JAY'S POV
The chant was loud and obnoxious, making my skin crawl with a mix of embarrassment and a strange, unwelcome heat. Keifer didn't look away; he just kept that annoying, perfect smirk on his face as if he actually enjoyed the lie.
They're waiting for a show, Jay," he murmured, leaning closer until I could smell the faint scent of his cologne—something crisp and cold, just like him. "Don't we owe our 'fans' something?"
We owe them nothing," I snapped, my fork clattering against the plate. "We are in trying period , Keifer. Stop acting like there's more to it."
He didn't flinch. Instead, he reached out, his fingers slowly brushing a stray lock of hair behind my ear. It was a calculated move, one meant for the audience, but his touch felt like a live wire against my skin.
"Your eyes say one thing, but your heart is racing so fast I can see it in your neck," he whispered, his thumb lingering just a second too long on my jawline. "Who are you trying to convince? Me... or yourself?"
I could hear everyone teasing us.Chanting. #Jayfer.I opened my mouth to give him a piece of my mind—to tell him exactly where he could shove his fake romance—but my voice died in my throat. My gaze drifted past his shoulder, toward the far corner of the canteen.
My heart didn't just race then; it stopped. Cold.
Standing by the exit, partially obscured by the shadow of the vending machines, was a figure. A black hoodie, hands shoved deep into the pockets, and a face I had seen in my nightmares for years. He wasn't even hiding. He was staring directly at me, his eyes empty of everything but a dark, chilling promise.
They are here.They found me.I can't let them know about Keifer and my family .I will protect them.
"Jay?Are you ok ?" Keifer's voice changed, the playful smirk vanishing as he noticed my sudden paleness.
Everyone turned toward me."Jay, are you ok ?", Aries asked with worry in his eyes.
Get a grip on yourself Jay.If they are here then show them you are not that 8 years old girl , you are Jasper Jean. From whom messing comes with severe consequences.
"I'm fine , Aries. It's just that if you all don't stop right know with your imagination, I'm throwing my lunch at you."I said changing the topic.
"Are you really ok, Jay ?",Keifer asked again.
"I'm , Keifer. Just it's that I remembered I are garlic 🧄 .I hate them🤮", I said to him making faces . He looks at me for some time then back to normal.
I pulled back from Keifer and rolled my eyes dramatically. "Can you stop staring, Aries? Like how you're clearly whipped for Ella and haven't touched your food in five minutes? It's embarrassing, really."
Aries blinked, stunned by my sudden shift back to my chaotic self. "I am not whipped, Jay! I was just—"
"Suuuure," I interrupted, reaching over and shamelessly snatching a chicken wing from his plate.
"Keep telling yourself that, Kuya. In the meantime, I'm reclaiming my title as the professional food thief of this table."
I flashed a bright, mischievous grin at the group, the perfect mask of a girl without a care in the world. Inside, I was screaming, but outside, I was the life of the party again. I leaned back, looking Keifer dead in the eye with a challenge. "And you, Watson? If you touch my hair again, I'm charging you extra for the 'show.' This fiancée isn't cheap."
The table erupted in laughter again, the heavy tension vanishing as quickly as it had arrived. Keifer look relaxed now . His smirk 😏 back at his face. "I ca afford it fiancee. You know I am a Watson , right ",he said winging.
I was back to my normal, troublemaking self—at least, that's what I wanted them to think.
Keifer's POV
The canteen was absolute bedlam. The chant was loud and obnoxious, the rhythmic pounding of their hands on the tables making my skin crawl with a mix of embarrassment and a strange, unwelcome heat. I could feel Jay's irritation radiating off her in waves, but I didn't look away; I just kept that annoying, perfect smirk on my face as if I actually enjoyed the lie. In a way, I did.
"They're waiting for a show, Jay," I murmured, leaning closer until I could see the pulse thrumming in her throat. I wanted to distract her, to see if I could break that icy exterior of hers. I could smell the faint scent of her shampoo mingling with my cologne—something crisp and cold, just like the wall she built between us. "Don't we owe our 'fans' something?""
"We owe them nothing," she snapped, her eyes sparking with a fire that made my blood hum. Her fork clattered against the plate with a sharp ring. "We are in a trying period, Keifer. Stop acting like there's more to it."
I didn't flinch.
Instead, I reached out, my fingers slowly brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear. It was a calculated move, one meant for the audience, but her touch felt like a live wire against my skin. I could feel her tremble, just a fraction.
"Your eyes say one thing, but your heart is racing so fast I can see it in your neck," I whispered, my voice dropping to a low growl. My thumb lingering just a second too long on her soft jawline. "Who are you trying to convince? Me... or yourself?"
I could hear everyone teasing us. Chanting. #Jayfer. The sound was a blur in the background because all I could focus on was the way her breath hitched. She opened her mouth to give me a piece of her mind—to come back—but her voice died in her throat. Her gaze drifted past my shoulder, toward the far corner of the canteen.
Suddenly, her entire body went rigid. My heart didn't just race then; it stopped. Cold. I felt the shift in her immediately—it was like the girl I was just teasing had been replaced by a ghost.
Standing by the exit, partially obscured by the shadow of the vending machines, was a figure. A black hoodie, hands shoved deep into the pockets. Jay was staring at him with a look of pure, unadulterated terror that she tried to mask with a blank stare.
I didn't know who he was, but I knew one thing: he was the reason my "fiancée" looked like she had just seen her own grave. She was shocked.Maybe scared too.
"Jay? Are you ok?" My voice changed instantly, the playful smirk vanishing as I noticed her sudden paleness. The game was over. This was real.
Everyone turned toward her. "Jay, are you ok?", Aries asked with sharp worry in his eyes. I could feel the protective tension rising at the table.
I watched her struggle, her knuckles turning white as she gripped the table. She was fighting a war inside herself as if trying to get a grip on herself. I wanted to reach out and pull her away from whatever was haunting her.
"I'm fine, Aries. It's just that if you all don't stop right know with your imagination, I'm throwing my lunch at you," she said, her voice brittle but regaining its edge as she tried changing the topic.
"Are you really ok, Jay?", I asked again, leaning in. I wasn't acting anymore. I needed to know what had just turned her to stone."
"I'm fine, Keifer. Just it's that I remembered I ate garlic 🧄. I hate them🤮," she said to me, making a dramatic face. It was a terrible lie. We both knew it. I looked at her for some time, searching those defiant eyes for the truth, but she slammed the shutters closed. She was back to normal—or at least, she was pretending to be.
She pulled back from me and rolled her eyes dramatically. "Can you stop staring, Aries? Like how you're clearly whipped for Ella and haven't touched your food in five minutes? It's embarrassing, really."
Aries blinked, stunned by her sudden shift back to her chaotic self. "I am not whipped, Jay! I was just—"
"Suuuure," she interrupted, reaching over and shamelessly snatching a chicken wing from his plate.
She was deflective, sharp, and perfectly chaotic—exactly how she wanted us to see her. She was deflective, sharp, and perfectly chaotic—exactly how she wanted us to see her.
"Keep telling yourself that, Kuya. In the meantime, I'm reclaiming my title as the professional food thief of this table.
She flashed a bright, mischievous grin at the group, the perfect mask of a girl without a care in the world. Inside, I knew she was screaming, but outside, she was the life of the party again.
She leaned back, looking me dead in the eye with a challenge. "And you, Watson? If you touch my hair again, I'm charging you extra for the 'show.' This fiancée isn't cheap."
The table erupted in laughter again, the heavy tension vanishing as quickly as it had arrived. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. I look relaxed now. My smirk 😏 crept back onto my face, though my mind was already tracking the exit where that hoodie had been.
"I can afford it, fiancée. You know I am a Watson, right," I said, winking at her to keep the charade alive.
She was back to her normal, troublemaking self—at least, that's what she wanted them to think. But I saw the fear. And whoever that man was, he was going to have to go through me to get to her.