Keifer's POV
We stepped outside to the small patio area.
Sunlight filtered through damp leaves.
The air still carried the freshness of last night's rain.
Jay leaned against the railing.
I stepped close behind her, resting my hands lightly at her waist.
"You're very observant today," she murmured.
"I always am."
She tilted her head back slightly, looking up at me.
"And what do you observe about us?"
I didn't hesitate.
"Stable."
Her lips curved.
"Boring?"
"Comfortable," I corrected.
She turned in my arms.
"You know what I love about you?"
"Everything?" I suggested.
She laughed softly.
"You don't compete."
I brushed my thumb gently along her cheek.
"I don't have to."
She stepped closer, resting her hands against my chest.
The café noise hummed faintly behind us.
Inside, Keigan was probably still trying not to look at Krish too often.
But out here—
It was quiet.
Jay rose slightly on her toes and kissed me.
Soft.
Slow.
Unrushed.
Morning sunlight warming her skin.
I deepened it slightly, one hand steady at her back.
Not dramatic.
Just close.
When we pulled back, she rested her forehead against mine.
"You're very sure of us," she said.
"I am."
"Why?"
"Because we chose each other without needing a plan."
Her eyes softened at that.
Inside the café, laughter erupted again.
Life continuing.
Drama brewing.
Choices forming.
Jay intertwined her fingers with mine.
"Let's go back before Percy starts another disaster."
I smiled faintly.
"Ready to watch Act Two?"
She squeezed my hand.
"As long as we're not in it."
We stepped back inside.
And right on cue—
Keigan was staring at Krish again.
Only this time—
Eces noticed.
The second we walked back inside, the tension at Eces' table had shifted.
She had noticed.
Keigan wasn't subtle anymore.
Krish was mid-sentence when Eces' attention drifted — not toward him, but toward the way Keigan's fingers tapped restlessly against the table.
She saw it.
Finally.
Before anything could unfold there—
A loud gasp cut through the café.
"ARE YOU SERIOUS RIGHT NOW?"
Every head turned.
Keiren and Ci-n.
Of course.
They were sitting at the far end of the long table, a single plate of fries between them.
Or rather—
A nearly empty plate.
Ci-n was holding the last fry.
Keiren looked personally betrayed.
"You said you didn't want more!" Keiren accused.
"I said I didn't want to order more," Ci-n shot back. "That doesn't mean you get the last one!"
"It was physically closer to me!"
"You have longer arms!"
"That's not a legal argument!"
Percy was already filming.
Honey slapped his arm. "Don't encourage them!"
Ci-n lifted the fry dramatically. "This fry represents respect."
Keiren stood up halfway. "That fry represents theft."
The entire café had started watching.
Rakki was laughing too hard to breathe.
Blaster was chanting, "Fight! Fight! Fight!"
Mayo was pretending to mediate.
And then—
Ci-n took a slow, deliberate bite.
Keiren froze.
The betrayal in his expression could've won awards.
"You did not."
"I absolutely did."
Keiren grabbed a napkin and threw it at him.
Ci-n retaliated with ketchup.
Now there was ketchup on Keiren's sleeve.
Aries stood up immediately. "Not on the white shirt—!"
Too late.
Chaos.
Jay leaned into me, trying not to laugh.
"This is ridiculous."
"This," I said calmly, "is why we don't share fries."
Meanwhile—
The fight escalated.
Not physically.
Dramatically.
"You always do this!" Keiren accused.
"Do what? Eat food?" Ci-n fired back.
"You escalate small things!"
"You're the one escalating!"
Freya tried to step in.
"Guys, it's literally potatoes."
"That's not the point!" both of them shouted in unison.
The café staff looked concerned.
Eren tried to smooth things over by loudly complimenting the ambiance.
It did not help.
And then—
Keiren said something that shifted the air.
"You don't respect boundaries!"
That wasn't about fries.
The table went quieter.
Ci-n's grin faded slightly.
"Oh," he said. "We're doing that?"
Jay's fingers tightened slightly around mine.
Because now it wasn't comedy.
Now it was something else.
Keiren crossed his arms.
"You joke about everything."
"And you take everything personally," Ci-n replied, less playful now.
Silence.
Tension.
Even Keigan looked away from Eces for a second.
Rakki stood up carefully. "Okay, timeout."
But it wasn't really about fries.
It was about tone.
About pride.
About who gives in first.
Jay whispered softly, "This escalated fast."
I nodded.
"It was building."
Ci-n grabbed his jacket.
"Fine. It's just fries, right?"
But his voice didn't sound convinced.
Keiren didn't respond.
He just sat back down stiffly.
The energy at the table fractured.
And that's when the real drama shifted.
Because while everyone's attention was on Keiren and Ci-n—
Krish leaned toward Eces again.
Quiet.
Close.
Keigan saw it.
And this time—
He didn't hide it.
His chair scraped loudly as he stood.
Everyone looked again.
"What?" he said defensively.
"No one said anything," Krish replied calmly.
But Eces looked at him.
Really looked at him.
And suddenly—
All the small dramas overlapped.
Fries.
Boundaries.
Jealousy.
Unspoken feelings.
Jay exhaled slowly.
"Oh no."
I felt it too.
The café had gone from playful chaos to emotional minefield in under five minutes.
Keigan ran a hand through his hair.
"I'm getting air," he muttered.
And walked out.
Eces stood up immediately.
Krish didn't stop her.
He just watched.
Jay looked at me.
"Intervene?"
"No," I said quietly. "This is theirs."
Behind us, Keiren and Ci-n were now sitting in uncomfortable silence.
Percy had stopped filming.
Even Blaster had gone quiet.
One stolen fry.
And suddenly everyone's unresolved emotions were on display.
Jay shook her head slightly.
"Rain brings honesty," she murmured.
I glanced at the door where Keigan had left.
"And apparently fries bring confrontation."
Outside the café window—
Eces had just stepped out after him.
And something told me—
This time—
There wouldn't be pretending.
Keigan's POV
The café door shut behind me, muting the noise inside, but it didn't mute anything in my head.
I shouldn't have stood up like that.
I shouldn't have let it show.
But watching Krish lean close to her again — watching her listen, smile, sit so comfortably beside him — it did something ugly to my chest.
Jealousy isn't loud.
It's tight.
It's quiet.
It makes you feel small.
I ran a hand through my hair and exhaled, staring at the damp pavement from last night's rain.
"Get a grip," I muttered to myself.
The door opened again.
I didn't turn immediately.
I knew it was her.
I always know.
Her footsteps slowed as she reached me.
"Why did you walk out?" she asked softly.
I kept my eyes forward. "Needed air."
"That's not the real reason."
Of course it wasn't.
I turned then.
She was standing a few feet away, sunlight catching in her hair, expression calm but searching.
"You want the truth?" I asked.
"Yes."
I swallowed.
"Seeing you that close to him messes with my head."
She didn't look shocked.
Just attentive.
"Krish?"
"Yeah. Krish." I exhaled sharply. "Or anyone. David. Drew. Whoever. I hate it."
Her brows pulled together slightly. "Hate what?"
"The way they stand near you like they belong there."
The words sounded harsher out loud than they had in my head.
But I didn't take them back.
I stepped closer.
"I can't stand seeing someone else that close to you," I admitted.
She studied my face like she was trying to read something deeper.
"You're jealous."
"Yes," I said immediately. No ego left to protect. "I am."
The word felt raw.
Exposed.
"But Krish—" she started.
"I know," I interrupted, softer this time. "I know you're best friends. I know there's nothing there. I know that."
She tilted her head slightly. "Then why does it bother you so much?"
Because I'm not calm like him.
Because I don't know where I stand.
Because I don't want to lose something I never even had.
I ran a hand down my face and finally looked at her properly.
"Because I don't want to compete," I said quietly. "I don't want to guess. I don't want to wonder if I'm just another guy who happens to like you."
Her expression changed at that.
Softer.
"Then what are you?" she asked gently.
The question hit harder than it should have.
I stepped even closer.
Close enough that I could see the tiny shift in her breathing.
"I like you, Eces," I said.
No jokes.
No teasing.
Just truth.
"I like you more than I expected to. More than I planned to. And I can't act normal when someone else is near you because it feels like I'm losing something."
Her lips parted slightly, but she didn't interrupt.
"I know it's irrational," I continued. "I know you're not mine. I know I don't have the right to feel possessive. But I do."
There.
Completely honest.
My heart was pounding so loudly I was sure she could hear it.
"When you laugh with him," I added quietly, "I hate that I'm not the reason."
Silence.
Not awkward.
Heavy.
She stepped closer.
Now there was barely any space between us.
"You're not competing with Krish," she said softly.
I searched her face.
"Then why does it feel like I am?"
"Because you haven't claimed your place."
My breath caught slightly.
"Claimed it how?"
She didn't answer immediately.
And that pause terrified me.
Because this was the moment.
The edge.
If I stepped forward, there was no pretending anymore.
I exhaled slowly.
"Okay," I said. "Then I'm going to stop pretending."
I held her gaze.
"I like you. I don't just like being around you. I don't just like talking to you. I like you. And I don't want to watch from the side while someone else stands next to you."
Her eyes didn't waver.
"So here it is," I continued, heart racing. "I can't promise I won't get jealous sometimes. I can't promise I'll always act calm like Krish. But I can promise that if I'm standing next to you, it's because I choose you. Not because I'm testing something."
The air felt thinner.
I swallowed.
"Will you be my girlfriend?"
There it was.
No drama.
No audience.
Just us.
For a second, the world narrowed to her expression.
Her eyes softened in a way I'd never seen before.
And in that moment —
I wasn't jealous.
I wasn't competing.
I was just a guy standing in front of the girl he liked,
Waiting.
The silence after I asked felt endless.
She hadn't answered yet.
She was just looking at me — soft, unreadable, steady.
My heart was pounding so hard I was sure the entire street could hear it.
And then—
Clap.
One slow clap.
Then another.
Then a whole round of applause.
Eces and I both turned at the same time.
The entire group was standing just outside the café door.
Every. Single. One of them.
Percy looked emotional like he'd just watched a season finale.
Aries was grinning.
Blaster looked way too entertained.
Honey had her hand over her mouth.
Grace was trying to keep Grazel from clapping too loudly.
Jay and Keifer stood at the front.
Jay looked proud.
Keifer looked… satisfied.
Krish stepped forward slightly, still clapping lazily.
"Finally," he said. "You confessed."
My ears burned.
"You were all spying?" I asked.
"Observing," Percy corrected dramatically.
Krish smirked. "Honestly, Keigan, if you didn't say it today, everyone would've started thinking there was something going on between me and Eces."
I blinked.
"What?"
Keifer raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"
Krish didn't answer immediately.
He just looked at Eces.
She sighed lightly — not annoyed, just amused.
"I knew about Keigan's feelings way before he knew them himself," she said calmly.
Jay's head snapped toward her.
"Wait, what?"
I turned to Eces.
"You what?"
She glanced at me, almost teasing.
"You're not very subtle."
The group burst into laughter.
Krish folded his arms. "Maybe everyone forgot that Eces can sense things before they're said."
Aries gasped dramatically. "Oh right. Her emotional radar."
Blaster pointed. "That explains so much."
I stared at her.
"You knew?"
She nodded slightly.
"You get quiet when you're jealous. Your left eyebrow twitches. And you avoid eye contact when you're trying not to admit something."
The group howled.
I wanted the ground to swallow me.
Jay looked at her sister with disbelief. "So you were just waiting?"
Eces shrugged lightly. "He needed to say it himself."
Krish added casually, "And for the record, there was never anything between me and her."
He paused.
"Also, I'm already engaged."
Silence.
Collective shock.
"What?!" came from at least six different voices at once.
Rakki nearly dropped her drink.
Mayo looked personally offended he hadn't been informed.
Freya gasped.
Ci-n leaned forward dramatically.
"WHEN?" Honey demanded.
"WHO?" Percy added.
Krish looked mildly amused by the chaos.
"It's not new," he said calmly. "Just not public."
"Name," Blaster insisted.
Krish shook his head. "Not today."
Keiren suddenly stepped forward, waving his hands.
"Ate Eces, leave that aside," he said urgently. "What about Kuya Keigan? He just proposed you!"
All eyes shifted back to us.
My heartbeat returned full force.
Right.
That.
Eces looked at me again.
And then—
She chuckled.
Not dismissive.
Not cruel.
Just playful.
"For your Kuya Keigan," she said to Keiren, "he has to prove himself."
The group erupted again.
"WHAT?" I said, half-laughing, half-panicking.
She folded her arms slightly.
"You confessed. That's step one."
"And step two?" I asked cautiously.
She tilted her head.
"Show me you won't let jealousy control you."
Fair.
Painfully fair.
I straightened slightly.
"I'm ready to prove myself."
That made a few people whistle.
Eren shouted, "Confidence!"
Jay smiled proudly.
Keifer stepped forward and clapped my shoulder firmly.
"That's my brother," he said.
The pride in his voice hit harder than I expected.
Jay moved beside Eces and wrapped an arm around her.
"That's my sister," she said just as proudly.
The group started teasing immediately.
"Trials incoming!" Percy announced.
"Boyfriend auditions!" Blaster added.
"Emotional growth arc!" Ci-n yelled.
I looked at Eces again.
"You're serious?" I asked quietly.
She stepped closer, lowering her voice so only I could hear.
"Very."
"But you're not rejecting me?"
Her lips curved slightly.
"I'm giving you a chance."
Relief flooded through me so fast it almost made me dizzy.
Behind us, Krish leaned toward Keifer and muttered loudly enough for everyone to hear:
"At least now no one thinks I'm the villain."
Keifer laughed. "You enjoyed that way too much."
Jay squeezed Eces' hand.
"Don't make it too hard," she warned teasingly.
Eces smiled.
"No promises."
The group slowly drifted back toward the café entrance, still buzzing, still teasing.
But I stayed where I was.
Looking at her.
She hadn't said yes.
But she hadn't said no.
And somehow—
That felt like the beginning of something real.
Keifer looked at me once more before going inside.
Proud.
Jay looked at Eces the same way.
Proud.
And for the first time that day—
I wasn't jealous.
I was determined.
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