The moment Keifer stood up and left, Jay's heart shattered.
She didn't even think.
She just moved.
Her feet carried her out of the café, into the pouring rain.
The street lights reflected on the wet road like scattered stars, and every drop felt like it was drowning her.
She ran.
She didn't know where he was going, but she couldn't let him disappear again.
She followed him through the rain, her hair sticking to her face, her clothes soaked, her heart beating so hard she felt like it would burst.
Keifer didn't notice her at first.
He was walking fast, like he was trying to escape not just her, but himself.
Jay caught up to him near the end of the street, where the rain was heavier and the world seemed emptier.
She grabbed his sleeve.
"Keifer!" she shouted, voice cracking.
He stopped.
He turned slowly.
His face was expressionless, but his eyes were filled with pain.
Jay's chest heaved.
"I'm sorry," she said, breathless. "I didn't mean to shock you."
Keifer stared at her.
"You didn't need to say anything," he said quietly. "You just… left."
Jay shook her head, rain dripping from her eyelashes.
"I didn't leave because I wanted to," she whispered. "I left because I had to."
Keifer's jaw tightened.
Jay stepped closer, trembling.
"Keifer," she said, voice shaking, "please don't do this."
He looked at her like he was trying to decide if he could trust her.
Then, without warning, he spoke.
"I'm distancing myself because I'm scared," he said.
Jay's heart stopped.
"I'm scared that if I care… if I love you… you'll leave me again," he continued, voice breaking. "And I can't handle losing you again."
Jay's eyes filled with tears.
"I'm not going anywhere," she said, voice shaking. "I promise."
Keifer's eyes softened.
"You don't understand," he whispered. "Every time I get close… I lose someone. Everyone leaves."
Jay swallowed hard.
"But I'm not like them," she said. "I'm not the type to run."
Keifer looked at her, pain in his eyes.
"And what about now?" he asked quietly. "What about now that you're married?"
Jay's heart sank.
She looked down at her ring, then back up at him.
"I know I'm married," she whispered. "But that doesn't change how I feel."
Keifer stared at her.
Jay stepped closer until they were only inches apart.
Her voice was barely audible.
"I like you," she said.
Keifer's eyes widened slightly.
Jay took a deep breath, forcing herself to keep going.
"I love you," she confessed, voice breaking. "And I don't care about the past, or the ring, or anything else. I just want you."
Keifer's breath caught.
The rain fell harder, soaking them both.
For a moment, the world stopped.
Keifer looked like he was about to say something, but he couldn't.
His eyes flickered with emotion.
And then he finally whispered the words Jay had been waiting for.
"I love you too," he said, voice shaking.
Jay's tears fell freely now.
She reached out and grabbed his hand.
Keifer's fingers tightened around hers.
He pulled her closer, and for the first time since the day she saw him again, he didn't distance himself.
He didn't push her away.
He held her like he was afraid to lose her.
Jay buried her face in his chest as the rain poured down.
And in the middle of the storm, with their hearts beating together, they finally confessed what they had been hiding all along.