Chapter 3 - What the Hell is This Feeling?
1 week into the mess:
Jay immediatly regretted showing up early.
The university library was half-empty, sunlight streaking through the tall windows and scattering soft light on the polished floors. Jay sat at the back,trying to study or maybe pretending to study, earbuds in, open notebook untouched. Her coffee had gone cold, and her eyes kept drifting to the front of the reading area, where the sound of laughter kept tugging at her attention like a fishing hook under skin.
It was Keifer.
Of course it was Keifer Watson.
Her so called fiance.
He was leaning over the desk near the window, flashing that stupid handsome grin of his to some girl with caramel curls and perfectly glossed lips. Jay recognized her vaguely - upperclassman, marketing major, track team. Beautiful. Confident. Everything Jay wasn't.
She turned up the volume in her earbuds. Tried to focus on the page in front of her. Photosynthesis is the process by which-
Another giggle.
Jay snapped her pencil in half.
Keifer, she told herself, was just a guy. A smug, arrogant,self-centered, overly athletic, semi-charming guy. So what if he was flirting? He always flirted. He probably flirted with vending machines if they blinked at him long enough.
It didn't mean anything.
Right?
But the way he leaned in, the way he smiled like that girl was the only person in the world - it made something twist inside her chest. Something ugly. Something she didn't want to name.couldn't name.
Why do you care? a voice hissed in her head. You hate him, remember?
Jay shook her head. No, this wasn't about him. It was about principle. About having to share a freaking apartment with someone who treated life like a game and girls like tokens. She was annoyed. That's all.probably.
And yet...
Her eyes drifted back again.
The girl leaned in and touched his arm.
And Keifer didn't pull away.
Jay shoved her books into her bag and stood up so fast her chair scraped the floor. The noise made Keifer glance up.of course he did.
Their eyes met.
For one second - maybe less - he looked... startled. Like he hadn't expected to see her. His smile faded just slightly. His brows tugged together.
Then the girl said something, and he looked away.
Jay walked out without looking back.
Keifer watched her leave, and everything else faded to static.
She'd seen him.
He didn't know why his chest felt tight or why her expression hit harder than he expected. It wasn't like he'd done anything wrong. He was just talking. Laughing. Being normal.
So why did it feel like he'd gotten caught?
The girl in front of him - kira, was it? - said something about his smile. He nodded automatically, not really listening. His mind was already somewhere else.
What the hell is wrong with you?
Jay hated him. She made that clear every day. Every eye roll. Every passive-aggressive note on the fridge. Every time she shut the bathroom door two seconds before he got there just to spite him.everything she used to do when they were children.
She didn't care.
And he didn't care that she didn't care.
Except...
She looked hurt.
For half a second, her eyes had flared with something hot and sharp. Not anger. Not irritation. Something closer to-
Nope. Don't go there.he thought.
He leaned back in his chair, forced a smirk, and finished the conversation. But his laughter was emptier now, his smile stiff. Fake.The girl seemed to notice and eventually made an excuse to leave.
Good.
Because Keifer couldn't stop thinking about Jay. Not just the way she looked at him - like he'd crossed some line - but the way she looked lately, period.
He hated how observant he'd become.
The way her hair always smelled faintly like flowers. The way her nose crinkled when she focused. The way her voice dropped a little when she was tired.
He hated how quickly her moods affected his. How the silence back at the apartment was louder when she wasn't around.
And now... this?
This wasn't part of the plan.
He was supposed to ignore her. Stay out of her way. Let her finish university and go back to wherever the hell she came from.
Not wonder what it meant when her eyes flickered down to his lips.
Not feel disappointed when she looked away.
He ran a hand through his hair.
What the hell is this feeling?
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Back in her dorm's common area, Jay slumped into a chair, heart still racing.
Why did it bother her?it shouldn't
Why did it matter what Keifer did or who he flirted with?
Maybe because he was supposed to be different when no one else was around. Maybe because even with all their fighting, all their stupid insults, he never looked at her like she was just another girl.
Or maybe - and this was the worst maybe of all - maybe she was starting to fall for someone she promised to hate.
And if that was true, she was already in deep trouble.