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✦ CHAPTER — THE WORDS THAT STAYED ✦
Jayjay's POV
It was late again.
I was awake, sitting on the edge of the bed, waiting like I shouldn't be.
But I couldn't stop myself.
Not tonight.
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When the door finally opened, I felt that strange relief again.
Then I saw him.
Keifer.
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He stepped in slowly.
Tired.
Bruised again.
But something about him wasn't just physical tonight.
It was his expression.
Cold in a different way.
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"You're late again…" I said softly.
Almost automatically.
Like I'd been holding it in.
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His eyes shifted to me.
And then—
he exhaled sharply.
Not anger.
Not softness.
Just tired frustration.
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"You're still awake?"
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I nodded slightly.
"…I was waiting for you."
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That's when something in his face changed.
Not softer.
Worse.
---
"Why?"
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The way he said it made my chest tighten.
Like the answer was obvious.
Like I was doing something wrong just by existing there.
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"I just… wanted to know you came back safe."
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Silence.
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Then he laughed once.
Not amused.
Empty.
---
"You really need to stop doing this."
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I frowned slightly.
"…Stop what?"
---
He looked at me properly now.
Really looked.
And it didn't feel warm.
It felt like distance.
---
"Acting like I belong to your worries."
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My breath caught.
"…That's not what I'm doing."
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But he shook his head.
Slow.
Final.
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"You sit here waiting for me like I owe you something."
His voice lowered slightly.
"But I don't, Jayjay."
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That hit differently.
Not loud.
But deep.
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I stood up a little.
"…I never said you owed me anything."
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He stepped further into the room.
And for the first time tonight—
his voice sharpened.
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"Then stop acting like I'm the center of your world."
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Silence.
---
My throat tightened.
"…You are the only one I trust here."
I said it quietly.
Honest.
---
That's when his expression changed again.
Not angry.
Not soft.
Just… closed.
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"That's your problem."
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The words didn't come loud.
But they landed heavy.
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I blinked.
Once.
Twice.
---
"…What?"
---
He ran a hand through his hair.
Exhausted.
But detached.
---
"You're too attached."
His voice was calmer now.
Worse somehow.
"Too emotional about things that don't need it."
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My chest started hurting.
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"I was just worried about you."
My voice broke slightly.
---
He looked at me then.
And said it.
Clearly.
Without hesitation.
---
"Don't."
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A pause.
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Then—
"You don't get to worry about me like that."
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That line stayed.
Like it carved into the room.
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My lips parted slightly.
But nothing came out.
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So I nodded.
Slow.
Small.
Like I didn't know what else to do.
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"…Okay."
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And that's when I saw it.
Not guilt.
Not softness.
Just him turning away.
Like it was normal.
Like it meant nothing.
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He walked to the other room.
Closed the door.
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Quiet.
Final
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✦ CHAPTER — DON'T LEAVE ME LIKE THAT ✦
Jayjay's POV
I don't know how long I sat there after he left.
Minutes.
Hours.
Everything felt wrong in a quiet way.
His words didn't even feel like anger anymore.
They felt like distance.
Like I was something he had to push away to breathe.
---
I tried to sleep.
I really did.
But every time I closed my eyes—
I heard it again.
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"You sit here waiting for me like I owe you something."
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And then everything faded.
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But not into peace.
Into darkness.
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Liam.
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Blood on his hands.
His smile fading.
The sound of something breaking.
And me—
standing there, unable to move.
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"No… no please—"
My voice came out broken in my sleep.
Tangled in fear.
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"Liam, don't—"
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I woke up screaming.
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The room felt too small.
Too dark.
Too heavy.
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I couldn't breathe properly.
My hands were shaking violently as I grabbed the blanket like it could save me.
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"Please…"
I didn't even realize I was crying already.
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On the other side of the wall—
silence.
Then movement.
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Keifer's POV
I wasn't asleep.
I couldn't be.
Her face was still in my head.
The way she went silent.
The way she said "okay" like it meant surrender.
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Then I heard it.
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A scream.
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My body moved before my thoughts did.
"Jayjay?"
No answer.
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Then crying.
Real crying.
Broken.
---
My chest tightened instantly.
I stood up fast.
Walked to her door.
---
"Jayjay—open the door."
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Nothing.
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"baby… open the door."
My voice dropped lower now.
More careful.
More scared than I wanted it to be.
---
Still nothing.
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"Jayjay, please."
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I hit the door once.
Then again.
Harder.
---
Her crying got worse.
And something in me snapped.
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I stepped back.
One breath.
Then kicked.
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The lock broke.
The door opened.
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Jayjay's POV
The door flew open.
And I didn't even look up properly.
Just—
fear.
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He came in fast.
"Hey—hey, it's me—"
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But I shook my head immediately.
"No—stay away—"
My voice cracked hard.
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I pushed him.
Hard.
Out of instinct.
Out of fear.
Out of everything still trapped in my chest.
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"Don't touch me—please—"
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He froze.
Completely.
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Keifer's POV
She pushed me.
Like I was the danger.
Like I was the nightmare.
And maybe—
I was.
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My hands dropped slightly.
"…Jayjay."
My voice broke without permission.
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She was shaking.
Crying so hard she couldn't even breathe properly.
And I realized—
this wasn't anger.
This was fear.
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I swallowed hard.
"…I'm sorry."
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Jayjay's POV
His voice changed.
Completely.
Not cold.
Not sharp.
Just broken.
---
"I'm sorry."
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That's when I looked at him properly.
Really looked.
And something in me cracked even more.
---
He wasn't angry anymore.
He looked scared.
Not of me.
Of losing me.
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I shook my head again.
Still shaking.
"…You told me to stop caring."
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Silence.
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Keifer's POV
That line hit worse than anything else.
Because I did say it.
And I can't take it back.
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"I didn't mean it like that," I said immediately.
Stepping forward slowly.
Careful now.
Like she might disappear.
---
"Jayjay… please."
My voice lowered.
"Let me in."
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She hesitated.
Just for a second.
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And then she broke.
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Jayjay's POV
"I can't stop hearing it," I cried.
My hands shaking violently.
"You make me feel like I'm too much for you."
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His face changed instantly.
---
And I kept going.
Because I couldn't hold it anymore.
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"I lost someone before you."
" Liam "
" he was my first love , my first best friend "
My voice cracked completely.
"I saw him die because he protected me."
" the knife it was supposed to be for me , but he took it "
" he died infront of Me"
Silence.
---
"I don't know how to stop being scared."
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My breath hitched.
Tears falling nonstop.
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"And when you say things like that…"
I looked down.
"…it feels like I'm losing someone again."
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Keifer didn't speak.
Not at first.
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Then he moved.
Fast.
Careful.
Desperate.
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He pulled me into his chest.
This time I didn't push him away.
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Because I couldn't anymore.
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Keifer's POV
She didn't resist this time.
And that scared me more.
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"I'm sorry," I whispered again.
Against her hair.
"I'm so sorry."
---
I held her tighter.
Not because I had to.
Because I couldn't let go.
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And for the first time—
I understood something clearly.
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My words didn't just hurt her.
They broke something she was already barely holding together.
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And I was the one who caused it 💔