(Jay's POV)
"...Then talk."
The words left my mouth sharper than I expected.
For a second, I thought he would stay standing there — calm, unreadable like always.
But he didn't.
Keifer dropped to his knees.
My breath stopped.
"What are you doing?" I whispered, frozen in place.
He didn't look dramatic. He didn't look proud.He looked… desperate.
"I'm sorry, Jay."
The wind went quiet.
"I'm sorry for walking away. I'm sorry for making you feel small. I'm sorry for acting like you didn't matter."
My heart slammed painfully against my ribs..
"I thought leaving you was the only way to protect you," he continued, voice rougher than I'd ever heard it. "I thought if I made you hate me, you'd be safe."
Safe?
"What are you talking about?" My voice trembled despite me trying to keep it steady.
He ran a hand through his hair, rain clouds gathering above us like they were listening.
"My world isn't simple, Jay," he said. "My relatives… the people tied to my inheritance… they've been looking for leverage."
A chill crawled down my spine.
"They found you."
My stomach dropped.
"They gathered information. Pictures. Schedules. Details." His jaw tightened. "They gave it to me like it was a game."
My fingers went cold.
"I was furious," he admitted. "Not at you. At myself. Because you became the easiest way to reach me."
I couldn't breathe properly.
"So you left me?" I asked, voice breaking.
"I tried to find another way," he said. "I tried to fix it quietly. But the more I stayed close to you, the more they watched."
The first tear finally slipped down my cheek.
He noticed.
It almost broke him.
"I thought if I pushed you away hard enough… they'd lose interest," he said. "I'd rather you hate me than get dragged into something you don't deserve."
I stared at him.
"You decided that for me," I whispered.
He flinched.
"Why couldn't you just tell me?" My tears blurred everything now. "Why couldn't you trust me?"
"I did trust you," he said immediately. "That's the problem. You would've helped. You would've stepped into it without thinking."
"And?" I shot back.
"And I couldn't take that risk!" His voice cracked. "I couldn't watch you get hurt because of me."
Rain started falling.
Soft at first.
Then heavier.
Within seconds, we were soaked.
I didn't move.
I couldn't.
Inside my head, everything was loud.
He left you.He thought you were weak.No… he thought you were too strong.
I hated that both could be true.
"I would've stood with you," I said, sobbing now. "You didn't even give me that chance."
He closed his eyes like the words physically hurt.
"I know," he whispered.
The rain poured harder.
He slowly rose to his feet.
Carefully.
Like I might break.
He stepped toward me and wrapped his arms around me — but loosely. Gently. Leaving space.
Giving me time to push him away.
I didn't.
The moment his chest touched mine, everything shattered.
I grabbed onto him and sobbed into his shirt, rain mixing with tears.
He tightened his hold immediately.
"I'm so sorry," he murmured into my hair. "I'm not asking you to forgive me. Just… don't shut me out."
My hands fisted into his soaked shirt.
"Fine," I choked out. "I'll talk to you."
He pulled back slightly, searching my face.
"But I'm not forgiving you yet," I added, still crying. "You're on probation."
A broken laugh left him — relieved.
"That's more than I deserve."
"You better work for it," I sniffed. "Or I'm disappearing somewhere you'll never find me."
His lips curved.
"Threatening me now?"
"Idiot."
He leaned closer slightly.
"Profanity," he teased softly, spelling it out under his breath. "P-r-o-f-a-n-i-t-y."
I froze.
He smiled — not cocky.
Tender.
And then he kissed me.
Not rushed.
Not claiming.
Just… warm.
Careful at first.
Like asking.
I responded before I could overthink it.
The rain fell around us, heavy and wild, but the world felt quiet.
When we pulled back, our foreheads rested together.
His thumb brushed my cheek gently.
"I won't leave you like that again," he whispered.
I believed him.
And that scared me more than anything.
But this time—
I wasn't standing alone in the rain.