Jay POV
The second house was quieter.
Too quiet.
Which meant Keifer had way too much time to annoy me.
Unfortunately.
We were walking back from the training area after arguing for nearly twenty minutes about who won.
For the record:
I won.
Obviously.
"You cheated."
I stopped walking.
"I did not."
"You absolutely did."
"You're just slow."
Keifer looked offended.
Which was funny.
Very funny. đ
We kept walking.
Still arguing.
Still refusing to admit the other person had a point.
Normal behavior.
Then suddenly Keifer stopped.
I took two more steps before realizing he wasn't beside me anymore.
I turned around.
"What now?"
He was looking at me.
Not annoyed.
Not teasing.
Just... looking.
And for some reason my heartbeat immediately became suspicious.
"What?"
I asked again.
Keifer didn't answer immediately.
Which made it worse.
Much worse.
"You're staring."
"I know."
EXCUSE ME???
I folded my arms.
"That's weird."
"Maybe."
"Very weird."
"Probably."
Why wasn't he arguing back?!
That was his job. đ
I looked away first.
Cowardly.
Necessary.
Because suddenly I felt nervous and I hated it.
Then Keifer laughed quietly.
"You get embarrassed."
I immediately pointed at him.
"Don't start."
"You're embarrassed."
"I'm armed."
"That's not a denial."
Traitor.
Absolute traitor.
I turned to leave.
Then felt a hand catch my wrist.
Not hard.
Just enough to stop me.
My heart instantly forgot how to behave.
"Jay."
His voice sounded softer this time.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
I looked back.
Big mistake.
Because now he was closer.
And suddenly I couldn't remember what I was supposed to say.
For once.
Actual silence.
From me.
A miracle. đ
Then Keifer smiled slightly.
Like he knew.
Like he absolutely knew.
"There she is."
"...What?"
"The girl who always runs away when she doesn't have a comeback."
The AUDACITY.
I opened my mouth.
Nothing came out.
My brain had abandoned me.
Then Keifer shook his head lightly.
Amused.
And somehow that annoyed me enough to finally move.
So I stepped closer.
Very close.
Close enough to see the surprise in his eyes.
"You talk too much."
"You like listening."
"Keep dreaming."
"You first."
And before either of us could start another argument...
I kissed him.
Just once.
Quick.
Simple.
Enough to completely shut him up.
The silence afterward was glorious. đâ¨
For approximately two seconds.
Then Keifer blinked.
Once.
Twice.
And said:
"...Did you just kiss me to win an argument?"
I immediately started walking away.
"Goodnight."
Behind me:
"JAY."
I kept walking.
Faster.
Because my face was on fire.
And from somewhere behind me I heard him laughing.
Actually laughing.
Which somehow made everything worse.
And better.
At the same time. đđ