Keifers pov
Keifer's POV
I didn't wait.
I didn't think.
The moment we stepped into my room, the door clicked shut behind us.
For a second, neither of us spoke.
The mansion was quiet.
Too quiet.
The kind of quiet that made every heartbeat sound louder than it should.
Jay stood a few feet away from me, still looking annoyed from being dragged halfway across Little Tokyo and into my car.
Yet she hadn't left.
That fact alone was enough to make my chest tighten.
"Keifer," she said.
I looked up.
"What?"
"You're staring."
"I know."
"That's weird."
"I know."
She rolled her eyes.
I laughed.
Actually laughed.
The sound surprised even me.
Jay seemed surprised too.
"What?"
"Nothing," I said.
"You never laugh."
"I do."
"Not like a normal person."
"Thanks."
"You're welcome."
A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.
I hated how much I liked seeing that.
For a moment neither of us moved.
Then she walked closer.
Not because I asked.
Not because I pulled her.
She just did.
And somehow that meant more.
"You were really jealous?" she asked quietly.
"Yes."
"Of Eman and Ci-n?"
"Yes."
"That's embarrassing."
"Probably."
She shook her head.
"You're impossible."
"You keep saying that."
"Because it's true."
I looked at her for a long moment.
Then another.
Because now that she was here, standing in front of me, I realized something.
I had spent months fighting everyone else.
The police.
The investigation.
The lies.
The consequences.
But I had never figured out how to deal with her.
Not really.
Nothing prepared me for that.
Not money.
Not power.
Not control.
Just her.
"Jay."
"Yeah?"
My voice came out quieter than intended.
"I meant it."
She frowned slightly.
"Meant what?"
"When I said I love you."
The room fell silent.
Not uncomfortable.
Just still.
Jay looked down briefly before meeting my eyes again.
"I know."
"You do?"
"Yes."
"How?"
"Because you're terrible at hiding it."
I laughed again.
And this time she laughed too.
The sound filled the room.
Somehow making the mansion feel less empty.
Eventually she sat beside me on the edge of the bed.
Close enough that our shoulders touched.
Neither of us moved away.
Outside, the city lights glowed through the windows.
Inside, everything felt strangely peaceful.
No investigations.
No court cases.
No Yuri.
No lies.
Just us.
For one night.
For one moment.
Something normal.
I slipped an arm around her shoulders.
She rested her head against me.
And for the first time in what felt like forever—
I allowed myself to believe that maybe things could stay this way.
Even if only until morning.
The rest of the night passed quietly.
Talking.
Laughing.
Sitting together.
Neither of us eager to break the fragile peace we had somehow found.
And when the lights finally went out, Jay stayed beside me.
Not because she had to.
Because she wanted to.
That thought stayed with me long after she fell asleep.
And as I looked at her resting peacefully beside me, I realized something terrifying.
I had survived investigations.
Murder charges.
Secrets.
Blackmail.
Loss.
But losing her?
That was the one thing I wasn't sure I could survive.