Jay-Jay POV
By afternoon, the villa felt smaller.
Not physically—no, it was still massive, still echoing, still fancy enough to make me feel underdressed—but emotionally. Like the walls were quietly listening. Like everything unsaid was taking up space.
We were all in the living room. Some on phones, some half-asleep, Andrew and Felix arguing over music, Ci-n pretending not to listen while absolutely listening.
Normal chaos.
Sienna sat on the arm of the couch, legs crossed, telling a story about getting lost in a mall once. Everyone laughed.
Everyone.
Including Keifer.
That was the part my brain refused to ignore.
He laughed easily with her. Not forced. Not polite. Real.
I didn't feel angry. I didn't feel jealous.
I felt… displaced.
Yuri leaned close and whispered, "You good?"
"I'm fine," I whispered back automatically.
He gave me that look. The one that said you're lying but I'll let it slide.
The conversation shifted to plans for the evening. Someone suggested going back to the beach. Someone else suggested staying in.
Then Ci-n, in his usual careless tone, said,
"Not gonna lie, this place feels… weird sometimes."
Silence fell for half a second.
Sienna blinked. "Weird?"
"Not bad weird," Ci-n rushed. "Just—quiet. Too quiet."
I watched Sienna's smile tighten, just a little.
Before anyone could say anything else, Keifer spoke.
Firm. Calm. Immediate.
"It's not weird."
All eyes turned to him.
He stood up, hands in his pockets, shoulders relaxed—but his voice wasn't.
"This place is peaceful. That's all. Not everything has to be loud or chaotic to be normal."
Ci-n opened his mouth. Closed it again.
Keifer continued, glancing briefly at Sienna before looking at the rest of us.
"And Sienna's been nothing but kind since we got here. She helped organize things, made sure everyone was comfortable, and literally set up half the plans."
He paused.
"I don't see the problem."
Something in my chest tightened.
Not because he was wrong.
But because of how sure he sounded.
Sienna looked at him, surprised. "Keifer, you don't have to—"
"I want to," he said simply.
The room shifted.
Not dramatically. Not loudly.
Just… enough.
I forced a smile. "No one said she did anything wrong."
Keifer turned to me. His expression softened instantly.
"I know. I'm just saying—sometimes people read too much into things."
Is that what I'm doing?
I nodded. "Yeah. True."
Yuri glanced between us, brows slightly drawn together.
The conversation restarted, but something had changed. At least for me.
Later, when people slowly drifted off, I found myself alone with Keifer near the balcony.
He leaned on the railing. I leaned beside him.
For a while, neither of us spoke.
Then I said quietly, "You really trust her."
He didn't hesitate. "Yeah."
That single word landed heavier than it should have.
"She hasn't given me a reason not to," he added.
I watched the ocean instead of him. "You trust people easily."
"No," he said. "I trust people who show me who they are."
I swallowed.
"And what if you're wrong?" I asked, keeping my tone light.
He turned to me then, genuinely confused.
"Why would I be?"
I laughed softly. "I don't know. Just asking."
He studied my face for a second, like he was trying to understand something deeper.
"You don't have to worry," he said gently. "I know what I'm doing."
That was the moment.
Not a fight.
Not an argument.
Not even a disagreement.
Just a quiet realization.
Keifer wasn't blind.
He was choosing to see only the good.
And I didn't know whether that scared me more…
or the fact that I didn't know how to tell him what I was starting to feel.
Behind us, laughter echoed from inside the villa.
Vacation sounds.
Happy sounds.
But for the first time since we arrived, I felt like we weren't all standing on the same ground anymore.
And none of us noticed the crack forming beneath our feet.