Keifer's POV
The laughter in the garden took a while to settle.
Ci-n was still muttering under his breath about how Jay had promised he would always get attention, while Keiren insisted that everyone had misunderstood his "completely innocent questions."
Jay, meanwhile, refused to look at me.
Every time our eyes almost met, she'd immediately look somewhere else.
I was definitely not helping.
A tiny smile kept threatening to appear.
Eces finally shook her head, a hint of amusement crossing her face.
"Are you all finished?"
Nobody answered.
"I'll take that as a yes."
Krish glanced at his watch before looking at everyone gathered in the garden.
"We should leave soon if we want to stay on schedule."
"Leave?" Honey asked. "Already?"
Eces nodded.
"We're heading into the city."
Almost immediately, the peaceful garden dissolved back into its usual rhythm.
"Wait, where's my cap?"
"I thought you packed it!"
"No, you packed it."
"Who took my water bottle?"
Percy sighed dramatically. "This family can survive international conspiracies but not locate a single bottle."
Jay laughed quietly beside me.
There it is.
That laugh.
It always made everything feel lighter.
Grace adjusted little Grazel against her shoulder while Denzel reached over without a word, straightening the baby's tiny cap that had slipped sideways.
"Thanks," Grace smiled.
Denzel simply nodded.
It had become second nature between them.
Keiren wandered over to Eces.
"Ate..."
She looked at him.
"Yes?"
"Can I sit by the window today?"
"If the others agree."
He grinned victoriously before running off to negotiate with the rest of Section E.
A moment later he stopped in front of Jay.
"Ate!"
Jay smiled.
"Yes?"
"You'll sit near me sometime too, right?"
She chuckled and ruffled his hair.
"Of course."
"Soon?"
"Soon."
Satisfied, he ran away again.
I watched the exchange with a smile.
Keiren had a way of making promises sound like official contracts.
Nearby, Ci-n was helping Rakki collect everyone's scattered jackets from the garden chairs.
For all his dramatic complaints earlier, he was already back to being the responsible fourteen-year-old Jay always treated like her younger brother... and her closest friend.
He complained.
She scolded him.
Five minutes later they were laughing together again.
That was simply how the two of them worked.
"You're smiling again," Jay said, catching me.
"I am?"
"Yes."
"What can I say? It's entertaining."
She gave me a look.
"I hope you know they're never letting me forget today."
"Oh, definitely not."
She sighed dramatically.
"I knew it."
I leaned a little closer.
"You handled it well."
"I survived it."
"Barely."
She nudged my arm, trying not to laugh.
Before either of us could say anything else, Krish called from the driveway.
"Everyone! Cars are ready."
The bodyguards had already loaded the day bags.
One by one, everyone started making their way out through the front gate.
Honey was still arguing with Percy over snacks.
Aries and Ella were debating which playlist deserved control of the speakers.
Calix had somehow convinced Blaster to carry his backpack.
Freya was making sure Mica hadn't forgotten her phone.
The familiar chaos surrounded us again.
Eces stood near the first vehicle, quickly counting heads before giving Krish a small nod.
"Everyone's here."
"Good," Krish replied.
Jay slipped naturally beside me as we walked toward our car.
Just before opening the door, I reached for her hand.
She looked down.
Then up at me.
"What?"
"Nothing."
She smiled, shaking her head.
"You're impossible."
"So I've been told."
She didn't let go.
Together, we climbed into the car while the rest of our loud, ridiculous family filled the vehicles around us.
Within minutes, the convoy rolled out through the gates, leaving the quiet house behind as Jaipur waited with another day of adventures.
By the time our convoy rolled out of the driveway, the dashboard clock read 2:32 p.m.
The Jaipur afternoon was bright, the golden sandstone buildings glowing beneath the sun.
"So," Honey announced from the back seat of another vehicle through the walkie-talkie the bodyguards insisted on using, "where are we kidnapping ourselves first?"
Krish's calm voice answered.
"Albert Hall Museum."
"History first?" Calix groaned dramatically.
"Food later?" Percy asked hopefully.
"Yes," Eces replied simply.
That settled it.
---
Albert Hall Museum
The museum stood proudly in the middle of Ram Niwas Garden, its magnificent Indo-Saracenic architecture looking almost regal beneath the afternoon sky.
The carved arches.
The domes.
The endless details on every wall.
Jay stopped walking the moment we entered through the gates.
"It's beautiful..."
"It is," I agreed.
She tilted her head upward, trying to take everything in at once.
"I don't even know where to look."
"Everywhere."
She smiled.
Section E had already split into tiny groups.
Kit immediately started taking photographs.
Blaster insisted on posing beside every statue.
Honey declared the building "Pinterest in real life."
Inside, the museum felt cooler.
Ancient paintings, sculptures, royal weapons, pottery, textiles, miniature artworks...
Every room seemed to belong to another century.
Jay slowed near a display of traditional Rajasthani jewelry.
"They're gorgeous."
I noticed the way her eyes lingered on one particular necklace.
"You like it?"
"I do."
"It would suit you."
She looked at me.
"You say that about everything."
"Because it's true."
She shook her head with an amused smile before continuing.
Across another gallery, I noticed Keagan.
He wasn't looking at the exhibits.
He was looking toward Eces.
Only for a second.
Then he quickly looked away when Krish asked him something.
Interesting.
Not obvious enough for anyone else to notice.
But I did.
A few minutes later...
Again.
Another brief glance.
Not admiration.
Recognition.
Like he was trying to remember something he couldn't quite reach.
Jay nudged my arm.
"What are you looking at?"
"Nothing."
She followed my gaze anyway.
Her eyes briefly landed on Keagan before returning to me.
"...You noticed too?"
I nodded once.
"So it isn't just me."
Neither of us said anything else.
If Keagan wanted to say something...
He would.
Eventually.
---
Nearly an hour later, everyone gathered outside again.
Honey stretched dramatically.
"I have absorbed enough culture for today."
"You absorbed air conditioning," Percy corrected.
"I absorbed both."
Even Eces smiled faintly at that.
---
Ram Niwas Garden
The afternoon had softened by the time we entered the gardens.
Wide green lawns stretched ahead.
Old trees shaded winding pathways.
Children chased pigeons.
Families sat beneath enormous banyan trees.
The atmosphere felt peaceful.
Grace spread a small blanket on the grass so Grazel could stretch comfortably.
The little five-month-old blinked curiously at the moving leaves overhead before waving both tiny hands excitedly.
Jay crouched beside her immediately.
"Hello, sunshine."
Grazel answered with an enthusiastic squeal.
"There it is," Grace laughed.
"Her happy voice."
Jay gently tickled the baby's tiny foot.
Grazel giggled.
Actual giggles.
The entire nearby group smiled.
"She's getting louder," Denzel observed proudly.
"As she should," Grace replied.
I watched Jay without interrupting.
There it was again.
That softness.
She never forced affection.
It simply happened.
Naturally.
Ci-n wandered over with two pigeons following him for reasons nobody understood.
"Ate."
Jay looked up.
"Yes?"
"They're following me."
She blinked.
"They like you."
"I don't know why."
"I don't think they know either."
He looked suspiciously at one pigeon.
"I think he wants my chips."
"He probably does."
Ci-n immediately surrendered a tiny piece.
The pigeon accepted.
"I've been adopted."
Section E burst into laughter.
---
Nearby, Honey had convinced almost everyone to buy ice cream from a small vendor.
Within minutes...
The group looked like children on a school picnic.
Chocolate.
Mango.
Vanilla.
Kulfi.
Mixed fruit.
Jay chose butterscotch.
I chose chocolate.
She took one bite.
Then looked at mine.
"You always get chocolate."
"It works."
She smiled.
"Can I taste it?"
Instead of handing it over...
I simply held it closer.
She leaned forward and took a small bite directly from the cone.
Then blinked.
"...That's actually good."
"I know."
She held out hers.
"Your turn."
I copied her.
One bite.
She laughed quietly.
"We could've just exchanged them."
"This is easier."
Behind us—
"AHEM."
Honey.
Of course.
"Shared ice cream now?"
Percy nodded wisely.
"Progress."
Jay sighed toward the sky.
"I miss five peaceful minutes."
"You had four," I reminded her.
She lightly bumped my shoulder.
"You count?"
"Always."
---
Later, everyone rented tiny bicycles available inside one section of the garden.
Watching Percy attempt to ride one built for children was possibly the funniest thing I'd seen all week.
"It wasn't made for me!"
"No," Aries agreed.
"It was made for people with balance."
Honey nearly fell over laughing.
Even Krish looked away to hide a smile.
Eces stood nearby, arms folded, watching the chaos unfold.
For just a second...
Keagan glanced toward her again.
Another thoughtful look.
Gone almost immediately.
This time Jay definitely noticed.
She quietly leaned toward me.
"He's trying to figure something out."
"I think so too."
"But what?"
"I don't know."
---
Evening
Around six o'clock, we finally left Ram Niwas Garden.
The sunlight had turned warmer.
The city looked dipped in gold.
Our final stop...
Nahargarh Fort.
---
The drive uphill was beautiful.
Jaipur slowly spread beneath us.
Pink buildings.
Busy streets.
Ancient walls winding across distant hills.
The higher we climbed...
The quieter everyone became.
When we finally stepped out near the fort, a cool breeze greeted us.
Honey immediately hugged herself.
"I take back everything I said about Jaipur being hot."
"You say that every trip," Percy reminded her.
"And I'm right every trip."
The fort itself felt magnificent.
Massive stone walls.
Long corridors.
Historic balconies overlooking the entire city.
Jay walked slowly beside me, pausing every few minutes just to admire another view.
"I don't think photos can capture this."
"They can't."
She rested her hands lightly against the old stone railing.
Below us...
Jaipur stretched endlessly.
Lights slowly beginning to appear as evening settled.
The sky transformed into shades of orange, pink, and violet.
Beautiful.
I wasn't looking at the sky.
I was looking at her.
She caught me.
"You've barely looked at the sunset."
"I'm looking at something better."
She rolled her eyes.
"You say impossible things so confidently."
"I practice."
She laughed.
A soft breeze pushed loose strands of hair across her face.
Without thinking, I tucked them behind her ear.
She didn't move away.
Instead...
She quietly rested her shoulder against mine.
Just for a moment.
No words.
No teasing.
Just stillness.
Behind us, Section E had scattered across different viewpoints.
Kit was filming.
Blaster was attempting dramatic poses.
Calix had somehow convinced Mica to recreate an old Bollywood scene.
Freya and Ella were laughing over selfies.
Grace and Denzel stood together with Grazel, showing her the city lights.
The baby stared with wide, fascinated eyes.
Even if she wouldn't remember this day...
Everyone else would remember seeing her experience it.
A little farther away...
Eces stood beside one of the old cannons overlooking Jaipur.
Krish joined her after finishing a phone call.
They spoke quietly.
Nothing unusual.
Then...
Keagan looked toward them again.
Longer this time.
His expression unreadable.
Not jealousy.
Not anger.
Curiosity.
Almost... familiarity.
When Eces turned slightly in his direction, he immediately shifted his attention toward the city.
Jay followed the exchange.
"You think she'll notice?"
I smiled faintly.
"She probably already has."
Knowing Eces...
Very little escaped her attention.
The fort slowly filled with evening lights.
Street vendors nearby sold roasted corn, masala peanuts, and hot tea.
Naturally...
Honey wanted everything.
"We literally had ice cream an hour ago," Percy reminded her.
"So?"
"So you're eating again."
"I'm maintaining happiness."
Aries nodded solemnly.
"Valid."
Soon enough everyone stood around sharing roasted corn sprinkled with lemon and spices while paper cups of steaming chai warmed cold hands.
Jay wrapped both hands around her tea cup.
"It feels nice."
I looked at her.
"The tea?"
She smiled.
"Everything."
The breeze.
The fort.
The people around us.
The laughter echoing through old walls.
I understood exactly what she meant.
By the time we began walking back toward the cars, the clock was approaching 8:00 p.m.
The city below glittered like thousands of tiny stars.
One unforgettable afternoon had quietly become one unforgettable day.
And somehow...
Walking beside Jay with our shoulders brushing every few steps...
It felt less like sightseeing.
And more like collecting memories that we'd carry long after Jaipur was behind us.