Page 24 of Monarch

“Myexhibit?” I ask, and the hope in my voice is a loud, ugly thing.

Mari’s head snaps back to me. “I didn’t go in,” they say sharply.

I can’t help but laugh. Mari finally found her sardonic side. They’re clearly no longer the pushover they used to be.

“What are you laughing at?”

“You’ve changed,” I tell them through my chuckles. “You’ve grown up.”

“Of course I’ve fucking grown up!” Mari shouts, and the words echo down the concrete corridor I’m standing in. “What did you expect to happen when you fucked off and left? Did you think I’d stay frozen in time? Forever ready to take your shit again?”

“No,” I say calmly, and yes, maybe a little coolly. “That’s the last thing I wanted to happen. In fact, that’swhyI left you.”

Mari’s jaw tightens, and their eyes become as sharp as lasers. Their fingers gripping the door turn white with effort. When they speak, it’s in a low hiss. “That’swhy you left? For my own fucking good?”

“You wouldn’t understand,” I say with a wave that’s as dismissive as my tone. “I still don’t really know what the fuck you’re doing here, but I’ve decided I don’t care. What I do care about is Roos. I want to see Roos.”

“Maybe Roos doesn’t want to see you.” Mari pushes the door so it closes a little more, and without thinking, I reach out a hand to stop its progress.

“Maybe Roos doesn’t want to see who?” a sleepy voice comes from behind Mari. I hear Mari tut as they reluctantly open the doorall the way, revealing Roos, who is rubbing sleep from her eyes. Wearing just her head scarf, underwear, and a cotton vest top I recognise with a sweet ache, I itch to reach out and grab her, but I hold back. It’s the right decision because when she removes her hand and sees me standing there, her face falls.

“Lex,” she says with a croak. “What are you–”

“I can tell them to fuck off.” Mari has their eyes pinned on Roos.

“Xem,” Roos says with a sigh, her eyes still taking me in.

“What?” Mari asks.

“Xir pronouns are xe/xem/xir,” Roos says tightly.

“Oh.” Mari looks at me. “Is that new?”

I blink in confusion at Mari’s question. How would they know about my pronouns? Or the gallery, for that matter? And then it hits me. Social media. They must follow me or at least know about my accounts. I try to ignore the surge of pride or delight this gives me – I can’t figure out which one this is – but I fail, and because I’m a dick, it quickly translates to smugness.

“I haven’t updated my Instagram yet,” I tell Mari with a smirk. “But consider this an exclusive sneak peek.”

“Oh, fuck off,” Mari spits.

“Wait!” Roos holds up her hands. “Do you two know each other?”

Mari and I stare at each other, locked in a stand-off of who is going to explain.

“Oh, fuck, you do!” Roos holds her hand up to her mouth, and for a second looks, she like she’s about to pass out. “Were you both together? Back in the UK?”

“Together,” Mari says bitterly and follows it up with a snort and an eye roll.

“I don’t get it,” Roos looks between Mari and me, desperately seeking an explanation.

“We were friends,” I explain. “Best friends, in fact. For most of high school. And then…we… Yeah, we were together. For a while–”

“For three years!” Mari interrupts. Their voice is loud and scolding.

“But then we broke up,” I add, keeping my tone low and calm because I’m not going to take Mari’s bait.

“We broke up,” Mari repeats in a sarcastic, childlike mimic. “Lex dumped me. Xe dumped me out of nowhere and then left for Amsterdam a week later.”

Roos turns to look at me. “Is that true?”