ROOM 7
Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Push
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The morning after the kiss, the room was different.
Not in a big way. Not in a way anyone could point to. But different. Jay sat on her bed, drinking coffee, watching Keifer across the room. He was reading. Or pretending to read. His book was open. His eyes were on the page. His ears were red.
She smiled into her cup. He looked up. Caught her watching. His ears went redder.
Ci N appeared beside her bed. "You're staring at him."
"I'm drinking coffee."
"You're staring while drinking coffee."
She grabbed a napkin. Threw it at him. He caught it.
"Your aim is improving," he said.
"Your face is improving."
"My face is the same."
"It's improving at being annoying."
He smiled. Walked to his bed. Opened his notebook.
Page 252. The morning after. Coffee. Staring. Red ears. Napkin caught. He wrote it all down.
---
Part One: The Argument
Care and Cole started fighting at breakfast.
It wasn't unusual. They fought at breakfast. They fought at lunch. They fought at dinner. They fought in between. Fighting was their language. Arguing was their love. Everyone was used to it.
But this fight was different. This fight was about toast.
"You burned it," Care said.
"I toasted it."
"You burned it. There's a difference."
"The toaster burned it. I just pressed the button."
"You pressed the wrong button."
"The toaster has one button."
"Then you pressed it too long."
"The toaster has a timer. I didn't set the timer. The toaster set the timer."
"You're blaming the toaster?"
"I'm stating facts."
"Your facts are wrong."
"My facts are correct."
"You burned the toast."
"The toaster burned the toast."
She grabbed the plate. Held it up. "Look at this. Look at this toast. It's black. It's charcoal. It's—"
"It's crispy."
"It's destroyed."
"It's well-done."
"It's a crime against bread."
He grabbed the other side of the plate. "I'll make new toast."
"No. I'll make new toast."
"You don't know how to work the toaster."
"I've been making toast since I was five."
"You've been burning toast since you were five."
She pulled the plate. He pulled back. The toast slid. A piece fell. Landed on the floor. Buttered side down.
Care stared at it. "Look what you did."
"I didn't do anything. You pulled."
"You pulled first."
"You pulled harder."
"That's not how pulling works."
"That's how our pulling works."
She grabbed another piece of toast. Held it up. "I'm going to throw this at you."
"You won't. You value breakfast."
She threw it. He caught it. Ate it.
"That was mine," she said.
"It's mine now."
"You caught it. That doesn't make it yours."
"That's how catching works."
"That's not how catching works."
"That's how our catching works."
She grabbed another piece. Threw it. He caught it. Ate it.
"You're eating all the toast," she said.
"You're throwing all the toast."
"You're catching all the toast."
"You're throwing all the toast."
She grabbed the last piece. Held it up. "This is the last one."
He looked at it. "It's burnt."
"It's well-done."
"It's burnt."
She threw it. He caught it. Looked at it. Looked at her.
"You threw the last piece of toast at me," he said.
"You caught it."
"You threw it."
"You caught it."
He ate it. She stared at him. He stared at her.
"I hate you," she said.
"You don't hate me."
"I hate you right now."
"You don't hate me right now."
"What do I hate?"
He looked at her. "You hate that I ate the last piece of toast."
She grabbed the plate. It was empty. No toast left. She put it down.
"You're impossible," she said.
He smiled. "You like it."
She didn't answer. She walked to her bed. Sat down. Picked up her book. Didn't open it.
Cole watched her. His smile faded. He looked at the empty plate. The empty toaster. The empty table.
He'd made her angry. Really angry. Not fighting angry. Real angry. He didn't know how to fix it. He never knew how to fix it.
He sat on his bed. Stared at the floor.
---
Part Two: The Observation
Ci N appeared beside Jay's bed. "They're fighting."
Jay looked at Care and Cole. Care was on her bed, book in hand, not reading. Cole was on his bed, staring at the floor. They were on opposite sides of the room. They weren't talking. They never stopped talking.
"They're not fighting," she said. "They're not talking."
"That's worse."
She looked at him. "What do you know about fighting?"
He considered the question. "My brain works at one hundred sixty percent. I observe. I calculate. I analyze. Fighting is inefficient. Not talking is more inefficient."
"What's efficient?"
He looked at Care. At Cole. At the space between them. "Pushing."
She stared at him. "Pushing?"
He smiled. Walked to his bed. Opened his notebook.
Jay watched him write. Then she looked at Care. At Cole. At the space between them.
She stood up.
---
Part Three: The Approach
Keifer was on his bed, reading. Or pretending to read. He'd been watching Jay watch Ci N. He'd been watching her stand up. He'd been watching her walk toward Care.
"Jay," he said.
She stopped. "What?"
"What are you doing?"
She looked at Care. At Cole. At the space between them.
"Something."
He stood up. "I'm coming with you."
She looked at him. "You don't even know what I'm doing."
"You're going to do something. I'm going to be there."
She almost smiled. Almost. "Fine."
She walked to Care's bed. Stopped in front of her. "Care."
Care looked up. Her face was closed. Her book was closed. Her hands were empty.
"What?"
Jay looked at Cole. He was still staring at the floor. Keifer was walking toward him.
"Stand up," Jay said.
Care blinked. "What?"
"Stand up."
Care stood. "What are you doing?"
Jay looked at Keifer. He was standing behind Cole. Looking at her. Waiting.
"Now," Jay said.
She pushed Care.
---
Part Four: The Clash
Care stumbled forward. Her arms went out. Her face went white. She was going to fall. She was going to hit the floor. She was going to—
Cole stood up. His hands caught her shoulders. Her hands grabbed his arms. Her face was inches from his. His face was inches from hers.
They stared at each other.
Behind them, Keifer's hands were still on Cole's back. He'd pushed too. At the same time. At the same moment. Without planning. Without talking.
Care's mouth opened. "You—"
Cole's mouth opened. "I—"
They stopped. They were close. Too close. Her hands were on his arms. His hands were on her shoulders. The room was silent. Sixteen people holding their breath.
Ci N was writing. "Moment captured. Page 253."
Care's face was red. Cole's ears were red. Neither of them moved.
"You pushed me," she said.
"You pushed me first."
"I didn't push you. Jay pushed me."
"Keifer pushed me."
She looked at Jay. Jay was standing behind her. Arms crossed. Face neutral.
"You pushed me," Care said.
"You needed to be pushed."
"I was reading."
"Your book was closed."
"I was thinking."
"You were avoiding."
Care's mouth opened. Closed. She looked at Cole. His hands were still on her shoulders. Her hands were still on his arms.
"You pushed me too," she said.
"You were going to fall."
"I wasn't going to fall."
"You were going to fall."
"I've never fallen in my life."
"You fell off your chair last week."
"That was different."
"How?"
"I was reaching for something."
"You were reaching for Cole."
Her face went redder. "I was reaching for my book."
"Your book was on the table."
"The table was next to Cole."
"The table was next to everyone."
She opened her mouth. Closed it. Her hands tightened on his arms.
"You're impossible," she said.
He smiled. "You like it."
She looked at his face. At his eyes. At his mouth. At the way he was looking at her like she was the only thing in the room worth seeing.
"I'm sorry," she said.
His smile faded. "What?"
"I'm sorry. For the toast. For throwing it. For—" She stopped.
He stared at her. "You never say sorry."
"I'm saying it now."
"Why?"
She looked at his face. At his eyes. At the way he was looking at her like he'd been waiting for something.
"Because I burned it. The toast. I burned it. I always burn it. And you always eat it. And I always yell at you. And you never yell back. And I'm sorry."
He didn't say anything. His hands were still on her shoulders. His face was close.
"Care," he said.
She leaned forward. Kissed him.
---
Part Five: The Explosion
The room exploded.
Yuri fell off his bed. "SHE KISSED HIM! SHE KISSED HIM!"
Ci N was writing. "Moment captured. Page 254."
Felix was smiling. "That's five now. Five kisses in two days."
Alex was watching. Lyra was watching. Her eyes were wide. Her mouth was open.
"She kissed him," she said.
"She kissed him," Alex said.
"After arguing about toast."
"After arguing about toast."
"She said sorry."
"She said sorry."
Lyra grabbed his arm. "Care never says sorry."
Alex looked at her. "She said sorry."
Lyra stared at Care and Cole. They were still standing in the middle of the room. His hands were on her shoulders. Her hands were on his arms. Their faces were close.
"They're going to kiss again," she said.
"They're going to kiss again."
"How do you know?"
He looked at her. "Because they've been wanting to kiss for years. They just needed a push."
She looked at Jay. At Keifer. At the way they were standing together, watching.
"You pushed them," Lyra said.
Jay looked at her. "They needed to be pushed."
"You pushed them."
"I pushed Care. Keifer pushed Cole. We pushed together."
"You planned this."
"I improvised."
"That's not how improvising works."
"That's how our improvising works."
Lyra stared at her. Then she laughed. Her voice was hoarse. Her eyes were bright. She was laughing. Really laughing. For the first time since the crash.
Jay smiled. Keifer put his arm around her. She let him.
---
Part Six: The Aftermath
Care pulled back from the kiss. Her face was red. Her hands were still on Cole's arms. His hands were still on her shoulders.
"You kissed me," he said.
"I kissed you."
"After arguing about toast."
"After arguing about toast."
"You said sorry."
"I said sorry."
He looked at her. "Why?"
She looked at his face. At his eyes. At his mouth. At the way he was looking at her like she was the only thing in the world worth seeing.
"Because I've been wanting to kiss you for years," she said. "And I've been arguing instead. And I'm tired of arguing."
He pulled her closer. "I like arguing with you."
"I know."
"I like winning."
"You never win."
"I win sometimes."
"You never win."
He kissed her. She kissed him back.
The room exploded again. Yuri was on the floor. Ci N was writing. Felix was laughing. Ash was holding Lyra. Mica was crying. Calix was holding her. Freya was taking photos. Erdix was filming. David was eating chips.
Jay watched them. Keifer's arm was around her. His hand was on her waist. Her hand was on his chest.
"You pushed her," he said.
"You pushed him."
"We pushed together."
"We pushed together."
She looked at him. "You didn't know what I was going to do."
"I knew you were going to do something."
"You followed me anyway."
"I follow you everywhere."
She almost smiled. Almost. "You're impossible."
He kissed her forehead. "You like it."
She didn't answer. She leaned into him. Watched Care and Cole stand in the middle of the room, holding each other, not arguing.
Ci N appeared beside them. "They're going to be okay."
Jay looked at him. "How do you know?"
He looked at his notebook. At the pages of calculations. At the numbers. At the probabilities. "I calculated it. The probability of them arguing again is 99.8 percent. The probability of them kissing again is 97.4 percent. The probability of them being okay is—" He closed the notebook. "One hundred percent."
She stared at him. "You calculated their relationship."
He nodded. "I calculate everything."
She grabbed a napkin. Threw it at him. He caught it.
"You have a catching problem," she said.
"You have a throwing problem."
"I have a Ci N problem."
He tucked the napkin into his pocket. "The worst kind."
He walked back to his bed. Sat down. Picked up his fox. Opened his notebook.
Rakki sat beside him. "You calculated their relationship."
He nodded. "I calculated their relationship."
"You calculated their kiss."
He nodded. "I calculated their kiss. The probability of Care apologizing was 67.3 percent. The probability of Cole accepting was 89.1 percent. The probability of them kissing was—"
She kissed his cheek. He stopped. Looked at her.
"You're impossible," she said.
He smiled. "You like it."
She didn't answer. She sat beside him. Watched the room settle. Watched Yuri get off the floor. Watched Felix go back to his desk. Watched Freya organize her photos. Watched Erdix help. Watched Ash hold Lyra. Watched David eat chips. Watched Care and Cole sit on the couch, not arguing, holding hands. Watched Jay and Keifer stand in the middle of the room, close enough to touch.
"They're going to kiss again," Ci N said.
Rakki looked at him. "Who?"
He looked at Jay. At Keifer. At the way she was leaning into him. At the way his arm was around her. At the way they were watching Care and Cole like they were seeing something new.
"Everyone," he said.
---
Part Seven: The Night
The room was quiet.
Care and Cole were on the couch. Their hands were intertwined. They weren't arguing. They were just sitting. Watching the window. Watching the city. Watching the lights come on.
Lyra was on her bed. Alex beside her. Her hand was in his. Her eyes were closed. She was sleeping. She'd been sleeping for four hours. The longest she'd slept since the crash.
Ci N was on his bed. Notebook open. Pen in hand. He was writing something. His forehead was wrinkled. His lips were moving.
Rakki watched him. "What are you writing?"
He showed her. Numbers. Times. Dates. Kisses. Five of them in two days. Each one documented. Each one calculated.
"I'm tracking them," he said. "The kisses. The probability of a sixth kiss tomorrow is 93.2 percent. The probability of a seventh kiss is 89.7 percent. The probability of—"
She closed his notebook. "You need to sleep."
"I'm not tired."
"You've been calculating all day."
"I've been documenting."
"Same thing."
He looked at his notebook. At the closed cover. At the numbers inside.
"She's sleeping," he said.
Rakki looked at Lyra. Asleep on her bed. Alex beside her. His hand in hers.
"She's sleeping."
"She hasn't slept like this since the crash."
"I know."
He picked up his fox. Held it. "She's going to be okay."
Rakki kissed his cheek. "She's going to be okay."
He nodded. Closed his eyes. His fox was under his arm. His notebook was on his chest.
Across the room, Jay lay in her bed. The shark was beside her. She could hear Keifer breathing. Two beds away. Close enough.
"Hey, Mariano."
His voice was soft. Just for her.
"Hey, Watson."
"Can't sleep?"
"No."
"Me neither."
She looked at the ceiling. "You pushed Cole today."
"I pushed Cole."
"You didn't know what I was going to do."
"I knew you were going to do something."
"You followed me anyway."
He was quiet for a moment. "I follow you everywhere."
She smiled. "You're impossible."
"You like it."
She didn't answer. She turned on her side. Faced his direction. The shark was beside her. His breathing was across the room.
"Keifer."
"Yeah."
"Care kissed Cole."
"She kissed Cole."
"After arguing about toast."
"After arguing about toast."
"She said sorry."
"She said sorry."
She was quiet for a moment. "You never make me say sorry."
He was quiet too. "You never have anything to be sorry for."
She looked at the ceiling. At the shadows. At the light from the window.
"I'm sorry," she said.
He went still. "For what?"
She heard him shift. Heard him breathe. Heard him wait.
"For running," she said. "For pretending. For making you wait."
He was quiet for a long time. Then: "I'd wait forever."
She closed her eyes. The shark was beside her. Keifer was across the room. She was his. He was hers. They hadn't said it. Not in those words. But they didn't need to.
"Goodnight, Keifer."
"Goodnight, Jay."
From across the room, Ci N's voice: "Goodnight, Mother. Goodnight, Father."
"Ci N," Jay said.
"I'm sleeping."
"You're talking."
"I'm sleeping and talking. My brain works at one hundred sixty percent. I can do both."
"Ci N."
"Goodnight, Mother."
She smiled into her pillow. "Goodnight, Ci N."
The room was quiet. Sixteen people. Sixteen people who were something to each other. Something that didn't need a name.
Jay closed her eyes. The shark was beside her. Keifer was across the room. She slept.
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End of Chapter Twenty-Eight