Getting off campus at Black Hollow was rare.
Like, really rare. The gates had rules. The forest had ghosts. The whole "you can't leave until you're top ten" thing made escaping basically impossible.
But once a month, the Crimson Oaths got a treat.
A supervised trip to the nearby town. Two hours of freedom. Real food. Normal people. No ghosts.
Jay was excited.
"We can eat REAL food?" she asked Lyra as they walked toward the gates. "Like, food that wasn't made in the Black Hollow kitchen?"
"Real food. Normal food. Food without weird magical aftertaste."
"I'm going to eat SO MUCH."
Keifer walked beside her, calm as always. But Jay noticed he was holding her hand tighter than usual.
"You okay?" she asked.
"Fine."
"You seem tense."
"I'm always tense."
"More tense than usual."
He didn't answer. Just scanned the trees like he expected something to jump out.
Jay squeezed his hand. "We're safe. It's just a town. Normal people. Normal buildings. No ghosts."
He looked at her. "I know."
"Then relax."
"I'll try."
He didn't relax.
The town was small. Cute. One main street with little shops and a café.
The Crimson Oaths piled into the café like a small army. Lyra grabbed the biggest table. Adrian started analyzing the menu like it was a research project. Bella was already sketching the building. Mila ordered tea immediately. Daniel found the quietest corner and sat there.
Jay and Keifer sat together, sharing a menu.
"What looks good?" Jay asked.
"Everything."
"That's not helpful."
"You're not helpful."
"Rude."
"True."
She kicked him under the table. He didn't even flinch.
A waitress appeared at their table.
She was pretty. Blonde. Smiling. The kind of smile that was probably friendly but also maybe something else.
"Hi there," she said. "Can I get you anything?"
Jay opened her mouth to order.
The waitress wasn't looking at her.
She was looking at Keifer.
Leaning slightly toward Keifer. Smiling at Keifer.
"What can I get for YOU, handsome?"
Jay's eyebrows shot up.
The table went quiet.
Lyra's head snapped toward them so fast her neck cracked.
Adrian's pen froze over his notebook.
Bella's mouth dropped open.
Mila slowly set down her tea.
Daniel closed his eyes and accepted his fate.
Keifer looked at the waitress. His face didn't change.
"No," he said.
The waitress blinked. "No? You don't want anything?"
"I'm fine."
"Are you sure?" She leaned a little closer. Touched his arm. Lightly. "We have specials. I could tell you about them. Privately."
Jay's eye twitched.
The table held its breath.
Keifer didn't move. Didn't smile. Didn't react to her touch at all.
"I'm with someone," he said.
The waitress blinked again. "What?"
He turned his head. Looked directly at Jay.
The waitress followed his gaze.
Jay stared back. Raised one eyebrow.
The waitress's face changed. Understanding. Embarrassment. Apology.
"Oh," she said. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize—you two are together?"
"Yes," Keifer said.
"For a long time," Jay added. "Very together. Extremely together. Together in ways you don't want to know about."
"JAY," Mila hissed.
The waitress laughed nervously. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to—he's just very—I mean—sorry." She backed away. "I'll get someone else to take your order."
She left. Fast.
The table exploded.
"DID THAT JUST HAPPEN—" Lyra screamed. "SHE FLIRTED WITH HIM—RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU—AND HE SHUT IT DOWN SO FAST—"
"I need to document this," Adrian said, already writing. "Subject Keifer: approached by unknown female. Female used term 'handsome.' Physical contact attempted. Subject's response: immediate redirection to Subject Jay. Effectiveness: maximum."
Bella was already drawing. "The way he looked at you. Like 'this is the only person in the world.' I need to capture that. I need to FRAME that."
Mila was smiling. "You just sat there. Didn't even move. Just let him handle it."
Jay shrugged. "He's capable."
"He's DEVOTED," Lyra corrected. "He literally told a pretty girl 'I'm with someone' and looked at you like you hung the moon. That's not capable. That's IN LOVE."
Keifer, completely calm, picked up his menu again. "Can we order now?"
"No," Lyra said. "We need to discuss what just happened."
"Nothing happened."
"EVERYTHING happened. A pretty waitress hit on you. You rejected her immediately. You looked at Jay like she was your whole world. That's not nothing. That's ROMANCE."
Keifer looked at Jay. "Are they always like this?"
"Yes."
"And you're okay with it?"
"I've accepted my fate."
He nodded. "Good."
Jay turned to him. "You could have just said no, you know. You didn't have to make it a whole thing."
Keifer tilted his head. "What thing?"
"The 'I'm with someone' thing. The looking at me thing. The making it clear thing."
He was quiet for a moment. Then:
"I wanted her to know."
Jay blinked. "Know what?"
"That I'm yours."
The table lost its collective mind.
Lyra SCREAMED. Actually screamed. A high-pitched, full-volume scream that made other customers look over.
"THAT I'M YOURS—HE SAID THAT I'M YOURS—IN PUBLIC—TO A STRANGER—THIS IS THE GREATEST MOMENT IN BLACK HOLLOW HISTORY—"
Adrian was writing so fast his hand was blurring. "Direct verbal declaration of possession. Subject Keifer explicitly states belonging to Subject Jay. This is unprecedented. This is historic. This is—"
"Romantic," Bella finished, tears streaming down her face. "It's romantic. He's romantic. Jay, your boyfriend is ROMANTIC."
Jay stared at Keifer. Her face was warm. Her heart was doing that thing again. The too-big, too-full, too-much thing.
"You're ridiculous," she whispered.
"I know."
"You said that I'm yours."
"You are."
"But you said YOU'RE mine."
"I am."
"To a random waitress."
"She needed to know."
"Why?"
He looked at her. Soft. Certain. Completely hers.
"Because everyone should know."
Jay didn't have words. For once in her life, she had no words.
So she kissed him.
Right there in the café. In front of everyone. In front of Lyra's screaming and Adrian's note-taking and Bella's tears and Mila's smile and Daniel's resigned sigh.
She kissed him.
He kissed her back.
When they broke apart, the waitress was watching from behind the counter. She gave Jay a small thumbs up.
Jay laughed.
"I like her," she said.
"She's okay," Keifer agreed.
They ordered food. Ate. Talked. Normal.
But the energy at the table was different.
Lyra kept muttering "that I'm yours" to herself and then screaming quietly.
Adrian kept checking his notes and adding things.
Bella kept showing everyone her sketch. It was the moment Keifer looked at Jay. Captured perfectly. The soft eyes. The certainty. The love.
At the bottom, she'd written:
"That I'm yours."
"That's going in my portfolio," she said. "That's going in a MUSEUM."
Daniel was counting money. "I won the betting pool. I said he'd make a public declaration this month. Pay up, everyone."
"You bet on HIM?" Jay asked.
"I bet on LOVE." Daniel pocketed the cash. "And I was right."
On the walk back to Black Hollow, Jay held Keifer's hand.
"You know," she said quietly, "you didn't have to do that."
"Do what?"
"Make a statement. In front of everyone. To a random girl."
He was quiet for a moment.
"Yes, I did."
"Why?"
He stopped walking. Turned to face her. The others kept going, giving them space.
"Because I want everyone to know," he said. "Everywhere we go. Every person we meet. I want them to know that I'm yours."
Jay's heart swelled.
"Why?" she asked again. Soft.
"Because you're the best thing that's ever happened to me." His voice was low, rough. "Because before you, I was alone. In control. Safe. But not alive." He cupped her face. "You made me alive. You made me want things. You made me want to be claimed."
"Keifer..."
"I'm yours, Jay. Completely. Forever. And I need everyone to know it."
She kissed him again. Slow. Deep. Full of everything she couldn't say.
When they broke apart, she was crying. Just a little.
"You're so annoying," she whispered.
"I know."
"I love you."
"I love you too." He wiped her tears with his thumb. "My pretty, loud, perfect girlfriend."
"Your WHAT girlfriend?"
"Mine." He smiled. "Always mine."
Back at school, the story spread fast.
By dinner, everyone knew.
"The President told a waitress he's Jay's."
"In a café. In front of everyone."
"He said 'I'm yours.' Like, directly. Out loud."
"Jay cried. I heard she cried."
"She cried because it was romantic, not because she was sad."
"Obviously. Who wouldn't cry? That's the most romantic thing ever."
Lyra had a new whiteboard by morning.
THE CAFÉ INCIDENT
*Waitress's Flirtation Level: 7/10*
*Keifer's Rejection Speed: 10/10*
*Romantic Declaration: "That I'm yours" - 100/10*
Jay's Reaction: Cried (romantic tears)
Bella's Sketch: VIRAL
JAYFER STATUS: ETERNAL (RE-CONFIRMED)
Jay looked at the board. Shook her head.
"You know," she said to Keifer, "one day they'll run out of things to document."
"No," Lyra said, appearing beside them. "We will never run out. Every day is content. Every moment is history. You two are the main characters of this school and we are your loyal documentarians."
"We don't need documentarians."
"You don't NEED them. But you HAVE them. Accept your fate."
Keifer looked at Jay. "She's right."
"You're agreeing with her?"
"About this? Yes."
Jay sighed. "Fine. But no more whiteboards in the cafeteria."
Lyra pretended to consider. "No."
"LYRA."
"No."
Jay turned to Keifer. "Make her stop."
He looked at Lyra. Lyra looked at him.
"I can't," he said. "She's too powerful."
Lyra beamed. "THAT'S RIGHT. I AM TOO POWERFUL. NOW SIT DOWN AND EAT BREAKFAST SO I CAN DOCUMENT YOUR MORNING ROUTINE."
They sat.
They ate.
They argued about coffee.
Normal. Perfect. THEIRS.
Later, in his room, Jay found the sketch.
Bella had given Keifer a copy. He'd framed it. Hung it on his wall.
"That I'm yours."
Jay stared at it. At the way he looked at her in the drawing. Soft. Certain. Completely hers.
"You kept this," she said.
"Of course."
"You FRAMED it."
"It's important."
"Why?"
He came up behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Because it's true." He kissed her hair. "Every time I look at it, I remember. That moment. You. Us."
She leaned back against him.
"You're so soft," she whispered.
"Only for you."
"Good."
They stood there, wrapped in each other, looking at the sketch.
"That I'm yours," she read aloud.
"That I'm yours," he agreed.
She turned in his arms. Looked up at him.
"And I'm yours."
"I know."
"Always."
"Always."
He kissed her. Soft. Sweet. Full of forever.
The next morning, Lyra had added to the whiteboard.
NEW DEVELOPMENT:
Sketch framed and hung in President's room
Confirmed by multiple sources
JAYFER: STILL ETERNAL
Romance levels: DANGEROUSLY HIGH
Jay stared at it. "How do you know about the sketch?"
"I have sources."
"Who?"
Lyra smiled mysteriously. "I have my ways."
Jay looked at Keifer. He shrugged.
"Don't ask," he said. "I've learned not to ask."
"Wise choice," Lyra said. "Now sit. Breakfast is being served. I need to document your coffee argument."
"We don't always argue about coffee."
"You literally argued about it yesterday."
"Yesterday was different."
"Was it?"
"Yes."
"IS."
"IS NOT."
"IS."
"IS NOT."
Lyra sighed happily. "Perfect. Documented."
Jay threw a napkin at her.
Keifer caught it. Put it in his pocket.
"What are you doing?" Jay asked.
"Saving it."
"Why?"
He smiled. That real one. Only for her.
"Because it touched you."
Jay's heart exploded.
Lyra screamed.
Adrian wrote it down.
Bella started a new sketch.
Mila smiled.
Daniel counted his money.
Normal. Perfect. THEIRS.