I saw them the moment I turned the corner.
Kiko.
Jay Jay.
Sitting too close, laughing too easily, leaning in like he had every right to be there.
I stopped.
Just like that, the air shifted.
I didn't move toward them immediately. I couldn't. I had to keep control. Had to make sure I didn't scare her.
But my jaw was tight.
My chest burned.
When Jay Jay glanced up and met my eyes, I couldn't hold it in any longer.
"Jay Jay," I said, voice low but firm.
She turned fully toward me, her smile faltering. Kiko noticed too, a brief flicker of unease crossing his face.
"What?" she asked, calm—but something in her tone made my patience snap.
I stepped closer than I usually allowed myself, keeping my voice steady but sharp.
"What's your relationship with him?"
Her eyes widened.
"Keifer—" she started.
"What's your relation with Kiko?" I pressed, sharper this time.
She crossed her arms, standing up. "It's none of your business."
Her words cut through me like a whip.
I could feel the control slipping—just slightly.
"None of my business?" I said, stepping closer, my voice low, deliberate. "I see the way he's sitting beside you, the way he leans in, the way you laugh at things I don't get to hear. None of my business?"
She swallowed, her stance defiant. "I can talk to whoever I want. You're making this—"
"Stop!" I interrupted, louder than intended. My hand twitched, ready to reach for her, but I stopped myself. Just a hair's width away from touching her shoulder. My control hung by a thread.
"I don't care if you can talk to whoever you want!" I said, voice low, almost a growl. "But don't—don't act like I don't matter here! Don't pretend this isn't about me when you're sitting there laughing with him!"
Her eyes softened. A flicker of fear—or maybe realization—crossed her face.
"I… it's nothing," she said quietly.
"Nothing?" I repeated, leaning closer, keeping my hand to myself, my voice quieter now, but heavier. "Jay Jay, I see everything. And I'm telling you… I don't like this. I don't like him. I don't like him near you. And you—" My gaze sharpened. "You're mine."
The words left me in a rush this time, unfiltered, almost desperate.
Jay Jay blinked, speechless. She took a step back, not away from me—but away from the weight of my gaze.
I could feel her pulse quicken. Her chest rising and falling.
I wanted to reach out. To tell her I was holding back—for her. To tell her that this was about keeping her safe, about keeping her free, while also claiming her in the only way I knew how.
Instead, I stepped back myself, letting my words linger in the air between us.
"You're mine," I repeated softly, this time more controlled, almost a whisper.
She didn't answer. Didn't move.
But I could feel it. The space between us had shifted.
And that was enough.
Because she would think about it. She would feel it. And deep down, she would know—I didn't need to force her. I didn't need to claim her in front of the world.
She already belonged to me.