ROOM 7
Chapter Forty-Seven: The Morning After
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The room was still dark when Jay opened her eyes. The clock on the wall read 5:47 AM. The sun hadn't risen yet. The city was quiet. Sixteen people were breathing. Most of them were sleeping.
She wasn't.
She was on Keifer's bed. His arm was around her. Her head was on his chest. His heartbeat was steady under her ear. His hand was in her hair. His chest was warm. His breathing was slow. He was sleeping.
She didn't move. She lay there, watching the light change. Gray to blue. Blue to gold. The sun crept through the window. The room woke slowly. Yuri turned in his bed. Mica stretched. Care mumbled something. Cole answered. Freya reached for her camera. Erdix reached for her. Ash yawned. David sat up. Felix rubbed his eyes. Ci N's pen was already moving.
Jay looked at Keifer's face. Soft in sleep. Peaceful. His lips were slightly parted. His hair was messy. His hand was still in her hair.
She reached up. Touched his face. Her fingers traced his cheekbone. His jaw. His lips.
His eyes opened.
He looked at her. She looked at him. The room was waking around them. No one was watching. No one was waiting.
"Morning," he said.
His voice was rough. Sleepy. The kind of voice he only used when no one else was listening.
"Morning," she said.
He pulled her closer. His face was in her hair. His arm was around her waist. "What time is it?"
"Late."
He kissed her hair. "We slept."
"We slept."
"All night."
"All night."
He lifted his head. Looked at her. His eyes were clear. His face was soft. "You're still here."
She smiled. "I'm still here."
He kissed her forehead. She closed her eyes. His lips were warm. His hand was on her back.
"Jay."
She opened her eyes. "Yeah."
"I love you."
She touched his face. "I love you too."
He kissed her. Soft. Slow. The way he'd been wanting to kiss her since he opened his eyes. She kissed him back. The room was waking. No one was watching. It didn't matter if they were.
From across the room, Ci N's voice: "Page 334. Morning kiss recorded. Probability of more kisses today: 100 percent."
Jay grabbed a napkin from the nightstand. 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."
Keifer laughed. Jay tried not to smile. She failed.
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Part One: The Coffee
She was in the kitchen when he found her.
She was making coffee. Two cups. Black. No sugar. The way he liked it. The way she liked it. She'd been making two cups for months. She didn't think about it anymore. She just did it.
He leaned against the counter. Watched her. Her hair was messy. She was wearing his shirt. The gray one. The one he'd left on her bed four days ago. She hadn't given it back. He hadn't asked.
"You're staring," she said.
"I'm observing."
"Same thing."
"It's not the same thing."
She handed him a cup. Their fingers touched. Neither of them pulled away.
"What's different?" she asked.
He looked at her. At her face. At his shirt. At the coffee in her hands.
"You're making coffee. In my shirt. In my kitchen. In my—" He stopped.
She waited. "In your what?"
He smiled. "In my life."
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 Keifer problem."
He tucked the napkin into his pocket. "The worst kind."
He kissed her. She kissed him back. The kitchen was empty. The room was loud. No one was watching.
She pulled back. Her face was red. His ears were red. Her hands were on his chest. His hands were on her waist.
"We're going to be late for class," she said.
He kissed her forehead. "We're already late."
She pushed his chest. "Then we should go."
He didn't move. "One more minute."
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.
"One more minute," she said.
He kissed her.
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Part Two: The Walk
They walked to class together. Hand in hand. The courtyard was empty. The fountain was running. The sun was warm.
"You're quiet," she said.
"I'm thinking."
"About what?"
He looked at her. "About the first time I saw you."
She blinked. "The first time?"
"Family dinner. You were wearing red. You spilled wine on my shirt. You apologized by calling me 'that Watson boy.'"
She smiled. "I remember."
"I didn't sleep that night."
She stopped walking. "What?"
He stopped too. Turned to face her. "I lay in bed. Stared at the ceiling. Thought about your face. Your voice. The way you said my name like it was the worst thing you'd ever heard."
She stared at him. "You didn't sleep?"
"I didn't sleep."
She hit his chest. "You were fourteen."
He caught her hand. Kissed her knuckles. "I was fourteen."
"You couldn't sleep because of me?"
He smiled. "I couldn't sleep because of you."
She grabbed his shirt. Pulled him down. Kissed him. The courtyard was empty. The fountain was running. The sun was warm. No one was watching.
She pulled back. Her face was red. His ears were red. Her hands were on his chest. His hands were on her waist.
"You're impossible," she said.
He kissed her forehead. "You like it."
She didn't answer. She took his hand. They walked to class.
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Part Three: The Library
After class, she found him in the library.
He was sitting at a table in the corner. Books spread out. Notes everywhere. His pen was still. His eyes were on the door. He was waiting for her.
She sat across from him. "You're not studying."
"I'm waiting."
She pulled out her notebook. "For what?"
He looked at her. "For you."
She grabbed a napkin from her bag. Threw it at him. He caught it.
"You have a catching problem," she said.
"You have a throwing problem."
"I have a Keifer problem."
He tucked the napkin into his pocket. "The worst kind."
She tried to study. He watched her. She underlined a sentence. He watched her. She turned a page. He watched her.
"You're staring," she said.
"I'm observing."
"Same thing."
"It's not the same thing."
She looked up. "What's different?"
He leaned forward. His face was close. "You're wearing my shirt."
She looked down. She was wearing his shirt. The gray one. She'd forgotten to change.
"You haven't given it back," he said.
"You haven't asked for it."
He reached across the table. Touched the collar. His fingers brushed her neck. "I'm not going to ask for it."
She went still. "Why not?"
He smiled. "Because it looks better on you."
She grabbed a book. Held it up. "I'm going to throw this."
He caught it before it left her hand. "You need this for studying."
She grabbed another book. He caught it. Another. He caught it. Another. He caught it.
"You have too many books," he said.
"You have too many hands."
He stacked the books beside him. "I have enough hands."
She stared at him. Her hands were empty. Her face was red. Her heart was pounding.
"You're impossible," she said.
He leaned closer. "You like it."
She didn't answer. She grabbed his shirt. Pulled him across the table. Kissed him. Books fell. Notes scattered. The librarian shushed them. They didn't care.
She pulled back. Her face was red. His ears were red. Her hands were in his hair. His hands were on her face.
"We're going to get kicked out," she said.
He kissed her forehead. "Worth it."
She smiled. He smiled. The librarian shushed them again. They gathered their books. Walked out of the library. Hand in hand.
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Part Four: The Rooftop
They went to the rooftop at sunset.
The city spread out below. The sky was gold. The wind was warm. She sat on the edge. He sat beside her. Their shoulders touched.
"You're quiet," he said.
"I'm watching."
"The sunset?"
"Everything."
He looked at her. At her face. At his shirt. At the way the light caught her hair.
"Jay."
She turned. "Yeah."
"I'm going to marry you."
She went still. "What?"
He touched her face. "After university. After we finish. After we wait. I'm going to marry you."
She stared at him. "You said we were going to wait."
"We are."
"You said we were going to talk about everything after."
"We are."
She looked at his face. At his eyes. At the way he was looking at her like she was the only thing in the world worth seeing.
"That's not talking," she said.
He smiled. "That's promising."
She grabbed his shirt. Pulled him down. Kissed him. The city was below them. The sky was gold. The world was gone.
She pulled back. Her face was red. Her lips were swollen. Her eyes were bright.
"I love you," she said.
He kissed her forehead. "I love you."
She leaned against him. His arm went around her. Her head was on his shoulder. The sun dipped below the buildings. The lights came on.
"Keifer."
"Yeah."
"Don't stop making me coffee."
He kissed her hair. "Never."
She smiled. He held her. The city hummed below. The wind tugged at her hair. She was exactly where she wanted to be.
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Part Five: The Night
The room was quiet. 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. He was watching her breathe.
Jay was on Keifer's bed. Her head was on his chest. His arm was around her. The shark was on her pillow across the room. She didn't need it tonight.
"You said you're going to marry me," she said.
He kissed her forehead. "I said I'm going to marry you."
"After university."
"After university."
She looked up at him. "That's three years."
He smiled. "We've waited longer."
She hit his chest. "We haven't waited at all. We've been fighting."
He caught her hand. Kissed her knuckles. "We've been dancing."
She stared at him. "Dancing?"
He pulled her closer. "Dancing. Around each other. For years."
She looked at his face. At his eyes. At his mouth. "You're impossible."
He kissed her. "You like it."
She kissed him back.
From across the room, Ci N's voice: "Page 335. 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 breathing. Sixteen people who had become something more than roommates. Something that didn't need a name.
Jay closed her eyes. Keifer was beside her. Lyra was sleeping. Alex was watching. Tomorrow would bring more chaos, more laughter, more interruptions. But tonight, everyone was exactly where they needed to be.
She slept.
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End of Chapter Forty-Seven