After Breakfast — The Car
The city moved in soft blur outside the tinted windows.
Inside the car, it was quieter than usual.
Not awkward.
Just charged.
Jay sat beside Keifer, pretending to look outside, but she could feel his attention on her more than the road ahead.
"You're quiet," she said.
"I'm listening."
"To traffic?"
"To you breathing differently when you're trying not to look at me."
Her head snapped toward him. "I am not—"
"You are."
She narrowed her eyes. "You're imagining things again."
"I'm not."
A beat passed.
Then he added, calmly:
"You like when I look at you like this."
Her ears warmed instantly.
"I don't."
"You do."
"I don't."
He finally turned slightly toward her.
"Then look away."
That made her pause.
She did… for exactly two seconds.
Then she looked back.
His lips curved faintly.
"That's what I thought."
Jay muttered, "You're insufferable in the morning."
"And yet you're still here."
That made her fall silent.
Because he wasn't wrong.
At The Office — The Elevator
The private elevator doors closed softly.
Silence again.
Just them.
Jay pressed the floor button, then leaned slightly against the rail.
Keifer didn't move immediately.
He just watched her.
"You've been looking at me all day," she said quietly.
"I always do."
"That's not normal."
"It is for me."
The elevator began to rise.
Slow.
Tight space.
Too quiet.
He stepped closer.
Not rushed.
Not sudden.
Just inevitable.
His hand rested lightly at her waist.
"You're distracting," he said.
"I'm working," she replied.
"No, you're not."
She looked up at him. "And you are?"
"Yes."
"With me?"
"Yes."
That made her breath catch slightly.
The elevator slowed between floors.
And then—
He said it.
Soft.
Certain.
"Mrs. Watson."
Her body froze for a second.
She looked at him.
"You just said that."
"I did."
"Why?"
"Because it fits."
Her heartbeat picked up.
"That's not my name."
"Not yet."
The way he said "yet" wasn't playful.
It was sure.
Intentional.
She stepped slightly closer without thinking.
"You're impossible."
"You're reacting."
"I am not."
"You are."
He leaned in slightly.
Close enough that her breath hitched.
"Say it again," she whispered.
"What?"
"My name like that."
His hand tightened slightly at her waist.
"Mrs. Watson."
That was it.
Something in her snapped.
She grabbed his shirt lightly and pulled him down.
And kissed him.
Not soft.
Not hesitant.
Real.
Deep.
The kind of kiss that stopped thought.
His hand moved instantly, steadying her at the waist.
Not rushing her.
Just holding her like she was already his decision.
The elevator dinged faintly somewhere in the background.
But neither moved.
When they finally pulled apart, both were breathing slightly uneven.
His forehead rested against hers.
"You're going to get us caught," she whispered.
"I don't care."
She looked at him.
"That's your problem."
"No," he said quietly. "That's my priority."
The elevator doors opened.
They stepped out.
Perfect.
Controlled.
Professional masks back on.
But the air between them was different now.
Evening — Jay's Apartment
Night had settled.
Jay opened her apartment door—
And stopped.
Percy was lying on the couch like he owned it.
Eating chips loudly.
"Welcome back, lovebirds."
Jay sighed. "Why are you here?"
"I have emotional access," Percy said proudly.
"That's not a thing."
"It is in this household."
Keifer walked in calmly behind her.
Percy immediately sat up.
"Okay. I know that look."
"What look?" Jay asked.
"The 'we did something illegal in a glass box' look."
Jay choked. "WHAT?"
Percy pointed at them both. "You kissed."
Silence.
Keifer: "Yes."
Jay: "NO—"
Percy screamed. "IN THE ELEVATOR?!"
Jay buried her face instantly.
"WHY DO YOU KNOW EVERYTHING?" she groaned.
Percy laughed. "Because you're both terrible at hiding it."
Keifer calmly removed his coat.
"You're loud."
"You're jealous," Percy shot back.
Keifer didn't deny it.
That made it worse.
Jay sat down on the couch, embarrassed.
Percy leaned closer to Keifer.
"So how was it?"
Keifer looked at him.
"Not your business."
Percy grinned. "So it was good."
Jay threw a cushion at him.
Later — The Text
The apartment finally quieted down.
Percy was still talking nonsense in the kitchen.
Jay was on the couch.
Keifer stood near the window, phone in hand.
A vibration.
Unknown number.
He opened it.
"You're getting distracted ."
His expression changed instantly.
Colder.
Focused.
He didn't speak.
Just locked the phone.
Jay noticed immediately.
"What is it?"
"Nothing."
"That face isn't nothing."
He looked at her.
For a second—soft.
Then controlled again.
"Someone is watching."
Percy stopped mid-sentence in the kitchen.
"…Excuse me?"
Keifer didn't look away from Jay.
"And they're wrong if they think I'll slow down because of it."
Jay stood slowly.
"Keifer…"
He walked toward her.
Not tense.
Not rushed.
Just certain.
"They made a mistake," he said quietly.
"And what mistake is that?"
He stopped right in front of her.
His voice dropped slightly.
"They involved you."
Silence.
Percy muttered from behind them:
"Okay I just got chills. I'm leaving the room."
But neither of them moved.
Because now—
The night wasn't about flirting anymore.
It was about something watching.
And Keifer deciding what to do about it