Chapter 38 – The Night Before London
The Watson mansion felt tense again.
Not chaotic tense.
Dangerous tense.
The kind where even breathing too loudly felt wrong.
Because Kaizer Watson hadn't disappeared.
Neither had the elders supporting him.
And everyone knew one thing now—
Keifer leaving for London would create a weakness.
A perfect opening.
Which meant—
JJ.
Keigan.
Keiren.
All three instantly became targets.
---
Emergency Meeting
That evening Keifer called everyone to the underground training room.
Section E arrived first.
Cin still holding chips.
Rory dragging him by the hoodie.
Yuri already suspicious before entering.
Then Percy and Aries came together.
Angelo arrived last.
And somehow—
the entire atmosphere became heavier the second he entered.
Keifer stood near the table silently.
No joking today.
No flirting.
Just focus.
Everyone noticed immediately.
"What happened?" Felix asked quietly.
Keifer looked toward all of them.
"I'm leaving tomorrow morning."
Silence.
They already knew that.
But his tone made it clear—
that wasn't the real problem.
Then he continued.
"Kaizer's faction is moving again."
Aries immediately straightened.
Yuri's eyes darkened instantly.
"They've been watching the mansion," Keifer said calmly. "And now that I'll be gone…"
He looked toward the floor briefly.
"…they'll probably move against JJ, Keigan, and Keiren."
Silence hit hard.
Cin slowly lowered his chips.
Even he understood the seriousness now.
Keifer continued quietly:
"My father knows JJ matters to me."
JJ.
Not company.
Not money.
JJ.
And suddenly every single person in the room understood just how dangerous that made her.
Percy cursed under his breath immediately.
Aries crossed his arms tightly.
"Then they don't stay alone anywhere."
Angelo finally spoke from the corner.
Cold.
Sharp.
"They won't."
Everyone looked toward him.
Angelo's expression stayed unreadable.
"Keigan and Keiren will move to Fernandez Mansion."
Keifer looked up instantly.
"With JJ," Aries added immediately.
"Under our protection," Percy finished.
Then Angelo's voice cut through the room quietly.
"And mine."
Silence.
That sentence alone felt like a death warning to anyone stupid enough to try something.
Because everyone knew Angelo Fernandez wasn't someone people survived crossing twice.
Keifer exhaled slowly for the first time all evening.
Relief.
Tiny.
But real.
Yuri leaned back against the wall quietly.
"I'll stay close too."
Keifer looked toward him carefully.
"…you sure?"
Yuri's eyes turned cold instantly.
"They tried killing my family too once."
Silence.
"I don't let that happen anymore."
Nobody argued after that.
---
Later That Night
The Fernandez mansion slept quietly.
Or at least—
pretended to.
Percy snored loud enough to violate human rights.
Aries somehow slept angrily.
Angelo was probably still awake somewhere terrifying people mentally.
And JJ—
couldn't sleep at all.
She sat near her bedroom window hugging her knees quietly.
Keifer leaves tomorrow.
The thought kept repeating painfully.
Too loud.
Too heavy.
Because lately—
he had become part of her everyday life.
His voice.
His teasing.
His warmth.
The way he called her wifey just to annoy her.
And suddenly imagining weeks without him—
hurt more than she expected.
Then suddenly—
tap.
Tap.
Tap.
JJ blinked toward the balcony window immediately.
And nearly had a heart attack.
Keifer stood outside her balcony looking deeply pleased with himself.
JJ opened the door instantly whisper-yelling:
"ARE YOU INSANE?!"
Keifer climbed inside casually.
"Yes."
"You climbed THREE FLOORS."
"Love gives strength."
JJ stared at him in disbelief.
"You sound stupid."
Keifer smiled softly.
"But you're smiling."
JJ immediately stopped smiling.
Too late.
He already noticed.
---
The Confession
For once—
there was no teasing immediately.
No chaos.
Just silence.
Soft.
Heavy.
Important.
Keifer looked around her room quietly before finally sitting on the edge of her bed.
JJ stayed standing for a second.
Nervous suddenly.
Which honestly annoyed her.
Because when exactly did Keifer Watson become capable of making her nervous?
Keifer looked up at her gently.
"Come here."
And stupidly—
she did.
JJ sat beside him quietly.
Close enough their shoulders touched.
Neither moved away.
Outside the rain fell softly against the balcony.
Inside—
everything felt too quiet.
Then Keifer spoke first.
"I don't wanna leave."
JJ looked down slightly.
"I know."
Silence again.
Then quieter:
"I'm scared."
JJ looked up immediately.
Because Keifer almost never admitted fear aloud.
Not like this.
Keifer laughed weakly.
"Not of London."
His eyes found hers slowly.
"Of leaving you behind."
JJ's chest tightened painfully.
Because she understood exactly what he meant.
After Serina.
After Kaizer.
After everything—
nothing felt guaranteed anymore.
JJ tried smiling slightly.
"You're dramatic."
Keifer shook his head softly.
"No."
Then finally—
completely honest now:
"I think I'm in love with you."
Silence.
Real silence.
JJ stopped breathing for a second.
Because despite everything—
despite all the flirting—
neither of them had said it yet.
Not directly.
Not truly.
Keifer looked terrified after admitting it too.
Like giving someone your heart physically hurt.
And honestly?
Maybe it did.
JJ stared at him quietly.
Then laughed softly through sudden tears.
"You idiot."
Keifer's expression softened instantly.
JJ shook her head slightly.
"You absolute gago idiot…"
Then finally—
her voice broke too.
"…I love you too."
Something inside Keifer completely shattered after hearing that.
Not painfully.
Beautifully.
Like finally finding something worth surviving for.
He reached for her face slowly.
Carefully.
Like she was something fragile.
JJ leaned into his hand immediately.
And suddenly—
all the walls between them disappeared completely.
No pretending anymore.
No hiding.
Just truth.
Keifer rested his forehead against hers quietly.
"You have no idea what you've done to me."
JJ smiled weakly through tears.
"Hopefully emotional damage."
Keifer laughed softly.
Then kissed her.
Slow at first.
Gentle.
Like he wanted to memorize her completely.
JJ melted into him instantly.
Hands gripping his hoodie tightly.
And suddenly the kiss deepened.
Emotional.
Desperate.
The kind of kiss people give when tomorrow feels uncertain.
Keifer pulled her closer against him carefully.
JJ's fingers tangled into his hair softly.
Neither wanted to breathe.
Neither wanted this night to end.
Because for once—
they weren't just two chaotic teenagers flirting anymore.
They were two broken people loving each other honestly.
And that made it terrifyingly real.
Eventually they pulled apart slightly breathless.
Foreheads still touching.
Keifer whispered softly:
"Wait for me."
JJ's heart nearly broke hearing it.
Because secretly—
she didn't know if she could promise that.
Not with her illness.
Not with time slipping through her fingers quietly.
But she smiled anyway.
Soft.
Beautiful.
Painfully loving.
"Always."
And for the first time in weeks—
Keifer truly looked at peace.
Like as long as JJ loved him—
he could survive anything.
Even London.
Even war.
Even grief.
What neither of them realized—
was that this night would become one of the most important memories of their lives later.
Because sometimes…
people don't know they're living a memory while it's happening.
They remember it when it's gone.