Keifer was still Keifer.
No matter how things shifted around them, he never changed with Jay.
He still saved her seat.
Still looked for her first.
Still knew when she was upset without her saying a word.
She had always had a place in his heart.
A special one.
Unquestioned.
That never changed.
Or so Jay believed.
That evening, Ivy came over.
It wasn't unusual—everyone came and went freely in their house.
Still, something about it felt different.
Jay was in the living room when Ivy arrived, laughing softly, shoes kicked off casually.
"I'll just drop my bag," Ivy said cheerfully, already walking down the hallway.
Jay looked up. "Ivy—"
Too late.
Ivy turned into Keifer's room.
Their room.
Jay's breath hitched.
That room had always been theirs.
Not officially.
But silently agreed upon.
Jay and Keifer studied there.
Fought there.
Laughed there until they cried.
No one entered without asking.
Except now.
Jay stood frozen as Ivy walked in, glancing around with curious eyes.
"Oh," Ivy said lightly. "This is Keifer's room?"
Keifer followed behind her, surprised. "Yeah—uh—"
Jay watched him hesitate.
Just for a second.
And that second shattered something inside her.
Ivy smiled, stepping further in. "It feels… warm. Like it's lived in."
Jay felt her chest tighten.
She had lived in that room.
Her laughter was in those walls.
Her memories were everywhere.
Keifer laughed awkwardly. "Yeah, I guess."
Jay said nothing.
She stayed where she was, hands clenched, heart pounding too loud in her ears.
Ivy sat on the edge of the bed casually, like she belonged there.
Jay had always sat there.
Always.
Something ugly and painful crawled up her throat.
Replaced.
The word echoed without mercy.
Keifer glanced at Jay then. Their eyes met.
He frowned slightly. "Jay?"
She forced a smile. "It's fine."
It wasn't.
But she swallowed it down anyway.
Because she didn't want to seem childish.
Didn't want to seem jealous.
Didn't want to admit how much that room meant to her.
Ivy chatted happily, unaware.
"This room suits you," she said to Keifer. "I can imagine you here late at night, overthinking everything."
Jay almost laughed.
Because she was the one who had seen him like that.
Night after night.
Keifer smiled softly. "Yeah… maybe."
Jay felt invisible.
Later, when Ivy stepped out to take a call, the room fell quiet.
Keifer turned to Jay. "You okay?"
She nodded immediately. "Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"
He studied her, unconvinced. "You got quiet."
"I'm just tired," she lied.
He didn't push.
That hurt even more.
Jay left soon after, retreating to her own space, heart heavy and restless.
That night, she stared at the ceiling, replaying the moment again and again.
Ivy stepping in without asking.
Keifer letting her.
The hesitation that came too late.
He didn't mean to hurt her.
That was the worst part.
Because losing him slowly—
Without blame,
Without intention,
Without a fight—
Felt unbearable.
Jay turned onto her side, clutching her pillow tightly.
She wasn't angry.
She was scared.
Scared that the place she had always held in his life—
The place she thought was unshakable—
Was no longer hers alone.
And this time, she didn't know how to protect it.