sample size. Applause kecil, meaningful. Turun podium, peluk papi sebentar di koridor.
“Ratu symposium juga,” bisik papi.
“Ratu versi papi—full package.”
Paper internal terlisting. Magang hampir selesai. Orbit bang Noah tidak merge; orbit ku meluas.
Batch ini tutup di sini: sidang nyata 18 Mei menunggu bab berikutnya; Naya-Ello slow burn; Noah insinyur steady; Bella ratu data dan flyer. Roti bukan lagi senjata; pilihan jelas masih harus datang—mungkin cinta, mungkin tidak—tapi karier dan keluarga sudah memilihku kembali.
Detail Mei yang belum kuceritakan: ulang tahun Irash kecil di rumah—kue, lilin, foto grup keluarga Tedja-Sumarin di grup chat. Bang Noah hadir setengah jam, bawa hadiah robot edukasi untuk Irash, bukan hadiah untukku. Aku ucap terima kasih formal across room. Irash happy—titik.
Evaluasi magang final dr. Lestari—dua halaman pujian, satu paragraf saran graduate school consider. Aku nangis di kamar mandi RS thirty detik, splash air, kembali profesional. Tangis bukan karena Noah; tangis karena lelah dua tahun transformasi akhirnya punya bukti tulis.
Kimmy call panjang Mei minggu pertama—Timmy ikut sebentar, doa sidang in English broken cute. Kimmy bilang, “Lo don’t need Den to validate.” Aku jawab, “I know now.” Voice steady.
Noah POV tambahan Mei: gue submit laporan bulanan early to impress bokap—not impress Bella. Bokap forward email om Atma; om Atma reply *Good.* Chain approval business, not romance. Gue gym, gue sleep, gue wait like adult.
Malam sebelum symposium internal, aku latihan di ruang tamu dengan papi duduk sofa. Mami record once; aku delete—too cringe. Latihan keempat suara stabil. Tidur jam sepuluh—disiplin sidang.
Setelah symposium, dr. Lestari tap bahu: “Co-author proud.” mbak Yuni hug side—team RS feel family. Pulang papi traktir martabak—celebration Indonesian style. Irash minta bite; aku share. Normal life parallel dengan countdown sidang—bukan mutually exclusive.
Administrasi fakultas email checklist sidang: hardcopy count, slide PDF, etik clearance attach, foto formal upload. Aku centang satu per satu like game quest. Quest reward = gelar soon, bukan quest reward = boyfriend.
Doa malam terakhir batch: ya Allah lancarkan sidang skripsi, ya Allah jaga Ello-Naya jujur, ya Allah jaga bang Noah lapangan, ya Allah jaga Irash ranking. Amin, lepas, tidur.
Tambahan administrasi: bayar biaya sidang fakultas online, upload bukti bayar, screenshot ke papi archive folder keluarga. Irash stick note new on binder: *Kak Bella = future drg.* Aku smile, stick on fridge instead—public motivation allowed.
Mei countdown daily: H-14 bind hardcopy, H-10 slide final, H-7 mock informal dosen, H-3 rest, H-1 papi speech “Komandan ratu ready.” H-0 sidang—bab berikutnya. Noah maybe comment grup *Semoga lancar* again; Aku maybe like again. Pattern peace.
Maura visit planning July with Kimmy—group chat excited travel, zero Noah plan. Bella smile—future fun not future triangle meeting mandatory.
Symposium internal ulang singkat: staf RS thirty orang, Q&A soal sustainability program—dr. Lestari jawab, aku add one sentence fluoride. Applause. Photo grup poster session—smile professional. Pulang mami say “Ratu double.” Es krim again—tradition locked.
Papi speech H-1 sidang: “Komandan ratu, ingat napas. Papi di barisan belakang, bukan di pikiran Noah.” Aku hug papi—laugh cry no tears. Ready enough for bab berikutnya: sidang skripsi nyata, dan whatever honesty comes after roti era ended.
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