(Keifer's POV)
She didn't let go immediately.
When she finally did, it was slow—like she wasn't fully ready to step back, but knew she had to.
Her hands slipped away from my shirt, and for a second, she didn't look at me.
Just… stood there.
Quiet.
"Don't tell them," she said softly.
I didn't ask what exactly.
Didn't need to.
"I won't," I replied.
She nodded once, still not meeting my eyes. Then she turned slightly, walking past me toward the other side of the room, picking up her phone like she needed something to focus on.
Normal.
Or at least trying to be.
I didn't stop her.
Didn't ask again.
Because whatever this was—she wasn't ready.
But that didn't mean I wasn't paying attention.
By the time I stepped out of the room, the house felt louder again. Not as chaotic as before—but close enough. Voices from downstairs, movement in the kitchen, someone laughing too loudly.
Trying.
All of them.
When I reached the hall, Aries was the first to look up.
"She okay?"
A simple question.
But not really.
I nodded once. "Yeah."
It wasn't a full answer.
He knew that.
Still, he didn't push.
Percy leaned against the railing, arms crossed. "You're not gonna tell us anything, are you?"
"No."
"At least you're honest," Cin muttered.
Freya exhaled, clearly irritated but holding it in. "So we just pretend nothing happened?"
I looked at all of them then.
Really looked.
Concern.
Confusion.
Worry.
All of it.
"She'll tell you when she's ready," I said calmly.
"And till then?" Ella asked quietly.
"Act normal."
That made Percy scoff. "Define normal, because this is definitely not—"
"Percy," Honey cut in gently, placing a hand on his arm.
He stopped.
Not because he agreed—
but because he understood.
Denzel nodded slightly. "We don't push her."
Grace added softly, "But we stay close."
Mica nodded quickly. "Yeah… we don't leave her alone."
Freya crossed her arms again, but her voice softened just a little. "Fine. But if that guy shows up again, I'm not staying quiet."
"You won't have to," I said.
That was enough for now.
The mood shifted slowly after that.
Not back to how it was before—
but close enough to function.
Percy started talking again, louder than needed. Cin joined in, exaggerating something just to get a reaction. Freya rolled her eyes but played along. Ella stayed quieter, watching more than speaking.
Mica and Grace moved toward the kitchen, already talking about dinner like it mattered more than anything else. Denzel followed, helping without being asked.
Aries stayed where he was for a moment longer—then finally nodded once and walked away.
Act normal.
That was the plan.
For tonight.
Their last dinner here.
Before everything changed again.
And upstairs—
behind a closed door—
she was still holding onto something
she wasn't ready to let go of.
(Keifer's POV)
She didn't let go immediately.
When she finally did, it was slow—like she wasn't fully ready to step back, but knew she had to.
Her hands slipped away from my shirt, and for a second, she didn't look at me.
Just… stood there.
Quiet.
"Don't tell them," she said softly.
I didn't ask what exactly.
Didn't need to.
"I won't," I replied.
She nodded once, still not meeting my eyes. Then she turned slightly, walking past me toward the other side of the room, picking up her phone like she needed something to focus on.
Normal.
Or at least trying to be.
I didn't stop her.
Didn't ask again.
Because whatever this was—she wasn't ready.
But that didn't mean I wasn't paying attention.
By the time I stepped out of the room, the house felt louder again. Not as chaotic as before—but close enough. Voices from downstairs, movement in the kitchen, someone laughing too loudly.
Trying.
All of them.
When I reached the hall, Aries was the first to look up.
"She okay?"
A simple question.
But not really.
I nodded once. "Yeah."
It wasn't a full answer.
He knew that.
Still, he didn't push.
Percy leaned against the railing, arms crossed. "You're not gonna tell us anything, are you?"
"No."
"At least you're honest," Cin muttered.
Freya exhaled, clearly irritated but holding it in. "So we just pretend nothing happened?"
I looked at all of them then.
Really looked.
Concern.
Confusion.
Worry.
All of it.
"She'll tell you when she's ready," I said calmly.
"And till then?" Ella asked quietly.
"Act normal."
That made Percy scoff. "Define normal, because this is definitely not—"
"Percy," Honey cut in gently, placing a hand on his arm.
He stopped.
Not because he agreed—
but because he understood.
Denzel nodded slightly. "We don't push her."
Grace added softly, "But we stay close."
Mica nodded quickly. "Yeah… we don't leave her alone."
Freya crossed her arms again, but her voice softened just a little. "Fine. But if that guy shows up again, I'm not staying quiet."
"You won't have to," I said.
That was enough for now.
The mood shifted slowly after that.
Not back to how it was before—
but close enough to function.
Percy started talking again, louder than needed. Cin joined in, exaggerating something just to get a reaction. Freya rolled her eyes but played along. Ella stayed quieter, watching more than speaking.
Mica and Grace moved toward the kitchen, already talking about dinner like it mattered more than anything else. Denzel followed, helping without being asked.
Aries stayed where he was for a moment longer—then finally nodded once and walked away.
Act normal.
That was the plan.
For tonight.
Their last dinner here.
Before everything changed again.
And upstairs—
behind a closed door—
she was still holding onto something
she wasn't ready to let go of.
By the time we all gathered in the dining area, the house almost felt normal again. Almost. The table was set, plates laid out, food still warm, and for a moment it looked like just another night. But no one sat the same way. No one spoke the same way.
Percy tried first, of course. He dropped into his chair and clapped his hands once. "Alright, last dinner here—someone say something funny before this turns into a funeral."
"Then you start," Freya shot back immediately, though there wasn't much bite in it this time.
"I always start," he complained.
"And that's the problem," Cin added, finally smirking a little.
That got a small laugh out of Grace, and even Mica smiled faintly. Honey nudged Percy lightly, calming him without saying much, while Ella sat quietly, observing everyone like she was keeping track of the mood more than the conversation. Denzel pulled out a chair for Grace before sitting down himself, still more alert than relaxed. Aries remained at the head of the table, quieter than usual.
One chair stayed empty.
Hers.
No one pointed it out.
But everyone noticed.
She came in a minute later.
Like nothing had happened.
Hair tied back loosely, expression calm, phone in her hand for a second before she set it aside. She didn't look at anyone directly at first—just took her seat like this was normal.
"Sorry," she said simply.
"You're late," Percy replied, but softer than he usually would.
"I know."
That was it.
No excuses.
No explanation.
Dinner started.
Slowly.
Conversation picked up in pieces.
Percy talked too much again, intentionally this time. Cin added comments just to keep it going. Freya rolled her eyes but joined in. Mica and Grace spoke about random things—food, plans for tomorrow—anything that didn't touch what actually mattered.
Everyone was trying.
Trying to keep it normal.
And she played along.
Answered when spoken to.
Even smirked once or twice.
But it wasn't the same.
It was controlled.
Measured.
Like she was choosing every reaction before showing it.
I didn't say much.
Just watched.
Not in a way that would make her shut down—
just enough to notice what others wouldn't.
The way her hand paused slightly when she reached for something.
The way her shoulders stayed just a little too stiff.
The way she avoided looking at Aries for too long.
At one point, Percy nudged her lightly. "You're too quiet. That's illegal."
She glanced at him. "Eat your food."
"Wow. Rude."
"You'll survive."
"That's debatable."
A few small laughs followed.
It worked.
For a second, it felt real again.
Then her phone buzzed.
Just once.
Soft.
But I saw it.
She didn't pick it up immediately.
Just looked at it for a second—
longer than normal.
Then turned the screen down.
Ignored it.
That was enough.
Freya noticed the shift too. Her eyes flicked to Jay, then away, choosing not to say anything. Ella did the same. Aries definitely noticed—but stayed silent.
They were all doing exactly what I had asked.
Act normal.
Dinner went on.
Voices rose and fell.
Plates emptied.
The night moved forward.
But underneath it—
something stayed.
Unsaid.
Unresolved.
And this time,
even she couldn't hide it completely.