The university library has that particular light in the late afternoon — yellow, a bit dull, slanting across the tables and making everyone look as if they’ve stepped out of an old film. It’s 5.23 pm. The mid-terms are in three weeks’ time. The Master’s degree is also three weeks away, in the sense that in three weeks’ time, it will be over, and after that— After that, it’s all a bit of a blur for everyone. Louis has been here since 2 pm. His urban planning notes are spread out in front of him in a controlled mess — plans, diagrams, a cold coffee he hasn’t finished. He’s got his headphones on, but no music is playing. Just silence, so he doesn’t have to talk to anyone. He hasn’t seen you come in yet.