Jay's birthday was approaching, and she had made one thing very clear:
"No parties. No attention. Nothing."
She'd learned this lesson young. Birthday parties meant people looking at her. People singing. People expecting her to be happy and grateful and perform.
Jay didn't perform.
"I hate birthdays," she told Keifer a week before. "They're stressful. Everyone expects you to be excited. And then you have to pretend you like the gifts even if they're terrible."
Keifer listened carefully. Nodded. "So you want nothing."
"Nothing. Literally nothing. Pretend it's a normal day."
"Okay."
She narrowed her eyes. "That was too easy."
"What was?"
"You agreeing. You never agree that easily."
"I agree with you all the time."
"You literally argued with me about coffee this morning."
"That's different."
"How?"
"Coffee is important. Birthdays are not."
She stared at him. He stared back. Completely calm. Completely unreadable.
"...Fine," she said slowly. "But I'm serious. No party."
"No party."
"No singing."
"No singing."
"No attention."
"No attention."
She nodded, satisfied. "Good."
She should have known better.
The week passed normally.
Classes. Meals. Arguments about coffee. Keifer acting completely normal. No secret meetings. No whispered conversations. No suspicious behavior.
Jay relaxed.
"He actually listened," she told Mila the night before her birthday. "No party. No fuss. Just a normal day."
Mila smiled. "That's nice."
"Right? He's learning."
"Definitely."
"He's becoming a good boyfriend."
"The best."
Jay went to sleep happy.
She woke up to darkness.
Not her room darkness. Complete, total, can't-see-anything darkness.
Something was over her head.
A blanket? A pillow?
She reached up and felt fabric. Something soft covering her face.
"What the—"
Hands grabbed her. Lifted her. She was being carried.
"KEIFER!" she screamed. "KEIFER, HELP, I'M BEING KIDNAPPED—"
A familiar voice chuckled near her ear.
"You're fine."
She froze. "Keifer?"
"Yes."
"You're KIDNAPPING me?"
"It's your birthday."
"SO YOU KIDNAP ME?"
"I wanted to surprise you."
"THIS IS TERRIFYING."
"It's romantic."
"IT'S REALLY NOT."
He kept carrying her. She couldn't see anything. Couldn't fight because he was holding her too tight.
"Where are we going?" she demanded.
"You'll see."
"I hate surprises."
"I know."
"I really hate them."
"I know that too."
"Then why—"
"Because you deserve one good surprise." His voice softened. "Just once. Something nice. Something that's just for you."
Jay's heart did that thing. The too-big thing.
"You're ridiculous," she whispered.
"I know."
"I love you."
"I know that too."
He kept walking.
He set her down gently. The blanket came off her head.
Jay blinked.
They were in the courtyard. The same courtyard where everything had started. The same courtyard where he'd first kissed her.
But it was different now.
Fairy lights hung from every tree. Dozens of them. Hundreds. Twinkling like stars in the dark. Blankets were spread on the ground. Pillows piled everywhere. A small table held a cake with candles.
And surrounding it all, hiding in the shadows, were her friends.
Lyra. Adrian. Bella. Mila. Daniel. Even some Crimson Oaths she didn't know well.
They were all there. Smiling. Watching.
"Surprise," Keifer said quietly.
Jay's eyes filled with tears.
"You—" she started. "I said NO PARTY."
"It's not a party."
"WHAT IS THIS THEN?"
"A gathering. Of people who love you." He took her hand. "You said you hate birthdays because they're stressful. Because you have to perform. Because people expect things."
She nodded, tears falling.
"So I made sure there's no performing. No expectations. Just us. Just this." He gestured at the lights, the blankets, the cake. "You don't have to do anything. You don't have to be grateful or excited or anything. You just have to be here. With us."
Jay couldn't speak.
She threw her arms around him and buried her face in his chest.
He held her. Tight. Safe.
"Happy birthday," he whispered.
The night was perfect.
They ate cake. Jay's favorite flavor (he'd asked Mila). They sat on blankets and talked. Lyra told embarrassing stories. Adrian showed birthday-themed data charts. Bella gave her a sketchbook filled with drawings of Jay and Keifer through the months. Mila gave her a necklace with a tiny charm—a coffee cup, because "you two argue about it so much it's basically your thing."
Daniel gave her a card.
It said: "Happy birthday. I tolerate you. That's my gift."
Jay laughed so hard she cried.
"You're the worst," she told him.
"I know," he said. "Happy birthday."
Even the Crimson Oaths who barely knew her gave small gifts. Notes. Drawings. Little things.
Jay's heart was so full it hurt.
At midnight, everyone left. Hugs. Smiles. "Best birthday ever" whispered in her ear from Mila.
Then it was just her and Keifer.
They lay on a blanket, looking up at the fairy lights. His arm was around her. Her head was on his chest.
"You did all this," she said quietly.
"We did all this. Everyone helped."
"But you planned it. You organized it. You listened when I said I hated birthdays and you made one I didn't hate."
He was quiet for a moment.
"I want you to have good memories," he said. "Not just the bad ones. Not just the trauma and the fear. Good ones. Ones you'll look back on and smile."
She turned to look at him. The lights reflected in his dark eyes.
"I love you," she said. "I love you so much it's scary."
"I know." He kissed her forehead. "I love you too."
"I don't say it enough."
"You say it plenty."
"I should say it more."
"You can say it whenever you want."
"I love you."
"I love you."
"I love you."
"I love you too."
"I love you most."
"Statistically impossible."
"I'll prove it."
"Please do."
She kissed him. Soft. Sweet. Full of forever.
The next morning, Jay walked into the cafeteria wearing the necklace Mila had given her. The tiny coffee cup charm bounced against her chest.
Keifer saw it immediately.
"That's new."
"Birthday gift."
"It's a coffee cup."
"Yes."
"For arguing about coffee."
"Yes."
He smiled. "Perfect."
Lyra appeared with her whiteboard.
JAYFER BIRTHDAY EDITION
*Surprise Level: 10/10*
Jay's Tears: 4 (happy tears)
Keifer's Romance Level: DANGEROUSLY HIGH
Best Gift: The coffee cup necklace (objectively)
Overall Success: MAXIMUM
JAYFER STATUS: STILL ETERNAL
Jay stared at the board. "You documented my birthday?"
"Of course. Every moment matters."
"I cried. You documented me crying?"
"Happy tears. There's a difference."
Keifer squeezed her hand. "Let her have this."
"You're encouraging her?"
"I'm accepting reality."
Lyra beamed. "He's learned. Growth."
They sat down to breakfast. Normal. Perfect.
A first-year approached carefully. Held out a small wrapped gift.
"Happy birthday, Miss Mariano," she said shyly. "I just wanted to say... you and the President are really inspiring. Like, love goals. So I made you this."
Jay unwrapped it. A small bracelet. Red and black beads. Crimson and Nightthorn colors, intertwined.
"Because you brought the factions together," the first-year explained. "Kind of. Romantically."
Jay's eyes stung again. "Thank you. This is beautiful."
The first-year beamed and ran back to her friends.
Keifer looked at the bracelet. "You're collecting gifts."
"Apparently."
"Next year I'll need a bigger room."
"Next year you'll need a warehouse."
He smiled. "Worth it."
That night, in his room, Jay added the bracelet to the small collection on his desk. The necklace. The sketch. The framed "That I'm yours" drawing.
"You're keeping all of this?" she asked.
"Of course."
"Why?"
"Because it's ours." He came up behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist. "Every gift. Every note. Every drawing. It's proof."
"Proof of what?"
"That we're real." He rested his chin on her shoulder. "That this is real. That we happened."
Jay turned in his arms. Looked at him.
"We're real," she said. "We're definitely real."
"I know. But someday, when we're old, we'll look back at all this and remember."
"We'll remember anyway."
"Probably. But this helps."
She kissed him. Soft. Sweet.
"I love you," she said.
"I love you too."
"Best birthday ever."
"Better than nothing?"
"Way better than nothing."
He smiled. "Good."
The next morning, Lyra had updated the whiteboard.
JAYFER BIRTHDAY AFTERMATH
Gifts Received: 17
Tears Shed: 5 (still counting)
Keifer's Romance Level: OFF THE CHARTS
JAYFER STATUS: ETERNAL (RE-RE-CONFIRMED)
NEXT MILESTONE: ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY (53 DAYS)
BETTING POOL OPEN
Jay stared at the "53 days" part. "You're counting down to our anniversary?"
"Of course. It's going to be HUGE. We need to prepare."
"We don't need you to prepare anything."
"You don't NEED us. But you HAVE us." Lyra smiled. "Accept your fate."
Jay looked at Keifer.
He shrugged. "She's right."
"You keep saying that."
"Because it's true."
Jay sighed. But she was smiling.
"Fine. But no more kidnapping."
"No promises," Keifer said.
"KEIFER."
"It's your birthday next year. I'll do it again."
"You WILL not."
"I WILL."
"WILL NOT."
"WILL."
"WILL NOT."
"WILL."
Their friends watched the argument with fond smiles.
"They're back," Adrian said.
"They never left," Mila corrected.
"Good," Bella said dreamily. "I need more material."
Daniel just ate his breakfast. Happy, for once, to be part of the chaos.
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What do u want this book more to contain?
-A lot of Jayfer moments
-Break up and reunion drama
-Fantasy and horror about the school
-Escaping Black Hollow and living normal life
Pls comment, it motivates me a lot to write more ❤️