The kiss had lasted barely a second.
A second.
But it replayed in Keifer's mind like a glitching film reel on loop.
He slammed his dorm room door shut behind him and leaned back against it, exhaling hard.
"What the hell was that?" he muttered to himself.
He ran a hand through his hair, pacing.
It was supposed to be just another evening. A normal, civil moment between two people who tolerated each other. But now? He couldn't stop thinking about how close she'd been — her laugh, her eyes, the way she said his name before everything went silent.
Keifer sat down on his bed, rubbing his temples. "It was an accident. She turned, I turned… it just happened."
But even as he said it, his chest betrayed him — that same heavy, fluttering feeling that had been creeping in for weeks.
He thought back to her smile in the café. The way she actually listened when he spoke about missing their old days. The soft way she said 'me too.'
And damn it, that smile. That was what had done it.
Keifer buried his face in his hands, groaning. "Oh no. No, no, no. Don't tell me…"
He flopped backward on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
"I like her."
The words came out in a whisper — heavy and reluctant.
"I actually like her."
It hit him all at once — the jealousy when Ryan showed up, the way her laugh could pull his attention even across a crowded room, how he secretly noticed when she was tired, or quiet, or trying not to smile at him.
He laughed softly to himself, half in disbelief. "Of course. Out of every girl in the world… it had to be Jay Mariano."
He sat up, staring at the door connecting to her half of the dorm.
"I kissed her. She probably hates me now."
He pictured her rolling her eyes, muttering something like 'You're such an idiot, Keifer.'
And for some reason… he smiled.
Because yeah, maybe he was an idiot.
An idiot who just realized he'd fallen for the one girl who drove him insane — and made him feel more alive than anyone else ever had.