Jay-Jay (POV)
We reached the mall. As soon as I got out of the car, C-IN dragged me straight to the arcade.
"Wait—!" I tried, but he didn't even slow down.
"C-IN, I don't have money… now," I said, catching up. "I only have dollars. I didn't exchange them at the airport."
"Here."
Kiefer stepped in, holding out a stack of cash.
I took it and paused.
"…that's a lot."
I started counting out of habit.
"One… two… three… four… five…"
I glanced up at him.
"…ten thousand peso?"
He didn't even react.
"You can pay me later," he said casually.
Then he leaned in slightly—
just enough to make it unfair.
"Or," he added, voice lower, "you can pay with ten kisses."
I choked on air.
"W-What?!"
Why is he like this?!
"I will pay," I said quickly, turning away before he could see my face.
He just smirked.
Of course he did.
I walked to the counter, loaded the card, and came back as if nothing had happened.
"Done," I said.
"Good," he replied, still looking entirely too amused.
I ignored him.
Completely.
Absolutely.
…unsuccessfully.
"Come on!" C-IN called from inside.
And just like that—
We went to play.
C-IN didn't give me time to think. He pulled me straight toward the games.
"Let's play Pokémon."
"But I don't know how to play," I said.
"I'll teach you," David said, stepping in, while C-IN hovered beside me, already too excited.
Between the two of them, I managed to understand… a little.
We started.
And just like every single time—
I lost.
"Jay, you lost again," C-IN said, grinning.
I smacked the back of his head.
"Gago… I just learned. Of course I lost," I snapped.
He only laughed harder.
"Do you want to play that?" Felix asked, pointing at the basketball machine.
That one looked easy.
"I can do that," I said, nodding confidently.
We walked over and started.
And Felix… didn't miss.
Not even once.
Every shot went in.
Clean. Perfect. Effortless.
Meanwhile, I was good—
but not like that.
A few misses slipped in, and that was enough.
"Why am I the only one not good at this?" I complained.
"Jay…" Kiefer said, like he was holding back a laugh. "He's a professional basketball player."
I froze. "What?"
Felix just shrugged like it was nothing.
"Jay, come here," Kiefer said, grabbing my wrist gently. "Let's play this."
He pulled me toward the claw machine.
"Do you want something?" he asked.
I looked inside—
and immediately stopped.
A Snorlax plush.
"I want that," I said, pointing at it.
"Okay," he said confidently. "I'll get it."
I leaned against the machine, watching him.
He swiped the card.
Focused.
Serious.
The claw dropped—
picked it up—
and then…
dropped it again.
I snorted.
He tried again.
Same thing.
And again.
Same result.
I started laughing properly now.
"Tch… This machine is broken," Kiefer muttered.
"Mhm," I nodded, clearly enjoying this. "That's why you can't get it."
He shot me a look.
"I'll just buy it. Come on, let's go—"
Before he could finish, Rory walked up.
He casually swapped his card in—
didn't even say anything—
and played.
First try.
The claw dropped.
Grabbed Snorlax.
Held it.
Didn't slip.
"…no way," I whispered.
It dropped into the slot.
Rory picked it up and held it out to me. "You want this?"
I nodded quickly, taking it from him.
I hugged it tightly—
and without thinking, kissed it.
"Thanks, Rory… you're the best," I said, tapping his head lightly.
He smiled.
Kiefer—
was staring.
No.
Glaring.
"What?" I asked.
"Nothing," he said immediately. "It's a boring game. Not even fun. Let's play something else."
Rory and I looked at each other—
and giggled.
Kiefer turned.
We instantly acted normally.
"Let's go," he said, already walking ahead.
He dragged us to a racing game.
Of course—
He won.
He looked at me with a smirk.
"See? I won."
"I can see," I said dryly.
"Aren't you going to praise me?"
I stared at him.
"…seriously?"
"Jay."
"…fine," I sighed, patting his back. "You're the best."
He looked satisfied.
"Childish," I muttered under my breath.
"Jay! I found another game—" C-in called.
I turned—
And that's when I saw her.
A girl walks up to Kiefer.
Pretty.
Confident.
"Can I get your number?" she asked.
Girls these days are bold.
I glanced down at myself—tank top, trousers.
Why am I even comparing?
"I'm taken," Kiefer said. "I'm waiting for my girl."
My heart skipped.
He looked at me.
I didn't look back.
I turned—
and walked toward C-IN.
"He must be talking about that girl," I muttered under my breath.
"Jay."
I didn't hear him.
"Jay."
I kept walking—
until I almost bumped into someone.
C-IN grabbed my arm quickly, pulling me back.
"Jay! Why are you spacing out?" he asked.
"I…" I hesitated.
I didn't know if I should ask.
But I did anyway.
"C-IN… can I ask you something?"
He nodded, still holding onto me.
"Who is the girl Kiefer loves?"
The moment I asked—
His expression changed.
The smile disappeared.
"Jay…"
"I'm just asking," I said quickly. "You all say he loves someone… but hasn't moved on."
He looked at me for a long second.
Then—
"We made a mistake," he said quietly. "And we lost her."
I froze.
"There were things we should've done differently…"
His voice softened.
"…but we didn't."
I saw it then—
the pain in his eyes.
"Was she important?" I asked.
He nodded.
"She was… family."
Before I could say anything—
I saw Kiefer walking toward us.
"Do you want ice cream?" I asked quickly.
C-IN understood immediately.
He nodded.
"Let's go to Kit's shop."
"Kit owns an ice cream shop?" I blinked. "He must be rich."
We walked out of the arcade together—
But something felt different now.
Lighter.
Heavier.
Both at the same time.
And I held onto the Snorlax a little tighter.
We reached the shop. Mayo and Kit were already there—eating and stealing from each other.
"Tss…" I hissed.
"Do you want Kiefer to feed you?" Kit asked, grinning.
"Why would he feed me, asshole?" I shot back, taking a bite of my ice cream.
Bad decision.
Because suddenly—
Everyone started stealing from me.
"Take one more bite, and I'll bite you," I warned C-IN.
"Jay… your ice cream tastes better," he said shamelessly.
It was fun.
Easy.
Light.
Until—
"Look at them… they're like a gay couple," someone said behind us.
I ignored it.
Kit didn't.
"Jay, let's go somewhere else," he said quietly.
"Why?"
"People are watching."
"Let them," Mayo said casually. "We're married, remember?"
I smiled.
"Is it wrong to be different?" I said calmly. "They should feel bad for thinking like that. I don't."
We finished eating.
I picked up the tray—
and "accidentally" dropped it on the guys who were talking.
"Shit!" they shouted.
"Sorry," I said flatly, "I was aiming for the trash can…"
I tilted my head slightly.…" Guess I didn't miss after all."
I handed them some cash Kiefer gave me earlier.
"For cleaning," I added. "Maybe clean your mouths too."
"You—" One of them stepped forward, grabbing the change roughly. "What's your problem?"
Before he could come any closer—
The boys moved.
All of them.
Stepping in front of me.
Silent.
Solid.
Protective.
The guy hesitated.
Then backed off.
I looked at Kit. "Okay, now?"
He studied me for a second.
"…you didn't change at all."
He smiled.
I didn't fully understand what he meant—
But something about it felt… familiar.
So I nodded anyway.
"Then let's get another ice cream," I said. "Your treat."
"Extra chips," C-IN added.
"Jay… what did you study?" Drew asked.
"I wanted to be a teacher," I said. "But I'd ruin kids' lives. So I chose law."
"Are you a lawyer?" Blaster asked.
"I was. I stopped six months ago."
"Why?" Josh asked.
I didn't answer.
C-IN stepped in. "She got bored."
I smiled.
Fake.
"If you're uncomfortable, don't say it," Kiefer said quietly.
I looked at all of them.
"…it's fine," I said softly.
So I told them.
"I studied law to protect abused children… because their childhood matters."
My fingers tightened slightly around the spoon.
"When I finally started practicing, I took a case. A father abusing his son. I won."
I paused.
"But in the next hearing… his father bribed everyone in court."
Silence.
"I lost."
My grip tightened.
"The next day, when I went to see the boy…"
I swallowed.
"He was already dead. His father hit him with a vase."
No one spoke.
"I couldn't trust the law anymore," I said quietly. "Not when money wins over truth."
"So the father…?" C-IN asked.
"He died two days later."
A small pause.
"Someone killed him." [A/N: Cole killed him after he found out the truth… after watching Jay cry herself to sleep every night.]
Silence deepened.
And Kiefer—
His jaw tightened.
His hand, resting on the table, slowly curled into a fist.
Not loud.
Not dramatic.
Just… controlled anger.
I exhaled softly.
"But I'm okay," I said. "I want to start over."
This time, my smile was real.
"I want to open a restaurant with Mia… or maybe a bakery."
"Who's Mia? "C-IN asked.
"My brother Jare's wife," I said. "And my best friend."
I didn't realize I had stopped eating—
until Kiefer moved.
He gently took the spoon from my hand.
And pushed the ice cream back toward me.
"Eat," he said.
Simple.
Normal.
Like, he didn't just see through everything.
Like he wasn't holding me together without making it obvious.
I looked down at the ice cream.
Then back at him.
"…you're annoying," I muttered.
A small smirk tugged at his lips.
"Eat."
And somehow—
I did.
"But Jay-Jay… you don't know how to cook?" C-IN said, already grinning. "You even blew up the kitchen at Aries's place."
"C-IN," Giggle warned, laughing under his breath.
I frowned.
"…I can cook when I don't have distractions," I said defensively. "Wait, but how do you know that?"
We were at the checkout.
And suddenly—
Everything went quiet.
Too quiet.
My eyes moved from one face to another.
They weren't looking at me.
They were looking at each other.
"And I also want to know something," I added slowly. "Why are you all so nice to me?"
No answer.
"I mean… It's strange. We met, what—yesterday?"
Still nothing.
The silence stretched.
Uncomfortable.
Heavy.
Like something was sitting right there—
But no one wanted to touch it.
"I'm hungry," Felix suddenly said, stepping in as if nothing had happened. "Anyone want to eat?"
The tension snapped.
"Yeah," C-IN said quickly. "Same."
"Let's go," Edrix added.
Too fast.
Too smooth.
Like they were running away from something.
I narrowed my eyes slightly.
Something's off.
But I didn't push.
Not yet.
"…fine," I said.
But as we walked out—
I noticed it.
The way Kiefer glanced at me.
Like he knew I wasn't convinced.
Like he was waiting for the moment I'd ask again.
And this time—
He wouldn't be able to avoid it.