Keifer's POV
I didn't even know where I was walking.
My legs were moving, fast, like if I stopped I'd have to think—and thinking right now felt dangerous.
Jayjay's face kept replaying in my head. The way she looked at me when I snapped. Not angry. Not defensive.
Just… hurt.
Great job, Kiefer. Ten out of ten. Boyfriend of the year.
I clenched my jaw and shoved my hands into my pockets. The breeze from the seaside was cool, but my chest felt tight, like something was pressing down on it.
Eli.
I hated how easily that name slipped into my thoughts.
I knew—I knew—Jayjay wasn't like that. She's never given me a reason not to trust her. Never. But the image wouldn't leave my head. Her jogging, laughing, him right there. Too close. Too comfortable.
Why does it bother me this much?
Why does it feel like I'm being replaced without anyone telling me?
Footsteps slowed beside me.
"Sienna?" I said without looking.
She matched my pace, quiet for a moment. Too quiet.
"I thought you might need company," she said gently. "You looked… upset."
I exhaled slowly. "I'm fine."
She didn't call me out. Didn't argue. That alone made me relax a little.
"I know Jayjay means a lot to you," Sienna continued. "Everyone can see that."
I nodded. "Yeah. She does."
Another pause. Then, carefully—too carefully—
"I just think… sometimes you give more than you get."
I frowned. "What do you mean?"
She tilted her head, like she was choosing her words. "I mean, you're always the one adjusting. Understanding. Letting things slide."
That shouldn't have hit me.
But it did.
"She didn't even notice how uncomfortable you were today," Sienna added softly. "You had to walk away before she realized something was wrong."
That's not true, I almost said.
Almost.
But then my mind betrayed me—Jayjay laughing earlier, brushing it off, saying it was "nothing."
Sienna sighed. "I'm not saying she's doing anything wrong on purpose. I just think… maybe she doesn't realize how her actions look from the outside."
From the outside.
I swallowed.
"She didn't explain," Sienna went on. "She got defensive instead."
She tried to explain, a voice in my head argued weakly.
But another voice—louder—cut in.
Not enough.
Sienna slowed, stopping near a palm tree. I stopped too.
"You care deeply," she said, meeting my eyes. "And when someone cares that much, they notice things others don't. That doesn't make you jealous or controlling. It makes you human."
I ran a hand through my hair.
"So what," I muttered, "I'm just supposed to ignore it?"
She shook her head. "No. You're supposed to protect yourself too."
Protect myself.
That sounded… reasonable.
"I just don't want to look stupid," I said quietly.
Sienna's voice softened. "You won't. Not if you trust your instincts."
Instincts.
I thought of Jayjay walking away earlier. Of how we split without fixing anything. Two different directions.
My chest ached.
"I don't want to lose her," I said.
Sienna smiled sadly. "Then maybe you should stop letting people make you feel like you're overreacting."
I didn't notice when she stepped closer.
"I'm on your side, Kiefer," she added. "I always have been."
And that was the problem.
Because standing there, confused and hurt, it felt good to have someone say that so confidently.
I didn't see the cracks forming.
Didn't see how the story in my head was slowly shifting.
All I knew was that Jayjay was walking somewhere else right now—and I wasn't beside her.
And for the first time since we met…
I didn't know how to get back to her.