The review months were brutal.
Their little apartment transformed into a war zone of notes, flashcards, mechanical pencils, and enough coffee cups to start a museum. The dining table disappeared under Riz's color-coded architecture review books, while Cleo's side of the room looked like an electronics lab exploded—schematics, equations, and broken calculator parts everywhere.
They studied from sunrise to the early hours of the next. And yet, somehow, they kept each other grounded.
"Five-minute break," Riz would say, pulling Cleo away from yet another mock exam.
"Five minutes means make-out time?" Cleo would ask, grinning.
"No, it means snack time. Then we make out."
They burned out. Recovered. Fought over distractions. Shared anxiety spirals. But through it all, they never stopped being each other's anchor.
**The night before the exam**, the apartment was silent. Not from stress—but focus. Cleo sat cross-legged on the floor with his notes spread out in front of him, Riz leaning against his back, sketching on his tablet.
"You nervous?" Riz murmured.
Cleo nodded. "Terrified."
"Good," Riz said, setting the tablet aside. "Means you care."
---
**Exam day** came like a blur.
They didn't go in together—different locations, different exams—but they texted each other right before walking in.
> **Cleo:** Kick ass, Archi. I love you.
>
> **Riz:** Go get that top 1, Engineer. I love you more.
---
**Weeks later.**
The results came out at midnight.
They had agreed *not* to check until morning. But at 12:01 AM, Cleo was already staring at the laptop screen in the dark, Riz asleep beside him.
He didn't scream.
He didn't cry—at least not right away.
He just sat there, blinking at the words on the screen.
> *PRC BOARD EXAM TOPNOTCHERS*
>
> **ENGINEERING (ECE):**
> **Top 1 – Cleo Francisco Reyes, 92.80%**
He scrambled for his phone with shaking hands, heart pounding. Checked Riz's results next.
> **ARCHITECTURE:**
> **Top 1 – Riz Angelo Castillo, 91.95%**
He stared at it. Then looked over at Riz, still asleep, one arm flung across the bed.
"Babe," Cleo whispered. "Wake up. Wake up. Babe—wake *up*."
Riz groaned. "Is the apartment on fire?"
"No," Cleo said, practically vibrating. "We're number one. *Both of us.* We—we freaking did it."
Riz blinked at him, groggy. "Wait. What?"
"Top. One. Riz. *You're the topnotcher.* And I—" He laughed, breathless. "Me too."
Riz shot up, fully awake now, eyes wide. "You're kidding me."
Cleo showed him the screen.
Then they were *shouting.* Jumping on the bed, laughing, hugging, kissing with tears in their eyes.
"You said we'd build a future," Riz whispered, pressing their foreheads together. "I didn't know it'd look *this* good."
Cleo kissed him again. "We built it together."
---
**Later that day**, their phones wouldn't stop ringing. Their moms cried *immediately.*
Cleo's mom screamed so loud, Riz's mom heard her through the phone. Bea sent voice notes that were 80% high-pitched screeching.
The university posted congratulatory messages.
Old professors texted them. Even Riz's lola sent a teary-eyed selfie holding up a "#1" finger and a plastic gold medal.
And as the sun dipped low outside their apartment windows, painting the walls in golden light, Cleo and Riz sat shoulder-to-shoulder on the couch. Still in their pajamas. Eyes wide. Hearts full.
"I still can't believe it," Riz said, resting his head on Cleo's shoulder.
Cleo wrapped an arm around him. "Believe it. We're here. We're *them.*"
"The golden duo?"
"The blueprint and the circuit."
Riz laughed, then sighed. "So what now?"
Cleo turned to him and said, quietly, "Now we build the life we want."
_____________________---
Three Weeks Later
A letter arrived in the mail. It was postmarked from their university. Inside: two letters of recommendation, addressed to different firms—one engineering, one architecture. Attached was a note:
"Wherever you go, whatever you build—do it together."
Signed: Professor Javier.
Riz smiled and looked at Cleo. "Guess it's official."
"We're unstoppable," Cleo said.
--------------------
End Of Chapter Twenty Two