Hey guys… I'm really sorry for disappearing and not posting any chapters for the past 2 days 😔💔. I know a lot of you were waiting ⏳, and I honestly feel so bad 😣 for keeping you all hanging like that. The truth is… my laptop literally decided to break up with me 💻💔😭 at the worst possible time. It completely stopped working ⚠️, and I couldn't continue writing or upload anything no matter how much I tried 😩📵. It was honestly so frustrating because I had so many ideas ready 📝✨, but no way to bring them to you 😞.
But even during all this chaos 🌪️, not a single day passed where I didn't think about this story and you guys ❤️🥺. Your support 🤍, your sweet comments 💬💖, and the love you show for my book mean everything to me 🌍✨, and that's what kept me going 💪🔥. Thank you so much for being patient and understanding 🙏💞—it really motivates me more than you know 🥹💫.
Finally, things are a bit better now 🌈✨, and I'm back 😌💖! So to make up for the delay and the unexpected "breakup drama" with my laptop 💻💔😂… here's your new chapter 📖🎉✨! I've put a lot of effort and emotions into this one ❤️🔥🖤, and I really hope you enjoy it 😍💫, feel every moment 🥺✨, and get completely lost in the story again 📚🌙💖✨.
ROOM 7
Chapter Sixty-Six: The Confession
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Months had passed since Clara was born. The shelter had become a second home for Jay. She visited every week, sometimes every day. She held Clara, fed Clara, rocked Clara to sleep. Keifer came with her often, the shark tucked under his arm, a gift for the baby who had captured all their hearts.
Emma was healing. Slowly. The nightmares faded. The fear loosened its grip. She had help now—Jay, Keifer, Lyra, Alex, the whole Room 7 family. She wasn't alone anymore.
But across the city, in the apartment that Ash and David shared, something else was growing. Quietly. Faithfully. For years.
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Part One: The Roommates
Ash and David had lived together for two years.
They'd found the apartment after graduation—small, two bedrooms, a kitchen that David kept stocked with snacks and Ash kept stocked with coffee. They were roommates. Best friends. They'd known each other since Room 7, since the nights of chaos and the mornings of coffee and the years that had turned strangers into family.
Ash was loud. David was quiet. Ash made messes. David cleaned them. Ash stayed up late. David woke up early. They balanced each other.
But somewhere along the way, something had shifted.
David noticed first. He noticed the way Ash laughed—really laughed, the kind that made her whole face change. He noticed the way she said his name when she was tired, soft and familiar, like he was home. He noticed the way she looked at him when she thought he wasn't watching.
He noticed everything.
He just didn't know what to do about it.
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Part Two: The Question
It was a Friday evening. The apartment was quiet. Ash was on the couch, scrolling through her phone. David was in the kitchen, making tea. The same routine they'd had for two years.
He walked to the couch. Handed her a cup. Sat on the other end.
"Thanks," she said.
He nodded. Drank his tea. Stared at the wall.
Ash looked at him. "You're quiet."
"I'm thinking."
"About what?"
He set his cup down. "About you."
Ash went still. "Me?"
He turned to face her. His face was calm. His hands were steady. His voice was low.
"I've been in love with you since Room 7."
The room went quiet. The city hummed outside. The tea grew cold.
Ash stared at him. "What?"
"I've loved you since the first time I saw you laugh at something Yuri said. Since the first time you fell asleep on my shoulder during a movie. Since the first time you looked at me like I was someone worth knowing."
She shook her head. "David—"
"I'm not asking you to say it back. I'm not asking you to feel the same way. I'm just—" He paused. "I'm just tired of pretending."
She grabbed a napkin from the table. Threw it at him. He caught it.
"You have a catching problem," she said.
He smiled. "You have a throwing problem."
"I have a David problem."
He tucked the napkin into his pocket. "The worst kind."
She stared at him. Her face was red. Her hands were shaking. Her heart was pounding.
"You've been in love with me since Room 7?"
He nodded. "Since Room 7."
"For years?"
"For years."
She stood up. Walked to the window. Her back was to him.
"Why didn't you say something?"
He stood. Walked to her. Stopped behind her.
"Because I was scared."
She turned. "Of what?"
He looked at her face. At her eyes. At the way the evening light caught her hair.
"Of losing you."
She stared at him. Her throat was tight. Her eyes were wet.
"You're not going to lose me."
He stepped closer. "How do you know?"
She touched his face. "Because I love you too."
He went still. "What?"
"I've loved you since Room 7. Since the first time you shared your snacks with me. Since the first time you stayed up late to help me study. Since the first time you looked at me like I was the only thing in the room worth seeing."
He pulled her into his arms. His face was in her hair. His voice was low.
"Say it again."
She held him. "I love you, David."
He kissed her. She kissed him back.
The apartment was quiet. The city hummed. The tea was cold.
They didn't move. They didn't need to.
---
Part Three: The Morning
Ash woke to sunlight and warmth.
David was beside her. His arm was around her. His face was buried in her hair. His chest was warm against her back.
She didn't move. She wanted to remember this. The weight of his arm. The sound of his breathing. The way his hand curled around her waist even in sleep.
He stirred. His arm tightened. His lips brushed her hair.
"Morning," he said. His voice was rough. Sleepy.
"Morning."
He pulled her closer. "What time is it?"
"Early."
He kissed her hair. "Too early."
She turned in his arms. Faced him. His eyes were still closed. His face was soft. She touched his cheek. His jaw. His lips.
He opened his eyes. Looked at her.
"You're still here," he said.
She smiled. "I'm still here."
He kissed her forehead. She closed her eyes.
"David."
"Yeah."
"I love you."
He pulled her closer. "I love you too."
They lay in bed. The sun rose higher. The city woke up. The day began.
They didn't move.
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Part Four: The Group Chat
The news spread fast.
Jay was the first to know. Ash texted her at 8 AM.
Ash: David said he loves me
Jay: What?
Ash: Last night. On the couch. He said he's been in love with me since Room 7
Jay: AND?
Ash: I said it back
Jay: ASH
Ash: I know
Jay: FINALLY
The group chat exploded.
Lyra: DAVID AND ASH?
Mica: FINALLY
Care: I've been waiting for this
Cole: We've all been waiting for this
Freya: I have photos
Erdix: Of course you do
Yuri was not in the chat. He would never be in the chat again.
Ci N: Page 401. David confessed. Ash confessed. Probability of happiness: 100 percent
Rakki: Ci N
Ci N: I calculate what matters
Jay laughed. Keifer looked at her from across the kitchen.
"What?"
"David and Ash."
He raised an eyebrow. "Finally."
She threw a napkin 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."
---
Part Five: The Visit
David and Ash came to the shelter that afternoon.
Emma was on the couch, Clara in her arms. The baby was awake, eyes wide, tiny fists waving. David walked in, Ash beside him. Their hands were intertwined.
Emma looked up. "You two look different."
Ash's face went red. David's ears went red.
"We're together," Ash said.
Emma smiled. "Finally."
She stood up. Walked to them. Hugged Ash. Hugged David. Clara gurgled between them.
"Clara approves," Emma said.
Ash touched the baby's cheek. "She's getting so big."
Emma nodded. "She's growing fast."
David held out his hand. "Can I hold her?"
Emma placed Clara in his arms. The baby looked up at him. Her tiny fingers grabbed his shirt.
"She likes you," Emma said.
David looked at the baby. At the tiny life that had been born out of pain and fear and abandonment. At the child who had found a family anyway.
"I like her too," he said.
Ash stood beside him. Her hand was on his back. Her head was on his shoulder.
They stood in the shelter. Clara in David's arms. Ash beside him. Emma watching.
The room was warm. The sun was bright. The world was healing.
One day at a time.
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End of Chapter Sixty-Six