(Jay jay) pov
"You stayed… even when I didn't make it easy."
Her words stayed there.
Between us.
Inside me.
I didn't move.
Didn't speak.
I just kept looking at her.
She took a small breath.
Like she was steadying herself.
Then she spoke again.
"I don't want this to be… whatever this is anymore," she said softly. "I don't want to pretend like we're nothing when we're clearly not."
My chest tightened.
She looked straight at me.
No hesitation this time.
"I want a label," she said. "With you."
For a second—
everything went quiet.
Completely quiet.
Like my mind just—
stopped.
"…is this real?" I thought.
Because it didn't feel like it.
It felt like something I thought about.
Something I wanted—
but never expected her to say first.
And then—
it hit.
Hard.
A tear slipped before I could stop it.
I pulled her into me immediately.
Tight.
Closer than before.
Not giving her time to see my face.
I buried my face in her neck.
"…this is real," I thought.
She was here.
In my arms.
Saying this.
My grip tightened slightly.
I could feel everything at once.
The way she looks at me.
The way she trusts me.
The way she stayed—
even after everything.
"…I almost lost this," I thought.
And now—
she was choosing me.
I exhaled slowly against her.
Trying to steady myself.
Then—
her voice.
Soft.
Right near my ear.
"I didn't think you would cry," she whispered lightly.
A small pause.
"But I'll love you every day, Keif… don't leave me."
That—
that broke whatever control I had left.
I pulled back slightly.
Just enough to look at her.
My hands moved to her face.
Holding it gently.
"Not now," I said quietly.
A pause.
"Not ever."
I meant it.
Every word.
I didn't wait.
I pulled her closer again—
and kissed her.
Not rushed.
Not unsure.
I didn't pull away immediately. Neither did he. For a moment, it was just us—quiet, close, real.
When we finally moved back, I looked at him… and he was still smiling.
Not his usual smirk. Not teasing. A real smile. Soft. Wide. Uncontrolled.
I blinked. "…he's still smiling," I thought.
A few seconds passed and he still hadn't stopped.
"You know your cheeks are going to hurt if you keep smiling like that," I said.
He didn't even try to hide it. "If it's because of you, I don't mind the pain."
I stared at him. "…that was so cheesy."
"Wow," I said. "That was bad."
"You still liked it."
"…maybe."
And he kept smiling.
We sat down with everyone, the restaurant now calm after everything—but only for a few seconds.
Felix suddenly stood up, dragging his chair loudly. "I KNEW IT!"
I flinched slightly. "…here we go."
Calix stood too. "Finally!"
Eren clapped. "About time."
"We suffered for this," someone added dramatically.
I covered my face for a second. "…this is embarrassing."
Keifer, on the other hand, looked completely fine. Still smiling. Of course.
"…he's enjoying this," I thought.
Cin leaned closer to me. "You did good."
"…I know," I replied quietly.
The teasing didn't stop.
"You planned all this?"
"Obviously she did."
"Keifer didn't even see it coming."
"I kind of did," he said calmly.
"No, you didn't," Felix snapped.
"…I didn't," he admitted.
Everyone laughed.
Dinner was served after a while, and things slowly settled. Plates were passed, conversations broke into smaller groups.
But under the table—
My hand was still in his.
I glanced down slightly. He wasn't just holding it—he was holding it with both hands. Firm, careful, like it actually mattered.
"…he's not letting go," I thought.
When I moved my fingers a little, his grip tightened—not enough to hurt, but enough to keep me there.
"…like I might disappear."
I didn't pull away. Instead, I adjusted my hand, and he held it again the same way.
I looked at him. He was talking normally, listening to someone, replying like nothing was different. But his thumb moved softly over my hand.
Absent. Gentle.
"…he's still here," I thought.
Not just beside me. With me.
The noise around us continued—laughter, arguments, random chaos—but it didn't feel loud anymore.
Because now, this wasn't something unspoken.
This had a name.
I leaned slightly toward him. He noticed immediately. His grip tightened again, and this time, I let myself relax into it.
"…yeah," I thought softly.
"This is right."