(Clara)
The problem with happiness was that it never seemed to arrive alone.
The moment something good happened, something complicated usually followed right behind it.
At least that had been my experience lately.
Making the shortlist should have been enough.
It should have occupied my entire attention.
It should have been the only thing I thought about for the rest of the day.
A few weeks ago, it probably would’ve been.
Unfortunately, my life had become significantly more complicated since then.
The realization followed me as I left the research department and stepped into the evening air.
The campus had begun to quiet down as students gradually headed home while the last traces of sunlight disappeared behind the city skyline, and for the first time in what felt like forever, I
