Jayjay POV
I was lying on my bed, staring at the ceiling, thinking about life.
Which was a mistake.
Because life immediately reminded me of Keifer.
And then—very rudely—my brain replayed the kiss.
My stomach chose that exact moment to betray me.
Grrrrrr.
I froze.
"…Excuse you?" I whispered to my own stomach.
I checked the time. 10:27 p.m.
Too early to sleep.
Too late to pretend hunger isn't real.
I sneaked downstairs like a professional criminal, opened the kitchen cabinets, and—
Nothing.
No snacks.
Only real food.
Absolutely unacceptable.
I stood there thinking for a full minute before a dangerous idea formed.
The 24/7 mini mart.
I went back upstairs, threw on my jogging outfit because the weather was cold and my dignity fragile, then tiptoed out of the house without making a sound.
If I got caught, I would simply cease to exist.
Fifteen minutes later, I reached the mini mart.
Victory.
I walked straight to the ice cream section, grabbed my favorite like my life depended on it, paid, and sat on the bench outside to enjoy my well-earned happiness.
First bite.
Heaven.
Then—
A tap on my shoulder.
I screamed internally, jumped, and dropped the ice cream straight onto the ground.
"No! My child—"
I turned around.
Oh lord.
"Keifer."
I stared at him like he had personally committed a crime against humanity.
"You scared the life out of me!" I snapped. "Do you enjoy almost killing people?"
He burst out laughing. Like this was the funniest thing he'd seen all year.
I didn't laugh.
I cried.
Actual tears.
Keifer immediately stopped. "Hey—why are you crying?"
I pointed dramatically at the ice cream on the floor.
"…It was my favorite."
He sighed like a man who knew this was his responsibility now.
He gently sat me back on the bench, wiped my tears with his thumb, and said, "Wait here."
Then he walked back into the mini mart.
A few minutes later, he returned… holding a bag.
"Open it," he said.
I looked at him suspiciously, then opened it.
Ice cream.
A lot of ice cream.
Different flavors.
I gasped. "You fool! You could've just bought one!"
"I didn't know which flavor you liked," he shrugged.
I sighed, defeated, and picked one.
As I opened it, I suddenly looked at him. "By the way… what are you doing here?"
He froze.
"I—I—wasss…"
He cleared his throat. "Jogging. Yes. Jogging."
I raised an eyebrow. "At night?"
He quickly changed the subject. "What about you?"
"Isn't it obvious?" I said. "Midnight snack."
He nodded like that explained everything.
Silence fell between us.
Five whole minutes.
"Keifer," I said softly.
"Yeah?"
"Do you think Hex will agree to come to Angelo's house?"
He looked at me. "Maybe. I mean… yeah. At least he'll be near you."
My heart did a small, annoying flip.
We talked about it for a while—Hex, the house, the chaos—until the conversation somehow turned funny, like it always did with him.
I scooped the very last bit of ice cream into my mouth.
Keifer laughed.
"What?" I asked.
"There's ice cream on your face."
I wiped my cheek. "Is it gone?"
He shook his head. "No."
"You're not helping," I snapped. "Just show me where it is."
I turned to throw the empty cup into the trash bag.
When I turned back—
We were too close.
His face was inches from mine.
My breath caught.
Then he leaned in.
And kissed me.
Soft. Slow.
After a few seconds, I gave in.
When he pulled back, he smiled. "There. Clean."
Then he added, "Also… that was sweet."
I stared at him, half frozen.
"…Which one?" I asked. "The lips or the ice cream?"
The moment the words left my mouth, I realized—
Oh no.
He smiled. "Both."
My brain shut down.
All I could do was stare at him—his eyes, his smile, how unfairly handsome he looked.
A hand snapped in front of my face.
"Jay."
"Huh?"
"Your phone is ringing."
I looked down.
Aries.
I answered.
"Where the hell are you?!" he shouted. "Don't you know Angelo is looking for you?!"
I slowly lowered the phone and turned to Keifer.
"I'm dead," I said calmly. "Tell Hex I loved him."
Keifer blinked. "…Huh?"
End of Chapter