ROOM 7
Chapter Forty: The Almost
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The week after Lyra said she wanted to be more, the room was different.
Not fixed. Not settled. But different. Lyra and Alex sat closer on the couch. Their hands touched more often. Their eyes met and held. But they didn't talk about the hallway. They didn't talk about the words. They didn't talk about what happened when she said she wanted to be more and he said they'd figure it out together.
They just sat. Shoulders touching. Fingers brushing. Not moving forward. Not moving back.
The room watched. No one pushed.
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Part One: The Call
It started with a phone call.
Lyra was on the couch, Alex beside her, when her phone buzzed. She looked at the screen. Her face changed. Her hands started shaking. She stood up. Walked to the door. Walked out.
Alex watched her go. The door closed. He sat there for a moment. Then he stood. Followed.
The room was quiet. Yuri looked at the door. Mica looked at Calix. Care looked at Cole. Ci N opened his notebook.
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Part Two: The Rooftop
He found her on the rooftop.
She was sitting on the edge, legs dangling over the side, phone in her hands. Her shoulders were shaking. He knew she was crying before he saw her face.
He sat beside her. Not touching. Close enough.
"Lyra."
She didn't look at him. "My brother called."
He waited.
"He's been asking about me. Every day. My mom said he won't sleep. He keeps coming to my room. He keeps asking when I'm coming home."
She wiped her face with her sleeve. Her voice was thick.
"He's twelve. He's supposed to be playing video games and annoying my parents. He's not supposed to be waiting for me. He's not supposed to be scared."
Alex didn't say anything. He just sat beside her, close enough to reach, far enough to let her breathe.
"I told him I was okay. I told him I was coming home for the holidays. I told him—" Her voice cracked. "I told him I was fine."
She put her face in her hands. Her shoulders shook.
He moved closer. His shoulder touched hers. His hand was on his knee, inches from hers.
"I miss him," she said. "I miss my parents. I miss my house. I miss—" She stopped.
He waited.
She looked at him. Her face was wet. Her eyes were red. Her nose was running.
"I miss being okay."
He reached out. His hand touched her face. His fingers wiped the tears from her cheek.
"You are okay."
She shook her head. "I'm not."
He moved closer. His hand was still on her face. His thumb traced her cheekbone.
"You're here. You're breathing. You're—" He stopped.
She waited. "I'm what?"
He looked at her. "You're still you."
She stared at him. Her eyes were wet. Her lips were parted. Her breath was shallow.
He leaned closer.
She leaned closer.
Their foreheads touched. Their noses brushed. Their lips were a breath apart.
The door slammed open.
"LYRA! I FOUND YOU!"
They jerked apart. Yuri stood in the doorway, chest heaving, face bright.
"I've been looking everywhere. The library. The courtyard. The—" He stopped. Looked at their faces. Looked at how close they were sitting. Looked at the way Alex's hand was still on her face. Looked at the way she was leaning into him.
"Oh," he said.
Lyra's face went red. Alex's ears went red. Neither of them moved.
Yuri stood in the doorway. His mouth opened. Closed. Opened again.
"I'm going to go," he said.
He backed out. The door closed behind him.
They sat on the rooftop. The city spread out below. The wind was cold. The sky was dark. Neither of them moved.
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Part Three: The Silence
Lyra pulled back. Her face was still wet. Her hands were shaking. Her voice was hoarse.
"We were about to—"
"I know."
She looked at him. His face was calm. His hands were steady. His eyes were dark.
"We weren't thinking," she said.
He didn't answer.
She stood up. Her legs were shaking. "We should go inside."
He stood beside her. "Okay."
She walked toward the door. He followed. She stopped with her hand on the handle.
"Alex."
"Yeah."
"What happened on the rooftop—"
"We don't have to talk about it."
She turned. "We don't?"
He looked at her. "You were crying. I was trying to help. It didn't mean anything."
She stared at him. His face was still. His voice was flat. His hands were in his pockets.
"Okay," she said.
She opened the door. Walked inside. He followed.
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Part Four: The Room
The room was quiet when they came back. Yuri was on his bed, face buried in his hands. Mica was in the kitchen, pretending to cook. Calix was pretending to help. Care and Cole were pretending to argue. Freya was pretending to edit photos. Erdix was pretending to help. Ash was pretending to read. David was pretending to eat chips. Felix was pretending to draw. Ci N was pretending to write.
They were all pretending they hadn't been waiting. They were all pretending they hadn't seen Yuri run out of the building. They were all pretending they didn't know what happened on the rooftop.
Lyra walked to her bed. Sat down. Picked up her book. Didn't open it.
Alex walked to his bed. Sat down. Picked up his book. Didn't open it.
Yuri looked up. His face was red. "I'm sorry."
Lyra looked at him. "For what?"
He opened his mouth. Closed it. "For interrupting."
She stared at him. "You didn't interrupt anything."
He looked at her. At Alex. At the space between them. At the way they were both holding books they weren't reading.
"You were about to kiss."
"We weren't about to kiss."
"You were about to kiss. Your faces were close. Your eyes were closed. You were—"
"We weren't about to kiss."
Yuri closed his mouth. Nodded. Lay back on his bed. Stared at the ceiling.
Ci N wrote in his notebook. "Page 297. Interruption on rooftop. Probability of second attempt: 67.3 percent."
Rakki looked at him. "Ci N."
He closed his notebook. Picked up his fox. Held it.
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Part Five: The Night
The lights went out at eleven.
Lyra lay in her bed. The book was beside her. Unopened. She could hear Alex across the room. His breathing was uneven. He wasn't sleeping.
She wanted to call out to him. Wanted to say something. Wanted to tell him she was sorry. Wanted to tell him she didn't mean what she said. Wanted to tell him the almost-kiss meant everything.
She didn't. She lay in the dark, listening to him breathe, and didn't say anything.
Alex lay in his bed. He could hear Lyra across the room. Her breathing was soft. He knew she wasn't sleeping. He knew she was waiting. He knew she wanted him to say something.
He didn't. He lay in the dark, listening to her breathe, and didn't say anything.
Ci N's voice from his bed: "Page 298. Both awake. Both pretending to sleep. Probability of talking about the almost-kiss: 4.2 percent."
Rakki pulled him closer. "Ci N."
"I'm helping."
She kissed his cheek. "You're observing."
He was quiet for a moment. "Same thing."
She didn't answer. She held him. He held his fox.
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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.
"They almost kissed," she said.
"They almost kissed."
"On the rooftop."
"On the rooftop."
She looked up at him. "Yuri interrupted them."
He kissed her forehead. "Yuri interrupts everything."
She smiled. "He does."
He pulled her closer. She closed her eyes. His heartbeat was under her ear. His hand was in her hair.
"Keifer."
"Yeah."
"They're never going to talk about it."
He looked at Lyra. At Alex. At the space between their beds. At the way they were both pretending to sleep.
"They will," he said.
"When?"
He kissed her forehead. "When they're ready."
She closed her eyes. He held her. The room was quiet.
From across the room, Ci N's voice: "Page 299. 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. Lyra was across the room. Alex was across the room. They almost kissed. They didn't talk about it. They would. Eventually.
She slept.
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End of Chapter Forty