جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 7

"He was not looking for her.”That was the important thing. He was cutting through the east corridor because it was faster. He was thinking about coffee. That was all. Then he turned the corner.She was on the floor.Not hurt. Not lost. Sitting against the wall with a notebook on her knees, highlighter in her mouth, reading something like it owed her.She looked up. He stopped walking.One second too long. Again."You," she said. Not a greeting. A verdict."Me." He looked at her on the floor. "Are you okay?""I am reading.""On the floor?”."The benches were full.""There is a whole cafeteria..""Too loud.""The library?”"Too far.""The study room on the second…""Ethan. I am fine. I am on the floor by choice. Go get your coffee."She had three color tabs in her notebook, a pen behind her ear, another clipped to the cover. She had come prepared for war.He sat down beside her.Not because he decided to. His body just did it. One second standing, next second on the floor with his bac

She was up at 5:45 AM.Not because of an alarm. Maya had not needed an alarm since she was fourteen years old. Her body just knew. It woke her up, assessed the situation, and got on with it. No snoozing. No lying there staring at the ceiling. Feet on the floor, Water on her face, Notebook open by six.She had a system for mornings the same way she had a system for everything. Cheap instant coffee first… Not the good cart kind, The jar on her desk kind that tasted like ambition and disappointment equally. Thirty minutes of reading. Then a review of her budget. Then whatever the day needed.This morning the budget review took four minutes and left her staring at her phone.Thirty one dollars.She had sent fifty home on Sunday. Her father never asked her to. He would let the shop fall down around him before he asked his daughter for help. So she sent it without being asked and he received it without saying much and that was the language they loved each other in.Thirty one dollars until

Are you still staring at that phone?"Jake's voice came from across the room. Ethan didn't look up."Yes.""It's been three hours.""I know.""Three hours, Ethan. That's not thinking. That's something else."Ethan finally looked at him. Jake was sitting on his bed, eating something from his bag, watching him like he was a science experiment."What else would it be?"Jake chewed then thought about it. "Torture. You're torturing yourself.""It's not torture.""Then send something.""I don't know what to send.""Send 'goodnight.'""That's stupid.""Send 'I got your text.'""That's obvious.""Send 'I think about you too.'"Ethan went still.Jake raised an eyebrow. "Too soon?""Too true."Jake laughed. Not mocking. Warm. "Then send it. She texted you first. She wants to hear from you."She said, “do not do it again.""About coffee. Not about texting. There's a difference." Jake said.Ethan looked back at his phone. At her message. At the way she had said the coffee was good first, like she