ROOM 7
Chapter Thirty-Three: The Green-Eyed Monster
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The week after Lyra collapsed, the room was different.
Not healed—that would take time. But different. Alex hadn't left Lyra's side since the ambulance left. He slept on the floor beside her bed. He made her coffee in the morning—black, no sugar, the way she liked it. He walked her to class. He sat with her at meals. He didn't talk about where he'd been. She didn't ask. The room didn't push. Everyone was just glad he was back.
Jay was glad too. But she was also tired. Tired of watching Lyra recover. Tired of the heavy silence that had settled over Room 7. Tired of the way everyone moved carefully, spoke quietly, waited for something to break.
She needed a distraction. She didn't know it would come in the form of Michel.
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Part One: The Seat
Monday morning, Jay walked into her business law class and stopped.
Keifer's seat was empty. The seat beside her—the seat he'd claimed since the first week—was empty. She scanned the room. No Keifer. No text. No note.
She sat down. Pulled out her notebook. Stared at the empty chair beside her.
The door opened. She looked up. It wasn't Keifer.
Michel walked in. Tall. Dark hair. Sharp jaw. The same face that had walked into her class weeks ago and sat in Keifer's seat. The same face that had texted her from three different numbers. The same face that had made Keifer drag her into the hallway and kiss her against the lockers.
He scanned the room. His eyes landed on her. He smiled.
He walked straight to her. Sat down in the empty chair.
"Hey."
She looked at him. "That seat's taken."
He looked at the seat. Looked at her. "There's no bag."
"He's coming."
Michel leaned back. "I'll wait."
She stared at her notebook. The door stayed closed. The minutes ticked by. Professor Aguilar walked in. Started the lecture. Michel took out his notebook. He didn't move. He didn't leave.
Jay's pen was still. Her notebook was blank. Her eyes kept going to the door.
Fifteen minutes passed. Twenty. Thirty.
Michel leaned toward her. "You're not taking notes."
She looked at him. "I take notes in my head."
He smiled. "That's efficient."
She looked back at her notebook. "You should move. He's going to be here any minute."
"He's been 'any minute' for thirty minutes."
She didn't answer. Her jaw was tight. Her hands were flat on the desk.
Michel watched her. "You're worried about him."
She looked at him. "I'm not worried."
"You're staring at the door."
She looked away. "I'm watching the lecture."
"The lecture is behind you. The door is in front of you. You're watching the door."
She turned to face him. "What do you want, Michel?"
He smiled. It was the same smile. The one that said he knew something she didn't. "I want to know why you're with him."
She stared at him. "That's none of your business."
"You block my numbers. You ignore me in the hallway. You won't have coffee with me. You won't even let me sit next to you in class. But he's not here. And you're staring at the door."
Her hands curled into fists. "Michel."
He leaned closer. "He left you. He's not answering your texts. He's not here. And you're still waiting."
She stood up. Her chair scraped the floor. Professor Aguilar stopped talking. The class turned.
"Ms. Mariano?"
She grabbed her bag. "I'm sorry. I need some air."
She walked out.
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Part Two: The Hallway
She stood in the hallway, breathing hard, hands shaking.
She wasn't angry at Michel. She was angry at herself. Because he was right. Keifer wasn't here. He hadn't texted. He hadn't called. She'd been sitting in class, staring at the door, waiting for him to walk through it. And he hadn't.
She pulled out her phone. No messages. She dialed his number. It rang. Once. Twice. Three times.
Voicemail.
She hung up. Stared at the screen.
"Jay."
She turned. Michel was standing behind her. His bag was over his shoulder. His face was calm.
"You left class."
"You followed me."
He shrugged. "I was worried."
She laughed. It was hollow. "You don't even know me."
"I want to."
She stared at him. He stared back. His face was open. His hands were out of his pockets. He wasn't smiling.
"I'm not interested," she said.
"I know."
"Then why do you keep trying?"
He was quiet for a moment. Then: "Because I saw the way he looked at you. The first day. When I sat in his seat. He looked at me like I'd stolen something from him."
She didn't answer.
"I've never had anyone look at me like that," Michel said. "I've never had anyone worth looking at like that. I wanted to know what it felt like."
She looked at his face. At his eyes. At the way he was standing, still, waiting.
"It's not something you can steal," she said.
He smiled. "I know."
She turned. Walked down the hallway. She didn't look back.
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Part Three: The Message
She found Keifer in the courtyard.
He was sitting on the bench by the fountain. His bag was on the ground. His head was in his hands. She stopped. Watched him. The way his shoulders were tight. The way his hands were pressed against his face. The way he sat alone in the sun.
She walked toward him. Her footsteps were loud on the pavement. He didn't look up.
"Keifer."
His hands dropped. His head came up. His eyes were red.
"You missed class."
He looked away. "I know."
"Where were you?"
He didn't answer.
She sat beside him. "Your phone is off."
He looked at his hands. "I turned it off."
"Why?"
He was quiet for a long moment. Then: "I saw him. This morning. In the hallway. Before class."
She waited.
"He was waiting outside your building. He had coffee. Two cups. He was standing there, holding them, looking at the door. Like he was waiting for you."
She stared at him. "Michel?"
"He was there when I got there. He was standing where I stand. Holding coffee the way I hold coffee. Waiting for you the way I wait for you."
She touched his arm. "Keifer—"
"He saw me. He looked at me. He smiled. And I—" He stopped.
She waited.
"I wanted to hit him. I wanted to take the coffee and throw it on the ground. I wanted to—" He stopped again.
She moved closer. "What did you do?"
He looked at her. His face was tired. His eyes were dark. His voice was low.
"I walked away."
She stared at him. "You walked away?"
"I walked away. I turned around and walked the other way. And then I sat here. For an hour. Thinking about him standing there with coffee for you. Thinking about you walking out of your building and seeing him instead of me. Thinking about—"
She grabbed his face. Made him look at her.
"I walked out of class," she said. "I walked out because he sat in your seat. I walked out because you weren't there. I walked out because I didn't want to sit next to anyone who wasn't you."
He stared at her. "You walked out?"
"I walked out. I came looking for you. I called you. Your phone was off."
He pulled out his phone. Stared at the screen. "I turned it off."
She took it from him. Turned it on. Handed it back. "Don't turn it off again."
He looked at the phone. At her. At the phone again.
"Jay."
She waited.
He pulled her into his arms. His face was in her hair. His hands were on her back. His voice was muffled.
"I'm sorry."
She held him. "Don't be."
"I'm supposed to be—"
"You're supposed to be here." She pulled back. Looked at him. "You're here. That's enough."
He looked at her face. At her eyes. At her mouth. At the way she was looking at him like he was the only thing in the world worth seeing.
"I love you," he said.
She smiled. "I know."
He kissed her.
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Part Four: The Return
They walked back to class together.
Michel was gone. His seat was empty. Keifer sat down beside her. His hand was on the desk. Close to hers.
She looked at him. "He brought coffee."
Keifer's jaw tightened. "He brought coffee."
"Two cups."
He looked at her. "You didn't drink it."
"I didn't see him. I saw you." She put her hand on his. "I always see you."
He turned his hand over. His fingers intertwined with hers. His palm was warm. His grip was steady.
Professor Aguilar walked in. Started the lecture. Jay didn't take notes. Keifer didn't take notes. Their hands were together on the desk.
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Part Five: The Explanation
After class, they walked through the courtyard. The fountain was running. The benches were empty. The sun was high.
"Keifer."
He looked at her.
"You walked away."
He was quiet for a moment. "I walked away."
"From him."
"From him."
She stopped walking. "You walked away from him, not from me."
He stopped too. Looked at her. "I was scared."
"Of what?"
He looked at the fountain. At the water. At the light hitting the surface.
"Of being that guy. The one who gets angry. The one who throws things. The one who—" He stopped.
She waited.
"The first time I saw him, I wanted to hit him. The second time, I wanted to throw his coffee on the ground. This morning, I wanted to—" He stopped again.
"What?"
He looked at her. "I wanted to grab you. I wanted to pull you away from him. I wanted to hide you. I wanted to make sure no one else could look at you. No one else could talk to you. No one else could—"
She stepped closer. "Keifer."
He stepped back. "I don't want to be that person."
"You're not."
"I almost was."
She grabbed his hand. "But you weren't."
He looked at their hands. At her fingers intertwined with his. At her palm against his.
"I walked away," he said.
"You walked away."
"Because I didn't want to be that person. Because I wanted to be the person you deserve. Because I wanted to—" He stopped.
She squeezed his hand. "What?"
He looked at her. "I wanted to be the person who comes back. Not the person who leaves."
She pulled him closer. Her face was inches from his.
"You came back."
He touched her face. His fingers traced her cheekbone. "I'll always come back."
She smiled. "I know."
He kissed her.
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Part Six: The Courtyard
They didn't hear the footsteps.
"OH MY GOD."
They pulled apart. Yuri was standing at the edge of the courtyard. His mouth was open. His hands were in the air. Behind him, Mica was holding Calix's arm. Care was holding Cole. Freya was holding her camera. Erdix was holding Freya. David was holding chips. Ci N was holding his notebook.
Lyra was holding Alex's hand. She was standing. On her own. Her face was pale. Her eyes were bright.
"They kissed," Ci N said. "In the courtyard. By the fountain. Page 274."
Yuri pointed at Keifer. "You kissed her. Again. In public. While Michel was sitting next to her in class."
Keifer's ears went red. "He wasn't sitting next to her."
"He was sitting in your seat."
"He was sitting in my seat. She walked out."
Yuri's mouth closed. He looked at Jay. "You walked out?"
Jay's face was red. "I walked out."
"Because he sat in Keifer's seat?"
"Because he wasn't Keifer."
Yuri stared at her. Then at Keifer. Then back at her.
"You walked out of class because your boyfriend wasn't there?"
"He's not—" She stopped.
Keifer looked at her. She looked at Keifer.
"He's my—" She stopped again.
Keifer waited. She looked at his face. At his eyes. At the way he was looking at her like he was waiting for something.
"He's mine," she said.
Yuri fell off the bench. "SHE SAID IT. SHE SAID HE'S HERS."
Ci N was writing. "Page 275. Possession claimed. Probability of further possession claims: 100 percent."
Lyra was laughing. Her voice was hoarse. Her eyes were wet. She was standing. On her own. Holding Alex's hand.
Jay walked to her. "You're out of bed."
Lyra looked down at her feet. At the ground. At the space between her and Alex.
"I'm out of bed."
"You're standing."
"I'm standing."
She looked at Alex. He was watching her. His hands were in his pockets. His face was calm. His eyes were wet.
"I'm standing," she said again.
He smiled. "I see that."
She walked to him. Slow. Unsteady. Her hand found his. Her head dropped against his shoulder.
"I'm okay," she said.
He put his arm around her. "I know."
She closed her eyes. Her breathing slowed. Her hand held his.
Ci N watched them. His pen moved. "Page 276. Lyra standing. Probability of more standing: 100 percent."
Yuri looked at him. "Are you documenting everything?"
Ci N nodded. "Everything."
"Even the jealousy?"
He flipped back several pages. Showed Yuri. The time. The location. The coffee. The two cups. The way Keifer walked away.
Yuri stared at the page. "You documented him walking away?"
Ci N closed his notebook. "I document everything."
Yuri walked away. Muttering. Something about eighteen-year-olds. Something about notebooks. Something about jealousy.
Ci N watched him go. Then he looked at Jay. At Keifer. At the way they were standing close. At the way neither of them was moving.
"You should do that again," he said.
Jay looked at him. "What?"
"Kiss. In the courtyard. The lighting is better now. The sun is at a forty-three degree angle. Optimal for photography."
Freya raised her camera. "He's right. The lighting is perfect."
Jay grabbed a napkin from her bag. Threw it at Ci N. 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."
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Part Seven: The Night
The room was quiet that night.
Lyra was on the couch, Alex beside her. Her head was on his shoulder. His arm was around her. Her eyes were closed. She was sleeping. She'd been sleeping for three hours. She didn't wake up once.
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. Possessions. Jealousy.
"I'm tracking them," he said. "The probability of Keifer getting jealous again is 94.3 percent. The probability of him walking away instead of fighting is 89.7 percent. The probability of him coming back is—" He closed his notebook. "One hundred percent."
She kissed his cheek. "You're impossible."
He smiled. "You like it."
She didn't answer. She sat beside him. Watched the room settle. Watched Yuri get into bed. Watched Felix close his notebook. Watched Freya put her camera away. Watched Erdix help. Watched Ash fall asleep. Watched David eat his last chips. Watched Care and Cole hold hands. Watched Lyra sleep. Watched Alex watch her.
Watched Jay and Keifer sit on her bed, the shark between them, their hands together.
Across the room, Jay lay in her bed. The shark was beside her. Keifer was beside her. His arm was around her. Her head was on his chest.
"You walked away today," she said.
"I walked away."
"From him. Not from me."
He kissed her forehead. "I'll always come back."
She smiled. "I know."
He pulled her closer. She closed her eyes. His heartbeat was under her ear. His hand was in her hair. The shark was beside them. The room was quiet.
From across the room, Ci N's voice: "Page 277. Goodnight recorded. Probability of more goodnights: 100 percent."
"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. Goodnight, Father."
She smiled into Keifer's chest. "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. Keifer was beside her. The shark was beside her. He was hers. She was his.
She slept.
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End of Chapter Thirty-Three