"jayyyyyy...."
The sound of Sophia's voice acted like a bucket of ice water over Jay's senses.
Her teeth, which had been seconds away from marking him, retracted as she blinked twice, her vision clearing.
Her eyes widened in pure, unfiltered shock at her own boldness.
She pulled back just a fraction, but she couldn't move her hands-they were still buried deep in the dark, messy silk of his hair.
Keifer looked like a man who had forgotten how to breathe.
His chest was heaving, his tie was discarded somewhere behind them, and his eyes were so dark they looked like endless obsidian.
There was a raw, unshielded hunger in his gaze that made Jay's soul shiver.
"JAYYYYYY! WHERE ARE YOU?!"
Sophia's voice was right around the corner now.
The panic finally overrode the passion. Jay abruptly let go of his hair and shoved against his chest with both hands.
It was a desperate, frantic push.
"I... I'm coming!" Jay shrieked, her voice cracking.
She didn't look back.
She couldn't. She bolted toward the end of the hallway just as Sophia's shadow began to stretch across the floor from the intersecting corridor.
Jay intercepted her sister-in-law mid-stride, her face a shade of red that looked almost neon in the dim hallway light.
"Oh! There you are!"
Sophia chirped, holding up a handful of gold-threaded ribbons.
"I need your opinion on the.., she paused, look at her tomato face.
-Jay? Are you okay? You look like you just ran a marathon in a sauna."
"Fine! I'm fine! Let's go look at the ribbons downstairs!"
Jay stammered, grabbing Sophia's arm and physically steering her away from the alcove where Keifer was still hidden.
Back in the shadows, Keifer didn't move.
He couldn't.
He stayed pinned to the wall for a long moment, the ghost of her lips still burning against his Adam's apple.
Then, his strength seemed to leave him.
He let out a ragged, shaky exhale and leaned forward, thumping his forehead against the cool mahogany of the wall.
He stayed like that-eyes closed, chest heaving, his hands balled into fists at his sides.
The "CEO" was gone, replaced by a man who was utterly, completely undone.
"Damn it, Jay,"
he whispered into the wood, his voice a broken, breathless mess.
"You have no idea what you just started."
Jay and Sophia practically tumbled down the grand staircase, but Jay's feet were moving on autopilot.
Her mind was a chaotic storm of embarrassment, heat, and pure disbelief.
What was I doing?
her internal voice shrieked.
I almost marked him.
I almost... bite him!
Why is he like that?
Why is he so... hot?
Stop it, Jay! You are a student... not a predator!
But his hair was so soft... and those eyes...
"And then I thought, maybe the gold chargers for the main course, or do we go with the platinum to match the lilies?"
Sophia was gesturing wildly, her voice bouncing off the marble walls.
"Jay? Jay, are you even on this planet right now?"
Sophia stopped mid-sentence and grabbed Jay's shoulders, giving her a firm shake.
"Jay!! You've zoomed out so far I'm surprised you haven't hit the moon yet."
Jay blinked, the fog clearing just enough for her to realize she couldn't do this alone.
She needed her best friend. She needed the only person who could handle the Watson madness.
"Soph," Jay whispered, her voice cracking.
"Hmm?"
"Come with me." Jay didn't wait for an answer. She grabbed Sophia's elbow, her grip surprisingly tight, and began dragging her back toward the living quarters.
Sophia narrowed her eyes, tripping slightly to keep up with Jay's frantic pace.
"Where? The caterers are waiting in the ballroom! Jay, what-"
"Just come!"
Jay practically hauled Sophia into her bedroom and slammed the door shut, twisting the lock with a definitive click.
Sophia crossed her arms, raising a perfectly arched brow.
She leaned against her vanity, looking at Jay with a mixture of amusement and genuine concern.
"Okay. The door is locked. The 'top secret' protocols are in place.
Now, tell me what happened that has you looking like you just witnessed a miracle and a crime at the same time."
Jay didn't answer.
Instead, she started pacing the length of the rug, her hands tangled in her hair.
"Soph... oh god, Soph..."
"What? Did Keifer forget your anniversary?
Oh no it can't be possible as you are just few months weds!
Did he lose a billion dollars? Did he say something stupid?"
Jay let out a frustrated groan, a sound that started in her toes and ended with her running toward Sophia's bed.
She threw herself face-down into a pile of decorative silk pillows, burying her face so deep she could barely breathe.
"Ugh! Jay! Tell me what happened! You're killing me with the suspense!"
Sophia shouted, dropping onto the edge of the bed and poking Jay's shoulder.
Behind Jay's closed eyelids, the scene was replaying in high-definition, slow-motion detail. She could still feel the silkiness of his dark hair between her fingers.
She could see his dark, intense, raw gaze-the way the "CEO" had completely melted into just Keifer.
He's so handsome.
He's so... hot. So, so hot.
"SHUT UP, JAY!" Jay suddenly screamed into the pillow, her voice muffled but so loud and forceful that Sophia actually flinched, nearly falling off the bed.
Sophia stared at her, stunned.
"Who are you talking to? Me? Or the voices in your head that seem to be having a party?"
The room fell into a heavy, suffocating silence, broken only by the sound of Jay's ragged breathing.
Sophia's playful expression vanished instantly, replaced by a look of deep, quiet focus.
She move her hand to Jay's shoulder, she gripped it a little firmer, anchoring her.
"Soph..." Jay's voice was barely a thread of sound, almost a sob.
"Yes... I'm right here," Sophia answered, her voice dropping into a rare, gentle softness.
Jay sat up, her head bowed so low her hair shielded her face like a curtain.
She felt like she was vibrating from the inside out.
"Sophia... please. You have to promise me. This... this stays between us. Not even Mom. Especially not him."
"Jay, you're actually scaring me now," Sophia whispered, leaning in.
"What did he do? Did he hurt you? Did he say something?"
"No!" Jay jumped slightly, her hands reaching out to grab Sophia's, squeezing them so hard her knuckles turned white.
She took a shuddering breath, trying to find the words for the chaos inside her.
"Just imagine... if something... makes butterflies."
"Butterflies?" Sophia repeated, confused.
"Ugh... don't speak! Just... listen."
Jay bit her lip until it stung.
"It's like... what if a touch sends a shiver right down your spine? There's this space between us, Soph. And I'm terrified to close it, but my heart... my heart is screaming at me to just let go. It wants that care. It wants that touch."
She squeezed her eyes shut, but the images wouldn't stop.
The way his hair felt. The way his throat moved.
"But I'm so scared. I don't know what to do. My mind is always screaming at me to be careful, to stay back, but then my hands... they start moving on their own. I can't stop myself. I tell myself I want to stay away, that I need to stay away..."
A single, hot tear escaped her lashed and traced a path down her flushed cheek. She shook her head, her voice breaking completely.
"But I can't. I just... I can't."
Sophia didn't make a joke. She didn't tease.
She saw the raw, honest terror in Jay's eyes-the fear of a girl who was falling much harder and faster than she ever planned for.
She pulled Jay into a tight, fierce hug, letting Jay bury her face in her shoulder.
Jay stayed tucked into the safety of the hug, her shoulders shaking as the tears finally came freely.
The weight of being a "high achiever," a perfect student had finally buckled under the raw, confusing intensity of what she felt for Keifer.
"Soph, I don't know what happened to me,"
she choked out between jagged breaths.
"I don't want to build up hopes...I know it's a contract, I don't want to expect anything... but I can't stop myself."
A small, broken sob escaped her, muffled by Sophia's shoulder.
Sophia didn't pull away.
She just held her tighter, her hand rhythmically caressing Jay's hair, her usual chaotic energy replaced by a grounded, sisterly warmth.
"Oh, Jay," Sophia whispered, her voice steady and calm.
"I'm not trying to force you into anything, I promise. But I see it. I know you feel for him. It's written all over you every time he walks into a room."
Gently, Sophia pulled back, using her thumbs to brush away the stray tears from Jay's flushed cheeks.
"And you know that he also feels the same."
She looked Jay straight in the eyes, her expression serious and protective.
"Listen to me. I won't let him anywhere near you before the party starts. I'll be your human shield, okay? You need time to breathe."
Sophia took a deep breath, her gaze softening.
"But Jay, it's better to just... show it. Or confess it.
Keeping it all locked inside just makes you more scared of the past or what might happen.
If someone is ready to truly care about you, to actually love you... just let them, Jay. Just let them in, even if it's just once.
You don't have to carry the whole world on your own."
Jay looked down at her lap, her fingers twisting the fabric of her skirt.
The fear of the past was still there, buzzing like static in her brain, but Sophia's words felt like a quiet anchor in the storm.
For a moment, the room was silent, save for the ticking of the clock on the mantle, marking the minutes until they had to face the world-and Keifer-again.
The heavy tension in Sophia's room slowly began to dissipate, leaving Jay feeling hollow but oddly lighter.
She took a final, shuddering breath and wiped her cheeks with the back of her hands.
"I'm always with you, Jay,"
Sophia said, her voice firm with a loyalty that didn't need any more words.
"Whatever you decide, okay?"
Jay couldn't find her voice yet, so she simply nodded, her head still bowed.
Sophia didn't let her linger in the sadness; she reached out and grabbed Jay's hand with her usual spark.
"Come on. Let's go eat something. Let's go somewhere away, You can't face a gala on an empty stomach and a broken heart."
Jay stood up, smoothing out the wrinkles in her clothes and tucking her hair behind her ears.
She caught her reflection in the mirror-her eyes were still glassy, the rims a faint, tell-tale red, but she took a deep breath and followed Sophia to the door.
The lock clicked open, and the door swung wide.
Fate, however, wasn't done with them.
Keifer was just passing the hallway, his steps measured and his expression once again masked in the cool, professional exterior.
He had calmed down, his pulse finally returning to normal-until he saw her.
His breath hitched instantly. The "CEO" cracked the moment his eyes landed on Jay's face.
But Jay didn't look up.
She pointed her gaze at the floorboards, her shoulders tense.
Keifer's sharp eyes didn't miss a single detail.
He noticed the lack of fire in her, the way she seemed to shrink away.
Then he saw it-the slight puffiness around her eyes, the glassy shimmer that spoke of tears.
His coldness and coolness was all gone, replaced by....warmth.
"Jay," he said, his voice dropping into a soft, urgent note.
He took a half-step toward her, his hand reaching out instinctively.
But Sophia was faster.
She stepped directly into his path, her hands on her hips like a tiny, formidable bodyguard.
"Hey, hey, bro! Calm down. Your wife is currently occupied being my best friend.
We are going out, so you just... go do your own work, huh? Shoo!"
Keifer's gaze remained locked on Jay. His heart twisted.
Did she cry? But why?
Was it because of what happened in the hallway?
Do she regret what.....she might have done?
The thought that he might be the reason for her tears made a knot of guilt tighten in his stomach.
No, surely she hadn't cried... but her eyes were so red.
He looked at Sophia's determined face and realized he wasn't going to get past the "Human Shield" right now.
He took a reluctant step back, his fingers twitching as he let his hand drop to his side.
"Tonight," he thought, his jaw tightening slightly. "I'll talk to her tonight later"
He watched them walk away, Jay still refusing to meet his eyes. The hallway felt colder the moment she turned the corner.
Hey buddies, I seriously want to write more but.....I just feel lazy then, so that's it for today, let's meet tomorrow 😀.
Btw ok I'll give u spoilers.
Jay decided to confess....or maybe do
(focus on "maybe")
Ok bye 👋🫂
Love u 😘😘