Kiefer's POV
The city of London looked cold from the apartment window — lights scattered like distant stars, and cars whispering through wet streets below. He had just finished his last meeting for the day, his body aching, mind exhausted, but his thoughts drifted somewhere far away — back to Philippines , back to Section E, back to her.
He leaned back on the couch, holding his phone. A small smile crossed his lips when he opened the wallpaper — Jayjay's photo from the last beach trip. Her messy hair, the sunlight in her eyes… she was laughing at something Yuri said. Just seeing it made him smile again.
"You're really something, aren't you?" he murmured, brushing his thumb across the screen.
His phone buzzed — Incoming call: Red rooster
He raised a brow. Yuri? At this hour?
He answered, expecting chaos as usual. "What's up?"
But instead of Yuri's loud voice, he heard something else — quiet breathing, a soft sigh — and then Jayjay's familiar voice in the background.
"If you miss your boyfriend that much, maybe you should call him instead."
Kiefer couldn't help but laugh. He knew that tone. He could almost picture her eyes widening as she realized it was him.
When Yuri turned the camera, Kiefer waved lazily.
"Surprise," he said with a grin. "Didn't expect to see me this soon, huh?"
Jayjay looked completely flustered. "Yuri! You— you video-called him?"
Yuri laughed, "You've been sighing all morning. I had to help my girl out!"
Kiefer chuckled quietly, watching Jayjay's embarrassed face. The way her lips curved slightly, how she tried to hide her smile — he'd missed that.
"Hey, don't hide," he said softly. "I missed that face."
Her cheeks turned pink.
"Stop teasing me," she muttered.
Adrian's voice joined in from the side. "Looks like our patient's fully healed now!"
Kiefer laughed. "Yeah, but I think she'll need daily checkups."
Yuri almost fell off her chair laughing. "Oh my gosh— Kiefer!"
The teasing went on until a teacher's voice echoed in the background, making Jayjay quickly wave goodbye.
"I'll call again tonight," Kiefer said, smiling. "So don't miss me too much, okay?"
When the call ended, the apartment felt quiet again. The laughter still lingered in his head — but so did her voice. He leaned back, closing his eyes for a second, replaying the sound of her laugh like a song.
A few hours later, Kiefer was about to fall asleep when his phone buzzed again.
He frowned, seeing the caller ID: Kearen.
"Kearen? What's wrong? It's late over there."
Her voice trembled on the other side.
"Kiefer… it's Keagan. He— he hasn't come home yet."
He sat up instantly, all sleep gone.
"What do you mean he hasn't come home? He said he was at his friend's house."
"He was supposed to be," Kearen whispered. "But I called his friend's mom… she said Keagan never came."
The room suddenly felt cold. Kiefer's hand clenched around the phone.
"Stay inside and lock the doors. I'll handle this."
His heartbeat echoed in his ears. That peaceful night was gone — replaced by a sudden storm brewing in his chest.