Jay-Jay's POV
A week passed after the incident.
Nothing big happened.
That was the strange part.
Keifer was still Keifer. He still walked with Section E, still laughed at stupid jokes, still looked at me the same way—most of the time. But there were small things. Tiny things. The kind you don't notice unless you've known someone for years.
He started spending more time with Sienna.
Not in a loud way. Not obvious. Just… sitting beside her during breaks. Talking longer than usual. Inviting her along when a few of them went out. Nothing wrong. Nothing anyone could accuse.
Still, Yuri noticed first.
"You see it too, right?" he asked me one afternoon, voice low.
I frowned. "See what?"
He hesitated. "Keifer's changing."
I scoffed lightly, waving it off. "You're overthinking. We all change. Plus, they grew up together."
Yuri didn't look convinced—but he dropped it.
And I told myself the same thing.
It's nothing. Keifer would never.
That day, I decided to go to his class and pick him up. Just the two of us. No Section E. No noise. I was actually excited—like that quiet, warm kind of excitement that makes your steps lighter.
When I reached his classroom door, I slowed down.
Keifer was inside.
Laughing.
Not loud—happy. Sitting next to Sienna. Their heads tilted slightly toward each other, voices low, laughter shared like it belonged only to them.
I stopped.
For a second—just one—I felt something tight press against my chest.
No. Don't be stupid, I told myself.
Keifer laughs with people. That's normal.
So I brushed it off.
I stepped inside.
"Hey," I said casually.
They both looked up.
"Hey, Jay," Keifer replied easily. "You good?"
"Yeah," I smiled. "Can we go?"
"Sure."
I hesitated, then added, "Like… just us."
He nodded. "Yeah, okay."
Relief warmed me—until he checked his phone.
"Oh," he said, standing. "I actually need to pick something up and head to the company. I forgot."
My smile stayed in place. Of course.
"So… tomorrow?" he asked.
"Yeah," I said quickly. "Tomorrow's fine."
He grabbed his bag, gave me a quick look—one I couldn't read—and walked out.
I watched him leave.
It's nothing, I told myself again.
He's busy. That's all.
Still—
As I stood there alone in the doorway, excitement slowly fading into something quieter, I realized something I didn't want to admit yet.
Things weren't wrong.
But they weren't exactly the same either.
And sometimes…
that's how everything begins to change.