Jayjay POV
The moment we got into the car, the silence was loud.
Hex sat quietly in the back seat, staring out the window, his reflection faint against the glass. Keifer started the engine like nothing dramatic had just happened, which somehow annoyed me more.
I folded my arms.
"So," I said slowly, "who is your fiancée?"
Keifer glanced at me, then back at the road. "…That."
"That," I repeated. "You stood in front of a whole school and called me your fiancée."
He sighed. "I didn't plan it."
"You could've said friend," I snapped. "Or guardian. Or literally anything else."
"I know," he said calmly. "But in that moment, it just came out."
I scoffed. "Convenient."
He hesitated for a second. "If I'm being honest… sometimes I don't give you the respect I should. And when I spoke, I just—said what felt strongest."
That caught me off guard.
I frowned. "That still doesn't explain fiancée."
He shrugged slightly. "It's just a word, Jayjay."
I rolled my eyes. "Yeah. A very dangerous word."
"Enough with the fiancée stuff," he said, steering onto the road. "It did the job."
I muttered, "You're impossible."
A few minutes later, Keifer pulled over near a small shop.
"Wait here," he said. "I'll be right back."
He returned with an ice pack and some wipes.
"For Hex," he said simply.
I turned around.
Hex had already fallen asleep.
Of course he had.
The adrenaline must've worn off all at once.
I quietly climbed into the back seat, carefully pressing the ice pack against his cheek. I tried not to wake him—but the cold did its job.
"…Ow," he mumbled.
"Sorry, sorry," I whispered quickly. "Just helping."
He opened one eye, saw me, and relaxed. "It's cold."
"I know."
He hummed something unintelligible and leaned back again.
The rest of the drive passed gently. Streetlights flickered past the windows, and Hex eventually shifted closer, his head tilting toward me this time. I held the ice pack in place, careful not to wake him.
When we reached Eman 's restaurant, the lights were warm and inviting. Laughter spilled out the moment we opened the car doors.
"Finally!" Felix called out. "You guys disappeared like secret agents."
Ci-N leaned forward, eyes immediately landing on Hex. "Whoa—what happened to his face?"
Hex straightened up a little. "Uh… ran into something."
I shot him a look. Liar.
Keifer stepped in smoothly. "Long day at school."
Calix squinted. "That sounds suspicious."
I sighed. "Let's just say… people don't know when to mind their business."
They didn't push. For once.
As we sat down, Eman slid a plate of food toward Hex. "Eat. Doctor's orders."
Hex blinked. "You're not a doctor."
"I am today."
He laughed softly and started eating, slower than usual but with real appetite this time.
I watched him, my chest tight but lighter than before.
He defended himself.
He didn't break.
And he's not alone.
Keifer leaned back in his chair, glancing at me briefly. No teasing. No jokes. Just a quiet look that said it's handled.
And for the first time that day, I believed it.