dedicated to @Norm_ofeoritse for the pretty cover above! thank you <33

Chapter Forty-Two: "Number One in My Heart."

ON A CLOUDY March afternoon, I ran up the stairs two at a time. While stumbling up the steps, I made sure my voice carried throughout the house, "Are you guys here?" I yelled, almost tripping over nothing once again before I stopped at the threshold of Mariam's room.

Mariam and Yasmeen met my gaze from where they were sitting on the bed, looking up from Mari's camera. Two roommates. One missing. "Where's Larine?"

"In her room," Yasmeen answered. "She's finishing a project."

"Okay," I leaned against the door frame to catch my breath. I had run all the way from the bus stop after meeting with one of my groups to drop my things. I placed my backpack on the floor, not bothering to take off my thick sweater. "Good. Don't want us to be late."

"We'll make it on time," Yasmeen assured me, "Are you nervous for him?"

"Kind of," I admitted, taking a seat on Mariam's bed. But not before slapping a sign from the library she had somehow managed to add to the collection a few weeks ago.

We were all planning to go to campus to watch Aven and Iman's semi-final playoff game against Atlas. This might be the last game Aven would play in HU history and it was on home court. Of course, I felt a little anxious for him even though he was nothing but calm when I had spoken to him on the phone this morning.

Even now, I took a deep breath, knowing he was probably listening to one of his numbered playlists before he stepped on the court. By now I had taken a page out of his book, listening to a favourite song of mine before doing a presentation in my genetics tutorial last week. It had helped. "What are you guys looking at?"

Mari held her camera in her hands, showing me the recent pictures she had taken for the final feature of The Caduceus. Like always, her photos were amazing and we were gushing about them when suddenly, Larine burst into the room.

She plopped on the bed next to me, "You look happy," I commented.

"I finished Iman and I's final project," She sighed in relief. "I am never playing a video game ever again."

"You had to make a video game?" Mariam asked.

"Mmhmm and if we don't get at least a 90, I'm going to be pissed. But Iman is so good at coding and ideas, I think we're good." Larine pulled her blonde hair loose from her ponytail, her mind going a mile a minute. "Do you think I could squeeze in a run before we go?"

I glanced at the time on my phone. "No."

"Okay, after?"

"We might be going out after, remember?"

"I'll go with you tomorrow if you'd like?" Yasmeen suggested.

"Please," Larine begged with an exaggerated pout. "I brought it up to Iman and he thought I was insane for thinking it."

"Did you offer for him to come with you like last time?" Yasmeen inquired.

"He said 'no' so quickly." The two of them laughed, expecting that response from our friend. I couldn't help but smile at the sight of them.

"Are you and Iman..." Mariam's cautious voice trailed off. I twisted to face her wondering who she was directing her scrutiny towards.

Her eyes were on Larine.

Oh.

Larine froze, stopping midway from packing her hair into a low ponytail. The sudden silence had me and Yasmeen locking eyes for a split second as my stomach started twisting in turmoil. "Are we what? Together? No, no, no. I wouldn't do that."

That didn't seem to be the right response.  "What do you mean?" Mariam asked slowly.

"I-I mean wouldn't go after a friend's ex like that and if I did I would tell them, you know? I wouldn't do anything behind your back," Larine's blue eyes were wide as she explained and I almost reached for her hand if she wasn't already caught up in her words, "Assuming that we're friends. At least I think, well, I've been thinking that we're friends. Are we friends?"

Mariam softened, an apology arising in her eyes, "We're friends."

"Sorry for rambling," Larine sighed, "I know we all started off rough and I didn't want to be awkward by asking because people don't usually ask, you know?"

At that moment, I didn't think she had that many friends besides us. Or any friends that weren't connected to her ex. That didn't matter. I was happy that now she definitely had three people she could call her friends. And who could call her Riri whenever it seemed fit.

I put a comforting hand on her arm. "We're friends. Not roommates who tolerate each other. Wait, we're keeping this house for third year, right?"

Sounds of agreement came from the three of them. Exactly the way I wanted it.

"And I'm not doing anything with Iman," Larine said. "We share a few classes together 'cause we're both in comp sci and he's a great study partner but it's not like that--"

"No, you don't have to explain anything," Mariam groaned as if she was cringing at her previous question. "I was being weird about it. I'm sorry. Forget I said anything."

"Mari," My voice came out soft. She looked bothered. She was bothered. "You still love Iman, don't you? Even after everything with Kyle and any other guy."

Mariam scoffed, on the verge of denying it but she didn't. Instead, she frowned. Her perfect eyebrows knitted together as she looked down at the ground before looking up and helplessly shrugging. "He's not an easy guy to get over."

Her sentence made my top teeth dig into my bottom lip.

"You can't do that to him," Yasmeen said, her sharp eyes stuck to our friend. She looked irritated. As if months of talking to Iman to help him get over Mariam were about to go down the drain because of Mariam's words. I wasn't going to lie, a part of me was growing annoyed as well. "He's been trying—failing—but trying. Don't give him hope."

Mariam's eyes widened in surprise, "Yas--"

"She's right," I said. "Don't." They broke up for a reason. A good reason. They were not going to be on the same wavelength at this moment. They had past arguments that led to why broke up in the first place. If Iman found out that she was even contemplating them getting back together after the months apart? This was why no one told her that Iman broke Kyle's nose in defence of her.

Speaking of Kyle, his nose was healing. And when I found myself in apartment 704, a room with Aven and him was filled with cool tension, limited words and an underlying promise I had never asked about. Suffice to say, Kyle hasn't spoken to Iman since that day.

Mariam's focus flickered between me and Yasmeen's stern faces, the gears turning in her head before she faced Larine, "But if something does happen between you and Iman, can you tell me?"

I didn't think that was going to happen. The way Iman interacted with Larine was very similar to how he interacted with me and Yasmeen, in a sisterly manner but with added coding talk. Larine seemed to know that too but she nodded nevertheless for Mari's sake. "Of course."

We settled in silence after that before Mariam murmured, "I need to swear off men for a while."

"Is it bad if I say that that's one of the best things you've said all year?" Yasmeen muttered.

"Yas!" Larine and I exclaimed.

"I'm just saying," She defended, wrapping an arm around Mariam. "You've said it before. You miss being in a relationship. You miss Iman. You've barely been single for a while. A break from anything involving a relationship, casual or not, even dating as a whole seems like a good idea for you. Am I wrong?"

"No." Mariam agreed. "I think you're right."

"I know," Yasmeen said lightly, any leftover strain in the atmosphere easily dissipating. After all, she was rarely ever wrong.

"Speaking of love lives, how's Areeb, by the way?" I had to ask. She barely spoke of him. And when she did, her cheeks flushed. Like now. I didn't fight against displaying my delight.

"He's fine." She said abruptly, attempting to shut down the conversation.

"I think I hear wedding bells." Larine teased and next to me, Mariam's shoulders shook as she snickered at Yasmeen's blushing cheeks.

"Oh, yeah?" Yasmeen narrowed her eyes at Larine. "How's Nikko?"

Larine frowned. Mariam and I burst out laughing at her displeased face of now being the center of attention. "I think we should get going," Larine muttered.

"Wait," Yasmeen said. "Are we all okay?"

Three heads nodded including my own and we made our way out of our house and into Larine's car.

"You know," Mariam shut the door from the back as I took the passenger seat, "Since it's confirmed Aven's going to be a lawyer, do you think he can be mine in the future? Best friend package deal, of course."

My friends agreed as we made our way down the street and I rolled my eyes in response, not helping my smile that was accompanied by pride in my chest.

Aven heard back from the law school close to New Pensley only a few days ago.

I had run into his room and found him standing in the middle with his phone in his hand. Iman was in his desk chair, foot bouncing up and down. Multiple people, his family and closest friends were on the conference call. It was easy to remember the anticipation in his eyes when I had walked into the incredibly tense room.

The voices from the phone were a mixture of encouragement for him to check his email, comfort from his mom and dad and the sound of Clara's excitement along with others I didn't recognize. I knew Dev was speeding home with Laurence but at that moment, Aven couldn't wait. He had such a great support system of people all on a conference call rooting for him and it made my heart swell.

He had locked his eyes on me and I had sucked in a deep breath, wishing I could take any nervousness he had and place it within myself. This was everything he's ever wanted. Especially for the little girl on the line.

"Open it." I had whispered.

He had reached past Iman, opening his email and looking at the first flagged message in his inbox. My fingers laced under my chin as he crossed the room to his laptop.

With bated breath and the sudden silence from the phone that fell as soon as he clicked the mouse, everyone waited. His hand was gripping the mouse hard, and he took one deep breath before opening the email.

After a moment, he had whispered in a shocked voice, "I got in."

Ezekiel's cheer was the first thing I heard, quickly accompanied by many people yelling with him, congratulating Aven. I could hear his mom scream and his dad yell happily. Next to me, Iman had been going wild. But I had been looking at him. At the surprise on his face. At the surprise.

He'd never thought he would get in.

The most important sound in that phone call had come from his little sister, cheering in happiness with her family. And the important sight had been the grin on Aven's face that didn't slip off the entire day, the one I saw the second he had turned around to look at me.

"Wait,"  Mariam's voice cut through my memory. We were making our way down Edgar Hill about twenty minutes later, walking through campus from the less busy parking lot compared to the one by the Rec Center. A few geese trailed up and down the pathway, some making their way to the blooming trees. Spring doused Herringway University, displayed by nature and students' lack of jackets in late March.

"In June we're seeing each other, right?" Mariam asked.

"Larine's flying here to drop stuff then she's staying at mine for a few days," I said.

"We should get sushi," Yasmeen added as if that wasn't already guaranteed.

"And we should go to a concert." I insisted.

Yasmeen rolled her eyes, linking her arm with mine. "Jaime."

"It's not summer if you don't go to a concert," I argued. "Let's go to a country festival."

"No." Yasmeen and Mariam said in unison.

Larine laughed. "I'll go to one with you." I beamed at her as I fixed my mustard-coloured hat on my head.

"Oh, did you talk to Dr. McCormick about your hours?" Mariam asked me.

"Yeah." I perked up, relaying the information to them about my position for the summer. As a half remote and half in-person job, it was going to give me time to head back home to spend time with my family while being able to come here during the summer to carry out my physics dreams as I worked on experiments and the research projects Dr. McCormick and her lab had planned.

Being in Jasper Bay didn't only mean physics and my friends but also meant I could see Ms. Green and bother her from time to time at Sheppard Valley.

I was excited and it showed as Yasmeen laughed by the time I finished telling them everything when we reached the bottom of the hill. "What?"

"You're so cute when you talk about physics." She giggled when I couldn't help but beam. "Does that mean that you've considered switching into that and dropping the biology aspect of biophysics?"

Larine whipped her head in my direction, "Wait, what?"

"I'm switching majors," I told her. "I have to do an extra course over the summer. What about you, Yas?"

"Talked to the counsellor," Yasmeen said. "I'm good to make a change."

"Sounds like things are falling into place," Mariam said.

"Sounds like they are." Yasmeen and I smiled at each other before we walked into the recreation center. Dev and Laurie were already in the stands, Laurence holding up a sign as the team warmed up for their game. My friends were making their way up the bleachers when I caught Aven's eyes as he was walking back to where a few of his teammates were lined up.

In a yellow and purple jersey with the captain C etched onto it along with the number 9 on his front and back, he moved the exact same way he had when he first drew me in all those months ago. He moved with confidence in his abilities, added with focus and determination that managed to leave me weak in the knees.

My breath hitched in my throat when he caught sight of me. For me, he let his concentration slip. In fact, he let his focus roam upwards to my yellow hat before flashing me a heart-stuttering smile. It was a smile of his I had saved in my head like a screenshot but whenever I saw it in real-time, nothing else compared.

I gave him one right back, mouthing 'good luck'. He nodded, not needing to do anything more at that moment before he joined his teammates once again for the drill.

By the time I had reached my friends, I was greeted by sourness on Laurence's face at the signs Mariam and I were holding in our hands. Both were simple yet colourful, 'Go Herringway!'.

"I feel like more effort could have gone into the signs," Laurence commented.

I glanced at the sign he had made, making a face at the generic saying that said, "Get ready to get served" with a drawn volleyball in the corner. I raised an eyebrow and Laurence shrugged. "You're his girlfriend."

"You've been saying that your sign was going to outshine everyone else's for weeks." I pointed out.

"And it did," He held up his poster, "Look, I used different colours for the letters. Made them bubble letters. Drew out the volleyball myself. Dev didn't do anything but watch--"

"Aven and Iman know I support them without a sign," Dev stated, twisting his Maple Leafs cap around his black hair before turning to us. "He was going to make a sign that said 'number nine and fourteen on the court but number one in my heart' but fought against it."

"Because I thought she would do something like that," Laurence grumbled. "She had the opportunity and failed."

"Iman seems to like it," Yasmeen said and we all looked over at where our friend was grinning at us from down on the court as if he wasn't minutes away from a major game. He gave us thumbs up before getting into position as he was set up for a hit. We watched as he hit the ball down to the other side of the court with a loud smack.

"Oh, they're going to kill it," Larine said before we settled into the stands.

When the game started, there was barely any sound of conversation between us and between the people around us. Rally after rally, the sets coming and going, we watched the men's volleyball team communicate on the court, cheer themselves on and prepare themselves for every time the ball came towards them.

Mariam made her way down in the middle of the game before scrambling her way back up to us as she got action shots of hits and serves as the score went up.

My sight didn't waver from Aven. He had the most playing time, the most kills and his serves were hard and cleared with ease. He played well and as the game went on he didn't falter in his concentration, giving it his all until the winning point.

Herringway lost by a few points in the final set.

But if someone had only looked at Aven's face after the game and not the score, they'd have thought the team won.

The crowd cheered as the men's team shook hands with opponents, quickly starting to disperse but my friends and I didn't move from our spots. Most of the team started making their way into the changeroom but a few people lingered, including Aven and Iman.

Iman was hugging Aven, rocking him side to side as Aven laughed. I already knew Iman was spewing word vomit a hundred kilometres a minute and Aven soaked in every single second. It ended with a long embrace as if they weren't going to see each other again in five minutes. The shared expression they gave each other said more than I'd ever know of two people who considered themselves brothers.

Iman disappeared into the changing room seconds later and Aven shook hands with the ref before he directed his gaze to the bleachers. To the many people still seated or standing. To me.

The corners of his lips went up and I grinned with him. He was proud, I realized, and that's what mattered.

Instantly, I dropped the sign. My friends' eyes went to me as I stood to my feet. Without any words or explanation, I started to clumsily hop my way over the benches of the bleachers.

"Ah, and there she goes," Larine said as I made my way down. I shot her the middle finger with a breathy laugh as I continued making my way down.

"At least try to tell him congrats on a good game from us before you guys suck face, alright?" Laurence called.

"Shut up!" I said when my feet touched the court, unable to take my sight away from one man.

Aven's lips rose higher and before I could hug him, he was already embracing me. I ignored the sweat on his skin as he laughed, the sound was clear as day and making my heart swell against my ribcage.

I pressed my face into his chest as he encircled his arms tighter around me, "You were right."

"About what?" I asked, peering up at him.

"You're definitely not my good luck charm."

I couldn't help but laugh, poking him in the chest, "I told you to get a rabbit's foot instead. Anyways, how do you feel?"

"I feel good," He admitted with a nod. "I wasn't nervous regardless of the outcome. I'm more nervous about next week than I was about the game."

Next weekend he was meeting my parents, Abi, Michael and the dogs. I had assured him a million times that he would be fine but it didn't stop him from wondering if they wouldn't like him. It was crazy that he didn't understand that it was impossible to hate, let alone dislike, Aven Montaque.

"They're going to love you," Almost as much as I loved him. I reached up to cup his elated face in my hands. "You did great."

I didn't even have to say it, he believed it. Yet that didn't stop his eyes from lighting up at my words. That didn't stop him from impulsively leaning down to kiss me in the middle of the court.

Laurence was right. Number nine on the court was number one in my heart.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later that Friday night, I was sitting on a couch in the den of Roy, the co-captain of the men's volleyball team's, house. The 'den' had been transformed into another living room with couches, beanbag chairs and a foosball table in the corner but my concentration was on its big window that faced the backyard where I watched my friends and others play games.

The 'real party' to celebrate the end of volleyball season was three rooms away from me but I had taken a break from socializing and decided to roam the interior instead.

Currently, Laurence was explaining the rules of Kings to Yasmeen, a bag filled with cups slung over his shoulder. Yasmeen seemed to be listening to each explanation with seriousness. Her previous track skills were definitely going to come into play with this game. Dev was pouring water into the cups that would be used instead of alcohol as a rosy Larine was talking to him.

At a distance, Mariam was speaking to a group of girls, likely already drunk. Iman was nowhere in sight. He was probably inside causing a scene or talking to people. She hadn't really spoken to him since we all left the Rec Center that afternoon but I wasn't entirely worried about them for the future. They'd be fine, no matter what path they chose for themselves.

My attention was caught by the sound of the door opening. Aven stood by the threshold, letting out a hiccup that made me hold back a laugh. When he stepped into the moonlight of the dark room, I realized his cheeks were a light red under his golden-brown skin.

The yelling outside became muffled when the door shut behind him. As my eyes fell on Aven Montaque, I knew there was never a sight more beautiful than his happiness. He sat down, pulling me onto his lap with his arms loosely wrapped around me.

"Hello." He mumbled with a lazy smile while I rolled my eyes at the greeting.

"Are you having fun?" I asked.

"Yeah," He said. "But my social battery's drained."

"Drained enough even for me?"

Aven pressed a kiss to my cheek. "I'm never too tired for you, Jay. I think we should sneak off. You can give me a private piano lesson."

I scoffed, "A real piano lesson or a 'piano lesson' where we end up in bed?" The clarification was needed but both options were enticing.

"Or we can go and watch Glee and I hear you terribly sing along." He suggested.

"Or I could hear you terribly sing along," I shot back while trying not to bring up that he had snuck in some Glee songs into one of our playlists only last week.

The thumping music became background noise as we focused outside on our friends. I watched Yasmeen laugh at something Larine cheering at her before Yasmeen bolted past Dev and ran out of the backyard with him hot on her heels. Nearby, Mari was still talking to the group of girls but this time as she posed for pictures in her leather outfit.

"For her feed?" Aven asked, intertwining our fingers together.

"Of course," I said as we continued surveying everything the window showed us.

"You know that night," He suddenly said. "When you liked my picture on Instagram?"

I groaned, leaning my head on his shoulder. The night of Homecoming, the concert I didn't go to, the orgo exam I had taken and the very simple mistake that luckily didn't turn out to be a mistake. "What about it?"

"That night, I was already looking through your IG."

I lifted my head up to look at him. He looked sheepish. "What?"

"Yeah," His hand came to the back of his neck. "After I saw you at Parkdale, I asked Iman about you so I was looking through your account that night. He's brought you up before, but I've never seen you until that day. I thought I was seeing things when you liked a picture of mine because I was trying not to like a picture of yours."

"What?" I asked again, sitting up straight this time. "Does that mean when you were trying to provoke me when we met for the first time—"

He avoided my eyes, coughing into his fist. All this time he kept making jokes about me being a stalker, doing a social media taboo when he was seconds away from committing the same act. "I can't believe you!"

Now he struggled not to laugh and if he didn't look so happy, I would have dramatically stomped away. "That beach picture of you? I mentally liked it a hundred times. Let me like it right now."

I lightly shoved him in the chest when he pulled out his phone and then my Instagram account. "You've been calling me a stalker for months."

"Rightfully."

"But you've—"

Mischievousness twinkled in his eyes. "I've what?"

I loved and hated when he did that. When he teased me with the intention to give him the reaction he wanted. When he argued and joked with me in a way that was reserved only for me. "You've been obsessed with me since the beginning, haven't you?"

"Haven't you?" He inquired.

"I asked the question first."

"Order doesn't matter." He said, fighting a grin and holding my eyes. I didn't tear my eyes away from him, not at the chain of his that glinted in the light, the dimple that appeared alongside my growing frustration and the love that adorned his expression.

I did love him, but that didn't mean I was going to let him win this one. He could tease, banter and joke with me for the rest of our lives. However, right now, he was going to break.

And he did, glancing down and double-tapping the photo. Then he tapped it a million times for good measure. A laugh bubbled out of me before I pushed his thumb away from his phone. I cupped his jaw, kissing him soft but passionate enough to the point where his phone fell out of his hand and he pressed me against him.

This was something I would never get tired of.

"I love you," I murmured.

"I love you." He whispered back, leaning forward to kiss me again when suddenly the door flung open.

We both froze before facing the threshold with equally exasperated faces. I wasn't entirely surprised to see Iman and Laurence come through the opening, followed by Dev who sighed, "I told you. You should have knocked."

Aven waved a hand, reaching down to pick up his phone. "It's okay. We're used to this, by now."

"Now, c'mon. Break up the lovefest," Iman bounced on his toes. "I want to play Kings with all of you."

The boys were quick to get out of the room, grumbling from Dev as Laurence teased him over his recent loss against Yasmeen and Iman laughed as they made their way to the backyard.

Aven got up first, extending his hand towards me. I was met with flushed cheeks, lovesick eyes and certainty. My thumbs couldn't have picked a better person's picture to accidentally double-tap. "Coming?"

I didn't hesitate to take his hand.