CHAPTER — SILENT CHANGES
Jayjay's POV
Everything felt… different.
Not in a big way.
Not something I could point at and say—
This changed.
But it was there.
In the silence.
In the air.
In the way things didn't feel as cold anymore.
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I sat at the dining table, staring at the plate in front of me.
Untouched.
I wasn't hungry.
Or maybe—
I just didn't feel like eating.
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My thoughts kept going back.
To yesterday.
To his words.
I fell for you.
My fingers tightened slightly.
I exhaled slowly.
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Footsteps.
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I didn't look up.
But I knew.
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Keifer Watson
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He walked in.
Stopped.
Probably noticing the same thing I was.
The untouched food.
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A pause.
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Then—
A chair moved.
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My heart skipped slightly.
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He sat beside me.
Not across.
Beside.
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That alone felt new.
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I kept my eyes on the table.
Not trusting myself to look at him.
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Silence stretched.
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Then—
"Eat."
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The word was simple.
Short.
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But not harsh.
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Not commanding.
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Softer.
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I didn't respond.
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Didn't move.
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A small pause.
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Then—
"I know you didn't eat yesterday either."
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My breath caught slightly.
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I didn't know what to say.
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Didn't know how to react.
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Because this—
This wasn't the same man who ignored me.
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This was someone who noticed.
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"I'm fine," I muttered quietly.
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A lie.
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We both knew it.
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Silence again.
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Then—
"…Jay."
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My name.
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Soft.
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That made me look at him.
Just for a second.
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And I regretted it immediately.
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Because his eyes—
They weren't cold.
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And that made everything harder.
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"…Eat," he said again.
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Not forceful.
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Just—
There.
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Waiting.
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I looked down at the plate again.
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My fingers moved slowly.
Picking up the fork.
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I took a small bite.
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It felt strange.
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Not the food.
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The moment.
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Because he stayed.
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Didn't leave.
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Didn't look away.
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Just sat there.
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Watching.
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Not in a controlling way.
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In a way that made my chest feel tight.
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I took another bite.
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Then another.
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And I didn't realize when—
I actually started eating.
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Properly.
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Silence filled the space between us.
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But it wasn't uncomfortable.
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Just… quiet.
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Aware.
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I could feel his presence.
Too clearly.
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And every now and then—
When I accidentally looked up—
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Our eyes met.
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And held.
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A second too long.
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Before I looked away again.
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My heart beating faster for no reason.
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Or maybe—
There was a reason.
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I just didn't want to admit it yet.
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After a while, I put the fork down.
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"I'm done."
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A lie.
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But more than before.
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He didn't argue.
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Didn't push.
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Just gave a small nod.
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But he didn't get up.
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Neither did I.
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We just sat there.
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In that same silence.
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But now—
It didn't feel empty.
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It felt like something was there.
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Something unspoken.
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Something slowly changing.
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And I didn't know what to do with it.
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But I didn't run from it either.
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And maybe—
That was the first step.
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Keifer's POV
She was eating.
Slow.
Reluctant.
But she was.
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And that was enough.
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I watched her quietly.
Not because I wanted to control it.
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But because I needed to see it.
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To make sure she was okay.
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Or at least—
Closer to it.
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She didn't look at me much.
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Avoided it.
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But every time she did—
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Even for a second—
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She didn't pull away immediately.
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Not like before.
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And that—
That meant something.
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I leaned back slightly in my chair.
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Letting the silence settle.
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Different.
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Not cold.
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Just…
Careful.
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She finished.
Or at least said she did.
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I didn't push.
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Didn't force her.
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Because I knew—
Pushing would only make her step back again.
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And I wasn't doing that anymore.
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Not with her.
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My gaze shifted to her again.
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She looked… quieter.
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But not broken.
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Not like last night.
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And that eased something in me.
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Just a little.
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I didn't say anything else.
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Didn't need to.
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Because right now—
This was enough.
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Sitting beside her.
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Not apart.
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Not distant.
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Just—
Close.
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And for the first time—
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I didn't feel the need to pull away.
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Because maybe—
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Just maybe—
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This time—
I won't lose her
CHAPTER — STAY TONIGHT
Jayjay's POV
The night felt quiet.
Too quiet.
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I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling.
Sleep wouldn't come.
It hadn't… for a while now.
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Every time I closed my eyes—
I remembered things.
The past.
His words.
That night.
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My chest felt heavy.
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I turned to my side.
Then the other.
Still nothing.
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A sigh left my lips.
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Maybe I just wasn't meant to sleep tonight.
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A soft knock echoed through the room.
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I froze.
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Who…?
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Another knock.
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I sat up slowly.
"…Come in."
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The door opened.
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Keifer Watson
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He stood there.
Quiet.
Like always.
But something about him felt… unsure.
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My heart skipped slightly.
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"…Did you need something?" I asked softly.
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A pause.
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Then—
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"Are you sleeping?"
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I blinked.
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"No."
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Another pause.
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He stepped inside.
Closed the door behind him.
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Silence filled the room.
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Then—
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"Come with me."
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My brows frowned slightly.
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"Where?"
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"My room."
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My breath caught.
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I stared at him.
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"…Why?"
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He hesitated.
Just for a second.
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Then said—
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"You don't sleep."
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My heart stilled.
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"I can hear you."
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That made my chest tighten.
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"And last night…"
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His voice lowered slightly.
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"You slept."
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Because of him.
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I looked away.
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"I'm fine," I said quietly.
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A lie.
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We both knew it.
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Silence.
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Then—
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"…Stay tonight."
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My eyes lifted to his again.
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There was no force in his voice.
No command.
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Just…
A quiet request.
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"You don't have to," he added.
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And that—
That made it harder.
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Because he wasn't forcing me.
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He was giving me a choice.
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I hesitated.
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My thoughts messy.
My heart unsure.
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But then—
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I remembered last night.
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The way he held me.
The way I slept.
Without fear.
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Without pain.
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And slowly—
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I nodded.
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"…Okay."
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Something shifted in his expression.
Subtle.
But there.
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He stepped back.
Giving me space to walk first.
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I followed him.
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The hallway felt quieter than usual.
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My heartbeat louder.
When we reached his room—
He opened the door.
Let me in first.
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I stepped inside.
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Everything felt… unfamiliar.
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But not uncomfortable.
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Just new.
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I stood there awkwardly for a moment.
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"…You can take the bed," he said.
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I shook my head slightly.
"No, it's your room—"
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"I'm not arguing."
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His voice wasn't harsh.
Just firm.
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I didn't push it.
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Slowly—
I sat on the bed.
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He moved to the other side.
Keeping distance.
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Not too close.
Not too far.
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Careful.
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I lay down slowly.
Staring at the ceiling again.
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He turned off the lights.
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Darkness filled the room.
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Silence followed.
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For a few seconds—
Nothing happened.
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Then—
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I felt it.
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The shift.
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He moved slightly closer.
Not touching.
Just…
Closer.
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My breath slowed.
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My eyes closed.
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And for the first time in a while—
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My body relaxed.
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No tension.
No fear.
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Just quiet.
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Then—
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A hand.
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Hesitant.
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Resting lightly over mine.
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I froze for a second.
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Then slowly—
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I didn't pull away.
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Instead—
My fingers curled slightly.
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Holding onto his.
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Soft.
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Careful.
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Like we were both afraid to break something.
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And maybe we were.
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But neither of us let go.
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And that night—
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Sleep came.
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Slow.
Peaceful.
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Real.
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Because this time—
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I wasn't alone.
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Keifer's POV
She said yes.
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I didn't expect that.
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Not after everything.
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Not after the distance.
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But she did.
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And that—
That stayed with me.
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I watched her lie down.
Careful.
Quiet.
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Like she wasn't sure if she belonged here.
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And maybe—
She wasn't.
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Not yet.
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But I wanted her to be.
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I turned off the lights.
Laid down beside her.
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Kept my distance.
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Didn't touch her.
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Didn't want to push her.
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Not again.
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Silence filled the room.
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But it wasn't empty.
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It felt…
Calm.
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I could hear her breathing.
Slowly evening out.
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And something in me—
Relaxed.
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Then slowly—
Without thinking too much—
I moved my hand.
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Careful.
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Let it rest over hers.
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Light.
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Giving her time to pull away.
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But she didn't.
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Instead—
Her fingers curled slightly.
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Holding onto mine.
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And that—
That did something to me.
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Something quiet.
Something real.
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I didn't move after that.
Didn't say anything.
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Just stayed.
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Letting the silence settle.
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Letting her sleep.
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And for the first time in a long time—
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I didn't feel alone either.
CHAPTER — TOO CLOSE
Jayjay's POV
I didn't remember when I fell asleep. Only that for the first time in a long time, it felt peaceful. No thoughts. No memories. No pain. Just quiet. Warm.
Something shifted. I frowned slightly in my sleep, moving just a little. The warmth followed. Closer now. My fingers tightened unconsciously, gripping onto something.
Then slowly, my eyes opened.
Everything felt… different.
Too warm. Too close.
I blinked, still half asleep.
And then—
I froze.
Keifer Watson
I was on him.
Not just close.
On him.
My head resting against his shoulder. My arm loosely around him. My leg wrapped around his waist.
My breath caught.
His hand was on my waist.
Firm. Protective.
Like he had pulled me closer in his sleep.
Or maybe I had moved first.
I didn't know.
And that made it worse.
I stayed completely still, too scared to move.
Because this—
This was too much.
Too close.
Too real.
My heartbeat picked up fast, loud against the quiet room.
Is he awake?
Does he know?
I slowly lifted my head just a little.
And that's when—
His eyes opened.
Our gazes met.
Too close. Too aware.
My breath hitched.
Neither of us moved.
Not immediately.
Because somehow, moving felt harder than staying like this.
His hand was still on my waist.
And he didn't remove it.
Didn't even flinch.
He just looked at me.
And that look—
It wasn't cold.
It wasn't distant.
It made my chest feel tight.
"I—" I started, my voice small.
I immediately pulled back too fast.
My leg slipped away from him, my hand leaving his shirt.
I sat up quickly, heat rushing to my face.
"I didn't mean to— I mean—I didn't move like that on purpose—"
I stopped, closing my eyes for a second.
Just stop talking.
Silence filled the room.
I couldn't look at him.
Because I could still feel it.
The warmth.
The closeness.
"You were asleep," he said.
His voice was calm, lower than usual.
I finally looked at him.
He had sat up now, but he didn't look uncomfortable. Didn't look annoyed.
If anything—
He looked quiet.
Like he was thinking.
"You moved," he added.
My cheeks burned more.
"Sorry," I muttered.
A pause.
Then—
"Don't be."
My eyes flickered back to his.
And again—
That look.
Soft.
But not weak.
And it did something to me.
Something I didn't understand yet.
I looked away quickly.
"I should go," I said, getting up before I could think more.
Before I felt more.
I walked toward the door, but my steps slowed slightly.
Because for some reason—
A small part of me didn't want to leave.
And that—
Scared me more than anything.