Just submitted chapter 8. Hope it will be posted soon.
James finally has a number. The building he lives in has a price now, and a price is a harder thing than a wish. It has to get past a bank, a landlord who's tired rather than sentimental, and a tutoring side-hustle that's outgrowing its room. He's good at building the net. He hasn't asked yet what it closes around.
The chapter turns on a question Marieke has been owed the whole book, and a phone call with his mother that was the hardest thing here to get right. Some care doesn't arrive as help. Sometimes it's a door shutting, quietly.
I also gave Chapter 7 a light trim, cut a few lines that said out loud what the scene already showed. No plot changes. If you've read it, skip the reread.
Scores and comments actually steer this thing, so if a line landed or clanged, tell me. I read them all.
More soon.
— Star Again