Jay pov:
My world tilted.No—it spun.
Too fast. Too loud. Too much.
Before anyone could say a word, my chair screeched back against the floor, and I was already on my feet.
"Jay Jay?" Cin called out.
But I didn't stop.
I couldn't.
If I stayed there for even one more second—if I met those eyes again—I knew something inside me would shatter.
The door flew open as I burst out of the classroom, almost knocking into a group of juniors. They stared, startled, but I didn't even register their faces. My feet moved on instinct, fast, faster, down the hallway, every heartbeat slamming in my ears.
I pushed into the girl's CR, the door banging against the wall behind me.
Cold tiles.Cold air.Cold silence.
I gripped the edges of the sink, head down, trying to catch my breath as the fluorescent lights buzzed above me.
Slowly, I lifted my gaze to the mirror.
And the girl staring back at me—
She didn't look like me.
Her eyes were too wide, pupils blown.
Her chest rose and fell too fast.
She looked…shaken.Like she'd just seen a ghost.
"Get it together," I whispered, voice cracking halfway.
My reflection didn't listen.
I splashed cold water onto my face, hoping it would wipe away the shock, the confusion, the anger that was starting to bubble beneath my ribs.
Keifer.
Here.
In Section e.
In this building.
Not in London but here.
After a month of silence.
After leaving me with nothing but blood on my hands and a goodbye that wasn't even a goodbye.
"Why now?" I muttered under my breath. "Why the hell now?"
My fingers trembled as I brushed the wet strands of hair out of my face.
I hated that I recognized his voice instantly.
I hated that my body reacted before my mind did.
I hated that a simple "present" could drag me back to him like gravity.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
This wasn't happening.
It couldn't be happening.
Someone pushed the CR door slightly, a small creak filling the room.
"Jay?"
David's voice.
Of course it was him.
He didn't step inside—he just waited at the door, like he always did when I needed to breathe.
"You okay?" he asked quietly.
I swallowed hard.
My voice came out thin, shaky, nothing like the sarcastic menace I pretended to be.
"He's… back."
I didn't need to say who.
David let out a slow exhale.
Something between relief and guilt.
"Yeah," he said softly. "We know."
That hurt more than I expected.
I gripped the sink tighter.
"Does he… does he think he can just walk in and sit there like nothing happened?"
My voice cracked at the end.
I hated that too.
David didn't answer.
Because he didn't have to.
Keifer always did whatever the hell he wanted.
And everyone always let him.
But me?
I wasn't sure what I felt.
Anger? Maybe.
Fear? Definitely.
Something else?
Something warm and stupid and unwanted?
I shoved that thought away immediately.
I opened my eyes again, meeting my reflection.
She still looked shaken.
But now there was something sharper under it.
Resolve.A spark.
I wiped my face with the back of my hand and straightened up.
"Fine," I whispered. "He wants to come back? Then let him."
David made a soft sound, almost a chuckle.
"You ready to go back?"
"No," I muttered, pushing the door open.
"But I'm going anyway."
And with that, I stepped out of the CR.
Each step back toward the classroom felt heavier than the last.
Because the moment I walked in again…
I knew Keifer Watson's eyes would be waiting for me.
Again.Great.
My footsteps echoed down the hallway, too loud, too steady for the chaos inside my chest.
David walked a step behind me, silent as a shadow.
He knew better than to speak.
Anything he said might crack me open again.
When we reached the classroom door, I stopped.
The muffled voices inside went quiet the moment my hand touched the doorknob.
Of course they did.
They were all waiting.
For me.
For my reaction.
For the scene.
I inhaled once.
Twice.
Then pushed the door open.
The room fell into a heavy, unnatural silence — the kind that only comes before a storm.
Felix froze mid-whisper.
Cin sat unnaturally straight.
Eren looked like he'd bet on whether I'd run again.
Even Sir Alvin pretended to be writing something on the board.
Cowards.
But I wasn't looking at them.
I couldn't.
My gaze slid — unwilling, pulled like gravity — to the last row, second seat from the window.
There he was.
Keifer.
Back like he'd never left.
Sitting in that same lazy posture, elbow propped on the desk, fingers tapping lightly against the wood as if he had all the time in the world.He looked a bit different than before must be the London effect uhh why am I thinking that but wait
those eyes —
God.
Those damn eyes were already locked on me the second I walked in.
He didn't even blink.
Didn't look away.
Just watched me walk back into the room like he'd been tracking every breath I took outside.
My spine straightened automatically.
I refused — refused — to let him see the tremor that ran through me.
I walked to my seat, slow, controlled, guarded.
Every step felt like stepping back into a memory I didn't want.
As soon as I sat, I felt it.
His gaze.
Burning.Pinning.Judging.Knowing.
I didn't look at him.
Not yet.
But the silence was thick enough to choke on.
Finally, I turned to David and muttered under my breath, "If he stares at me one more second—"
"He's been staring since you came," David whispered back.
I shot him a glare.
He raised both hands slightly, surrendering.
"He's… different," Cin whispered from the next row. "Like… intense-level different,but still carrying the eyes you love." he said winking and smirking at me..
This batang....
"Shut up," I hissed.
but he wasn't wrong,because I felt it too. A bit but who am I kidding.
Keifer wasn't the same boy who left.
The air around him felt heavier.
Sharper.
Like he'd come back carrying something dark with him —
and yet, somehow, he still looked at me the same way.
Finally — finally — I forced myself to turn my head just an inch.
Just enough to meet his eyes.
A mistake.
The second our gazes collided, something hot shot through my chest — like anger and something else tangled together.
Keifer's lips curled into the faintest smirk.
Not the playful one.Not the charming one he used to throw around.
This one…This one was wolf-like.
A little dangerous.
A little proud.
A little like he knew exactly what he was doing to me.
Slowly, he lifted two fingers to his temple in a mock salute.
"Missed me, baby?"
His voice was low, almost a whisper, but loud enough for only me to hear.
My breath caught.
The audacity.
The actual audacity.
I clenched my pen so hard I thought it might snap in half.
"Go to hell," I mouthed back.
His smirk widened — just a fraction — like he'd been waiting to hear those exact words.
Cin nudged me under the desk.
"Be nice," he whispered.
"I'm about to throw a chair at him," I whispered back.
Keifer chuckled softly at that.
Chuckled.
Like we were in some private joke together.
Like he hadn't disappeared for a month.
Like he hadn't left me bleeding inside.
Like he had every right to waltz back into my life with nothing but a stupid smirk and a "present."
Sir Alvin clapped his hands once, breaking the tension.
"Alright, class. Settle down. We have a lot to cover."
No.
I had a lot to cover.
With him.
And he knew it.
Keifer leaned back in his chair, eyes still on me, and whispered so only I could hear—
"We'll talk later."
My heart skipped.
My blood boiled.
My world tilted again.
And I knew—
This was only the beginning.
Jay's POV – After Class
The moment the bell rang, I slammed my notebook shut — maybe harder than necessary.
"Jay," David warned quietly, eyes flicking toward the back.
"I'm not doing anything," I lied boldly.
Because I was doing something.
I was getting the hell out of this room before the Ulupong King could—
Too late.
A hand wrapped around my wrist.
Warm. Firm. Familiar.
Electric.
"Let go," I snapped automatically.
Keifer didn't.
Instead, he tugged — gently, but with zero room for argument — pulling me out of my seat.
"We're talking. Now." His voice was low enough that only I could hear it.
"I'd rather review," I muttered.
"Good.Still as feisty as before" he said, dragging me toward the hallway, "I missed your attitude."
I tried yanking my hand away, but his grip tightened just slightly.
Not enough to hurt.
Just enough to remind me—
He was back.
And nothing about him was the same.
Once we were outside, he finally let go.
The air between us was thick. Too thick.
I crossed my arms. "What do you want?"
He raised an eyebrow. "You ran to the CR like you saw a ghost."
"I saw something worse," I said sweetly. "You."
Keifer chuckled — quietly, deep in his chest, like he'd been waiting for me to hit him with something sharp.
"Cute," he said. "Very cute. But Jay… we need to talk."
"Oh, we will." I jabbed a finger at him. "After I punch you."
"Touch me," he said softly, leaning closer, "but with you lips and if you wanna use hands maybe you could use them elsewhere." he said with a wink.
My breath hitched.
My entire soul malfunctioned.
"What the—" I cursed under my breath, too flustered to pick which profanity to use first.
Keifer smirked, tilting his head.
"There she is. I knew you'd throw cuss words at me. You're tempting me, my queen"
"Stop calling me that."
"No."
"Keifer—"
"Yes,My queen?"
I groaned, dragging both hands down my face.
"I hate you."
"No, you don't."
I froze.
His voice had softened — really softened — just for a second.
But before I could respond, he stepped back, clearing his throat.
"Come on," he muttered. "Let's go in before Felix starts a parade."
---
Back Inside the Classroom
We walked back into the room.
Correction:
Keifer strolled in like he owned the entire building.
I walked beside him, desperately pretending my soul wasn't trying to do somersaults.
The moment Section E saw him enter with me — side-by-side — all hell broke loose.
"OH HO HO HO!" Felix pointed dramatically. "Look who went for a private consultation!"
Cin nearly fell out of his chair. "DID THEY HOLD HANDS?!"
"We didn't," I snapped.
"We did," Keifer said lazily at the same time.
I whipped my head toward him. "We did not—"
"You didn't pull away," he replied with a shrug.
"Because we never hold them you--"
Eren gasped like he'd discovered a scandal.
"Jay was holding hands voluntarily?! Impossible. Call NASA."
Yuri just crossed his arms, staring Keifer down.
"You're back," he said flatly.
Keifer nodded. "Missed me?"
"Not particularly," Yuri replied.
"Liar," Keifer shot back.
David didn't say anything — he just stared at Keifer for a long moment, unreadable.
Keifer met his gaze.
Something silent passed between them.
Respect? Warning? History?
I couldn't tell.
Then Cin burst forward, slamming his palms on Keifer's desk.
"WHERE WERE YOU? HUH? YOU LEFT US WITH THIS GREMLIN—" he pointed at me,
"—AND SHE WAS DEPRESSED AND ANNOYING AND DEPRESSED AND ANGRY AND—"
"I wasn't depressed!" I shouted.
"You were depressed!" Section E chorused.
Keifer leaned back in his chair, eyes drifting to me again.
"Don't worry," he said quietly, just loud enough for me,
"I'm not leaving again."
My stupid heart squeezed painfully.
I glared at him for it.
He smirked.
Section E erupted into chaos once more.
And for the first time in a month, the room felt alive. Maybe because he came....
KEIFER'S POV:
The second I heard her chair scrape, I knew.
Jay hadn't changed her footsteps —
still fast, sharp, reckless when she was overwhelmed.
And she was overwhelmed.
Because of me.
I watched her bolt out of the classroom, half a breath, half a ghost trailing behind her.
Cin looked at me like I'd kicked a puppy.
Eren whistled low.
"Bro, she ran like she saw Satan."
Felix corrected, "No, she ran like she saw her feelings."
Idiots.
I stood anyway, ignoring the knowing smirks.
If she ran from me,
then I was going after her.
Because this time —
I wasn't letting her deal with anything alone.
Not again.
---
THE GIRLS' CR
I didn't enter.I wasn't stupid.
I just leaned against the wall outside, listening.
I could hear her breathing —
fast, panicked, like the world had blindsided her.
It hurt.
She'd always been the strongest one in the room…
and look what I turned her into.
I closed my eyes, grounding myself.
Then I knocked lightly.
"Jay?"
Silence,Maybe she didn't hear me
A beat later, David showed up, stopping beside me.
He didn't look surprised to see me there.
"Let me," he murmured.
Of course.
He always knew when she needed softness.
I stepped back.
He didn't enter, just cracked the door open enough for his voice to slip inside.
"You okay?" he asked her — gentle, patient.
A voice I didn't deserve to use on her yet.
Then I heard it —
The sound of her breaking and patching herself up in one breath.
"He's… back."
David exhaled like he'd been waiting for her to say it.
"Yeah," he answered quietly.
"We know."
Guilt punched me in the ribs.
She had been hurting.
And they had been carrying it.
While I was gone.While I chose to disappear.
David didn't say it, but I felt it anyway.
You left her.
I rubbed the back of my neck, jaw clenched.
I wasn't leaving again.
---
WHEN SHE WALKED BACK
I straightened the second I heard her footsteps.
Steady. Determined.
But still shaking underneath.
When she walked in, she didn't look at me.
Smart.
Too smart.
I didn't look away.
Couldn't.
The girl who wouldn't even flinch during a fight…
looked like she'd just been struck by lightning.
Because of one word from me.
Present.
God.
What had I done to her?
What had I done to myself?
---
WHEN OUR EYES FINALLY MET
The moment she turned just slightly — too slightly —
our gazes collided like two storms finally crashing.
And she froze.
Just one second.
One heartbeat.
Enough to make something inside me twist painfully.
Her face was fire and fear and fury wrapped into one.
Beautiful.
Deadly.
Mine.
She mouthed:
"Go to hell."
I smirked.
Because her anger meant she still felt something.
Anything.
If she hated me, at least she wasn't indifferent.
---
AFTER CLASS — TAKING HER OUT
The bell rang.
She moved before I could blink, already packing up.
I saw her plan instantly —
Run.
Escape.
Not today.
Her wrist fit into my hand like it always had —
warm, small, familiar in a way that made my throat tighten.
She tried to pull away.
Of course she did.
"Let go," she snapped.
"Not happening," I murmured, pulling her with me,
"We're talking. Now."
She glared enough to kill a small city.
"I'd rather review."
"Cute," I said. "Still feisty."
She resisted the whole way through the hallway.
I let her.
At least she wasn't running anymore.
---
OUTSIDE THE ROOM
The hallway was too quiet.
Too close.
Too… us.
"What do you want?" she demanded.
I looked at her properly for the first time in a month.
God.
Her eyes looked different — darker, haunted.
Because of that night.
Because of Cole.
Because I wasn't there.
"You ran like you saw a ghost," I said.
"I saw something worse," she shot back. "You."
I actually laughed.
Quiet, broken, relieved.
"Jay…" I sighed. "We need to talk."
"I'll talk to you after I punch you."
I leaned in.
"Touch me," I murmured, "but maybe use your hands someplace more interesting."
She sputtered something with enough curses to wake the dead.
I smirked.
"There she is," I whispered.
"My queen."
"Stop calling me that."
"No."
Her eyes narrowed.
"I hate you."
And I —
I didn't think.I didn't plan. just said the truth.
"No, you don't."
Her breath hitched.
Just a little.
Enough.
---
BACK INSIDE — SECTION E EXPLODES
The second we walked into the room together, chaos exploded like fireworks.
Felix nearly screamed.
Cin choked on air.
Eren gasped like he discovered a planet.
Yuri crossed his arms like he was trying not to stab me.
David sighed like a tired dad.
Jay looked like she was about to stab me.
She snapped, "We DID NOT hold hands!"
I shrugged.
"You didn't pull away."
Eren fell off his chair.
Cin full-on yelled, "YOU LEFT US WITH HER AND SHE WAS DEPRESSED AND ANNOYING—"
"I WAS NOT DEPRESSED!"
"You were depressed!" Section E chorused.
I ignored them.
My eyes stayed on her.
Still shaken.
Still furious.
Still mine — even if she didn't want to be.
I leaned forward.
"I'm not leaving again," I said softly.
She froze for just a second.
And I knew:
Coming back was the right decision.
For my family
For Section E.
For me.
For her.
She waited long enough it's time she knows everything....