The bathroom door creaked open as Keifer stepped out, drying his hair with a towel draped over his shoulder. He carried Jay-jay in his arms like she was made of glass, her legs wrapped around his waist and her face buried in the crook of his neck.
The moment they stepped into the living area, the chaos of Section E hit them like a tidal wave.
"OH LOOK! The lovebirds have finally emerged from their cave!" Yuri's voice rang out first, a wide, teasing grin plastered across his face. He was leaning against the kitchen counter, nursing a mug of coffee.
"Took you guys long enough," Ci-N added without looking up from his phone, though the smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth gave him away. "We were starting to think Keifer had actually eaten you whole."
Keifer's grip on Jay-jay tightened instinctively, his jaw setting in that familiar, grumpy line.
Jay jay let out a muffled, embarrassed groan against Keifer's neck, her face heating up instantly. She tried to hide her face deeper into the crook of his shoulder, wishing she could just vanish into his skin. The sheer audacity of section e to be so loud and casual while she felt like her entire body was still vibrating from the night before was enough to make her want to crawl under the rug.
"Shut up, Yuri!" she managed to squeak out, her voice sounding much more breathless and fragile than she intended.
"Leave us alone, you vultures," Keifer growled, though there was no real heat in it—just a protective, territorial edge. He set her down he just adjusted his hold, shifting her weight so she was more comfortable beside him, his hand splayed firmly against her lower back in a clear signal that she was his and he wasn't sharing her attention with anyone.
"Aww, look at him being all protective," Yuri cooed, placing a hand over his heart in a mock gesture of sympathy. "Don't worry, Keifer, nobody's going to steal her. Not after the way you practically bolted the door last night."
"Yo, for real though," Ci-N chimed in, finally setting his phone down. He leaned back in his chair, a wicked glint in his eyes. "You guys didn't come out for hours. We were about to call the fire department thinking something was burning down in there. Or maybe it was just the bed on fire?"
"Ci-N, you're disgusting," Jay-jay mumbled, but her voice was drowned out by a sudden burst of laughter from the couch.
Calix was sprawled out there, a grin splitting his face.
"It was definitely a fire," Calix shouted over the noise, his laughter echoing through the room. "A very loud, very intense fire! I think I heard the walls shaking!"
"Calix, shut your mouth before I shut it for you!" Keifer snapped, though the slight reddening of his ears betrayed his annoyance. He tightened his hold on Jay-jay, his chest rumbling with a low, warning growl. He didn't care how much they teased the idea of them dissecting his private moments with her made his blood simmer with a possessive irritation.
Jay-jay felt like she was caught in a whirlwind. The embarrassment was a physical weight, making her heart race even as her body felt heavy and spent. She could feel Keifer's warmth, the solid strength of his arms in her waist, and the way he shielded her from their prying eyes.
"Can we just... go to the kitchen?"
His grip on her waist tightened for a moment, a silent promise that he'd handle the teasing later. He steered her toward the kitchen with a calm, unshakeable authority that even Calix's laughter couldn't crack.
The kitchen was quiet, filled with the scent of freshly brewed coffee and toasted bread.keifer pulled out a chair for her, his movements efficient and practiced. He plated a light breakfast—fruit, yogurt, and some soft bread—and sat down beside her.
"Eat," he commanded softly, sliding the plate toward her.
When she hesitated, looking like she'd rather face the Council than a fork, he picked up a piece of fruit and held it to her lips. "I'm not asking, Jay jay."
She took a bite, her eyes meeting his. The tension from the morning began to thaw in the small, domestic space.
The kitchen chaos eventually faded into a dull hum in the background as Keifer practically carried Jay jay back toward their bedroom. The walk felt longer than it actually was, her legs feeling like jelly with every step, and the sheer mental exhaustion of being teased by their roommates had left her feeling completely drained.
As soon as the bedroom door clicked shut, the silence of their private sanctuary wrapped around them like a heavy velvet blanket.
"Keifer..." she murmured, her voice barely a breath as he set her down on the edge of the bed. She didn't even try to stand up or help him with anything. Instead, she immediately collapsed backward into the pillows, her eyes already half-closed. "I can't... I can't do anything else today. I just want to sleep."
She looked up at him, her expression one of pure, unadulterated fatigue.
He stood over her, watching the way her chest rose and fell with shallow, tired breaths. The fierce, defiant woman who had been arguing with him in the bathtub ago was gone, replaced by someone utterly spent.
He didn't say anything at first. He simply moved to the edge of the bed and sat down, his weight causing the mattress to dip. His hand found hers, his fingers lacing through hers with a gentleness that felt almost foreign to his nature.
"Then sleep," he said, his voice low and devoid of its usual command. "I'm not going to force you into anything today."
He reached over to the nightstand, grabbing a glass of water and holding it to her lips. "Drink. Then close your eyes."
As she drank, he watched her with an intensity that had nothing to do with desire and everything to do with something far more complicated.
Jay jay swallowed the water, the coolness of it soothing her parched throat. She let out a long, shaky sigh, her body sinking deeper into the mattress as the weight of her exhaustion finally won. The room felt soft, the edges of her vision blurring as the quiet of the bedroom began to pull her under.
She felt his hand leave hers, but then she felt the mattress shift again. He wasn't leaving.
"Stay?" she whispered, her eyes barely slits, her voice thick with sleep. It wasn't a request for sex, or even for conversation it was a plea for presence. She just wanted to feel the anchor of him beside her while she drifted off.
Keifer didn't answer with words. Instead, she felt the bed dip significantly as he climbed in beside her.
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Guys, please suggest something. I don't know what else to write. 😭 That's why I haven't been uploading any new chapters.