Jay was frozen, her eyes glued to the sliver of light from the cracked door.
She was watching the hallway like a hawk, her entire body rigid with the fear of being caught.
But Keifer seemed to be living in a completely different reality—one where the only thing that mattered was the girl in front of him.
While Jay's heart was racing with panic, Keifer was the picture of calm.
He stood right behind her, his fingers lazily twisting a lock of her hair, watching the way the soft strands curled around his finger with an almost hypnotic focus.
"Keifer..." she hissed, her voice a frantic whisper.
"Hmm..?" he answered smoothly, sounding as relaxed as if they were sitting in a garden instead of hiding in a guest room.
He didn't even look at the door; he just kept playing with her hair, his eyes dark and fond.
"They... they are opening the door," she breathed, her grip tightening on the doorframe as she watched Sophia and her Mom disappear into his bedroom.
Keifer didn't pull away.
Instead, he leaned in, closing the small gap until his chest was pressed firmly against her back.
Jay's breath hitched, the air suddenly leaving her lungs as she felt the solid warmth of him.
Before she could protest, he slid his arms around her waist, locking her in a gentle but firm embrace that made her eyes go wide.
She turned her head slightly, her neck flushing a deep rose as she tried to look at him.
Keifer didn't budge; he simply leaned down and rested his chin on her shoulder, staring right at the same door she was watching.
Jay instantly whipped her head back the other way, her skin burning wherever his warm breath hit her neck.
The heat was crawling up her spine, making her dizzy.
"Keifer..." she pleaded, her voice barely a thread of sound.
In response, he leaned just an inch closer to her ear and blew a soft, deliberate puff of air.
The stray hairs that had fallen over her ear danced in the breeze of his breath, sending a sharp, electric shiver straight through her.
She squeezed her eyes shut, her knees feeling like they were made of jelly, trapped between the danger in the hallway and the "Golden Boy" who was clearly enjoying the chaos.
Keifer let out a low, shaky breath, leaning his head against her temple.
"Jay... let's just tell them," he murmured, his voice thick with a mix of exhaustion and affection.
Jay's fingers flew to his hands, which were still wrapped firmly around her waist.
"But Keifer—"
Before she could finish her protest, he leaned in and pressed a lingering, incredibly soft kiss to her cheek.
It was like a physical shock to her system.
Jay's mind went completely blank, the world outside the room fading into a blur.
Her legs felt like they had turned into jelly, and her heart was doing a series of stupid, frantic flip-flops.
She found herself subconsciously leaning her weight back against his sturdy chest, melting into his warmth.
But the romantic haze shattered in an instant.
Through the sliver of the door, she saw Sophia and their Mom standing right in front of Keifer's empty room.
Sophia's brow was arched in pure suspicion. "Mom, Jay's not in my room... and Keifer is not in his."
"And what does that mean?"
Mom asked, her voice tinged with suspicion.
Before they could theorize any further, Sophia's sharp eyes pivoted, locking onto the guest room door.
Jay's survival instincts kicked in—she panicked and tried to pull the door shut, but in her rush, it hit the frame with a sharp, echoing thud.
"Did you hear that?" Sophia asked, her voice dropping into 'detective mode.'
"Yes... I think it came from the guest room," Mom replied.
Jay's eyes widened to the size of saucers.
She instantly clapped both her hands over her own mouth to stifle any sound, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird.
She looked back at Keifer, expecting him to be scrambling, but he was still leaning there, completely relaxed.
He had this infuriating, beautiful grin on his face, clearly enjoying the way his "non-wife" was losing her mind over being caught.
She turned back to the door, opening it just a fraction of a millimeter to peek out.
What she saw made her blood run cold and her legs feel like water.
Sophia and Mom weren't just looking anymore—they were marching directly toward the guest room.
"They're coming," Jay mouthed to Keifer, her face pale. "They're actually coming!"
Jay's sudden burst of adrenaline gave her a strength that caught Keifer completely off guard.
She shoved his arms away and grabbed his wrist with a grip like iron.
"Keifer... Keifer, they are coming! Hide, hide!" she hissed, her voice a frantic, high-pitched stage whisper.
She started pacing the room like a trapped bird, running left and then right, her eyes darting to every corner.
Keifer stayed frozen for a second, his eyes wide as he watched her.
He had never seen his "sticker" this coordinated yet chaotic at the same time.
Realizing he wasn't moving, Jay lunged back toward him and grabbed his shoulders, shaking him with everything she had.
"Keifer!...
"
The worry and sheer panic were written across every inch of her face.
Seeing her genuine distress, Keifer's playful smirk finally vanished.
He reached out, his large hands steadying her by her shoulders.
"Jay, calm down.
Sweetheart, please, just breathe."
Jay didn't even blink at the "sweetheart"—at this point, she was so deep in survival mode that endearments were just background noise.
"But... but they are coming!" she panicked again, her chest heaving.
Keifer looked into her glassy, wide eyes, his expression softening into something protective.
"Hey, hey, calm down.
You really want to hide?
You don't want to just tell them?"
Jay gave him a frantic, violent shake of her head. No. Not like this. Not now.
"Ok, ok, calm down," he murmured, his gaze scanning the room with more urgency now.
His eyes landed on the door near the bed. He pointed. "There. The bathroom."
Jay didn't wait.
She bolted toward it, practically dragging Keifer by the wrist like a pull-toy.
She reached the handle and yanked.
It didn't budge.
She twisted it with both hands, her knuckles turning white, but it stayed firm.
"Is it locked?" she gasped, turning back to Keifer with eyes so wide they looked like they might fall out.
"Why is it locked?!"
"Let me try," Keifer said, stepping in.
He gripped the handle and gave it a solid turn, then a shoulder shove, but the lock held firm.
The guest bathroom was definitely out of commission.
Jay let go of his wrist and threw her hands up into the air, spinning around in a circle of pure despair.
"Keifer... Keifer, we are doomed!"
She looked so small and so genuinely terrified that a tiny, helpless smile touched Keifer's lips again.
He couldn't help it—she was adorable when she was losing it—but the smile was quickly chased away by a pang of guilt.
He hated seeing her this worried.
Outside, the sound of the footsteps grew louder.
Clack.
Clack.
Clack.
They were right outside the door.
...
Sophia and Mom stood frozen in the threshold, the golden light from the hallway spilling across the guest room floor like a searchlight.
Sophia's hand remained glued to the doorknob, her knuckles white.
"Why was this door open when no one's here?"
she demanded, her voice sharp enough to cut glass.
Her mother simply moved her shoulders, a silent gesture that screamed she was just as baffled.
But inside the shadows of the heavy wooden almirah, a very different scene was unfolding.
The wardrobe was nearly empty, but its narrow shelves and cramped interior made it impossible to get comfortable.
Jay was practically sitting on Keifer's lap, her shoulder pressed against his chest and her palm crushed against her mouth to stifle any sound.
Oh God, why does this always happen to me? she thought, her eyes squeezed shut.
She was trapped in the ultimate nightmare:
her best friend and mother were standing mere feet away, while her "non-husband" was acting as her only shield.
The proximity was electric. Keifer's hands were locked firmly on her waist, supporting her weight on his lap.
Every time his fingers shifted, a fresh wave of shivers raced down her spine, making her skin burn despite the cool air of the room.
She could feel the vibration of his silent amusement—he was practically smirking against her hair.
"Mom, I'm telling you,"
Sophia's voice rose, dripping with venom.
"Let me find Jay with that stupid, damn brother of mine... I will not leave her. She's dead."
Jay's stomach did a violent flip-flop at the threat, but the sheer absurdity of the situation started to tickle her.
She was terrified, yes, but the image of Sophia's face.
She felt a bubble of laughter rising in her throat.
Keifer, however, had a very different reaction.
His eyes narrowed in the dark, his ego clearly bruised.
"Seriously?" he whispered into the shell of her ear, his voice a low, offended rumble.
"Stupid brother?"
Jay's palm pressed even harder against her mouth.
She was practically vibrating against him, her shoulders shaking with the effort of holding back a hysterical giggle.
"Jay-jay, aren't you laughing too much?"
Keifer murmured, his breath hitching as he felt her tiny tremors of mirth.
Jay blinked, looking up at him through the darkness.
She gave a slow, exaggeratedly innocent shake of her head, her eyes wide like a child caught in a lie.
The sight made Keifer's lips curve into a genuine smile for a heartbeat, but it quickly sharpened into a predatory smirk.
Without warning, he hooked his fingers deeper into her waist and pulled her flush against him.
Jay's breath hitched as her chest slammed into his warm, solid chest.
Their faces were suddenly inches apart, the air between them disappearing.
She could see the dark glint in his eyes, a mix of mischief and something much more intense.
Jay felt her face turn a deep, scorching red.
Her heart wasn't just pounding; it was doing gymnastics.
"Don't you think you need a punishment?"
Keifer asked, his voice dropping into a dangerous, velvet tilt as he inclined his head.
Jay's eyes widened to the size of saucers.
She bit her lower lip hard, her mind going completely blank.
But the playful glint in his eyes softened into something deep and grounding.
He reached out, his fingers grazing the side of her face with a tenderness that made Jay's breath hitch in her throat.
Slowly, he slid his hand up to her temple, his palm warm against her skin, and gently guided her head down until her face was tucked securely against his chest.
"Rest until this all isn't over,"
he whispered, his voice a low, soothing rumble that vibrated through her.
"I know you're tired."
He wrapped his arms firmly around her, locking them in a protective embrace that made the cramped almirah feel like the safest place on earth.
He leaned his head back against the rough wood of the wardrobe, closing his eyes as he let out a long, quiet breath, finally letting the tension of the night bleed away.
Jay stayed still for a moment, listening to the steady, rhythmic thrum of his heart.
She shifted slightly, looking up at his face through the shadows.
A small, involuntary smile crept onto her lips as she studied the sharp line of his jaw and the peaceful expression he wore.
She just couldn't believe that this kind of man—one who could be so mischievously annoying one second and so incredibly gentle the next—really existed in the real world.
(No jay he's fictional 😭 😭 😭 😭 😭 😭 😭 😭 😭 😭 😭 😭 😭 😭)
Her fear of the darkness and the worry about Sophia faded into the background.
She slowly reached out and wrapped her arms around him, returning the embrace and resting her face back against his chest.
A small, genuine smile touched Keifer's lips the moment he felt her body finally relax against him.
He didn't need to see her face to know she was finally at peace; he could feel it in the way she held him back.
The quiet intimacy of the moment was shattered by a sharp, metallic clack.
Keifer, trying to adjust his arm to ease the ache in his elbow against the cramped wooden wall, accidentally knocked it against his watch.
In the dead silence of the room, the sound was as loud.
"Mom, did you hear that?"
Sophia's voice sliced through the air.
She stopped dead in her tracks just as she was about to follow her mother out.
Mom, who was already standing by the door and ready to march out, turned back with a raised brow. She sighed, her expression tired.
"I don't think so, Soph."
"No," Sophia insisted, her voice dropping into a suspicious, low tone.
"It came from the almirah."
Inside the wardrobe, the romantic bubble burst instantly.
Jay pulled apart from the embrace so fast she nearly bumped her head.
Her eyes were wide with a fresh wave of terror as she frantically smacked Keifer's chest in a silent, panicked reprimand.
They are coming! her wide eyes screamed at him.
Keifer froze, his muscles locking into place, his arm still hovering in that awkward, uncomfortable position.
The smirk was long gone, replaced by a sharp, focused tension.
Outside, the floorboards groaned under Sophia's weight.
Each step she took toward the almirah felt like a hammer blow to Jay's heart.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Jay's heartbeat accelerated until it was a blurred vibration in her chest.
She gripped the front of Keifer's shirt so hard her knuckles turned white, her gaze locked on the thin crack of the wardrobe door.
Through that tiny sliver, she could see Sophia's shadow growing larger and darker as she approached.
The air in the almirah felt like it had vanished.
Jay felt the heat of Keifer's body, but even that couldn't warm the cold dread spreading through her limbs.
She squeezed her eyes shut, praying for a miracle, while Sophia's hand reached out toward the heavy wooden handle.
_____________________
Hey buddies I know this one is not that good but I wasn't feeling like writing today, so this happens.
Also I'll not update for few days bcoz I have an important work to do.
But I'm next update u ll get a longer chapter for sure
Ok
Bye
Love u ❤️