(Jay's POV)
The bright morning sun hit my eyes, and I blinked twice. Wait. Something was wrong. I looked at the big digital clock on the side table. It was exactly 6:00 AM.
My jaw dropped. I, Jay, was awake before my alarm. This was a miracle. Usually, I wake up looking like a angry zombie that needs three cups of coffee just to blink and my hot Keifer too. But today, I felt totally awake.
I slowly turned around on the soft mattress. Right next to me was Keifer. My hot fiancé. The guy who had literally ruined a whole rich family just because they messed with me. He was still fast asleep, and oh my goodness, he looked like a movie star.
His messy black hair fell perfectly across his forehead. His long eyelashes brushed against his skin. Even his breathing sounded perfect and peaceful. He didn't drool. He didn't snore like a chainsaw. He just lay there looking absolutely flawless.
It was honestly unfair. How could someone look this good at six in the morning?
I leaned in closer, resting my chin on my hands. I stared at his straight nose and his lips. A little smile crept onto my face. Yesterday was a total mess with Vanessa coming to our house crying and admitting all her big fat lies.
But now, Vanessa was gone forever. Keifer was completely mine, and I was completely his.
"You are so handsome," I whispered to the empty air.
He didn't move. I felt a sudden wave of affection. I just wanted to plant a tiny, quiet kiss on his cheek. Just one quick kiss before he woke up. I leaned down slowly. I held my breath so I wouldn't wake him. My lips were just an inch away from his skin.
Suddenly, his dark eyes snapped wide open. A massive, playful smirk spread across his face.
"Are you stealing kisses during my handsome sleep, wifey?" Keifer asked. His voice was deep and full of morning laughter.I jumped back so fast I almost tumbled right off the bed. My face turned as red as a ripe tomato. I grabbed the blanket and pulled it up to my chin, trying to look totally innocent.
"I was not stealing anything!" I yelled, my voice squeaking a little bit. "I was just... checking if you were breathing!"
Keifer laughed out loud. It was a rich, warm sound that filled the whole bedroom. He propped his head up on his arm and winked at me. "Sure, Jay. You were looking at me like I was a giant piece of chocolate cake. And you definitely wanted a bite."
"In your dreams, Mr. Arrogant!" I snorted, trying hard to change the topic. "And wait a minute. What did you just say? Handsome sleep? I have heard of beauty sleep, but what the heck is handsome sleep?"
Keifer sat up and ran a hand through his messy hair, making it look even more perfect. It was annoying how he did that.
"Beauty sleep is for normal people," Keifer explained with a totally serious face, though his eyes were dancing with fun. "Handsome sleep is a special, high-quality rest meant only for top-tier guys like me. It keeps my jawline sharp and my charm at one hundred percent. You are very lucky to witness it firsthand, wifey."
I picked up a fluffy pillow and threw it straight at his face. He caught it easily with one hand and laughed even louder.
"You are ridiculous!" I laughed, finally hopping out of bed. "Come on, get up! We have to go to the university today. We cannot be late."
That was the exact moment the peace ended and the pure chaos began. We looked at the time again. It was now 7:15 AM. We had spent way too long talking about handsome sleep. The university gates closed at 8:00 AM sharp.
"Oh no!" I screamed. "We only have forty-five minutes!"
"Don't panic!" Keifer yelled back, jumping out of bed like a rocket. He paused, looked at the clock, and then looked back at me. A very sudden, bright pink blush crept up his neck and covered his cheeks. He rubbed the back of his neck, looking completely embarrassed.
"Uh... to save time, we could... you know... take a bath together?"
My jaw dropped, and my face instantly turned as hot as a frying pan. "Keifer!"
Even if we have bathed together many times, it still feels like it's first time.
"I am just thinking about the clock, wifey!" he squeaked, his voice cracking a little as he blushed even harder, looking anywhere but at me.
"No way! Absolutely not!" I shrieked, laughing at how red he was. I used his momentary confusion to sprint past him. "I win!"
I reached the bathroom door first, popped my head inside, and grinned. "Too slow, hubby !"
"Jay ! Open this door right now!" He banged on the wood. "My hair looks like a bird nest!"
(Huh! Says who?)
"Use the guest bathroom downstairs!" My voice echoed through the door over the sound of running water. I stomped my foot, to the floor of wahroom , and burst into the bathroom. I brushed my teeth so fast I thought my toothbrush might melt. I washed my face, brushed my hair into a neat ponytail, and ran back to room to grab my clothes.
When I got to our room, Keifer was already dressed in a sharp black shirt and black jeans. He looked like a model again, and his blush was finally gone. I, on the other hand, was running around in a panic trying to find my favorite blue top.
"Where is it? Where is it?" I muttered, throwing clothes out of the closet.
"Looking for this?" Keifer asked. He was holding my blue top on a hanger, smiling gently. "I ironed it for you while you were inside ."
My heart melted a little bit, but there was no time for romance. "You are a lifesaver! Turn around so I can change!"
Surprisingly this man didn't argue even once!!
Five minutes later, we were both ready, but we still had to eat. We ran down to the kitchen. Keifer grabbed a loaf of bread, threw two slices into the toaster, and poured two glasses of orange juice.
Pop!
The toast flew out of the toaster. Keifer caught them in the air like an action hero. He quickly spread some butter on them. He shoved one slice into his mouth and handed the other one to me.
"Eat fast!" he mumbled through his toast.I took a huge bite.
"My backpack! Where is my backpack? BOOTS CAN YOU SEE IT?"
(Dora's fan for a reason)
"In the living room!" Keifer called out, grabbing the car keys.
I grabbed my bag, took a giant gulp of juice, and ran out the front door. Keifer was already in the driver's seat of his sleek, shiny black car. The engine was roaring. I hopped into the passenger seat and slammed the door.
"Hold on tight, wifey," Keifer said with a smirk. He stepped on the gas, and the car zoomed down the driveway. We flew through the streets, turning corners like we were in a racing video game. I held onto the handle above the door for dear life.
"We are going to make it! We are going to make it!" I chanted like a crazy person.
We pulled into the university parking lot at exactly 7:55 AM. Keifer parked the black car perfectly in his usual spot. We both sat there for a second, panting and catching our breath.
Our hair was a bit messy from the rush, but we were here. We were on time.I looked out the window at the grand university building. For the first time in weeks, my chest felt light. There was a huge smile on my face.
Why? Because there was no Vanessa.No more fake texts. No more evil traps. No more crying drama. Vanessa's family was broke, and she was kicked out. The evil witch was officially gone from our lives.
"Ready to go inside, my queen?" Keifer asked, opening his door.
"More than ready," I said, stepping out of the car.
Keifer walked over to my side, took my hand, and laced his fingers through mine. His hand was warm and steady. We walked together through the main gates of the campus.The moment we stepped into the courtyard, the entire area went dead silent.
Dozens of students stopped talking. People who were walking to class froze in their tracks. Everyone turned their heads to look straight at us. I felt a little nervous and squeezed Keifer's hand. But Keifer just kept walking with his head held high, looking cool and confident.
News travels faster than light in this university. Over the regular school break, everyone had found out the truth. They all knew that Vanessa had tried to ruin us with fake rumors. They also knew that Keifer had completely destroyed Vanessa's family business overnight to protect me.
Everyone now knew that Keifer and I had led to Vanessa's ultimate downfall.
Then, someone near the fountain started clapping.Then another person joined. And another. Within five seconds, the entire courtyard erupted into loud, thunderous clapping and cheering. People were whistling. Girls were cheering my name. Guys were high-fiving each other.
"Welcome back, Jay!" a boy shouted.
"You guys are awesome!" a girl yelled from the balcony.
"The king and queen are back!" someone else roared.
I looked at Keifer, totally shocked. He just smiled down at me, stopped walking for a second, and put his arm around my shoulder. He pulled me close to his side. The crowd cheered even louder.
We were, without a doubt, the undisputed power couple of the university again.
My heart was bursting with pure happiness. I waved at my friends. I smiled at the crowd. This was the best day ever. Nothing could ruin this perfect, beautiful, amazing morning.
We walked through the cheering crowd and entered the main building. We walked down the hallway, still holding hands, and finally reached our classroom. The room was noisy, but it calmed down a bit when we walked in. We took our usual seats right in the middle row.
"See? I told you everything would be perfect," Keifer whispered, leaning close to my ear.
"Okay, fine, you were right," I giggled, feeling like I was on top of the world.
A moment later, the heavy wooden door opened. Our main lecturer, Professor Smith, walked into the room. He was a serious man with gray hair and thick glasses. He carried a heavy stack of white papers in his arms. He slammed the papers down on the wooden desk with a loud thud.
The entire classroom went completely quiet.
Professor Smith cleared his throat and looked at all of us over his glasses. He did not look happy. He looked like a man who enjoyed giving bad news.
"Good morning, class," Professor Smith said coldly. "I hope you all had a wonderful and relaxing time. Because the relaxation ends right now."
I blinked. A small bad feeling started to grow in my stomach.Professor Smith picked up the stack of papers.
"As you all know, the academic schedule is very tight this term. Therefore, the administration has decided to move the final examinations forward."
He held up a paper. "You have exactly five days to study. Your exams start this coming Monday."
The entire classroom gasped. People started groaning out loud. Someone in the back row actually put their head on the desk and started crying.
My jaw dropped for the second time that day. Five days? Five days?! I had not opened a single textbook in two weeks because of all the hospital and Vanessa drama. I knew absolutely nothing. My brain was a total blank page.
Professor Smith started walking down the aisles, handing out a sheet of paper to every student. "Here is your datesheet. Do not lose it. Good luck. You will need it."
He dropped a piece of paper on my desk. I stared at the black ink.
Monday: Advanced Mathematics.
Tuesday: Macroeconomics.
Wednesday: Business Law.
My vision went blurry. My perfect morning, my happy cheering crowd, my sweet revenge against Vanessa—all of it vanished in a single second. My beautiful happiness did not stay long at all.
I slowly turned my head to look at Keifer. He was looking at his datesheet with a totally "It's piece of cake" face.
He tossed the paper onto his desk like it was nothing, crossed his arms, and leaned back in his chair looking like a king.
I was not shocked by his expression at all. I was totally used to his high-level intelligence. The guy had a brain like a supercomputer. He could read a five-hundred-page textbook in two hours and get a perfect score without even sweating.
Exams did not scare him.
"Why are you looking so worried, wifey?" Keifer whispered, his smirk growing even wider. "You have the smartest husband in the universe right next to you. I can teach you everything in my sleep."
"Keifer," I whispered back, my voice still trembling with pure panic as I pointed at my datesheet. "You might be a genius, but my brain has completely melted. We have five days, and I currently do not remember how to add two plus two. We are still in big trouble!"
Keifer looked at me, and that confident smirk finally softened into a sweet, playful smile. He reached over under the desk and squeezed my hand gently.
"Well, wifey," Keifer said, bowing his head slightly. "It looks like my handsome sleep is officially over, and my genius tutor mode is officially activated."
We packed our bags the second the class ended and marched straight to the university library. Keifer walked with long, confident steps, while I dragged my feet like a prisoner going to jail.
The library was huge, quiet, and smelled like old paper. Usually, it was empty. Today, it was packed with hundreds of panicked students. People were crying over thick books. Some were pulling their hair out.
"We need a secret base," Keifer whispered, looking around like a secret agent.He grabbed my wrist and pulled me to the very back of the library.
We found a small wooden table hidden behind a giant wall of history books. It was the perfect spot. Nobody could see us, and more importantly, nobody could see me cry when I failed my practice questions.
Thud!
Keifer dropped five massive textbooks onto the table. The sound echoed, and a student three rows away hissed "Shh!" at us.
Keifer ignored them, sat down right next to me, and opened the scariest-looking book: Advanced Mathematics.
"Okay, Jay," Keifer said, his voice quiet but full of energy. "We have no time to waste. We will start with formulas. If you learn these ten formulas, you can solve half the exam."
"My brain hurts just looking at the font," I complained, resting my chin on the hard table.
"No slacking, wifey!" Keifer tapped my forehead with his pen. "Look at this equation. It is very simple. X equals negative B plus or minus..."
He started explaining, his voice smooth and steady. For the first ten minutes, I really tried my best. I stared at the numbers. I listened to his words. But the library was too warm. The chair was too comfortable. Keifer's voice was too soothing.
My eyelids started feeling like they weighed a hundred kilograms each. My eyes slowly closed. My head started nodding down, down, down toward the book.
Snap!
A loud noise right next to my ear made me jump out of my skin. I woke up instantly, blinking wildly. Keifer was sitting there, holding a ruler, staring at me with a playful but stern look.
"Are you sleeping during my masterclass, student Jay?" he whispered loudly.
"I was just... meditating on the math!" I lied, rubbing my eyes."Sure you were," Keifer smirked. "If you fall asleep again, I will use my secret weapon to keep you awake."
"What secret weapon?" I asked, suddenly suspicious.Keifer leaned in very close, his lips almost touching my ear. His warm breath made me shiver. "Every time you close your eyes for more than three seconds, I will kiss your cheek. Right here in public. In front of the whole library."
My face burst into flames. I looked around frantically. There were students everywhere. "You wouldn't dare! This is a silent study zone!"
"Try me," Keifer winked, looking completely ready to do it.
I grabbed my pen, sat up completely straight, and stared at the book like my life depended on it. Fear of public romance was a great motivator. I managed to solve three math problems all by myself.
Keifer checked my work, nodded with a proud smile, and patted my head like I was a good puppy.
"Excellent," Keifer praised. "You see? You are smart. Now, let us move to Macroeconomics."
Macroeconomics was even worse than math. It was just lines, graphs, supply, and demand. Within fifteen minutes, the sleep monster attacked me again. My vision went blurry. The lines on the graph started dancing. My head slowly dropped sideways, aiming right for Keifer's shoulder.
I felt myself drifting away into a lovely, soft dream.
Smooch.
A pair of soft lips pressed firmly against my right cheek. The kiss was loud enough to make a girl at the next table turn her head and gasp.
I snapped awake, my heart racing. I grabbed my cheek, staring at Keifer with wide, shocked eyes. He was sitting back, spinning his pen around his thumb, looking like the cat that caught the mouse.
"That was four seconds, wifey," Keifer whispered, his eyes gleaming with pure mischief. "I warn you, the next kiss will be on the lips if you don't tell me what happens when supply goes down."
"Prices go up! Prices go up!" I squeaked out the answer instantly, my face completely red.
"Good job!" Keifer laughed quietly, ticking a box on his notepad. "Your memory improves so much when you are embarrassed."
For the next two hours, the library was a battle zone of funny chaos. I fought with all my might to keep my eyes open. Every time my eyelids drooped, Keifer would lean in, make a funny face, tickle my side, or threaten me with another loud kiss.
By 2:00 PM, I had actually covered three whole chapters, but my brain felt like scrambled eggs.
"I need sugar," I groaned, flopping my head onto the open pages of the economics book. "If I don't get chocolate right now, my soul will leave my body."
Keifer chuckled, closed his book, and stood up. "Stay right here. Do not fall asleep, or the kiss monster will return. I will go to the vending machine downstairs and get you some fuel."
"Get the big chocolate bar," I begged, raising one finger. "And a cold juice."
"Your wish is my command, lazy queen," Keifer said, bowing dramatically before walking away down the long aisle of books.I sighed and rested my cheek on the desk. It felt good to take a tiny break. I looked around the library.
Everyone still looked miserable, but I actually felt a bit better. Keifer was a crazy teacher, but his method was working. I actually understood the formulas now.
Suddenly, I felt a shadow fall over our table.I looked up, expecting to see Keifer with the chocolate bar. But it wasn't Keifer.It was three of the most popular girls from our university department, led by a girl named Seline.
They were all holding heavy notebooks, and they were looking at me with huge, excited smiles on their faces.
"Hi, Jay!" Seline whispered excitedly, sitting down in Keifer's empty chair without even asking.
The other two girls quickly grabbed chairs from nearby tables and crowded around me.
"Oh, um, hi Seline," I said, blinking in surprise. Usually, these girls only talked to Vanessa.
"We are so, so happy to see you back!" Seline said, clasping her hands together. "We always knew Vanessa was a snake, honestly. The way she lied about you was just terrible. We are so glad Keifer destroyed her family's company. She totally deserved it!"
"Yeah, she was so toxic," the second girl chimed in. "You and Keifer are literally the ultimate goals. The whole university is talking about how cool you both looked walking through the gates today."
"Thanks," I said, feeling a bit proud but also a bit overwhelmed by their sudden energy.
"So... we were wondering," Seline leaned in closer, dropping her notebook onto the table. "Since Keifer is literally a genius and has the highest GPA in the entire school... do you think he could help us study too? We are totally drowning in this math syllabus!"
"Yeah, please, Jay!" the third girl pleaded. "Just let us sit at this table with you guys. We won't make a sound. We just need him to explain chapter five!"
Before I could even answer, a deep voice spoke from behind them."Sorry, ladies, but this table is fully booked."
We all looked up. Keifer was standing there, holding a chocolate bar and a bottle of juice. He didn't have his playful smirk anymore. He looked completely cold and polite, his classic "prince of the university" look.
Seline smiled warmly at him, trying to look cute. "Oh, come on, Keifer! We just need a little bit of help. We can all study together as a big group. It will be fun!"
Keifer didn't even blink. He walked over, gently pushed Seline's chair back so she had to stand up, and sat down right next to me. He opened the chocolate bar, broke off a piece, and fed it directly into my mouth. I chewed happily, watching the drama unfold.
"I only have one student," Keifer said, looking directly at Seline with a sharp, clear smile. "And she is very easily distracted. If anyone else sits here, she will fail her exams, and then she will cry. I don't like it when my wife cries."
The three girls blinked, their faces turning a little pink from his direct rejection."Plus," Keifer added, leaning back and putting his arm around my shoulder, pulling me close. "My teaching methods are very private. I don't think you ladies would enjoy them."
I choked on my chocolate, coughing a little bit as I remembered his "kissing weapon" threat. Keifer just patted my back, laughing quietly.
Seline realized there was absolutely no chance of getting Keifer's attention. "Oh... okay. We understand. Good luck with studying, Jay!"
"Thanks," I managed to say through my chocolate.
The three girls quickly picked up their things and hurried away to find another table. I turned to Keifer and punched his arm lightly. "You are so mean! They just wanted some math help."
"They wanted my handsome brain, wifey," Keifer corrected proudly, handing me the juice bottle. "But my brain, my time, and my handsome sleep belong only to you. Now, open page fifty-four. We have two more chapters of Business Law to finish before the library closes!"
I groaned loudly, but as I opened the book, I couldn't stop the big smile from spreading across my face. The exams were still terrifying, but with my crazy, protective genius husband by my side, I knew we were going to survive it.
(Exam 1 day)
Monday morning arrived way too quickly. The five days of intense, chaotic tutoring had passed in a blur of math formulas, economics graphs, and lots of public cheek-kissing threats.
I stood outside the grand examination hall, my hands freezing cold from pure nerves. Hundreds of students were pacing around the hallway, clutching their notebooks and whispering formulas like they were reciting magic spells.
The energy in the air was pure panic."My mind is a complete blank," I groaned, leaning my head against Keifer's broad shoulder. "I think my brain deleted everything during the night to save memory space. What if I forget what 'X' equals?"
Keifer laughed softly, the sound deep and completely relaxed. He was standing there looking totally calm, without a single worry in the world.
He reached out, wrapped his arms around my waist, and pulled me into a warm hug right in the middle of the crowded hallway.
"Don't worry, wifey," Keifer whispered into my hair, his classic proud smirk in full swing. "You spent five days studying with the top genius of this university. My intelligence rubs off on you when we hold hands. You are going to ace this Advanced Mathematics paper."
"Is that a scientific fact or just another one of your arrogant jokes?" I mumbled into his jacket, but my heart stopped racing quite so fast.
"It is a fact proven by your handsome husband," he teased, kissing the top of my head. "Now, let us go inside and conquer this room."
The heavy wooden doors of the exam hall swung open, and the examiners started calling our names. We walked inside the massive room, which was filled with rows of single wooden desks, white answer sheets, and scary-looking wall clocks.
Because of our last names, my desk was in the very front row, right under the nose of the chief examiner. Keifer's desk was placed way in the back row.
I looked back at him as I sat down, giving him a panicked look. Keifer just winked at me, gave me a small thumbs-up, and mouthed the words: Remember the formulas.The chief examiner cleared his throat loudly. "You have exactly two hours. No talking, no cheating. You may begin now."
Flip!
The sound of three hundred students turning over their exam papers echoed through the hall. I took a deep breath, gripped my black pen tightly, and looked down at Question One.
My heart instantly skipped a beat. It was a massive, scary equation with squares, roots, and fractions. For three seconds, my mind screamed in terror. But then, as I stared at the numbers, Keifer's voice suddenly echoed perfectly inside my head.
"Look at this equation, Jay. It looks scary, but it is just a trap. You use formula number four to break the bracket first..."
A huge smile broke across my face. I knew exactly how to do it! My pen flew across the white paper, writing down the steps perfectly. Keifer's crazy library teaching methods—the tickling, the silly drawings, and the sudden pop quizzes—had actually burned the math straight into my memory.
I moved to Question Two. Then Question Three.
Every time I hit a tricky part, I could picture Keifer making a funny face across the library table to keep me awake, and the answer would instantly pop into my mind. I was actually solving advanced math problems like a total pro.
An hour and thirty minutes flew by. I finished the very last question, wrote down the final answer, and drew a neat double line under it. I looked at the giant clock on the wall. I still had thirty minutes left.
I carefully checked through my answers one more time, feeling completely proud of myself. For a girl who wanted to cry five days ago, this was a massive victory.
"Time is up! Put your pens down immediately!" the examiner shouted.
We all stood up, handed our papers to the front, and stretched our tired arms. The second I stepped out of the examination hall into the hallway, the quiet tension broke.
Students were groaning, complaining, and arguing over their answers."Question four was completely impossible!" a boy screamed, throwing his pen on the floor.
"I got a negative number for the area of the circle! How can a circle be negative?!" a girl wailed to her friends.
I stood near the door, scanning the crowd. A second later, I spotted Keifer walking out. He looked completely fresh and flawless, like he had just returned from a relaxing walk in the park instead of a brutal two-hour math exam.
The moment his dark eyes found me, his proud smirk grew wide. He walked over with long steps, grabbed my hand, and pulled me away from the noisy crowd toward a quiet corner of the hallway.
"So, student Jay," Keifer said, leaning against the wall and looking down at me playfully. "How did it go? Did your brain delete everything, or did my genius save the day?"
I tried to keep a serious face, crossing my arms. "Well... it was incredibly hard." Keifer's eyebrows raised slightly. "Really? Which question?"
I couldn't hold back my happiness any longer. I burst into a huge laugh and jumped up to hug him around the neck. "I did it, Keifer! I answered every single question! I knew all the formulas! Your crazy teaching methods actually worked!"
Keifer laughed, his arms catching me easily and swinging me around a little bit. "Of course they worked, wifey. I told you, I am the best tutor in the world."
"Okay, don't get too arrogant," I giggled, stepping down but keeping my hands on his chest. "You still have to help me with Macroeconomics for tomorrow."
"Oh, really?" Keifer smirked, his eyes twinkling with pure mischief as he leaned in close to my face. "Does that mean the library kiss monster needs to make another appearance today?"
"Keifer! We are still in the university hallway!" I gasped, my face turning bright pink all over again as a few passing students looked at us and smiled.
"I don't mind the audience," he winked, completely unbothered, acting like the flirty gentleman he always was.
We had survived the first big hurdle, and for the first time, I actually felt excited for the next four days of exams. With Vanessa gone and my proud, brilliant fiancé protecting me, nothing could apparently bring us down...