Jay-Jay (POV)
It was dark.
I was leaning against the wall; my arms wrapped around Kiefer's neck as he stood close to me.
Too close.
His forehead brushed mine before his lips found mine again.
The kiss was deep and overwhelming, stealing every coherent thought from my mind.
My fingers curled into his shirt as I kissed him back instinctively, completely lost in him.
Slowly, he lifted me into his arms.
I wrapped my legs around his waist, holding on as if I never wanted to let go.
"Jay..." he whispered against my ear.
My breath caught.
"I want you."
Heat rushed to my face.
"Kiefer..." I breathed, my voice barely more than a whisper.
He pressed gentle kisses along my neck, and my heart felt ready to burst from my chest.
Then—
"Awwaaahhh!"
A loud cry shattered everything.
My eyes flew open.
I blinked at the ceiling in confusion.
The darkness.
The wall.
Kiefer.
The kiss.
Gone.
All of it had been a dream.
Another cry echoed through the room.
I turned my head and immediately got kicked in the face by a tiny foot.
"Oof!"
My son stared at me with absolutely no remorse.
I sat up slowly.
Did I seriously just have a dream like that?
I rubbed my face with both hands.
What the hell was that?
And why had it felt so real?
My cheeks heated instantly as fragments of the dream flashed through my mind.
Nope.
Absolutely not.
I was not thinking about that.
I ran my fingers through my hair in frustration, trying to shake the memory away.
Maybe I was just exhausted.
Maybe it was because we'd barely had any time alone since the baby arrived.
That had to be it.
Right?
Before I could continue arguing with myself, the bathroom door opened.
I glanced up.
And immediately regretted it.
Kiefer walked out of the bathroom with nothing, but a towel wrapped around his waist.
My brain stopped working.
Completely.
For a second, I just stared.
Water dripped from his damp hair, tracing slow paths down his neck and across his shoulders.
Apparently, he'd rushed out without even bothering to dry himself properly.
Droplets continued to slide over his skin before disappearing into the towel around his waist.
I should have looked away.
I didn't.
Not even a little.
My eyes seemed glued to him.
I stared.
Completely stared.
For a few seconds, I even forgot how to breathe.
Then immediately looked away.
Then looked back.
Damn.
Seriously.
How was he getting more handsome every day?
He was already unfair before.
Wasn't having a child supposed to make people look tired?
Kiefer somehow looked even better than before.
Life was unfair.
My eyes drifted to his face.
Then, unfortunately, to his lips.
Which only reminded me of the dream.
Wonderful.
I quickly looked elsewhere.
Kiefer walked toward the bed.
For a brief second, my stupid brain expected him to lean down and kiss me.
Instead, he reached right past me and picked up the baby.
The second our son touched his father's arms—
Silence.
The crying stopped instantly.
I stared in disbelief.
The tiny traitor even looked comfortable.
Kiefer adjusted him effortlessly against his chest.
Meanwhile, I had spent the last ten minutes getting kicked in the face.
"Wife."
I immediately knew that tone.
Danger.
I looked up and found Kiefer trying—and failing—to hide a grin.
"Why are you blushing?"
My eyes widened.
"I-I'm not blushing."
He raised an eyebrow.
"You are."
"No, I'm not."
a teasing grin spreading across his face. "Don't tell me you had a wet dream about me."
"GAOG!"
I grabbed the nearest pillow and threw it at him.
Unfortunately, he caught it with one hand.
Still holding the baby.
Show-off.
Without another word, I jumped off the bed and rushed toward the bathroom.
Behind me, I could hear Kiefer laughing.
I hated him.
I really did.
The second I locked the door I leaned against it and groaned.
Then I walked to the mirror.
The reflection staring back at me looked like a human tomato.
"Oh, come on."
I covered my face.
If Kiefer ever found out about that dream, I would never hear the end of it.
Never.
He would tease me for the rest of my life.
Worse, he would absolutely use it as blackmail whenever he wanted something.
And somehow, he would win every argument.
No.
That information was going to my grave.
I pointed at my reflection.
"You got this, Jay."
I took a deep breath.
"You are taking this secret to the grave."
The reflection didn't look very convincing.
Still, after splashing cold water on my face and taking a shower, I finally managed to calm down.
At least a little.
A while later, I headed downstairs for breakfast.
The moment I entered the dining room, I found Kiegen and Kiran getting ready for school.
The table was already filled with breakfast.
And sitting nearby was Kiefer.
He had the baby balanced comfortably in one arm while preparing a bottle with the other.
Every now and then, he'd make a funny face that earned a delighted giggle from the little traitor.
The sight made me pause.
Kiefer smiled at the baby.
The baby smiled back.
For a moment, everything felt warm.
Peaceful.
Domestic.
My chest tightened unexpectedly.
I couldn't stop looking.
"Ate, you're here."
Kiegen's voice snapped me out of it.
I blinked.
"Huh?"
"Come have breakfast before it gets cold."
I smiled.
"Right."
As I walked toward the table, Kiefer glanced up.
For a brief second, our eyes met.
The corner of his mouth twitched knowingly.
My face immediately warmed again.
Damn him.
He didn't even know about the dream.
And somehow, he was still making my life difficult.
I was sitting peacefully at the breakfast table, trying to enjoy my food for once.
Then Kiefer sat down beside me.
"I'm hungry too," he said casually. "Feed me."
I immediately glared at him.
"You have hands."
"I'm busy."
He nodded toward the baby in his arms.
Unfortunately, he had a point.
With a sigh, I picked up a piece of my sandwich and held it toward him.
The second he leaned forward and took a bite; his lips brushed against my fingertips.
My entire body froze.
A strange shiver ran down my spine.
It was barely a touch.
Barely anything at all.
So why did it affect me like that?
Kiefer simply continued eating, completely unaware of the crisis happening inside my head.
He took another bite.
And another.
Meanwhile, I sat there staring like an idiot.
The way he smiled.
The way he seemed to enjoy every bite.
The way he looked completely relaxed while holding the baby.
I was officially losing my mind.
There was no other explanation.
I swallowed hard and lightly smacked my chest.
"Behave," I muttered to myself.
Unfortunately, my heart refused to listen.
The rest of breakfast became pure torture.
Every time Kiefer looked at me, I immediately looked somewhere else.
The table.
The wall.
The baby.
Literally anything except him.
Because the second I looked at him for too long, my stupid brain started remembering that dream.
And then I couldn't think straight.
Couldn't act normal.
Couldn't even breathe properly.
Shit.
Jay.
What is wrong with you?
Meanwhile, Kiefer was becoming increasingly suspicious.
A few times, he tried to catch my eye.
I avoided him.
Then he tried sitting closer.
I shifted away.
The problem was that Kiefer noticed everything.
And unfortunately, he wasn't the type to let things go.
Across the table, Kiegen and Kiran continued eating peacefully, completely unaware of the silent war happening beneath it.
Or maybe they were aware and simply choosing not to get involved.
Honestly, I couldn't blame them.
Suddenly, a warm hand closed around mine beneath the table.
I nearly jumped out of my chair.
My eyes snapped toward Kiefer.
He didn't even look at me.
He casually continued feeding the baby as if he wasn't currently destroying my ability to function.
Then he leaned slightly closer.
"Why aren't you letting me touch you?" he whispered.
My heart immediately attempted to escape my chest.
"I—"
My brain stopped working.
Completely.
"J-just don't touch me."
The words came out embarrassingly broken.
I couldn't even form a proper sentence.
Fantastic.
Meanwhile, his hand remained wrapped around mine.
Warm.
Steady.
Comforting.
Which somehow made everything worse.
"Jay," Kiefer whispered again.
His thumb brushed lightly against my hand.
I reacted instantly.
And pinched him.
Hard.
Kiefer froze.
Slowly, he turned to look at me.
I looked away immediately.
he suddenly stood up.
I frowned.
"What are you doing?"
Without answering, he grabbed his chair and dragged it across the floor.
Straight toward me.
My eyes widened.
No.
No.
No.
No.
Before I could stop him, he sat down right beside me.
Close enough for our shoulders to almost touch.
My soul immediately left my body.
Across the table, Kiegen looked up from his breakfast.
"Why did you move?"
Kiefer answered without hesitation.
"It'll be easier for her to feed me."
I nearly choked.
"Kiefer!"
"What?" he asked innocently.
I stared at him in disbelief.
He stared right back.
Completely shameless.
Kiran slowly looked between us.
Then back to his food.
A wise decision.
Meanwhile, I could practically feel the warmth radiating from Kiefer's side.
He was so close.
Way too close.
Every tiny movement suddenly became impossible to ignore.
The worst part?
He looked completely relaxed.
Meanwhile, I was fighting for my life.
And judging by the amused look on Kiefer's face, he was beginning to suspect something.
Which was a problem.
A very big problem.
Why the hell did this gago understand me so well?
And more importantly—
Why the hell was I acting like this?
"Ate?"
Kiegen's voice snapped me back to reality.
I blinked.
"Huh?"
"We're leaving."
"Oh."
Right.
School.
The perfect escape.
"I'll drop you."
I stood up so quickly that everyone looked at me.
Before Kiefer could open his mouth and say something that would make my situation even worse, I grabbed my keys and headed straight for the door.
A tactical retreat.
Nothing more.
The second I climbed into the driver's seat, I shut the door and started fanning myself.
Why was it so hot today?
Seriously.
The weather was ridiculous.
I immediately turned the air conditioner higher.
Cold air blasted across my face.
Much better.
I leaned back against the seat and closed my eyes.
Then my thoughts betrayed me again.
The dream.
Breakfast.
Kiefer.
His smile.
I groaned dramatically.
"Nope."
I pointed at myself.
"We are not thinking about that."
My heart disagreed immediately.
A moment later, Kiegen and Kiran climbed into the car.
Kiran claimed the front passenger seat as usual while Kiegen sat in the back.
The moment they got inside, Kiegen shivered dramatically.
"It's freezing in here."
"Really?" I asked innocently.
Both of them stared at me.
I quietly lowered the air conditioner.
A little.
Not enough to help my situation, but enough to stop them from complaining.
The drive began in comfortable silence.
Soon we arrived at Kiran's school.
As always, before he got out, I leaned over and kissed his forehead.
"Have a good day."
He smiled and kissed my cheek in return.
"You too, Ate."
Then he grabbed his bag and hopped out of the car.
The second the door closed, Kiegen moved from the back seat to the front.
I raised an eyebrow.
"Didn't you want the back seat?"
"I changed my mind."
"Hmm."
I knew that look.
He wanted to sit beside me but was too embarrassed to admit it.
I decided to spare him the teasing.
"I wanted to enjoy the front view," he added defensively.
"Of course you did."
He rolled his eyes.
A few minutes passed.
Then—
"Why are you spacing out today?"
I glanced at him.
"What?"
"You've been staring into space all morning."
"I always do that."
"No, you don't."
"Yes, I do."
"No, you don't," he repeated.
I opened my mouth to argue.
Then he delivered the final blow.
"You've been acting weird since breakfast."
I almost drove onto the sidewalk.
"I have not."
"You have."
"You even avoided looking at Kuya."
I nearly choked.
"What?"
Kiegen looked far too pleased with himself.
"You kept looking away whenever Kuya looked at you."
I tightened my grip on the steering wheel.
Children noticed too much.
Way too much.
"It's nothing," I said quickly.
"Then what is it? Did you and Kuya have a fight?"
I nearly groaned.
Why was I being interrogated?
I hadn't committed any crime.
At least not that I knew of.
All of this was because of one stupid dream.
One.
Stupid.
Dream.
And now I was being investigated like a prime suspect.
I kept my eyes on the road.
"Why are you asking so many questions?"
Kiegen shrugged.
"Because you're acting weird."
"That's rude."
"It's true."
I clicked my tongue.
The audacity.
An interrogation before nine in the morning.
Kiegen crossed his arms.
"So?"
"So what?"
"What's wrong?"
I sighed.
Because technically, I wasn't lying.
"I just had a weird dream this morning."
"Oh."
His expression immediately softened.
"A nightmare?"
"Something like that."
Thankfully, he accepted the answer.
The rest of the drive passed quietly.
Soon we arrived at school.
"Have a good day," I said.
"You too, Ate."
He grabbed his bag and stepped out.
A second later he leaned back through the open door.
"And stop being weird."
Then he ran off before I could throw something at him.
I watched until he disappeared through the school gates.
The moment he was gone—
I slowly lowered my forehead onto the steering wheel.
Thunk.
"This is a disaster."
The dream was bad enough.
But now every time I looked at Kiefer, my brain stopped functioning.
And the worst part?
If I went home right now...
I'd be alone with him.
Just me.
Kiefer.
And the baby.
For hours.
Until the boys came home.
I groaned dramatically.
That asshole kept making things worse without even trying.
He didn't have to do anything.
He just had to exist.
That's it.
Simply existing was enough.
One smile and my thoughts scattered.
One look and I forgot what I was doing.
And don't even get me started on those stupid lips.
Or the way he looked at me sometimes.
Or the way he casually called me "wife" like it didn't do things to my heart.
Seriously.
How was I supposed to act normal?
Every time he I saw him. It felt like someone had released a hundred butterflies inside my stomach.
At this point, I wasn't even sure if they were butterflies anymore.
It felt more like an entire zoo.
A very loud zoo.
With monkeys.
And elephants.
And probably a few escaped lions.
I dropped my head against the steering wheel again.
Thunk.
"I've officially lost my mind."