Jays pov
I walked into the cafe with Mica, Freya, Rakki, and C in. We were exhausted. Three hours of Anatomy had left us smelling like latex and disinfectant.
"I think I forgot what a human face looks like without the skin off," Rakki groaned, collapsing into a booth.
"Tell me about it," I said, sliding into the seat. I kept glancing at the door. I hadn't seen my hubby in four hours, and even though we were in the same city, it felt like its eternity
The Entrance
Then, the door opened.
The entire cafe went quiet. It wasn't just Keifer. It was the "Watson-Mariano" power walk. Keifer led the pack, looking lethal in a black polo that hugged his chest perfectly. Behind him, the Business Boys (Moya, Kit, Erdix) and the Law Squad (Emman, Calix, David, Felix) followed like a private army.
They didn't just walk in; they owned the oxygen in the room.
Keifer's eyes scanned the crowd immediately. The second he spotted me, his jaw tightened. To everyone else, it looked like a cold stare. To me, it was the look of a man who had finally found his air.
"Seats taken?" Moya asked loudly, sliding into the booth next to Mica.
Keifer sat directly across from me. He didn't reach for my hand. He didn't lean in to kiss me. But under the table, his heavy boot nudged against my sneaker, staying there—a secret anchor.
The Flirtation Problem
We were midway through our rice bowls when a waiter—a cute, athletic-looking guy with a nametag that said 'Jojo'—approached our table. He ignored the ten intimidating men and focused entirely on me.
"Hey," Jojo said, leaning over the table to give me a fresh glass of calamansi juice. "I noticed you didn't have a drink. On the house for the most beautiful med student I've seen today."
Kit choked on his iced coffee. Moya froze with a fork halfway to his mouth. Section E looked like they were watching a man walk into a lion's den with a steak tied to his neck.
"Oh, thank you," I said, feeling the temperature at the table drop to sub-zero. "That's very kind."
"I finish my shift at five," Jojo continued, giving me a wink. "There's a great night market near the College of Medicine. Maybe I can show you around?"
I didn't even have time to answer.
Keifer reached for his water glass, his knuckles white. The sound of his glass hitting the marble table sounded like a gunshot.
"She's busy," Keifer said. His voice was a low, terrifying rumble that made the waiter jump.
"Oh? You her brother?" Jojo asked, trying to keep his cool.
Keifer leaned forward, his eyes flashing with the "Monster" energy he usually kept for the boardroom. "I'm the guy who's going to buy this cafe and fire you if you don't walk away in the next three seconds."
The Cover-Up
"Whoa, whoa!" Emman cut in, using his future lawyer skills to de-escalate. "What my 'friend' here means is that we have a very strict study group at five. Very strict. Right, Keifer?"
"Extremely," Keifer hissed, his eyes never leaving the waiter.
Jojo got the message. He turned pale and hurried away toward the kitchen.
Babe," I whispered, leaning in so only Keifer could hear. "You're going to blow our cover."
"I don't care," my hubby muttered, his eyes still dark with jealousy. "I don't like the way he looked at my weify. I don't like anyone looking at you when I can't tell them exactly who you belong to."
"Eat your rice, Keifer," Kit teased, trying to lighten the mood. "You're scaring the regular people. Look, the table next to us is literally vibrating with fear."
The Secret Touch
As the lunch ended, everyone stood up to head back to their separate colleges. Mica and the girls started walking toward the door, talking about the next lab.
Keifer stayed behind for a second, pretend-tying his shoe. When I walked past him, he reached out and caught my wrist, pulling me into the shadows of the hallway for just a split second.
He pressed me against the wall, his large body shielding me from view. He didn't say a word. He just buried his face in my neck, inhaling my scent deeply, as if he were recharging his soul.
"I hate this," he whispered against my skin. "I hate pretending you aren't mine."
"Only a few more hours, hubby," I whispered back, my heart racing. "Then we go home to the 'Black Box' and it's just us."
He gave my waist a possessive squeeze—one that promised a very long night later—and then stepped back, his face turning back into the cold, distant CEO mask.
"See you later, Jay," he said loudly for anyone watching.
"See you, Keifer," I replied, my cheeks burning as I ran to catch up with my friends.
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