KEIFER'S POV:
I woke up earlier than I usually did on weekends.
Which already said a lot.
Normally, I'd stay in bed until noon if nobody bothered me. But today, I woke up before my alarm and immediately checked my phone like an idiot.
No new messages.
I stared at the ceiling for a second before sighing.
Why am I nervous?
It was just Jayjay.
…Okay, no. That was exactly the problem.
I got out of bed and got ready faster than usual. I even made a reservation at the samgyeopsal place nearby because there was no way I was risking a long waiting line today.
Not when I actually wanted things to go well.
Rory would never let me live this down if he found out.
Neither would Section E.
Especially Ci-N.
Just imagining their reactions already gave me a headache.
Before leaving, I checked my reflection one last time.
"…This is ridiculous," I muttered under my breath.
But I still grabbed my keys and left.
—
When Jayjay walked out of her house, I forgot what I was thinking for a second.
Simple shirt.
Jeans.
Light makeup.
Nothing overdone.
But somehow that made it worse.
"Well, look at you," I said before I could stop myself.
She immediately rolled her eyes.
"Don't start."
"Oh, I'm definitely starting," I replied while opening the passenger door for her. "Makeup too?"
"It's light makeup."
"So you did put makeup on."
She gave me a flat look. "You're observant today."
I smirked slightly. "What? You put that on for me?"
"No."
"That was too fast."
"Because the answer is no."
Sure.
I almost laughed when she looked away right after saying it.
"You're blushing," I pointed out immediately.
"I'm literally not."
"You literally are."
"Drive the car."
I grinned the entire drive.
—
The date went better than I expected.
Actually—
way better.
Jayjay laughed more today. Not the fake polite kind either. Real laughs. The kind where she'd shake her head afterward like she regretted finding me funny.
And honestly?
I liked looking at her like this.
Relaxed.
Normal.
Not distracted.
For a while, it almost felt easy.
We joked around while I cooked the meat, even though she kept criticizing how I was doing it.
"You're terrible at this," She said while watching me flip the meat
"I'm multitasking."
"You're burning it."
"It adds flavor" i retorted.
"That's not how cooking works"
"Wow," he said dramatically. "And here I thought this was a romantic date."
She nearly choked on her own drink.
"You said that way too confidently."
I grinned. "So you admit it's romantic."
"I didn't say that."
"You implied it."
"I hate talking to you."
"No, you don't."
She said i was bad at this
Maybe I was.
But I liked hearing her talk.
Even if she was insulting me half the time.
At some point, I caught myself just watching her while she talked about something Ci-N did in class earlier that week.
And that was dangerous.
Because the second I started getting too comfortable—
her phone buzzed.
At first, she looked down casually.
Then her expression changed.
Not dramatically.
Most people probably wouldn't notice it.
But I did.
Her fingers tightened slightly around her phone. Her shoulders stiffened for just a second before she relaxed again.
Too fast.
Like she was trying to hide it.
"What's wrong?" I asked immediately.
She looked up almost too quickly.
"Nothing."
Yeah.
That definitely wasn't true.
"That didn't look like nothing," I said.
For a second, she just stared at me.
Then she locked her phone.
"It's just Angelo," she said casually. "He's telling me to come home early."
I leaned back slightly.
Honestly?
That sounded believable.
Her brother was terrifying.
"Yeah," I said with a short laugh. "That sounds like him."
She smiled a little after that, and the tension disappeared from her expression almost instantly.
Almost.
But something still bothered me.
Because earlier—
for that one second—
she looked genuinely worried.
Not annoyed.
Not frustrated.
Worried.
And for some reason, my mind immediately went back to one person.
Levi.
I looked down at the grill quietly.
No proof.
No reason.
Just a feeling.
But ever since he arrived—
Jayjay had been different in small ways.
Small enough that most people wouldn't notice.
But I noticed.
And I hated that I couldn't tell if I was overthinking…
or finally seeing something that was always there.