The Last Bell
Jay stared at her screen like it had just insulted her family.
"This exam hates me," she muttered.
Keifer, slumped across the table in the campus café, didn't even look up. "Same. I'm pretty sure my brain died two hours ago."
Jay flipped her notes. "Why did I take Advanced Strategic Analysis again?"
"Because you're terrifying when you're passionate about power," Keifer said, then added, "and I like that about you."
She shot him a look. He winked.
Across from them, Percy popped in briefly — "Just here for moral support and free WiFi!" — then vanished like a ghost of chaos.
It was 2 a.m.
They were surviving on shared coffee cups, cold fries, and spite.
Jay leaned her head against Keifer's shoulder, exhausted. "If I fail this, I'm blaming you."
He rested his head on hers. "We pass together. We fail together. That's marriage, baby."
Jay laughed quietly. "We're not married."
"Yet."
She paused.
Then whispered, "Ask me again after finals."
Final Day
Their hands were scribbling furiously.
Jay's cast had come off last week, just in time for the onslaught of bluebooks and final exams.
When the last paper was turned in, Jay and Keifer walked out of the building together — into golden sunlight and freedom.
They stood at the top of the university steps, blinking into the open sky.
Keifer grabbed her hand. "You did it."
Jay looked up at him. "We did it."
They stood there for a moment, like the world was finally quiet.
Then he grinned. "So... can I ask now?"
Jay rolled her eyes. "Ask what?"
He took both her hands, leaned in slightly, voice soft:
"Will you marry me again — not because of the promise, not because of our parents, but because you chose me?"
She didn't even blink.
"Try and stop me."