Third Person POV
Jay and Keifer reached school and headed straight to Section E.
The moment they stepped inside—
"Ohooo, Mr and Mrs Watson," Rory teased.
"Jayfer is here," Felix added with a grin.
Blaster clapped his hands. "Wedding vibes already."
Jay didn't react.
Keifer's jaw tightened.
"Enough," Keifer said sharply.
His voice cut through the room like a blade.
Silence fell instantly.
Ci-n stopped mid-sentence. Calix lowered his pen. Even Rory straightened, sensing something was off.
Edrix frowned. "What happened?"
Jay stepped forward before anyone else could speak.
"Ci-n," she said firmly, her voice controlled, "what is IED?"
The room stilled again.
Ci-n looked at her carefully. "Why do you want to know that?" he asked. "Is someone suffering from IED?"
Jay held his gaze. "Tell me first."
Ci-n nodded. "IED stands for Intermittent Explosive Disorder."
He chose his words carefully. "It's a condition where a person has sudden, intense emotional reactions—usually anger—that feel uncontrollable. It often comes from long-term stress, trauma, or emotions being suppressed for too long."
Jay's fingers curled slightly—but she didn't cry.
She inhaled slowly.
Keifer stepped closer, not touching her, just there.
Felix broke the quiet. "So they just… keep everything inside?"
Ci-n nodded. "Most of the time, yes."
Jay lifted her head and looked around the room—at Ci-n, Felix, Blaster, Kit, Mayo, Eman, Eren, Josh, David, Drew, Denzel, Yuri, Edrix, Rory, and Calix.
"She's hiding everything in herself," Jay said quietly. "Every hurt. Every insult. Every fear."
The room felt heavier.
Rory swallowed. "That explains why she never reacts."
Edrix crossed his arms. "She's protecting herself."
Keifer finally spoke. "And she's been doing it alone."
Mayo shook his head. "No one should have to do that."
Jay nodded once. "She won't anymore."
Section E didn't joke after that.
They didn't tease.
They simply stood there, united in a silent understanding—
Whoever Eces was…
She mattered.
Jay's POV
The house felt different the moment we stepped in.
Not loud. Not tense. Just… still.
I heard Keiren drop his bag and start talking about something random, Keigan replying half-heartedly. Keifer moved ahead of us, keys still in hand.
Then I saw her.
Eces was sitting in the hall, legs tucked neatly to one side, calm as ever. Percy was there too—leaning dangerously close to a mirror, fixing his hair like the world might collapse if one strand was out of place.
"Do you think this side looks better," Percy asked no one in particular, tilting his face.
Eces glanced up. "Both sides look the same."
Percy gasped. "Blasphemy."
I almost smiled.
Almost.
Because even like this—laughing softly, answering normally—I could still see it. The tightness in her shoulders. The way she stayed perfectly composed, like she was afraid of taking up too much space.
I couldn't ignore it anymore.
"Eces," I said gently, "come with me for a minute?"
She looked at me, eyes searching, then nodded. "Okay."
We walked toward my room, leaving the noise behind. I closed the door softly—not locking it, just… creating a quiet bubble.
She stood there for a second, unsure.
I sat on the bed and patted the space beside me. "Sit."
She did.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then I said it—the thing that had been burning in my chest all day.
"Why don't you ever tell me when something hurts?"
She didn't look at me. Her fingers folded together in her lap.
"I'm fine," she said automatically.
I shook my head. "That's not an answer. That's a shield."
That made her look up.
I kept my voice soft. "You don't react. You don't complain. You don't ask for help. You just… keep everything inside you."
Her jaw tightened—just slightly.
"I don't want to be a burden," she said quietly.
That word hit me harder than anything else today.
"A burden?" I repeated, my voice breaking just a little. "Eces, you're my sister."
She swallowed. "You already have so much. I don't want to add myself to the list of problems."
I reached for her hand before she could pull away. "You are not a problem."
She hesitated—but didn't resist.
"You don't have to be strong with me," I said. "You don't have to hide. Not here. Not with me."
For a long second, she didn't respond.
Then—slowly—she leaned in.
Not fully. Not dramatically.
She just rested her head against my shoulder, like she'd finally set something heavy down.
My chest tightened.
I wrapped an arm around her, careful, like she might disappear if I moved too fast.
She didn't cry.
She didn't say anything.
But the way she stayed there—still, quiet, trusting—told me everything.
And in that moment, I made myself a promise:
Whatever she was carrying—
She wouldn't carry it alone anymore
Keifer's POV
The house had finally gone quiet.
Keiren's door was closed, music humming faintly from his room. Keigan had disappeared hours ago. Percy had left after one last look at himself in the mirror. The lights were dim, the kind of calm that only comes late at night.
Jay and I were alone in our room.
She sat on the bed, knees pulled up, brushing her hair absently. I could tell she was tired—not the sleepy kind, but the emotional kind that settles deep in the bones.
"So?" I asked gently. "You went with her."
Jay looked up at me, then smiled—a soft, fragile smile. "We talked."
I sat beside her, close enough that our shoulders touched. "How is she?"
Jay exhaled slowly. "She thinks she's a burden."
That made something in my chest tighten.
"She told me she doesn't want to add herself to my problems," Jay continued. "Like loving her is some kind of weight."
I shook my head. "She's been surviving on her own for too long."
Jay nodded. "She didn't cry. But she leaned on me." Her voice softened. "Just for a moment."
That was enough for me to picture it.
I reached for Jay's hand and laced my fingers with hers. "You did good."
She turned toward me. "I just want her to feel safe."
"She does," I said quietly. "Even if she doesn't know it yet."
Jay leaned into me then, resting her head against my shoulder. I wrapped my arm around her, pulling her a little closer. No rush. No urgency. Just… comfort.
We stayed like that for a while, listening to the quiet house breathe around us.
"You know," she murmured, "sometimes I forget we're allowed to be happy too."
I tilted my head and pressed a gentle kiss to her hair. "We're allowed," I said. "Even more so—because we're choosing it."
She looked up at me, eyes warm, and smiled.
I kissed her then—slow, soft, nothing demanding. Just a reminder that we were here, together, steady.
She smiled again when we pulled apart and rested her forehead against mine. "Good night, Keifer."
"Good night, Jay."
The light clicked off.
And as we lay there in the quiet, I felt it clearly—
Whatever storms were coming, we'd face them the same way.
Side by side.
Instinctively, Jay turned toward him, and Keifer wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close. She fit against him easily, like that was where she was meant to be.
They stayed like that—cuddled, unmoving, listening to each other breathe.
After a while, Jay lifted her head slightly. Keifer leaned down, and their lips met in a long, unhurried kiss. It wasn't rushed or demanding—just lingering, steady, full of reassurance. The kind of kiss that said I'm here more than anything else.
When they finally pulled apart, Jay rested her forehead against his chest.
Keifer tightened his hold just a little, protective, grounding.
They didn't talk again.
Wrapped in each other's warmth, the house quiet around them, they drifted into sleep—still holding on, as if letting go wasn't an option.
And for that night, at least, everything felt safe.
+++++++++++++
Guys, I will upload 3 chapters today.
After that all chapters are only about Jay and Keifer and their wedding.