The apartment was quiet except for the soft hum of the air conditioner and the occasional tap of rain against the window. Jay leaned against the kitchen counter, cheeks still flushed from the adrenaline of the day. Keifer sat on the sofa, eyes glued to her, pride practically radiating off him.
"You really did it," he murmured, his voice low and warm. "Breaking my record… no one's ever done that before."
Jay laughed, brushing a stray strand of hair from her face. "I guess I wanted to give you some competition," she teased, though her heart fluttered at the way his gaze softened whenever he looked at her.
Keifer stood, crossing the room with that slow, deliberate stride that made her pulse spike. "Competition?" he asked, voice teasing but dangerous. He reached her, hands resting lightly on her waist. "You weren't competing… you were proving yourself. And I couldn't be prouder."
Before she could answer, he leaned in, brushing his lips over hers in a slow, possessive kiss. Jay melted into him instantly, fingers threading into his hair as his hands gripped her hips, pulling her closer. The kiss deepened, hungry and tender at the same time, a public claim, a private celebration, a declaration of love.
Jay pressed closer, gasping softly as he tilted his head, lips and tongues dancing together with the kind of ease that came from months of stolen moments, small touches, and teasing that had grown into something fiery. They pulled back briefly, foreheads pressed together, breaths mingling, and Keifer's grin was all teeth and mischief.
"You're mine, Jay," he whispered, hands roaming possessively. "Always have been… always will be."
She laughed softly, heart racing, gripping his shoulders. "And you're mine," she murmured, leaning in for another kiss.
Their world shrank to each other. The apartment didn't exist, the rain outside didn't exist, the world didn't exist—just the heat of their bodies, the taste of each other, the undeniable claim they had on one another.
But the moment shattered before it could fully consume them. The soft knock on the door, tentative, hesitant, echoed through the apartment. Jay pulled back, cheeks flushed, and Keifer frowned, eyes darkening slightly.
"I'll get it," he muttered, wiping his hands quickly on his jeans before striding to the door.
Ella stood there, umbrella dripping, eyes wide, and when she stepped in, her gaze fell on them.
And then she saw it.
Jay's hair was disheveled, cheeks flushed, and Keifer's arms were wrapped around her in the aftermath of a heated make-out session. Their foreheads were pressed together, lips still glistening slightly, fingers intertwined possessively. They were… undeniably, completely, entirely theirs.
Ella's heart stopped. Then it shattered.
"Oh…" was all she could manage, voice breaking, a hollow whisper as she realized that the man she had dreamed about, the man she had silently pined for, was already claimed—claimed in a way that left no room for her.
Jay pulled back slightly, noticing the newcomer, confusion flickering across her flushed face. "Ella? What are you—"
But Ella couldn't speak. She didn't even move. All she could do was stare at the scene, feeling the tight, painful coil of jealousy and heartbreak in her chest. Keifer noticed her staring, brows knitting slightly, but he didn't let go of Jay.
"Ella," he said softly, trying to sound gentle, but the possessiveness in his tone was unmistakable. "What are you doing here?"
Ella's voice cracked. "I… I came to… talk to you," she said, but the words felt useless. The sight of them—so intimate, so unreserved—made every sentence meaningless. Her chest hurt with the unfairness of it, the undeniable fact that Jay had already won, that Keifer's heart was no longer hers to hope for.
Jay, still holding onto Keifer, stepped slightly forward, instincts protective. "Ella… maybe another time?" she said carefully, trying to soothe the tension but also unwilling to let the space between her and Keifer be violated.
Ella forced a shaky laugh, though it came out bitter. "Yeah… another time," she whispered, turning and fleeing down the hallway, each step a stab of pain.
The apartment fell quiet again, the storm outside now mirroring the storm inside Ella's chest. Jay and Keifer looked at each other, tension still crackling between them from their previous kiss, and shared a long, meaningful look.
"She's… still hung up on me," Keifer murmured, his hand brushing Jay's hair back.
Jay smiled softly, curling into him. "Let her stew. We're… us. That's all that matters."
Keifer grinned, lips brushing hers again, possessive and tender. "Exactly. Always us. And no one's coming between us."
Outside, Ella's heart ached, a sharp reminder that love wasn't fair, that timing was cruel, and that sometimes, even the strongest crushes weren't enough. Inside, Jay and Keifer existed in their own world, triumphant, teasing, and fully claimed—publicly and privately, undeniably, irrevocably.