--: Keifer's POV: --
The door handle rattled again. Harder this time.
Click. Click. Locked. Thank God I had the sense to turn that deadbolt before the world dissolved into Jay-Jay. But the sound of that rattling metal was like a countdown clock on a bomb.
"Keifer? Jay? I know you're in there. Open up," Angelo's voice was muffled by the thick wood, but the authority in it was crystal clear.
I stayed perfectly still for a heartbeat, my eyes squeezed shut. I had to time this perfectly. I had cleared the floor—the shirt was on my back, her dress was in the closet, the sheets were snapped tight. The room was a fortress of fake innocence.
"Keifer!" A louder knock.
"Mmmph..." I let out a low, gravelly moan, shifting my weight so the bed springs gave an audible, sleepy groan. I forced my voice to sound thick with a fake slumber. "Wh-who is it? Angelo?"
"Open the door, Keifer. Now."
I rubbed my face hard, making sure my eyes were slightly bloodshot from the friction. I rolled out of bed, keeping the duvet bunched up in one hand. I stumbled toward the door, making sure my footsteps sounded heavy and uncoordinated. I reached for the lock and twisted it.
I pulled the door open just a crack, squinting at the bright hallway light like it was a physical assault on my retinas.
"Angelo?" I rasped, leaning my shoulder against the doorframe. "What... what time is it? What are you doing here?"
Angelo was standing there, looking like a billionaire on a casual Saturday—pristine white linen shirt and dark shades. He didn't look happy.
"It's noon, Keifer. And the island is too quiet," Angelo said, his eyes narrowing as they searched mine. "Where's my sister?"
--: Jay-Jay's POV: --
I was pressed against the cold, tiled wall of the bathroom, my hand clamped so tightly over my mouth I was probably leaving bruises. I could hear them. I could hear him.
Kuya Angelo is five feet away. Five feet.
The shower was thundering beside me—a wall of white noise—but it didn't feel like enough of a shield. I looked at myself in the mirror. My hair was a bird's nest and my lips were swollen.
Fix yourself, Jay. Fix. Yourself.
I grabbed a towel and started scrubbing my face, trying to rub away the heat of the morning and the sheer, unadulterated panic.
"Jay-Jay?" Angelo's voice drifted through the bathroom door.
"Kuya?? I'm in the shower, Kuya!" I yelled, my voice cracking halfway through. "I... I just got in! Give me a minute!"
--: Keifer's POV: --
Angelo's gaze shifted from me to the closed bathroom door. He stepped into the cottage, his boots clicking on the hardwood. He walked with a predator's grace, his eyes scanning everything.
The room was clean. No clothes on the floor. No stray wrappers. But Angelo wasn't looking for mess; he was looking for tension.
"You look flushed, Keifer," Angelo remarked, his voice dropping into that dangerous, quiet register. "And the room smells like... lavender?"
"Jay's bath oil," I lied, not even blinking. "She knocked the bottle over this morning when she was looking for her hair ties. It's been giving me a headache for three hours."
"Hmm. I came because we're leaving tomorrow," Angelo said, turning to look at me. "I wanted to see the island you bought her. I wanted to see if it was actually a sanctuary."
--: Jay-Jay's POV: --
I threw on the first thing I could find—a flowery sundress. In my panic, I didn't even check the tags. I shoved my feet into my sandals, took a deep breath, and opened the bathroom door.
The steam followed me out like a dramatic entrance.
"Kuya!" I chirped, leaning against the doorframe. "What a... what a surprise! We weren't expecting you!"
Angelo turned. He looked at me for a long, quiet moment. He looked at my damp hair and my scrubbed-raw cheeks.
"Jay-Jay," he said softly.
"Yes?"
"Your dress is on backward. And you're missing a shoe."
I looked down. He was right. The tag was tickling my collarbone and my left foot was bare. I felt the blood rush back into my face.
"It's... it's a trend!" I stammered, frantically trying to pull the dress around. "High fashion, Kuya. You wouldn't get it."
Keifer made a sound that was half-cough, half-strangled laugh. I shot him a look that promised a very painful death later.
--: Keifer's POV: --
"She's half-asleep, Angelo," I said, stepping toward her. I reached under the bed and pulled out her missing sandal. "Here. Put your shoe on, Jay."
I handed her the sandal, our fingers brushing for a fraction of a second. The spark was still there—hot and electric.
Angelo didn't say anything immediately. He just watched the way my fingers lingered near Jay's ankle as she slipped the sandal on. The silence in the room was deafening, save for the rhythmic hiss of the shower still running in the background.
"Right. High fashion," Angelo repeated, his voice dripping with a dry skepticism that made my skin crawl.
He adjusted his sunglasses, his gaze sweeping the room one last time—lingering a second too long on the neatly pulled duvet. "I'll wait for you both on the porch. Five minutes. Don't make me come back in."
He turned on his heel and walked out, the screen door clicking shut with a finality that felt like a stay of execution.
--: Jay-Jay's POV: --
The moment the door closed, I collapsed against the dresser, clutching my chest. "Oh my God. Oh my God, Keifer. He knows. He definitely knows. He's probably outside right now calling a hitman."
"He doesn't know anything, Jay. He suspects everything, but he knows nothing," Keifer hissed, moving like lightning to grab a comb and dragging it through his messy hair.
He looked at me, his eyes dark and intense. "Fix your dress. Now."
I scrambled, twisting the floral fabric around until the neckline was actually in the front. I looked in the mirror, frantically patting down my hair and trying to look like a girl who had just spent her morning sleeping—and not a girl who had just been worshiped by the man currently trying to look 'casual' in the corner.
"Okay. Okay, I'm ready," I whispered, taking a deep breath that did absolutely nothing to calm my racing heart.
--: Keifer's POV: --
We stepped out onto the porch, and I made sure to lock the cottage door behind me with a very deliberate, 'nothing-to-see-here' click. Angelo was leaning against the railing, staring out at the ocean. He didn't look back as we approached.
"Let's walk," he said simply.
The "tour" was surprisingly peaceful, considering I felt like I was walking beside a ticking time bomb. We started with the coastline. Jay-Jay, eager to move the focus away from the bedroom, started pointing out every rock and palm tree like she was a professional tour guide.
"And over here is where the sand is the whitest!" she chirped, running ahead of us.
We walked along the shore, the three of us leaving a trail of footprints in the pristine sand. Angelo seemed to relax as we moved further away from the cottage. He asked about the trees, the layout of the garden, and how the solar lights worked at night. I kept my answers short and professional, keeping my hands tucked firmly in my pockets so I wouldn't reach for Jay.
--: Jay-Jay's POV: --
When we reached the shallow tide pools, I couldn't help myself. I kicked off my sandals and waded in. "Kuya, look! There are tiny blue fishes!"
Angelo actually smiled, a genuine, soft expression that usually only came out when it was just the two of us. He walked to the edge of the water, watching as I splashed around like a kid. For a moment, the tension of the morning felt miles away.
We spent the afternoon just... being on the island. We walked the perimeter, checked out the private dock, and even sat by the water for a while, letting the sun warm our skin.
No talk of security, no talk of business. Just the sound of the waves and the occasional laugh when a crab tried to chase Aries—who had joined us halfway through—back toward the trees.
--: Keifer's POV: --
By the time the sun began to dip, the atmosphere had shifted into something mellow. The "Blackout" was technically over because people were around, but the peace of the island remained.
Dinner was served on the massive patio of the main mansion. The long table was covered in fresh seafood, tropical fruits, and enough drinks to keep Section E and the others occupied. It was loud and chaotic, the way it always was when the whole squad was together. Some of them were was cracking jokes, Josh was trying to feed a stray bird, apparently he was missing his cat Edy, and Angelo sat at the head of the table, looking satisfied with the "sanctuary" I had provided.
We didn't talk about what happened in the cottage. We didn't talk about the locked door. We just ate, laughed, and watched the stars begin to poke through the purple sky.
"Since the boat leaves at dawn," Angelo said, setting his glass down as dinner wound to a close, "I think I'll stay here tonight. In the mansion. I want to see if the guest wing is as comfortable as Jay-Jay claims."
Jay-Jay nearly choked on a piece of mango. I reached out and patted her back, my expression perfectly neutral even as my heart did a slow sink.
"The East Wing master suite is ready for you, Angelo," I said calmly. "It has the best view of the sunrise."
--: Jay-Jay's POV: --
Giving Kuya a room in the mansion was the safest move, but it also meant he was the unofficial "warden" for the night.
After dinner, we all walked into the grand foyer. The mansion felt huge and quiet compared to the rowdy dinner. Keifer led the way up the stairs to show Kuya to his room.
"Here we are," Keifer said, opening the double doors to a suite that was probably larger than my entire apartment in the city. "Goodnight, Angelo."
"Goodnight, Keifer. Jay-Jay," Angelo said, leaning down to kiss my forehead. He looked at Keifer one last time—a look that was remarkably calm but held a silent warning nonetheless—before stepping inside and closing the door.
--: Keifer's POV: --
I waited until I heard the faint click of the internal lock from Angelo's room. I turned to Jay-Jay, who was still standing in the hallway, looking like she was finally allowing herself to breathe.
"He's settled," I whispered, the hallway's dim amber lighting making her eyes sparkle.
"I can't believe we're still alive," she breathed, stepping closer to me.
I reached out, my hand finally finding the curve of her waist, pulling her into the shadow of a large pillar. "The inspection is over, baby. He likes the island. He's happy. And I don't think he is "
"And he's staying in a room that's a very, very long walk from my cottage," she whispered, a shy, mischievous smile tugging at her lips.
--: Keifer's POV: --
I looked down at her, the dim amber light of the foyer catching the spark in her eyes. The tension that had been coiled in my spine since noon finally snapped, replaced by a surge of pure, possessive triumph.
"Our cottage, Jay," I corrected her, my voice dropping into that low, gravelly vibration that always made her breath hitch. "And you're right. It's a very long walk. Far enough that he won't hear a single thing."
I didn't wait for her to respond. I grabbed her hand, my fingers interlacing with hers, and led her toward the heavy mahogany doors of the mansion. We walked out onto the grass, the cool night air hitting us, carrying the scent of night-blooming jasmine and the distant roar of the surf.
We didn't run, but we walked with a purpose. Every step away from the mansion was a step back into our own private world. By the time we reached the wooden porch of the cottage, the moon was high, casting a silver path across the ocean.
--: Jay-Jay's POV: --
The moment we stepped inside, Keifer didn't even turn on the lights. He just reached behind him, the lock clicking into place with a sound that felt like the final piece of a puzzle falling into position.
The darkness of the room was comforting, lit only by the pale moonlight filtering through the sheer curtains. I felt Keifer's presence behind me, his heat radiating through my thin sundress.
"The inspection is officially over," he murmured, his hands finding my waist and pulling me back against his chest. His lips grazed the sensitive skin of my neck, right where the "lavender" scent was strongest. "No more interruptions. No more Kuya. Just us."
I leaned my head back against his shoulder, letting out a long, shaky breath. "I thought my heart was going to explode when he asked about the dress, Keifer. I really did."
--: Keifer's POV: --
I let out a low chuckle, my hands sliding up to her shoulders, slowly turning her around in the dark. "You're a terrible liar, baby. But you're the most beautiful liar I've ever seen."
I reached for the zipper of that flowery dress—the one that had caused so much trouble. "And while I appreciate the effort of you putting it on the right way... I think I preferred it when it was on the floor."
I pulled the zipper down, the sound sharp in the quiet room. The dress pooled at her feet in a soft rustle of silk, leaving her in nothing but the moonlight and my gaze.
"Keifer..." she whispered, her hands finding the hem of my shirt, her fingers brushing against the skin of my stomach.
"I've got you," I promised, but I didn't head for the bed. Instead, I turned toward the bathroom, my strides purposeful as I carried her through the dark suite.
--: Jay-Jay's POV: --
"Wait, Keifer? Where are we going?" I squeaked, my arms instinctively tightening around his neck.
He didn't answer until he kicked the bathroom door open and set me down on the marble vanity. He reached over, turning the heavy brass handles of the tub, and the sound of rushing water filled the room—steam immediately beginning to swirl in the air.
He stepped between my knees, his hands resting on the edge of the vanity on either side of me, trapping me in his heat. A slow, dangerous smirk spread across his face—the one that meant the "Gentleman Keifer" was officially off-duty.
"I have a very long memory, Jay," he murmured, his voice vibrating in his chest. "And I remember telling you earlier—right before your brother decided to play locksmith—that since I didn't get to shower with you then, I'd be taking a bath with you afterwards."
--: Keifer's POV: --
I didn't give her a chance to argue, not that she wanted to. In the soft, warm light of the bathroom, I made quick work of the remaining barriers between us. As the last of our clothes hit the floor, the tension of the entire day—the panic of the "inspection," the acting, the hiding—seemed to fall away with them.
I stepped into the oversized tub first, the hot water a searing, welcome shock against my skin. Then, I reached out for Jay.
I pulled her into the water with me, settling back against the sloped edge of the tub. I guided her until she was sitting between my legs, her back pressed firmly against my chest.
--: Jay-Jay's POV: --
I let out a long, shaky sigh as the heat of the water enveloped me, but it was nothing compared to the heat of Keifer behind me. I leaned my head back against his shoulder, my hair floating on the surface of the water, and felt his massive arms wrap around my waist, pulling me closer until there wasn't a single inch of space between us.
It was so quiet. No phones, no Section E, no Kuya Angelo—just the steady hum of the water and the rhythmic thud of Keifer's heart against my spine.
"Peaceful," I whispered, closing my eyes.
--: Keifer's POV: --
"Finally," I grumbled softly, resting my chin on her shoulder. I tightened my grip on her, my hands resting over her stomach, feeling the way she finally relaxed in my arms.
After the chaos of the morning and the performance we had to put on for Angelo, this silence was the greatest luxury on the island. I closed my eyes, breathing in the scent of her damp skin and the steam, savoring the feeling of her small frame tucked perfectly against mine.
We didn't need to move. We didn't need to talk. For the first time all day, the "Blackout" felt like more than just a secret—it felt like home.
"Don't get used to the quiet, baby," I murmured, my lips brushing her ear. "Tomorrow, we go back to reality."
"Then let's stay here as long as we can," she whispered, her hands covering mine in the water.
I didn't plan on moving for a long, long time.