🌙Chapter 61 : The version of her I wasn't meant to know ( Keifer's POV)
We didn't plan this.
Not really. It just happened the way things do when no one wants to go home and no one wants to admit why. The day had been off from the start, and it never fixed itself. It just stayed there, sitting between us, quiet and heavy.
Blaster was the one who broke it.
"There's this place," he said, like it wasn't a big deal. "Not everyone knows about it. My cousin mentioned it—VIP, exclusive."
Rory looked at him like he didn't believe a word. "Since when do you know exclusive places?"
"Since now," Blaster shot back.
Edrix was already analyzing it, asking questions Blaster couldn't fully answer. Ci-N stayed quiet beside me, hands in his pockets, his expression thoughtful. He always picked up on things faster than the rest of us, even when he didn't say it out loud.
I didn't say anything.
Because I already knew the place.
I just didn't expect to come back here tonight.
When we walked in, the difference was immediate.
It wasn't loud in the usual way. The music didn't hit you all at once. It settled into the space, controlled, deliberate. The lighting wasn't random—it was placed, designed. Even the people here didn't move like they did in other clubs. No chaos. No unnecessary noise.
"Okay… this is different," Rory muttered, glancing around.
"It's structured," Edrix said quietly. "Look at the staff. Every movement is coordinated."
Blaster let out a low whistle. "Whoever owns this place has serious money."
Ci-N leaned slightly closer, lowering his voice. "Are we even supposed to be here?"
"We got in, didn't we?" Blaster replied.
That wasn't an answer, but no one pushed it.
I exhaled slowly, letting my gaze move across the room. It was instinct—reading the space, noticing what didn't fit.
That's when something shifted.
Not obvious. Not loud.
Just a flicker.
Movement from above.
My eyes lifted before I could stop myself.
There was an upper level—partially hidden, easy to miss if you weren't paying attention. Private. Separate.
I wasn't looking for anything.
But now I was.
A soft sound reached me—laughter, distant, real. Not forced, not careless. Just… natural.
Something about it felt familiar.
I narrowed my eyes slightly, focusing through the dim lighting.
And then I saw her.
At first, just a silhouette against the glass.
Still.
Sharp.
Unmistakable.
My breath caught for half a second.
Jay.
She stood there like she belonged to the place.
No—like the place belonged to her.
Black dress, fitted perfectly, clean lines that didn't try too hard but didn't need to. Her posture relaxed but controlled, one hand resting lightly against the railing like she wasn't even thinking about it.
She looked different.
Not the girl from school.
Not the one who sat in class pretending nothing got to her.
This version didn't pretend anything.
She didn't smile. Didn't move much. But somehow, everything around her felt quieter just because she was there.
Blaster was still talking beside me, something loud, something unnecessary.
I didn't hear any of it.
Rory and Edrix were focused on the place. Ci-N glanced around, still unsure.
None of them looked up.
None of them saw her.
Good.
The thought came too fast, but I didn't question it.
Because this—whatever this was—didn't feel like something I should share.
My eyes stayed on her.
She turned slightly, just enough for the light to catch her face.
And for a second, I forgot how to breathe.
She looked…
There wasn't a simple word for it.
Not just beautiful.
Something sharper than that.
Something that made you stop without knowing why.
Then she moved.
No hesitation.
No rush.
Just turned and disappeared from the balcony like she hadn't just shifted the entire room for me.
The space she left behind felt empty immediately.
I blinked once, forcing myself to breathe again.
"Keifer?"
Ci-N's voice pulled me back.
"What?" I said, a little too quickly.
He frowned, studying my face. "You okay?"
"Yeah."
Lie. Easy. Automatic.
I didn't wait for him to question it.
Didn't give anyone time to notice.
I just moved.
"Hey—where are you going?" Blaster called.
"Back in a minute," I said, already walking.
The hallway leading away from the main floor was quieter, the music fading slightly with every step. My pace slowed without me meaning it to.
I didn't even know what I was doing.
Following her?
Why?
I wasn't supposed to be here for that.
But I kept going anyway.
Because something about the way she looked—
Something about the way she left—
Didn't sit right.
I reached the end of the hallway just as the door ahead closed softly.
Outside.
I stopped for a second.
Then pushed it open.
Cool air hit me immediately.
And there she was.
Standing near the railing, her back partially turned, one hand gripping the metal just a little too tightly.
Still.
Quiet.
But not calm.
Not really.
Something about her posture gave it away.
The slight tension in her shoulders.
The way her head dipped for a second before lifting again.
The way her breathing didn't match the stillness she was trying to hold.
It hit me all at once.
She wasn't okay.
Not even close.
And for the first time—
She looked small.
Not weak.
Not fragile in the obvious way.
But like she was carrying something too heavy and refusing to put it down.
My chest tightened.
I took a step forward—
Then stopped.
Because she didn't know I was there.
Because if I went closer—
She'd shut down.
Push back.
Pretend.
I knew her enough to understand that.
So I stayed where I was.
Watching quietly.
She muttered something under her breath—I couldn't hear it clearly, just the tone. Frustrated. Low.
Her hand pressed briefly against her chest before dropping again.
That—
That made something twist in me.
This wasn't just her being difficult.
This wasn't just attitude.
This was something else.
Something she wasn't letting anyone see.
My jaw tightened.
"You're not fine," I murmured under my breath.
She straightened slowly after a moment, forcing her posture back into place.
Controlled again.
Untouchable.
Like nothing had happened.
Like I hadn't just seen that.
And that bothered me more than anything else.
Because it meant she was used to it.
Used to hiding it.
Used to dealing with it alone.
She reached for the door again.
Paused for a second.
Then went back inside.
I didn't follow immediately.
I stayed there, staring at the empty space she left behind, my thoughts heavier than before.
I didn't understand everything about her.
Hell, I barely understood anything.
But I knew one thing for sure—
She wasn't okay.
And she wasn't going to tell anyone.
Not willingly.
I exhaled slowly, running a hand through my hair.
Fine.
If she wasn't going to say anything—
Then I'd figure it out myself.
I didn't know if she'd like that.
Didn't know if she'd push me away harder because of it.
But that didn't matter.
Because pretending I didn't see that—
That wasn't an option.
Not anymore.
I glanced back toward the door.
"Just wait," I muttered quietly.
Not dramatic.
Not loud.
Just steady.
"I'll figure it out."
And this time—
I meant it.
....