Jay's POV
The room stayed completely silent after the laptop screen lit up.
Nobody moved.
Nobody even blinked.
The face on the screen was someone we all knew.
Someone close.
Too close.
"This has to be fake," Angelo muttered finally.
Percy's expression stayed cold while scrolling through the files carefully. "It isn't."
Lia slowly grabbed a chip from the bowl beside her. "I knew rich people were dangerous."
"This is not about rich people," Aries sighed.
"It literally always is."
Jas quietly sat beside me on the couch. "Jay… you okay?"
Honestly?
No.
Everything from tonight still felt unreal.
The kidnapping.
The explosion.
Kiefer almost dying inside the building.
My ankle still hurt slightly, but my mind hurt more.
I leaned my head back against the sofa tiredly.
That's when Mom entered the room carrying a medical kit.
The moment she saw me sitting casually without treatment yet, her expression changed instantly.
"JAY JAY."
Uh oh.
Everyone immediately looked away.
Dad slowly disappeared toward the kitchen.
Traitors.
Mom marched toward me. "You got kidnapped, almost exploded inside a building, and thought sleeping without treatment was a good idea?"
I smiled weakly. "Technically I'm alive."
"That's not funny."
Lia whispered dramatically beside Jas, "This may be her final moment."
"I can still hear you," Mom replied calmly.
Lia sat straight immediately.
Mom started treating the cut on my forehead carefully while continuing her lecture.
"You all are impossible."
"Especially you."
"You think you're superheroes."
Kiefer quietly stood near the balcony while wrapping bandages around his own hands.
Mom noticed him too.
"And YOU."
He froze.
"You need stitches."
"I'm fine."
"You punched six people."
"They deserved it."
"That doesn't change the fact your hands are bleeding."
Angelo started laughing loudly.
"Bro even aunty is scared of you now."
Kiefer glared at him.
Angelo instantly looked away. "Respectfully."
Meanwhile Percy was still checking files seriously.
"This organization has been tracking us for months."
That got everyone's attention immediately.
"What?" Dane asked.
Percy turned the laptop toward us.
Photos appeared.
Us entering school.
Restaurants.
Meetings.
Even pictures from today's hotel arrival.
A cold feeling spread through my stomach.
"They were watching us this whole time…" Jas whispered.
Aries frowned deeply. "But why target the girls?"
Nobody answered.
Because nobody knew.
Then suddenly—
Lia grabbed another chip.
Crunch.
Everyone looked at her.
"What?" she asked innocently.
"We're literally discussing attempted murder," Angelo said.
"And I'm stress eating."
Honestly fair enough.
Suddenly my phone vibrated.
A message.
Unknown number.
I frowned and opened it.
Hope you enjoyed tonight, Jay.
My blood ran cold.
Another message came instantly.
Next time nobody will save you.
My breathing stopped for a second.
"Jay?"
Dane noticed my expression first.
"What happened?"
I silently handed him the phone.
The moment he read it his face darkened completely.
Percy grabbed the phone next.
Then Aries.
Then Kiefer.
The atmosphere instantly became dangerous.
Angelo cracked his knuckles. "Okay now I actually wanna kill someone."
Mom looked worried immediately. "What is it?"
"Nothing," Percy answered quickly.
Which obviously meant it was something terrible.
Dad took the phone from Percy and read the messages himself.
For the first time tonight—
He looked genuinely furious.
"Everybody stays inside the hotel from now on."
Lia raised her hand weakly. "Can we still order dessert?"
Nobody answered her.
Later That Night
It was already almost 4AM.
Nobody was sleeping.
The boys were discussing security downstairs while the girls stayed upstairs.
Well…
Technically we were supposed to rest.
Instead Lia was currently laying upside down on my bed eating cookies.
Jas sat beside me brushing my hair slowly while I stared outside silently.
"You're thinking too much," Jas said softly.
"I know."
"You almost died today."
"Thanks for the reminder."
Lia gasped dramatically. "OH MY GOD imagine our funeral."
"Lia," both me and Jas said together.
"What? I'm just saying my funeral theme would be pink."
I threw a pillow at her.
She screamed dramatically and fell from the bed.
"You attacked an injured person!"
"You literally got kidnapped and still have energy to annoy people."
"That's talent."
Jas started laughing quietly.
For a moment everything felt normal again.
Then suddenly the room door opened.
Without knocking.
Again.
"Why does nobody knock in this hotel?" I complained immediately.
Aries walked in holding first aid supplies.
Behind him Angelo carried snacks.
And behind THEM—
Kiefer.
Great.
Lia sat up immediately. "Ohooo midnight gathering."
"We came to check on you idiots," Aries replied.
"Also aunty threatened us if we didn't."
Angelo dumped snacks onto the bed. "Movie night?"
"Absolutely yes," Lia answered before anyone else could.
Percy appeared behind them a second later looking exhausted already.
"How are you all still awake?"
"We survived kidnapping," Lia replied proudly. "Sleep is for weak people."
Percy looked like he regretted entering already.
Dane came last carrying blankets.
Within ten minutes the entire room became chaos.
Blankets everywhere.
Half-eaten snacks.
Lia stealing everyone's drinks.
Angelo fighting with Jas over popcorn.
Aries trying to control the TV remote.
Meanwhile Percy sat in the corner working on his laptop because apparently even kidnappings couldn't stop him from being responsible.
"You need therapy," Angelo informed him.
"I need silence."
"Impossible with us."
Fair point.
I sat quietly against the headboard watching everyone.
It felt strange.
A few hours ago we were tied inside a basement.
Now everyone was arguing over movie choices.
Humans were weird.
Then suddenly—
Lia smirked slowly.
Oh no.
That expression never meant anything good.
She pointed toward me and Kiefer.
"We should play truth or dare."
"No," Percy answered instantly.
"Yes," Lia answered louder.
"Absolutely not," I added.
"That sounds suspiciously defensive," Angelo teased.
Kiefer sighed deeply already. "I'm leaving."
"No one leaves," Lia declared dramatically while throwing a blanket at him.
Somehow twenty minutes later we were actually sitting in a circle playing truth or dare.
Worst decision ever.
"Aries truth or dare?"
"Truth."
Lia booed loudly. "BORING."
"Ask."
"Have you ever cried over someone?"
Aries looked calm. "No."
Angelo burst out laughing instantly.
"Liar."
Aries threw popcorn directly at his face.
Chaos.
Again.
Next turn.
"Jay," Jas grinned. "Truth or dare?"
"Truth."
Lia looked offended. "You all are cowards."
"Ask your question."
Jas smirked slowly.
"Who would you trust the most in this room?"
Easy.
"Dane."
Dane looked weirdly emotional immediately.
"Aww—"
"Don't make it weird," I warned.
"Too late," Angelo replied.
Then Lia spun toward Kiefer with evil excitement.
"Kiefer. Truth or dare?"
He looked completely done with life. "Dare."
Everyone gasped dramatically.
Lia literally stood on the bed. "OH MY GOD CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT."
"Before I change my mind."
She grinned wickedly.
"I dare you to compliment Jay."
The room exploded instantly.
Angelo fell sideways laughing.
Jas screamed into a pillow.
Even Percy looked mildly interested now.
Kiefer stared at Lia blankly.
"You're unbelievable."
"Thank you."
He looked toward me finally.
I crossed my arms confidently. "Well?"
For a second he stayed quiet.
Then calmly—
"You look less annoying when asleep."
Silence.
Then everyone screamed together.
"THAT'S NOT A COMPLIMENT!"
"It technically is," Kiefer defended himself.
I threw a pillow directly at him.
He caught it easily.
Smirking.
Wait.
Did he just smirk?
Lia looked emotional already. "I'm witnessing romance."
"This is not romance," I replied immediately.
Kiefer looked away hiding another smile.
Suspicious.
Very suspicious.
5AM — Balcony
The others finally started falling asleep one by one.
Lia somehow slept diagonally across the bed.
Angelo was snoring loudly on the floor.
Aries threw a blanket over his face out of annoyance.
Percy still worked on his laptop because apparently he was a robot.
I quietly stepped onto the balcony for fresh air again.
The sky was slowly turning lighter.
Sunrise.
The cold morning air felt calming after the insane night.
"You always disappear."
I turned slightly.
Kiefer stood near the balcony door holding two mugs again.
"You seriously keep appearing like a side character with emotional support drinks."
"You still took it last time."
Fair enough.
He handed me the mug silently before leaning beside the railing.
For a few minutes we just watched the sunrise quietly.
No chaos.
No screaming.
Just silence.
Honestly?
It felt nice.
"You scared everyone tonight," he said suddenly.
I looked down at my drink. "I know."
"When I saw the basement empty after you ran back…"
His jaw tightened slightly.
"I thought the building collapsed on you."
I blinked slowly.
Kiefer rarely talked seriously.
Actually no—
He almost never did.
"I couldn't leave you there," I replied softly.
"You should've."
"And let you die?"
"You could've gotten hurt."
"I did get hurt."
"That's exactly my point."
I looked at him properly then.
The sunrise light reflected softly across his face.
His hands still had fresh bandages wrapped around them.
"You punched six people for us," I pointed out.
"Seven."
"What?"
"One got up again."
I stared at him.
Then burst out laughing accidentally.
Kiefer looked offended. "Why are you laughing?"
"You counted?"
"I like accuracy."
I laughed harder.
For the first time tonight—
He actually smiled properly.
Not smirked.
Smiled.
And wow.
That was dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Because suddenly my heart forgot how to function normally.
Uh oh.
Before I could think further—
The balcony door slammed open dramatically.
"FOUND YOU BOTH!"
Lia.
Of course.
She pointed at us dramatically while still wrapped inside a blanket like a burrito.
"I KNEW there was romantic tension."
"There isn't," me and Kiefer answered together.
She gasped loudly.
"YOU EVEN TALK TOGETHER NOW."
Jas walked out sleepily behind her. "Lia it's literally sunrise…"
"Exactly. Prime romance timing."
Kiefer sighed deeply and rubbed his forehead.
Meanwhile Angelo appeared holding his phone.
"Wait stay there."
"No," I warned immediately.
Too late.
FLASH.
Another picture.
"Oh this one is good," Angelo announced proudly.
Aries walked outside next and immediately froze after seeing the scene.
"You all have serious problems."
Percy finally stepped out too carrying his laptop.
He stared at all of us silently.
Then at the sunrise.
Then back at us.
"I leave you people alone for five minutes."
Lia grinned proudly. "Enemies to lovers arc."
Percy walked back inside instantly.
Smart choice honestly.
Then suddenly Dane appeared.
The moment he saw me standing near the balcony edge with my injured ankle, his protective mode activated immediately.
"Jay sit down before you fall."
"I'm fine."
"You said that before almost exploding."
Valid point unfortunately.
Dane pulled a chair toward me carefully while muttering complaints under his breath.
Kiefer watched silently beside us.
Then unexpectedly—
"Your brother acts like you're made of glass."
Dane glared instantly. "And you act like getting injured is a personality trait."
"Oh my god," Lia whispered dramatically. "Love triangle."
"THERE IS NO TRIANGLE," all three of us shouted.
She looked proud. "This family heals through chaos."
Honestly…
She wasn't wrong.
The sunrise continued slowly while everyone argued around me again.
Jas and Angelo fighting over breakfast.
Aries threatening to throw Lia off the balcony.
Percy yelling because someone touched his laptop.
Dane lecturing me every five seconds.
And Kiefer standing beside me quietly with the smallest smile still on his face.
After everything that happened tonight…
This chaos felt safe.
Like home.
Even if our lives were still dangerous.
Even if someone out there was still watching us.
Right now—
For this small moment—
We were together.
And somehow that felt enough.