✦ CHAPTER — "Guarding Us." ✦
Jay's POV
Four months pregnant.
And somehow, everything felt more real now.
Not just the idea of a baby.
But the way my body carried it quietly inside me.
The way Keifer looked at me differently sometimes.
Like I was something fragile and powerful at the same time.
---
Mochi had started acting strange lately.
Stranger than usual.
She followed me everywhere now.
Every step.
Every room.
Even when I didn't call her.
---
Right now, she was curled up beside me on the bed.
Right near my stomach.
Sleeping like she had always belonged there.
---
I smiled softly while brushing my fingers through her white fur.
"…you're very protective today."
Mochi only purred louder.
Like she agreed.
😭🤍
---
Keifer noticed it too.
Of course he did.
He noticed everything about me now.
---
"She's always on you," he said quietly from the doorway.
I looked up.
"…she likes me."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
> "She guards you."
I laughed softly.
"She's a cat."
> "She's suspicious."
---
Mochi immediately opened one eye and stared at him like she understood everything.
Keifer stared back.
Silent war.
😭🫀
---
I just shook my head smiling and went back to petting her.
"She's a girl, you know."
Keifer blinked once.
"…what."
"Mochi. She's a girl."
A pause.
Then very seriously:
> "That explains the attitude."
I laughed so hard I almost dropped my phone 😭💀🤍
---
That night came quietly.
Too quietly.
The kind of quiet that always felt different before something heavy.
---
I was asleep first.
Curled under the blanket.
Mochi sleeping right beside my stomach like always.
Keifer sitting behind me, one arm around my waist.
The other resting on my stomach.
Protective.
Constant.
---
At some point… everything changed.
---
Jay's Dream / Nightmare
Dark.
Cold.
Empty hallway.
I was calling out for someone but no one answered.
My hands were shaking.
I couldn't feel anything properly.
---
Then suddenly—
pain.
Fear.
Losing something I couldn't even see clearly but knew was there.
---
"Keifer—"
My voice broke in the dream.
No response.
---
I tried to run but my legs wouldn't move.
Everything felt too far away.
Too silent.
Too wrong.
---
Keifer's POV
I woke up instantly.
Not because of sound.
Because she moved.
---
She was trembling.
Breathing uneven.
Hands gripping my shirt tightly even in sleep.
---
"Jay."
I sat up immediately.
"Jay, wake up."
No response.
Her breathing got worse.
---
My chest tightened instantly.
"…baby."
I shook her shoulder gently.
"Wake up. It's me."
---
She gasped suddenly.
Eyes opening wide.
And then—
tears.
Immediate tears.
---
"I— I couldn't find you—"
Her voice broke completely.
I didn't even hesitate.
Pulled her straight into my chest.
---
Jay's POV
I grabbed him instantly.
Like I was scared he'd disappear again.
My whole body was shaking.
"I couldn't find you…"
I didn't even know why I was crying so hard.
It just… came out.
---
His arms tightened around me immediately.
Warm.
Steady.
Safe.
---
"I'm here," he said softly. "I'm right here."
---
His hand moved to my stomach instantly.
Like instinct.
Like always.
---
I buried my face into his chest, still shaking.
"I had a nightmare…"
"I know."
Another pause.
Then softer:
> "It's okay."
---
Keifer's POV
She was still shaking in my arms.
And something inside me went cold.
Not anger.
Not fear.
Something deeper.
---
I looked down at her carefully.
Then placed my hand over her stomach fully.
Protecting both of them without thinking.
---
"No one's taking either of you," I said quietly.
My voice came out calmer than I felt.
"I won't allow it."
---
She didn't answer.
Just clung to me tighter.
---
Mochi suddenly jumped onto the bed and curled right against her stomach again.
Like she was guarding her too.
---
I exhaled slowly.
And without thinking—
I leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.
Then another.
---
"…sleep," I whispered.
"I've got you."
---
Jay's POV
Slowly…
my breathing steadied again.
The fear faded little by little.
Keifer's hand stayed on my stomach.
Mochi stayed pressed against me like a tiny white guard.
And his heartbeat under my ear became the only thing I could focus on.
---
I closed my eyes again.
This time—
I didn't feel alone.
Not even for a second. 🫀🤍