The dorm was quiet, the kind of silence that only came after midnight. Jay was at her desk, laptop open, notes scattered, eyes straining under the harsh desk lamp. She was determined to get ahead on her assignments.
Then it happened: the unmistakable blare of music from Keifer's side of the room.
Jay groaned. "Really? Midnight? Who even listens to this at this hour?"
Keifer, sprawled on his bed with headphones, didn't respond. He was too busy bobbing his head to the beat, completely in his own world.
Jay slammed her notebook closed. "Keifer Watson! Take those headphones off!"
Keifer pulled one out lazily, smirking. "Relax, Jay. It's just a little music. Helps me study… in a very special way."
Jay stood, hands on her hips, glaring. "Special way? You mean distracting everyone else in the room? That's not allowed! Rule Two—noise levels. Remember?"
Keifer stretched dramatically. "Oh, the rule book. Right, right… but rules are meant to be bent sometimes, don't you think?"
Jay's face flushed, not entirely from anger. "Bend? Bend how? By keeping me awake all night while you… do whatever it is you do?"
Keifer swung his legs off the bed, walking over slowly, his smirk teasing. "You know, Jay… for someone who's always so serious, you get way too worked up over little things."
Jay narrowed her eyes. "Little things? Music blasting at 1 a.m. is not a little thing!"
Keifer leaned closer, lowering his voice. "Maybe… it's just my way of keeping things interesting."
Jay's breath caught for a split second. "Interesting… or annoying?" she shot back, trying to mask her racing heart.
Keifer shrugged, just close enough for her to feel his presence. "Could be both. Depends on how you look at it."
Jay glared but turned back to her desk, cheeks warming. "Whatever. I'm going to bed… and if you touch that volume button, I swear—"
"Sleep well, Jay," Keifer interrupted, already backing to his bed with a mischievous grin, "because tomorrow, the battle continues."
As she lay in bed, Jay couldn't help but think: Why does he make this so… impossible?
And just like that, the first sparks of tension, rivalry, and something far more complicated were quietly igniting.
(This is the last ch for today love u guys💝)