ROOM 7
Chapter Thirty-Four: The Question
---
Three months had passed since the night Alex came back from the rooftop. Three months of healing. Three months of quiet mornings and loud dinners and the slow return of laughter to Room 7. Lyra was sleeping through the night now. Alex was making coffee again—two cups, black, no sugar, one for her, one for him. Ci N had filled three notebooks with observations. Yuri had stopped yelling about everything. David had restocked the snack cabinet four times.
Freya had been acting strange for two weeks.
Jay noticed first. Freya was taking fewer photos. She was staring at her camera instead of using it. She was sitting on her bed, scrolling through old pictures, not taking new ones. She was quiet when the room was loud. She was still when the room was moving.
Jay found her on the rooftop one evening. Freya was sitting on the edge, camera in her lap, looking at the sunset.
"You've been quiet," Jay said, sitting beside her.
Freya didn't look at her. "I've been thinking."
"About what?"
Freya was quiet for a long time. Then: "Erdix has been my best friend since we were kids. He's been beside me for every shoot. Every exhibition. Every rejection. Every success. He carries my equipment. He holds my camera when my hands shake. He tells me when I'm being stupid and when I'm being brilliant."
Jay waited.
"He's been my best friend for twelve years. And I don't want him to be my best friend anymore."
Jay looked at her. Freya's hands were on her camera. Her knuckles were white. Her face was calm.
"You want him to be something else," Jay said.
Freya nodded. "I want to tell him. I've been trying to tell him for two weeks. Every time I open my mouth, nothing comes out."
Jay took her hand. "Then don't talk."
Freya looked at her. "What?"
Jay smiled. "Show him."
---
Part One: The Exhibit
The next morning, Freya disappeared.
Her camera was gone. Her bag was gone. Her bed was empty when Yuri woke up. Erdix noticed first. He always noticed first.
"Where's Freya?"
Mica looked up from the stove. "She left early. Said something about an exhibit."
Erdix pulled out his phone. No messages. He dialed. No answer.
He sat on his bed. Stared at his phone.
Ci N appeared beside him. "She's been acting strange for two weeks. Her heart rate has been elevated. Her sleep patterns have been disrupted. She's been looking at old photos instead of taking new ones. These are symptoms of—"
"Ci N," Rakki called from across the room.
He walked back to his bed. Sat down. Opened his notebook.
Erdix stood up. "I'm going to find her."
---
He found her in the art building.
The hallway was empty. The doors were closed. The lights were dim. He walked past the studios. Past the darkrooms. Past the gallery. He stopped at the last door. It was open. Light spilled into the hallway.
He walked in.
The room was full of photos. Not new ones. Old ones. Photos he'd forgotten. Photos he'd never seen. Photos of Room 7. Photos of the rooftop. Photos of the courtyard. Photos of the fountain. Photos of the hallway. Photos of the door. Photos of them.
Hundreds of photos. Thousands. Covering the walls. Covering the floor. Covering the ceiling.
In the middle of the room, Freya stood. Her camera was in her hands. Her face was turned away from him.
"Freya."
She turned. Her face was calm. Her hands were steady. Her eyes were bright.
"You found me."
He walked toward her. Past the photos. Past the memories. Past the years.
"What is this?"
She looked at the walls. At the photos. At the years of her life spread out in front of her.
"This is my proposal."
He stopped. "What?"
She set her camera down. Walked to the wall. Pointed at a photo. Room 7. The first week. Erdix was in the corner, laughing at something Yuri said. Freya was in the background, watching him.
"I took this three years ago. The first week we moved in. I didn't know I was in love with you yet. I just knew I couldn't stop taking pictures of you."
She walked to another photo. The rooftop. The sunset. Erdix was standing at the edge, looking at the city. His face was gold. His hair was blowing in the wind.
"I took this the night Jay chased Keifer up the stairs. You were standing at the edge, looking at the lights. I thought you were the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. I still think that."
She walked to another photo. The amusement park. The Ferris wheel. Erdix was holding cotton candy, laughing, sugar on his face.
"This was the first time I thought about kissing you. You had sugar on your nose. I wanted to kiss it off. I didn't."
She walked to another. Tagaytay. The porch. Rain on the windows. Erdix was sleeping on the couch, her camera in his lap, protecting it.
"This was the first time I thought about telling you. You were holding my camera like it was something precious. Like I was something precious."
She walked to another. The hospital. Grace's room. The baby. Erdix was holding a tiny shark, placing it beside Grazel's head.
"This was the first time I thought about a future with you. A future with a baby. A future with a house. A future with you."
She turned to face him. Her face was wet. Her hands were shaking. Her voice was steady.
"I've been in love with you for three years, Erdix. I've been taking pictures of you for twelve. I've been your best friend since we were kids. And I don't want to be your best friend anymore."
He walked toward her. Slow. Each step measured. He stopped in front of her.
"What do you want to be?"
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.
"Yours," she said.
He kissed her.
---
Part Two: The Explosion
The room exploded when they got back.
Yuri was the first to see them. "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?"
Freya didn't answer. She was holding Erdix's hand. His hand was in hers. Their faces were red. Their eyes were bright.
Yuri's mouth fell open. "YOU WENT ON A DATE."
"We went on a date," Freya said.
"WITHOUT TELLING ANYONE."
"I was proposing."
The room went silent.
Yuri's mouth opened. Closed. Opened again. "WHAT?"
Freya held up her camera. "I proposed. In the art building. With photos. He said yes."
Ci N was writing. "Page 278. Proposal confirmed. Erdix and Freya engaged. Probability of wedding within two years: 87.3 percent."
Yuri grabbed his hair. "SHE PROPOSED."
"She proposed," Felix said.
"WITH PHOTOS."
"With photos."
"IN THE ART BUILDING."
"In the art building."
Yuri pointed at Freya. "YOU'RE TERRIFYING."
She smiled. "I know."
Lyra was laughing. Her voice was strong. Her eyes were bright. She was standing on her own. Alex was beside her, watching, waiting.
"You proposed," Lyra said.
Freya held up her camera. "I proposed."
"In the art building."
"With photos."
Lyra looked at the camera. At the photos. At the years of memories. "Can we see them?"
Freya smiled. "All of them."
---
Part Three: The Viewing
The room gathered around Freya's laptop.
She pulled up the photos. One by one. The first week. The rooftop. The amusement park. Tagaytay. The hospital. The baby. The shark. The years.
Ci N was writing. "Page 279. Proposal photos viewed. Emotional responses recorded."
Yuri was crying. "I'm not crying."
"You're crying," Mica said.
"I'm not crying. My eyes are sweating."
"That's not a thing."
"It's my thing."
Care was holding Cole's hand. "She proposed with photos."
"She proposed with photos," Cole said.
"That's the most romantic thing I've ever heard."
He kissed her forehead. "I'll do better."
She looked at him. "You don't have to."
He smiled. "I want to."
Ash was on the couch, watching the photos. David beside her. His chips were untouched.
"She's been in love with him for twelve years," Ash said.
David nodded. "She's been documenting him for twelve years."
Ash looked at him. "That's dedication."
He looked at her. "That's love."
She was quiet. He was quiet. The photos kept playing.
---
Part Four: The Celebration
Mica and Calix cooked a feast. Yuri set up the speakers. Care and Cole cleared the table. Ash brought out plates. David brought out snacks. Felix brought out drinks. Lyra and Alex set up the chairs.
The room was full. Sixteen people. Sixteen plates. Sixteen glasses. Sixteen chairs around the table.
Freya sat at the head. Erdix beside her. Their hands were together. Their faces were bright.
Yuri raised his glass. "To Freya. Who took twelve years to propose."
"I was waiting for the right moment."
"With photos."
"With photos."
Yuri looked at her. "You're terrifying."
She smiled. "I know."
He raised his glass higher. "To Freya. And Erdix. Who said yes."
Erdix raised his glass. "I've been saying yes since I was twelve. She just didn't ask."
Freya looked at him. "I'm asking now."
He kissed her. The room cheered.
Ci N wrote in his notebook. "Page 280. Engagement celebrated. Probability of more celebrations: 100 percent."
---
Part Five: The Night
The room was quiet after the celebration.
Plates were cleared. Chairs were pushed back. Yuri was asleep on his bed. Mica was in the kitchen with Calix. Care and Cole were on the couch. Ash was on her bed. David was eating chips. Felix was at his desk. Lyra was on the couch, Alex beside her. Ci N was on his bed, notebook open.
Freya sat on her bed. Erdix beside her. His hand was in hers.
"You proposed," he said.
"I proposed."
"With photos."
"With photos."
He looked at her. "You've been taking pictures of me since we were kids."
She nodded. "Since the first day we met. You were holding a camera. You said you wanted to take pictures of the world. I wanted to take pictures of you."
He pulled her closer. "You have."
She smiled. "I have."
He kissed her forehead. She closed her eyes.
Across the room, Ci N wrote in his notebook. "Page 281. Engagement night. Peace recorded. Probability of more peace: 100 percent."
Rakki looked at him. "You're documenting everything."
He nodded. "Everything."
"Even the proposal."
He looked at his notebook. At the pages of numbers. The times. The dates. The photos. The years.
"I've been waiting for this one," he said.
She kissed his cheek. "You're impossible."
He smiled. "You like it."
She didn't answer. She sat beside him. Watched the room settle.
---
Part Six: The Promise
Jay lay on her bed. The shark was beside her. Keifer was beside her. His arm was around her. Her head was on his chest.
"Freya proposed," she said.
"Freya proposed."
"With photos."
"With photos."
She looked up at him. "She's been in love with him since they were kids."
He looked down at her. "I've been in love with you since I was fourteen."
She smiled. "I know."
He kissed her forehead. She closed her eyes.
"Keifer."
"Yeah."
"When we get married—"
He went still. "When?"
She opened her eyes. Looked at him. "When. Not if. When."
He stared at her. His face was soft. His eyes were bright. His voice was low.
"When we get married," he said, "I'm going to propose in the courtyard. By the fountain. At sunset. When the light hits the water at the right angle."
She smiled. "You've been talking to Ci N."
He smiled back. "He calculated the optimal time. 5:47 PM. The same time we walked in the park."
She touched his face. Her fingers traced his cheekbone. His jaw. His lips.
"I love you," she said.
He kissed her. "I love you."
From across the room, Ci N's voice: "Page 282. Marriage discussed. Probability of proposal within two years: 94.2 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. Freya was engaged. Erdix was hers. The room was full. The night was quiet.
She slept.
---
End of Chapter Thirty-Four