Author POV
Jay woke up early, stertching her arms as. Sunlight peeked through the hotel curtains. Today was important ---- the first official project meeting with Cambridge faculty.
She wore a cute top and pants, tied her hair lightly, and grabbed her little bunny backpack.
Mica : " Ready, baby architect? "
Jay : " As ready as I can be ".
Clara : " Let's go, team".
The girls stepped out of their room and knocked on the boys door.
Chris : " We're coming, we're coming! Stop banging! ".
Luca : " Breakfast in my pocket!. "
Daniel : " Don't embarrass us today, please. "
Ethan : nods silently
Liam : " Let's show Cambridge who we are. "
Jay giggled as the eight of them stepped into the hallway and then walked toward the university together.
The students gathered in a large seminar Hall. Architecture team sat in rows. Jay's group found their seats.
Jay played with her pen nervously.
Mica : "why so stressed"
Jay : " I just.... Don't want to mess up ".
Clara: " You won't "
Suddenly, the whispers began.
Student 1 : " He's coming today."
Student 2 : " The senior project head... "
Student 3 : " Mark Kiefer Watson "
Jay blinked.
Jay : "kei---- what? "
Before anyone could answer, the Hall door opened.
Keifer walked in wearing a simple as shirt and trousers, holding documents. Confident. Calm. Tall. Senior student. Leader aura.
Jay's eyes widened.
Jay : "What! "
Mica choked on air.
Mica : " Ohhhhhhh no way ---- he's the project head?! "
Clara jaw dropped.
Clara : "God save us. "
Luca whispered loudly to Chris
Luca : " Jay is DEAD! "
Chris snorted.
Keifer stepped onto the stage, giving a brief nod to the professors, then spoke into the mic.
Keifer : " Good morning. I am Mark Keifer Watson, your project head. I'll be supervising all teams, including the visiting students team from NYC. "
Jay : "why.... Why..... Why him?! "
Keifer scanned the Hall.... Strict and focused.
Then his eyes landed on her.
His eyebrows lifted, the tiniest smirk pulling at his lips.
He recognize her immediately.
Keifer (thinking) : great. The angry tiny girl is in my team.
Jay looked away dramatically, almost falling off the chair.
Keifer began explaining the project structure.
But Jay was not listening.
She was busy making faces at her notebook.
Mica nudged her.
Mica : "stop scribbling, WHY HIM?! on the paper! "
Jay showed her notebook..
Yes. She had written it ten times.
Keifer noticed from the stage.
His smirk deepened.
After finishing the briefing , he stepped off the stage. Students began gathering around him with question.
Jay tried to escape.
Jay tried to escape.
Slowly. Quietly. Sliding in her seat.
Almost at the door.
Almost free.
But.
Keifer : " Jasper Jean Mariano "
Jay froze.
Her soul left her body.
The entire Hall turned.
Jay : "he used my full name... I'm finished. "
Jay turned slowly.
Jay : " Y - yes? "
Keifer walked toward her with the confidence of someone who absolutely enjoyed this situation.
He stepped in front of her.
Keifer : " You're in my team. "
Jay : " Unfortunately. "
Keifer's jaw dropped slightly.
Keifer : did you just ---- "
Jay : " I mean ---- yes sir! "
Mica and clara snorted so loud.
Keifer leaned down a bit because she was too short.
Keifer : " Don't call me sir. It makes you sound even smaller. "
Jay : "you---"
Daniel quickly stepped between them.
Daniel : " Sorry, she didn't mean --- she kind of did --- but we are ready to work under you ".
Keifer folded his arms.
Keifer : " Good. Meeting in studio room 2B in ten minutes. "
Jay whispered loudly : "I need 20 minutes to emotionally recover. "
Keifer heard it .
He didn't turned.
But his shoulders shook ---- he was laughing silently.
The group hurried through the hallway.
Chris : " Jay you're dead. "
Luca : " He's gonna bully you. "
Ethan : " He didn't look angry. "
Liam : " He actually looked amused. "
Clara smirked.
Clara : " Jay... He finds you interesting. "
Jay : " I want to go home. "
Mica hugged her.
Mica : " No you don't. You want to prove him wrong. "
Jay sighed dramatically.
Jay : " That to. "
They entered the room.
Keifer was already inside, papers in hand, leaning against the table. His gaze lifted instantly at the sound of the door.
Jay walked last.
He stared at her.
She stared back.
Both refusing to blink.
Keifer broked first.
Keifer : " Sit, tiny trouble. "
Jay gasped : " You can't call me that! "
Keifer : " Then don't cause trouble. "
Jay : " I don't! "
Keifer : " Yet here you are. "
Jay sat down aggressively, almost falling again.
Keifer sighed.
Keifer : " Try not to hurt yourself this week. "
Jay glared at him like a cute, angry squirrel.
Keifer spread the paper across the table.
Keifer : " Show me your concept sketch. "
Jay handed the tablet silently.
Keifer studied it.
His expression softened.
Keifer : "you drew this. "
Jay nodded suspiciously.
Jay : " Why? Is it bad? "
Keifer shook his head.
Keifer : "it's.... Really good "
Jay blinked.
Jay : " What? "
Keifer : " Good job. "
The room went silent.
The team stared at him like he had just confeessed his love.
Jay stared like she saw a unicorn.
Keifer cleared his throat, embarrassed.
Keifer : " Anyway, let's continue. "
Jay smiled softly without meaning to.
Keifer saw it.
And something in him softened too.
But he looked away immediately.
He wasn't supposed to feel that.
Not yet.
The room stayed awkwardly quite after keifer's unexpected compliment.
Jay tried to hide her smile behind her tablet.
Keifer tried to hide his soft expression behind a fake serious face.
The rest of the team?
They were staring like they were watching a live drama.
Chris : " Did he just praise her. "
Luca : " He's fallen. Legit fallen. God save him".
Clara : " Jay is glowing. Oh no. "
Mica : " Our tiny Jay has a fanboy. "
Jay kicked mica under the table.
Mica : " Oww ---- "
Keifer's eyebrow shot upp.
Keifer : " Problem . "
Jay : " No "
Mica : " Yes, she kiched me. "
Jay jabbed her again.
Mica : " I mean no, sir I'm good".
Keifer smirked.
Jay's POV
Why does he look at me like this?
Why is he even head of our project?
Can't he go annoy someone his size?
Jay tried to focus but keifer kept behind her chair, checking everyone's work.
Every time he passed, she shrank a little.
He noticed.
He enjoyed.
Keifer : " You are sitting like I'm going to eat you. "
Jay : " You might. "
He leaned down just enough her to flinch.
Keifer : " If I was gonna eat you, you wouldn't even fill half my plate. "
Jay gasped like he told her the biggest insult of the century.
Jay : " Are you calling me small?! "
Keifer : " You are small. "
Jay : " No I'm not. "
Keifer lips twitched.
Keifer : " Sure, bunny backpack."
Jay covered her backpack dramatically.
Jay : " Don't insult Mr. Bunny."
Keifer blinked twice.
Keifer : " You named your bag? "
Jay : "yes"
Keifer : " ... Of course you did "
Daniel cleared his throat loudly.
Daniel : " Guys.. Can we.... Maybe.. Start the model design? "
Clara nodded.
Clara : " Yes, please, before tthey kill each other."
Keifer POV
She's infuriating.
She's loud..
She's tiny.
She's chaos.
And she's.. Kid of adorable.
He internally punched himself.
No.
He wasn't supposed to think that.
But when Jay pushed her hair back, explaining her sketch with sparkly eyes and hand movement....
He forgot to breathe for solid 3 second.
He snapped out quickly.
Keifer : " Focus "
Jay : " I'm focusing! "
Keifer : "on the work, not your drama. "
Jay rolled her eyes.
He smirked again.
They entered the cafeteria at noon.
Student stared again.
Whispers everywhere.
Student 1 : " That's the tiny girl who yelled ot watson yesterday "
Student 2 : " She's so small, is she actually in college? "
Student 3 : " I heard Watson likes her"
Jay froze.
Jay : " Why are they saying like that? ! "
Mica laughed.
Mica : " Because keifer looks at you like you stole his brain."
Jay slapped her arm.
Jay : " Micaaaa stop! "
They found a table.
Keifer entered from another side.
Everyone turned.
He ignored all whisper until he saw.
Jay.
He paused.
Only for half a second.
Then he walked toward the food counter.
Jay watched him accidentally.
Just to see where he was going.
But keifer saw her looking.
Keifer (raising eyebrow) : " Staring? "
Jay : " No! I was --- I was looking att the wall! "
Keifer : " Uh-- huh"
He took his drink.
Turned.
And ----
Someone bumped him.
The drink flew.
SPLASH.
All over Jay's t-shirt.
Again.
Jay's jaw dropped.
The universe paused.
Keifer stared at her t-shirt, then at the empty bottle in his hand, then at her tiny shocked face.
Jay : " You ---"
Keifer : " I didn't do it on purpose. "
Jay : " Why always me? "
Keifer ( dead serious) : " Because you're always in my way. "
Her soul collapsed.
Jay : " You... You! I hate you! "
He didn't even get annoyed.
Instead he smiled softly.
Dangerously.
Lovingly.
No. Teasingly.
Keifer : " You look cute when you're angry "
Jay combusted.
Mica screammed.
Clara choked.
Luca dropped his sandwich.
Chris fell from the chair.
Daniel faca-palmed.
Ethen blinked blankly.
Jay stomped out of the cafeteria dramatically.
Keifer watched her go.
A smile tugged at his lips.
She's furious....
I like her like that.
Jay returned wearing a hoodie she borrowed from Clara.
Keifer looked up.
Keifer : " New outfit? "
Jay : " Shut up."
Keifer : " You're welcome."
Jay : " For what."
Keifer : " I made you change. The hoodie suits you."
Jay threw her pencil at him.
He caught it mid - air with two finger.
He smirked.
To be continued.....
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