Reference

Hello! I’m currently in/at (?) the final stages of an interview process that has lasted about 3 months. 5 individual interview rounds, an assessment, and an assessment review. I'm in life sciences if that is useful... Last Thursday, the company contacted all of my references. My references reached out to let me know they submitted their documents, but it’s been a full week since then and I’ve heard nothing from the company. Every interview went really well and I have a great feeling about the team, but the silence is starting to get to me. They’ve actually thanked me for being patient during the interviews because they know how long the process is taking, but I feel like I’m hanging in limbo. To be fair, I did tell them I'm not waiting on any other offer because they asked me and I honestly didn't feel like telling a white lie incase it backfired somehow. I’m concerned that they might be offering the role to another candidate and keeping me as a "Plan B," or maybe the internal bureaucracy is just this slow. I don’t want to get my hopes up, but I also don’t feel it’s fair to be left hanging after this much time and effort. This is the first position I've genuinely been excited for in a long time. I thought this forum might be a good place to ask some general questions - Is it common to wait more than a week after reference checks for an actual offer? Any offer I have received before has been between 1 to 3 days. - Does the fact that they contacted references suggest I’m the top choice, or do some companies check references for their top 2 or 3 candidates simultaneously? I was under the impression that references are only asked for the final candidate. - Should I reach out for an update now, or wait until the two-week mark? Since I don't have another offer I do have the time, but I'm having a hard time not thinking about this role and an offer. I've been out of work for a while now (biotech layoffs) so I have the time to think about if and when I should expect, or not, an offer! Thanks!