Control Theory

Chapter 22 - Lines and Loops

The café was half-full, warm with the smell of coffee beans and cinnamon. Sofi had chosen the corner table by the window — the one where the light caught every movement in the glass, where it was impossible not to notice reflections.

Elena sat across from her, the borrowed book from Camille still in her bag, a silent weight she kept feeling even when her hands were around the mug.

"So," Sofi began, stirring her latte with deliberate slowness, "are you going to tell me what happened in there, or am I going to have to guess?"

Elena took a sip of her drink to stall. "It was just... class stuff."

"Class stuff?" Sofi's tone was amused, not convinced. "Because I don't usually see 'class stuff' make you look like you've been hit with a lightning bolt and then told to walk it off."

Elena gave her a flat look, but it lacked heat. "She asked me questions. That's her job."

"Questions like?"

"Psychological ones."

Sofi smirked. "You're a psychology major. That's basically foreplay for your degree."

Elena nearly choked on her coffee. "Sofi—"

"I'm just saying." Sofi leaned in, lowering her voice conspiratorially. "The air between you two? Not normal professor-student air. More like... you know when you pass a power line and you can hear the hum, even if you can't see the current? That."

Elena stared at her mug, tracing the rim with her finger. "She's... observant. That's all."

"Observant," Sofi echoed, her brows lifting. "She's watching you, you're watching her — and you're pretending you're not. That's not observation, that's a loop."

Elena's eyes flicked up. "A loop?"

Sofi's grin widened. "Yeah. You're both feeding into each other's awareness. I'd bet money she knows exactly where the edge is and how close you're standing to it."

Something in Elena tightened at that — not denial exactly, but a refusal to give Sofi the satisfaction of confirmation.

Sofi sat back, taking another sip of her drink. "Look, I don't care if you two are... whatever you are. As long as it's not hurting you. But if you're going to keep circling each other like this, I want the tea."

Elena laughed softly, the sound half-disbelieving. "You're supposed to be my voice of reason."

"I am," Sofi said easily. "My voice of reason just also enjoys drama."

Elena shook her head, but there was a trace of a smile.

"Alright," Sofi said, tapping her nails lightly on the table. "Tell me something that's not about the syllabus. Something she said that stuck."

Elena hesitated. "She said... to be careful who you let guard your door."

Sofi tilted her head. "That's... cryptic."

"And that some people watch to protect you, others to keep you from stepping through."

Sofi's eyes sharpened, studying her. "And which one is she?"

"I don't know," Elena admitted.

The honesty in her voice surprised even herself.

Sofi didn't answer right away. She just sipped her coffee, still watching Elena. "Maybe she's both."

Elena frowned. "Both?"

"Yeah. Maybe she wants to keep you safe... but also keep you in a space where she can keep watching you. I mean, that sounds like her style, doesn't it?"

Elena thought about the margin note in the book: Sometimes, awareness is the point. She thought about the way Camille's gaze had shifted toward the hallway, knowing Sofi was there, and then back to her like nothing had changed.

Sofi leaned forward again. "And you — you don't exactly run from it, do you?"

Elena felt heat crawl up her neck. "I'm not... running toward it either."

Sofi grinned. "You don't have to. She's already got your attention. And you've got hers."

The conversation lulled, but the quiet wasn't empty — it was thick, humming, just like Sofi had described.

Outside the window, the street was alive with movement — students walking in clusters, cars idling at the light — but inside, Elena was caught between the warmth of the café and the lingering shadow of Camille's office.

Sofi broke the silence with a sigh, leaning back in her chair. "Well, whatever it is, it's definitely not boring. And you, my friend, are incapable of hiding it from me. So, I expect regular updates."

Elena rolled her eyes. "You make it sound like I'm... involved."

Sofi's smile turned knowing. "Aren't you?"

Elena didn't answer.

When they left the café, the air outside was sharp with the bite of early evening. Sofi hooked her arm through Elena's as they walked toward the bus stop.

"You'll figure it out," Sofi said. "Or she will. Either way, I'll be here to witness the chaos."

Elena didn't respond, but she was thinking about the way Camille's voice had dipped when she'd said be careful who you let guard your door.

The book in her bag felt heavier than it should.