Guys ,I wanted you to know that the previous was written by my friends also and that to in a class , we hid our phones and ipad and then wrote bcz it was the most hated teacher's class , we almost got caught thrice.š š¤£šnow enjoy reading
Chapter 72 ā The Answers They Gave
By the third day of Jay's billionaire circus invading the island, Keifer had officially accepted one thing:
These people were clinically insane.
Not normal rich-people insane.
Worse.
Emotionally attached rich-people insane.
Noah was currently trying to open a coconut using a shoe while Matthew loudly explained why that was scientifically embarrassing.
"It's basic physics," Matthew said.
"It's basic creativity," Noah argued back.
"It's basic brain damage."
"Wow," Noah muttered. "You wound me, Leo."
"Stop calling me that."
"You barked at me yesterday."
"I did not bark."
"You growled emotionally."
Jay snorted from her lounge chair while Aurora sat beside her painting her nails black like this was somehow a completely normal beach activity.
Keifer genuinely couldn't stop staring at them sometimes.
Not because they were suspicious.
Okay maybe slightly suspicious.
But mostly because Jay lookedā¦ different around them.
Softer.
Not weak.
Never weak.
Just less exhausted.
Aurora grabbed Jay's hand again to stop her from moving.
"Stay still."
"You're violating my freedom."
"You're twitching like an angry possum."
"That's rude."
"That's accurate."
Keifer sat nearby quietly watching the interaction while Sebastian walked over holding coffee.
Without asking, Sebastian handed one directly to Jay first.
Jay took it automatically without even looking up.
No hesitation.
No politeness.
Like it was routine.
Then Sebastian handed another to Aurora.
Then finally sat beside Keifer himself.
And somehowā
That tiny moment bothered Keifer more than expected.
Not negatively exactly.
Justā¦
These people knew Jay too naturally.
Like they'd memorized her habits years ago.
"You're staring again," Sebastian said calmly.
Keifer looked away immediately. "I'm observing."
"That's what stalkers say."
"You literally arrived here on helicopters."
"That's different."
"It really isn't."
Sebastian smirked faintly into his coffee while Keifer looked back toward Jay again.
Aurora had finished painting one hand now while Jay complained dramatically about being held hostage.
Then Chloe walked over quietly with a book in one hand before placing sunscreen beside Jay without saying a word.
Jay looked offended instantly.
"I'm not wearing that."
"You got sunburned yesterday."
"I survived."
"You complained for three hours."
"That was emotionally private."
Keifer blinked slowly.
What the hell was this dynamic?
Nobody asked Jay if she needed things.
They justā¦ knew.
Noah suddenly appeared beside Keifer dramatically.
"She hates sunscreen because she says it feels sticky."
Jay pointed aggressively without even looking. "Stop revealing my weaknesses to the enemy."
"You moisturize angrily," Noah continued.
"I'm going to drown you."
"See?" Noah grinned toward Keifer. "Affection."
"That's not affection," Jay snapped.
Keifer smirked slightly. "Feels affectionate."
Jay looked at him like betrayal personally entered her bloodstream.
Then Aurora suddenly glanced toward Keifer.
"You smile too much around her."
Keifer raised an eyebrow. "Should I stop?"
"Yes."
"No."
Jay snorted loudly while Sebastian looked exhausted already.
"This is painful to witness," Aurora muttered.
"No," Noah corrected dramatically. "This is cinema."
Matthew walked over while fixing his sleeves again. "Why are all of you outside yelling at nine in the morning?"
"Because love is alive," Noah whispered emotionally.
Matthew looked disgusted instantly. "I should've stayed in Switzerland."
"You say that every week."
"Because every week proves me right."
Jay laughed quietly again.
And once moreā
Keifer caught himself staring.
Because every time she laughed around them, it felt unfamiliar.
Like he was meeting another version of her.
A version that existed before him.
That thought stayed in his chest longer than it should have.
Then slowly, without fully thinking about it, Keifer asked:
"How do all of you know Jay?"
The beach became quieter.
Not fully silent.
Just enough that everybody heard it.
Jay immediately looked toward him over her sunglasses.
Aurora continued painting her nails calmly.
Noah sat down dramatically into the sand like storytime was beginning.
Matthew sighed. "Dangerous question."
"I'm curious," Keifer replied.
"That's how horror movies start," Noah muttered.
Keifer ignored him while looking at the others again.
"Seriously."
For a few seconds nobody answered.
Then Chloe closed her book softly.
"She helped us."
Keifer looked toward her.
Chloe smiled faintly while staring out toward the ocean instead.
"She had this terrible habit of showing up whenever someone was falling apart."
Jay looked offended. "That sounds fake."
"It's not."
Aurora nodded slightly without looking up from Jay's nails. "You're annoyingly good at rescuing people emotionally."
"I literally insult people for fun."
"Yes," Sebastian replied calmly. "And somehow it still works."
Keifer frowned slightly.
That answer only confused him more.
Noah laid back dramatically against the sand with his hands behind his head.
"She understood us."
His voice sounded quieter now.
Different.
Less chaotic.
"Most people hear problems and get uncomfortable," Noah continued while staring at the sky. "Jay justā¦ stayed."
Jay looked away immediately after that.
Matthew crossed his arms loosely. "She's irritatingly persistent."
"That sounds rude," Keifer said.
"It is rude," Matthew replied. "But true."
Then after a second he added more quietly,
"She doesn't leave people behind easily."
Something about the way he said it made Keifer's chest tighten slightly.
Because suddenlyā
He started understanding the shape of these relationships.
Not the details.
Not the history.
But the feeling of it.
These people didn't love Jay because she was impressive.
They loved her because at some pointā¦
she stayed when nobody else did.
Sebastian finally spoke next.
"We met during a bad period."
Jay immediately looked annoyed. "Sebastian."
He ignored her.
"Wrong place," he continued calmly. "Wrong time."
"And somehow all of you became emotionally codependent," Jay muttered.
"Unfortunately," Aurora replied.
Keifer looked toward Aurora then.
She was still holding Jay's hand while waiting for the nail polish to dry.
Completely natural.
Like she'd done it a thousand times before.
Keifer hesitated slightly before asking,
"And you?"
Aurora looked up slowly.
For the first time since arriving on the island, her expression softened completely.
Not playful.
Not sarcastic.
Just honest.
"Because nobody did when she needed it most."
Silence.
Jay immediately looked away toward the ocean.
Noah stopped joking.
Even Matthew didn't interrupt.
Keifer felt something heavy settle inside his chest.
Because Aurora didn't say it dramatically.
That was the worst part.
She said it simply.
Like it was an old truth everyone there already knew.
Aurora looked back down at Jay's hand again before continuing more quietly.
"She carried things alone for too long."
"Aurora," Jay muttered warningly.
"I'm not exposing secrets."
"You're being emotional in public."
"That sounds like a you problem."
Jay groaned loudly while Noah immediately pointed at her dramatically.
"DEFLECTION."
"Shut up."
"No."
Keifer watched Jay carefully now.
Really carefully.
And suddenly he noticed all the tiny things he missed before.
The way Sebastian always watched conversations when Jay went quiet.
The way Chloe redirected topics whenever London was almost mentioned.
The way Aurora checked if Jay ate without asking.
The way Noah joked harder whenever Jay looked too deep in thought.
The way Matthew pretended to complain while still staying near her.
These weren't casual friendships.
These were people who learned how to survive somebody's sadness together.
And somehowā
That realization hurt Keifer more than jealousy ever could.
Because he wasn't jealous of their money.
Or their history.
He was jealous that they were there during parts of Jay's life he would never get back.
Then Noah suddenly sat up again dramatically.
"Anyway enough trauma."
Jay immediately sighed in relief. "Thank God."
Noah pointed toward Keifer proudly.
"She talks about you constantly now."
Jay looked horrified instantly.
"I literally do not."
"You threatened a businessman during a meeting because he interrupted your texting."
"That happened ONE time."
"Three," Sarah corrected while walking past.
Jay looked betrayed. "Why is everybody against me?"
"Because it's funny," Adam answered from nearby.
Keifer looked way too pleased with himself suddenly.
"You talk about me?"
Jay threw a shell directly at his chest.
"That was your answer."
Noah immediately started singing horribly again.
"šµ Ms. Grumpy is in looooveeeeeee~ šµ"
Matthew looked exhausted. "I'm begging someone to kill him."
"šµ She went from emotional damageeeee~
To island romanceeee~ šµ"
Jay stood up so fast she nearly spilled her coffee.
"Noah."
But Noah was already running across the beach laughing while Jay chased him barefoot threatening violence.
Aurora watched them quietly before looking toward Keifer again.
And for the first timeā
She didn't look annoyed with him.
Just thoughtful.
Then she sighed softly.
"She laughs more now."
Keifer looked toward Jay automatically.
Toward the girl yelling at Noah near the shore while trying not to laugh herself.
And something inside him softened painfully.
Because maybe he didn't understand every part of her life yet.
Maybe there were entire worlds she still kept hidden.
But one thing became terrifyingly clear to him now.
These people knew who Jay used to be.
And somehowā¦
Keifer was slowly becoming part of who she might become next.
Because the saddest people rarely ask to be savedā¦ they just remember forever who stayed long enough to notice they were drowning.