Third Person POV
The rain had softened slightly, but it still fell steady enough to blur the city lights beyond the balcony.
Eces stood near the railing, arms folded loosely, letting the cool mist touch her skin. She wasn't crying. She wasn't confused either.
She was thinking.
The balcony door slid open quietly behind her.
Krish stepped out.
He didn't bring an umbrella.
He didn't rush.
He just stood beside her, leaving a respectful space between them.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Rain filled the silence for them.
"You're going to get sick," Krish said calmly.
"So are you," Eces replied.
A small pause.
Then he exhaled.
"We should clear something up."
She didn't look at him.
"I know."
That made him glance at her.
She already understood.
Krish leaned against the railing, water dampening his sleeves.
"Eces," he said gently, "we're best friends."
The words weren't harsh.
They weren't distant.
They were steady.
"And I don't have feelings for you."
The rain seemed louder for a second.
But Eces just nodded slowly.
"I know."
He studied her expression.
"You do?"
She finally turned to him.
"You don't look at me the way he does."
That answer surprised him more than anything.
Krish's lips curved faintly.
"You noticed."
"I notice everything," she said softly.
Thunder rolled faintly in the distance.
He straightened slightly.
"I care about you," he continued. "I always will. But not like that."
"I don't love you like that either," she replied gently.
The truth felt lighter spoken out loud.
Krish tilted his head.
"Then why have we been letting everyone think there's something more?"
Eces hesitated.
Then she gave him a small, almost mischievous smile.
"Because someone needed a push."
Krish blinked.
"You're serious."
She nodded.
"He won't confess unless he thinks he might lose."
Rain ran down the railing between them.
Krish let out a quiet laugh.
"So this whole… tension thing?"
"Strategic."
He shook his head slightly, amused.
"You're unbelievable."
"You agreed to it," she pointed out.
He shrugged lightly.
"I wanted to see if he was serious."
"And?"
Krish looked toward the balcony doors for a moment — toward the hallway where Keigan's room was.
"He is."
The rain softened further, now more of a steady whisper.
Eces leaned her elbows on the railing.
"He deserves clarity," she murmured.
"So do you," Krish replied.
She was quiet at that.
Then she said softly, "I was scared."
"Of him?"
"Of choosing something that could change everything."
Krish nodded once.
"That's normal."
They stood there for another moment, side by side — no tension, no confusion.
Just friendship.
Real, solid friendship.
"You know," Krish added calmly, "if this plan of yours works, you owe me dinner."
Eces smiled.
"If it doesn't work?"
"Then I'll still be here. Just not as your fake almost-love story."
She nudged his shoulder lightly.
"Best friend."
"Always."
Inside, footsteps moved faintly down the hallway.
Neither of them turned.
Because this wasn't about performance anymore.
It was about ending the illusion.
Krish pushed away from the railing first.
"You should go inside before he overthinks himself into leaving," he said knowingly.
Eces inhaled slowly.
"You think he's watching?"
Krish smirked slightly.
"He hasn't stopped."
That made her heart beat a little faster.
The rain continued falling — softer now, gentler.
As Krish slid the balcony door open, he paused.
"For the record," he added, glancing back at her, "you don't need plans to be chosen."
Then he stepped inside.
Leaving her alone with the rain.
And the decision that no longer needed pretending.
Keigan's POV
He shouldn't have come into the hallway.
But he did.
Because when the rain started, something in his chest wouldn't stay still.
He told himself he just needed water.
Just air.
Just noise.
Anything but the image of Eces standing on the balcony earlier.
And then—
The balcony door slid open.
Krish stepped out first.
Calm.
Dry expression.
Like nothing in the world could shake him.
A second later, Eces followed.
Her hair slightly damp from the rain.
Her face soft.
And she was smiling.
At him.
At Krish.
Keigan felt it immediately.
That quiet tightening in his chest.
Not explosive jealousy.
Not anger.
Just that low, persistent ache.
They were close.
Not touching.
But close enough that it didn't matter.
Krish leaned down slightly to say something near her ear.
Eces laughed softly.
And that sound?
It did something unfair to him.
The hallway suddenly felt too narrow.
Too loud.
Too small.
Jay and Keifer were standing a few feet away, pretending not to observe.
Percy walked past with snacks, oblivious.
But Keigan wasn't seeing any of that.
He was watching the space between Krish and Eces.
Watching how natural they looked.
How easy.
He swallowed.
He had told himself he wasn't the jealous type.
But jealousy doesn't announce itself loudly.
It seeps.
Slowly.
Krish moved slightly closer to her to close the balcony door fully.
For a second, his hand brushed her wrist.
And Keigan's jaw tightened.
Not because it meant anything.
But because he wished it had been his hand.
He hated that feeling.
Hated that Krish didn't even look conflicted.
He looked steady.
Secure.
Like someone who wasn't afraid of losing.
And that scared Keigan more than anything.
Eces stepped fully into the hallway.
Her eyes flickered around.
For a moment—
They landed on him.
And she paused.
Just slightly.
Krish said something else quietly to her.
She nodded.
But she didn't look away from Keigan immediately.
That pause.
That hesitation.
It gave him hope.
And made the jealousy worse at the same time.
Because what if he was misreading everything?
Krish walked past him first.
"Evening," he said calmly.
Like nothing was wrong.
Like nothing was at stake.
Keigan forced a nod.
"Yeah."
Casual.
Normal.
Controlled.
But inside?
Nothing felt controlled.
Eces lingered a step behind Krish.
Not moving forward yet.
The hallway felt too quiet now.
Everyone else had dispersed.
Jay gently pulled Keifer away, giving space.
And suddenly—
It was just the three of them.
Krish stopped a few feet ahead, glancing back once.
Then he looked at Keigan.
Not challenging.
Not possessive.
Just… knowing.
That look made something click in Keigan's mind.
Was this a test?
Was this a warning?
Or was he already too late?
Eces stepped closer.
But not toward Krish.
Toward him.
Just a little.
"You were watching," she said softly.
He didn't deny it.
"I didn't mean to," he replied, voice low.
"That's not true," she said gently.
He exhaled.
"No. It's not."
Silence settled between them.
Krish stayed quiet, giving distance now.
Too much distance.
And that somehow made it worse.
Because now it looked like he wasn't competing.
Like he wasn't worried.
Like he had nothing to lose.
Keigan's jealousy shifted.
From Krish being close to her—
To Krish being too calm about it.
"You don't have to look at him like that," Eces said suddenly.
Keigan frowned slightly.
"Like what?"
"Like he's taking something from you."
That hit.
Because that's exactly what it felt like.
He stepped closer.
Not aggressive.
Just honest.
"I don't know where I stand," he admitted quietly.
Her expression softened.
"You think he has feelings for me?"
The question caught him off guard.
"I don't know," he answered truthfully. "But you two look…"
"Comfortable?" she finished.
"Yeah."
She held his gaze steadily.
"Comfort doesn't mean love."
Krish finally spoke from behind them.
"She's right."
Keigan glanced at him.
There was no tension in Krish's voice.
No rivalry.
Just certainty.
And suddenly—
Keigan realized something felt… different.
Too calm.
Too intentional.
He looked back at Eces.
She wasn't leaning toward Krish anymore.
She wasn't standing between them either.
She was standing closer to him now.
Close enough that the jealousy in his chest started shifting into something else.
Something fragile.
Something hopeful.
Krish took another step back.
"I'm going to check on the others," he said casually.
And then he walked away.
Just like that.
No claim.
No competition.
No tension.
Keigan watched him go.
Then looked back at Eces.
"What's going on?" he asked quietly.
She studied him for a second.
Rain still echoing faintly in the background.
"What do you want, Keigan?" she asked softly.
Not teasing.
Not defensive.
Just direct.
And suddenly—
The hallway didn't feel small anymore.
It felt like the edge of something.
And for the first time that night—
His jealousy wasn't louder than his courage.
Keifer's POV — Next Morning
Mornings after rain always felt cleaner.
Brighter.
Like the world had reset overnight.
By 10 AM, the house was loud again.
Too loud.
Eces was arguing with Percy about which café to go to. Aries and Ella were whispering about pastries. Honey was trying to coordinate seating. Grace was adjusting Grazel's tiny cap while Denzel hovered protectively beside her.
Somehow, all of us —
Eces, Krish, Keigan, Jay, Keiren, Aries, Percy, Honey, Grace with little Grazel, Rakki, Mica, Freya, Ella, Ci-n, David, Drew, Denzel, Yuri, Edrix, Rory, Calix, Eman, Eren, Josh, Kit, Mayo, Blaster, Felix —
— ended up walking down the street like an overly dramatic parade.
I walked beside Jay.
Her hand slipped into mine without looking.
Automatic.
I squeezed lightly.
She squeezed back.
Ahead of us, Eces was walking between Krish and Keigan.
Which was already a dangerous formation.
Krish was saying something calm and analytical, as usual. Eces was listening with that attentive expression she reserved for serious conversations.
Keigan was quiet.
Too quiet.
I noticed the way his shoulders stiffened every time Krish leaned slightly closer to Eces to hear her over the street noise.
Subtle.
But there.
Jay noticed too.
She leaned closer to me and murmured, "He's spiraling."
"Yep."
"And she doesn't even realize."
"Oh, she realizes," I said calmly. "She just hasn't decided what to do with it."
We reached the café — small, warm, buzzing with late-morning chatter.
Everyone split into clusters, dragging tables together.
It became chaotic immediately.
Percy complained about seating arrangements. Eren tried to charm the barista. Felix and Blaster argued over who was paying. Rakki and Ci-n were already sharing something on a phone screen.
Jay and I took seats near the window.
Not isolated.
But slightly removed.
Perfect observation angle.
Eces ended up sitting across from Krish.
Keigan took the seat beside her.
And there it was again.
That tightness in his jaw when Krish casually reached across the table to wipe a bit of foam off Eces's coffee lid.
Friendly.
Innocent.
But close.
Keigan's fingers tightened around his cup.
He didn't say anything.
Didn't interrupt.
But he leaned closer to Eces a few minutes later when David cracked a joke, lowering his voice just for her.
Reclaiming space.
Jay's fingers traced lightly across the back of my hand under the table.
"He's jealous," she said softly.
"Very."
"He doesn't hide it well."
"He's not trying to," I corrected.
That made her glance at me.
"He wants her to see it."
Exactly.
Across the table, Krish laughed at something Eman said.
Eces turned toward him again.
And Keigan went still.
Just for a second.
That pause was louder than any reaction.
Jay sighed quietly.
"He looks hurt."
"Because he thinks he's competing."
"And he's not?"
"No," I said calmly. "He's just afraid he is."
Jay studied Eces carefully.
Then she looked back at me.
"She needs to stop letting him guess."
"She will," I replied. "Soon."
Meanwhile, Percy accidentally knocked over Mayo's drink.
Chaos erupted.
Honey scolded him.
Blaster laughed too loudly.
Grace tried to keep Grazel from grabbing sugar packets.
The noise broke the tension temporarily.
But not completely.
Keigan leaned back in his chair, watching Krish talk to Eces again.
His expression wasn't angry.
It was vulnerable.
And that's worse.
Jay shifted closer to me.
"You're enjoying analyzing this," she teased softly.
"I'm appreciating the psychology."
She rolled her eyes.
I leaned toward her slightly.
"Want to leave them to their drama and steal five minutes?"
She smiled.
"Tempting."
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