Chapter 5
Jayjay's POV
It started with a seating chart.
Not official — just a pattern.
Keifer Watson had decided the empty seat beside me belonged to him. Again.
I'd stopped pretending to be surprised.
But that didn't mean I had to be nice about it.
"You know," I said without looking at him, "you don't have to sit here."
He slid into the chair like he owned it. "You say that like I don't improve the aesthetic of this side of the room."
"You improve the noise pollution," I muttered, flipping open my notes.
"Oh c'mon, Jay," he said, leaning a little too close. "You'd miss me if I left."
I turned to glare at him. "You have a talent for delusion."
Miss Reyes hadn't even started the lecture yet, but somehow, we were already at it.
And then she walked in, all graceful steps and sharp eyes, giving us that knowing look she'd perfected.
We shut up — for now.
But halfway through the lesson, it happened again.
Keifer made a snide comment about my analysis of the case study being "too emotionally driven" and I snapped.
"You don't get to tell me how to think just because you coast on charm and coffee!" I said — a little louder than I meant to.
Keifer raised an eyebrow. "I'm not coasting, I just don't need to set myself on fire to stay ahead."
That hit too close.
Not too close. But close enough to sting.
My breath caught — just for a second.
And I saw it in his eyes: he noticed.
The tension shifted. Quieted. Hung between us in the air like smoke.
And for a single second, Keifer's eyes flicked down — just barely — to my lips.
Then everything shattered.
Because that's when we both realized the whole class was staring.
I jerked my head away. Keifer blinked rapidly and faced the front, the tips of his ears turning the faintest shade of red.
In the back row, Bianca nudged Yuri.
"They already fell," she whispered. "They just don't know it yet."
Yuri smirked. "We should ask Miss Reyes to help get Jayfer together."
Bianca gasped, like he'd just handed her the holy grail. "We should."
Jay's pov:
And of course, by the time class ended, I checked my phone and immediately regretted it.
Section E Group Chat — renamed:
💍 Jayfer Wedding Planning Commite:
Kit:"Do we want a beach wedding or a garden ceremony?"
Blaster: "Already designing the invites. White and gold aesthetic."
Edrix: sends an AI-generated image of me in a wedding gown with Keifer holding a bouquet.
Freya: "I can't believe they just had a lovers' quarrel in class."
Felix: "I'm giving a speech. I'll cry. I don't care."
Ci-n: "Can I be in charge of the playlist?"
Yuri: "They don't even know they're dating yet 😭💀"
I face-planted into my hand so hard my forehead might've bruised.
Keifer, next to me, peeked at my phone, turned redder, and quickly looked away.
His voice was unusually soft. "They're not going to let this go, are they?"
"Nope," I muttered into my palm.
After class, Bianca and Yuri caught up to Miss Reyes at the faculty hallway.
"Miss Reyes," Bianca said sweetly. "We were wondering... hypothetically... if someone were to want to see two bickering idiots fall in love, would you, say, help?"
Miss Reyes didn't even blink.
She smiled like she'd been expecting this for weeks.
"Hate is just love," she said, "with its walls still up."
Then she walked off — heels clicking, scarf fluttering behind her — like some kind of matchmaking goddess.
Bianca squealed. "She's in."
Yuri nodded, texting something to the group chat.
And somewhere behind us, I just knew Section E was already planning the engagement shoot.