Jay Jay's POV
"Make me understand."
Those three words hang in the air like a guillotine.
Excuse me?? Did this man just—what, casually demand access to my brain? My secrets? My entire private logbook of "Jay's Dumbest Decisions"!?
I blink at him, wide-eyed. "Wh—what do you mean, make you understand? That's not how it works! You don't just—poke me with your scary voice and expect me to, like, dump my soul out in a presentation!"
His expression doesn't budge. Not one twitch. Keifer just sits there, elbows resting on his knees, gaze locked on me like I'm the only thing in the universe worth interrogating.
That's the problem.
He doesn't look angry. Not really. He looks… steady. Patient. But it's the kind of patience that makes you want to confess every bad thing you've ever done just to escape the weight of it.
"No," I mumble, hugging a cushion to my chest like it's armor. "Nope. Denied. Access forbidden. No entry. Locked vault."
"Jay."
OH NO. There it is. That tone again. Calm, but sharp enough to slice through excuses like butter.
I bury my face in the cushion. "Stop saying my name like that! It makes me feel like I'm about to be arrested!"
There's a pause. Then, quieter—"If you don't tell me, you'll just keep carrying it alone."
…
Wait.
Hold on. Did Keifer—did he just use emotions on me?! That's illegal! He's supposed to be the smirky, smug guy who drives me insane, not… not this soft-voiced, gentle-eyed version who sounds like he actually cares.
I peek out from behind the cushion. He's still watching me. Still calm. Still waiting.
And suddenly, my throat feels tight.
I didn't realize how heavy this has been—Yuri's silence, his weird messages, the constant fear that something's wrong. And now Keifer's just sitting there, telling me to unload it like it's safe to do so.
Ugh. No. Nope. Bad idea. Abort mission.
I hug the pillow tighter. "I just… I can't, okay? If I tell you, you'll—" My voice cracks, and I bite down on my lip. "You'll look at me differently."
Silence.
Then Keifer shifts, leaning closer. Close enough that I can see the faint line of a scar near his jaw, the way his eyes soften when they catch mine.
"Jay," he says, steady and low. "There's nothing you could say that would make me look at you differently."
…
HELLO??? Is it legal to say things like that out loud??! My brain short-circuits. My face combusts. My soul leaves my body, waves goodbye, and boards the nearest UFO.
"I—" My voice squeaks. I clear my throat, trying again. "That's… that's not fair."
His lips twitch, just barely. "What's not fair?"
"That you say stuff like that with a straight face!" I groan, hiding my entire head in the cushion again. "Do you practice this? Is there, like, a Keifer Charm School I don't know about?!"
He chuckles softly—softly, which should be illegal because my stomach flips when he does it. "No charm school. Just… honesty."
OH GREAT. Even worse. He's not even trying.
My pulse is racing, my brain a scrambled egg, and still—underneath all of it—Yuri's message pounds at me. Stop messaging me. Not safe. Stop. Stop. Stop.
I exhale shakily, fingers tightening around the pillow. "…Yuri told me to stop messaging him."
Keifer's head lifts slightly. "When?"
"Yesterday. This morning. Today. I don't know. He keeps popping online, typing, then disappearing again." My voice comes out small. "He won't explain. He just says it's not safe."
Keifer's eyes sharpen, but not with anger. With focus. He's listening. Really listening.
I keep going before I lose my nerve. "And then… after school, I thought I saw him. Red hair, the same walk—it had to be him, right? But when I tried to follow, he was gone. And then…" My voice drops to a whisper. "Someone else started following me."
Keifer doesn't move. Doesn't speak. But the tension in his shoulders tightens.
"I don't know if it was him. Or someone else. But I panicked." I squeeze my eyes shut. "And then you found me. And now we're here. And I don't know what's going on anymore."
For a moment, the room is quiet. Just my shaky breathing and the faint hum of the fridge.
I blink my eyes open to find Keifer's hand resting lightly on mine, steadying me. Not tight, not demanding. Just… grounding.
"You should've told me sooner," he says softly. "You don't have to go through this alone."
My chest tightens again, but this time it's not panic—it's relief. Terrifying relief.
I laugh weakly. "You sound like my Kuya. Are you gonna ground me next?"
His lips curve into that tiny, infuriating smirk. "Maybe."
What the flip!!?
"Keifer!"
"I'll spare you the lecture, though." He leans back slightly, but his hand stays over mine. "On one condition."
I narrow my eyes. "Uh-oh. That sounds like a trap."
"Promise me," he says, steady again. "If Yuri reaches out, if anything else happens—you tell me. No more hiding."
Oh.
Oh no.
How am I supposed to say no to that? To him?
I fidget with the pillow, mumbling, "Fine. I promise."
He studies me for a moment longer, then finally relaxes. The tension in his shoulders eases, and the room doesn't feel so heavy anymore.
I exhale, slumping into the couch. "You're exhausting, you know that?"
"And you're reckless," he shoots back, lips twitching.
"HEY!"
"HEY!" I throw the pillow at him. He catches it like it weighs nothing, smirk tugging at his lips.
"Reckless," he repeats, testing the word like he enjoys how it annoys me.
"You're insufferable," I shoot back, grabbing the second pillow and whacking him square in the chest.
His brow arches. "You really want to do this?"
"Do what?"
He tosses the pillow aside, leans in closer, voice dropping. "Start something you can't win."
OH. NO.Not the lean. Not the stupid voice. Not the close proximity where his knee brushes mine and my brain short-circuits.
"I—I wasn't—"
"Wasn't what?" His eyes don't leave mine. He's way too close now, and my heart is doing drum solos.
I shove his shoulder, flustered. "Wasn't starting anything!"
He doesn't move. If anything, he leans closer. His hand brushes the back of the couch behind me, boxing me in without even touching me. My breath hitches.
"You're really bad at lying," he says softly.
"I'm amazing at lying," I squeak. "I lie all the time! You just… you just have stupid X-ray vision or something!"
He chuckles under his breath, low and warm. "Maybe I just pay attention."
OH MY GOD. WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN.
I try to look away, but he tilts his head, eyes catching mine again. For a second, the whole world blurs. Just him. Just the weight of his gaze and the warmth of his shoulder brushing mine.
"You're… close," I mumble.
"Do you want me to move?" he asks. Calm. Dangerous.
I should scream YES. I should shove him off the couch. I should run.
"…No," slips out instead.
OMG WHAT THE FLIPPP what's wrong with me you idiot!
My brain: TRAITOR.