The tension in the bathroom was so thick you could cut it with a knife.
Keifer was inches away, his heart thudding against his ribs like a trapped bird, his eyes locked onto Jay's trembling lips.
But outside the bedroom door, a comedic disaster was brewing.
The Great Hallucination Debate
Downstairs, the air was just as tense, but for a completely different reason.
"Don't close the door yet," Sophia told the maid, waving her hand.
"Keifer is still out for a walk."
Her mother frowned, crossing her arms.
"What are you talking about, Sophia? Jay is the one out for a walk. Keifer is in the room. I literally just spoke to him."
Sophia blinked, her jaw dropping. "Mom, I just saw Jay. She was standing right there, looking like a drowned cat! Are you having hallucinations?"
"Me? Hallucinations?" Her mother huffed, offended. "I saw my son soaked to the bone! If anyone is seeing ghosts, it's you. Let's go. I'll prove it."
The Search Party
The two women marched upstairs, determined to solve the mystery.
They reached the door and found it slightly ajar. Sophia, never one for boundaries, leaned in to peek.
"Sophia! You shouldn't peek into a married couple's room!" her mother hissed, though she was leaning in a little bit, too.
"Oh, Mom, relax! It's empty!" Sophia whispered, pushing the door open fully. They both stepped inside the bedroom, looking around the dry, neat space.
"See?" Sophia pointed at the empty bed. "Jay was drenched just a few minutes ago. She must be hiding."
"And I saw Keifer drenched!" her mother argued. Their eyes widened as they looked at the bathroom door. The math was finally starting to add up in their heads.
Inside the bathroom, Jay and Keifer were paralyzed. Keifer had been holding her arm, leaning in so close that Jay had already started to close her eyes, waiting for his lips to touch hers.
Then, the voices hit them.
"Jay was here—"
"No, Keifer was—"
Jay's eyes snapped open in pure terror.
"They're inside the room!" she mouthed, her face turning pale.
Panicked, she tried to bolt for the door, but her wet slippers had zero grip on the marble.
Her foot slid out from under her.
"Ah—!" she started to yelp, but she instinctively grabbed Keifer's neck to save herself.
SPLASH!
THUD!
They both went tumbling backward into the oversized bathtub.
Keifer, acting on reflex, twisted his body so he wouldn't crush her, landing directly on top of her in a tangle of wet limbs and splashing water.
The water sloshed over the sides, hitting the floor with a loud, heavy sound.
They froze. Keifer's face was inches from Jay's, their chests heaving, their eyes locked in a mix of shock and "we are so caught."
Outside the door, Sophia and her mother jumped at the sound.
"Keifer? Jay? Are you in there?" Sophia called out, her voice filled with sudden realization.
Under the water, Jay and Keifer looked at each other. There was no time to coordinate a lie. In perfect, terrified unison, they both shouted:
"YES!"
Outside the door, Sophia and her mother shared a look that was 100% pure mischief.
Sophia covered her mouth to keep from cackling out loud.
"Oh! You're right, Mom," Sophia said, raising her voice so they could hear it inside the bathroom.
"I think they both are not here. They must have gone for that walk together."
Her mother join," Let's go, Soph. And let's lock the bedroom door from the outside so no 'intruders' get in."
They shared a high-five and retreated, clicking the main bedroom door shut.
Inside the tub, the silence was deafening. Jay was pinned beneath Keifer's heavy, warm weight, her hands covering her face as she let out a long, muffled groan of pure agony.
Keifer, still sitting right over her, watched her with a soft, lopsided smile. He reached down, his fingers gently catching her wrists.
"Jay, what happened?" he asked, his voice low and silky.
She just shook her head frantically, refusing to look at him.
"Jay," he said again, more firmly this time.
When she shook her head a second time, a light chuckle vibrated in his chest.
He slowly, gently pulled her hands away from her face.
Jay kept her gaze dropped, her lips pressed into a thin, nervous line, her long, wet lashes casting shadows on her flushed skin.
Keifer's gaze drifted from her eyes to her lips, and then back again. "Jay... look at me," he murmured.
Slowly, as if she were under a spell, she lifted her head. Her large, innocent eyes met his dark, intense ones.
The teasing was gone. The jokes were gone.
Keifer leaned down. He didn't go for her lips immediately; instead, he angled his head, his mouth brushing softly against her damp cheek.
The sensation of his warm breath against her skin made Jay's eyes widen for a split second before they slowly fluttered shut.
She instinctively tilted her head back, giving him more space, her heart drumming a frantic rhythm against her ribs.
He moved his lips closer to her ear, his voice a barely-there whisper that sent a violent shiver straight down her spine.
"Jay... I love you."