Jayjay POV
The moment Hex left, my body made a silent executive decision.
Sleep again.
I walked back into my room, collapsed onto the bed, and within seconds my blanket became a warm cloud and I was gone.
Peace.
Silence.
Darkness.
Then…
RRRIIIIINNNGGG.
I ignored it.
Whoever it was clearly did not respect the sacred culture of second sleep.
It rang again.
I stuffed my pillow over my ears.
It rang again.
I groaned so loudly I'm pretty sure even the neighbors felt it.
Finally, with the anger of someone whose dreams were stolen, I grabbed my phone without even looking and answered.
"WHHHAAAAATTTTT!"
A calm voice replied, "Are you still asleep? It's 12 PM."
I blinked slowly.
"…Keifer… there's no school today."
"I know," he said. "Would you go with me somewhere?"
I dragged my hand down my face. "Where?"
"To the airport. I'm picking up my mom and my brother."
I squinted at the ceiling.
"Why do I need to go with you?"
"Please, Jay. I need someone to go with me."
I rolled onto my stomach. "Take Ci-n. You know how obsessed he is with planes. He'll probably salute the pilot."
Keifer laughed softly. "Pls, Jay… pls. Can't you do this for me?"
I sighed the sigh of someone accepting their fate.
"Okay… where should I meet you?"
"I'm outside."
My eyes snapped open.
"You WHAT?"
"I said I'm—"
"I HEARD YOU THE FIRST TIME!" I shot up from the bed. "What are you doing there?!"
"Picking you up. What else?"
For a few seconds, my brain refused to function.
He came all the way here… without warning… while I look like a sleeping raccoon.
I muttered inside my head, This boy has zero fear.
"Okay. Give me twenty minutes."
"No problem."
I ended the call and jumped out of bed like my mattress was on fire.
Bath.
Brush.
Shorts.
Simple top.
Sneakers.
Hair? Good enough.
Dignity? Debatable.
When I got downstairs, Aries was sprawled on the couch watching TV like a retired king.
He glanced at me. "Where are you going?"
"I'm going out with my friend."
He nodded once, eyes returning to the screen. No teasing. Suspiciously peaceful.
Outside…
There he was.
Keifer.
Leaning casually against the car like he belonged in a magazine cover.
Nice outfit.
Sunglasses.
Calm expression.
Meanwhile, I had just finished wrestling my hair into obedience.
I walked toward him, pretending not to notice anything unusual.
He opened the door with a small grin. "Get on board."
I slid into the seat.
He circled the car, got in, and started the engine.
As we pulled away, I asked, "How long is the ride?"
"About forty minutes."
"Okay."
Silence filled the car for a moment.
And then… my eyes betrayed me.
I kept stealing glances at him.
Not obvious ones.
Professional ones.
Quick.
Strategic.
Academic research-level staring.
Without looking away from the road, he said, "When will you stop staring?"
My heart tripped.
"I was looking at the view on your side, not your face."
He turned slightly, one eyebrow lifting behind the sunglasses.
"Yeah sure. The view."
I crossed my arms. "Don't flatter yourself."
But inside my head?
Why does he look this good just to go to the airport?? Is there a fashion show on the runway??
He chuckled, clearly unconvinced.
Soon our conversation drifted into nonsense.
We argued about who would survive longer in a zombie apocalypse.
He said me.
I said him.
He said I'd talk the zombies into becoming vegetarians.
I said he'd try to negotiate with them and get eaten first.
We laughed so much my stomach started hurting.
At one point he missed a turn because we were busy debating whether pineapples belonged on pizza.
(They do. I will not be taking questions.)
The city slowly gave way to wider roads, bigger signs, and the hum of travel energy.
Then…
Through the windshield…
The airport appeared.
Huge.
Busy.
Alive.
Planes resting like giant metal birds.
I leaned forward slightly.
"Well," I said, smiling, "looks like we made it."
Keifer nodded, a softer expression settling on his face.
"Yeah."