Authors POV
The morning sun filtered through the sheer curtains of the Fernandes mansion, a stark contrast to the medicinal gloom of the night before. By 10:00 AM, the heavy sedative Dr. Lucas had administered finally began to wear off.
Jay groaned, her head feeling like it was stuffed with cotton wool. As her vision cleared, she saw four familiar figures sprawled in various states of discomfort around her room.
Aries was asleep in a high-backed armchair, his long legs dangling awkwardly over the side. Keifer beside him on other chair his head tilted back, though his hand remained close to the edge of Jay's bed as if he had been reaching for her even in his sleep.
Angelo was slumped at her vanity desk, his head resting on his arms. Percy, predictably, was face-down on the rug at the foot of her bed, still clutching a gaming controller he'd clearly been using to stay awake.
"Is the 'Demon' dead, or just recharging?" Jay croaked, her voice raspy.
Angelo's head snapped up instantly. His eyes, usually sharp and intimidating, were bloodshot. "Jay. You're awake. How's the head?"
"Empty. Which is an improvement," she joked weakly.
Percy scrambled up from the floor, rubbing his bleary eyes. "You scared the pixels out of me, Jay-Jay! If you die, who's going to carry me in Ranked matches?"
"Is that all I am to you? A carry?" Jay pouted, though her eyes sparkled.
"Morning, Jay," Keifer wished her, his voice a low, soothing rumble that sent a tiny shiver down her spine. She greeted him back, her cheeks dusting with a soft, reflexive pink.
Aries stirred, stretching his stiff neck with a series of loud cracks. He walked over to the bed and flicked Jay's forehead—lightly, for once. "You're a brat. You had us thinking your brain actually melted."
"Whatever, 'Angry Steamed Bun'," Jay retorted, referencing the video.
The room erupted into a scuffle of pillows and playful insults. For a brief hour, the trauma of the shadowed men in the VHS tape was pushed into a dark corner of their minds. They were just siblings and childhood friends again, arguing over who got the first pancakes Gemma was making downstairs.
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Keifer's POV
I leaned against the doorframe of the dining room, watching them.
Jay was laughing—a real, melodic sound that made the tightness in my chest loosen just a fraction. She was wearing an oversized hoodie, her hair a messy bird's nest, and she was currently trying to steal a piece of bacon from Aries' plate..
God, she was breathtaking.
It wasn't just the way she looked, though that was enough to ruin a man. It was the resilience.
Last night, she looked like she was breaking apart, a porcelain doll shattering under the weight of memories she wasn't ready to hold. And today, she was glowing.
My gaze lingered on her lips as she took a bite of toast. I remembered what I'd said in the living room—that she was beautiful. I hadn't meant the six-year-old in the yellow dress. I meant the woman she was becoming. There was a pull toward her that felt less like an attraction and more like a gravity I couldn't escape.
I wanted to be the one to shield her from those shadows on the tape. I wanted to be the reason she never had to reach for that white bottle again.
The urge to walk over, pull her into my arms, and promise her the world was almost physically painful.
She caught me staring and offered a shy, chocolate-smudged smile. My heart did a slow, painful roll in my chest.
Careful, Keifer, I told myself. Remember one step at a time.
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Author's POV
The peaceful afternoon was shattered when the front doors swung open and Freya marched in, looking like a whirlwind of sequins and bad intentions.
"The patient is recovered! The grieving period is over!" Freya announced, grabbing Jay's arm. "Jay, get up. We're going out. No boys allowed."
"Freya, she just had a seizure-level migraine yesterday," Aries warned, his 'protective brother' mode reactivating.
"Doctors say socialising is the best medicine!" Freya lied through her teeth, dragging a bewildered Jay toward the stairs. "Girls' night. Club 'Obsidian'. Now!"
By 11:00 PM, the VIP booth at Obsidian was overflowing with expensive champagne and laughter. Rakki, Ella, Grace, Mica, and Ion were all there, the neon lights reflecting off their glasses. Jay, caught up in the music and the freedom of the night, had finally let go. They danced until their feet ached and drank until the world felt tilted and golden.
It was nearly 12:30 AM when the group of girls stumbled back into the Fernandes mansion, hushing each other with exaggerated "Shhh!" noises that were louder than actual talking.
"Tiptoe... like ninjas..." Ella whispered, tripping over her own heels.
Suddenly, the foyer flooded with light. The boys—Angelo, Aries, Percy, Keifer, Calix, Denzel, and Edrix—were standing in a row like a firing squad. Angelo had his arms crossed, his finger hovering over the light switch.
"Ninjas? More like a herd of drunk elephants," Aries muttered.
The girls, far beyond caring, began their "drunken acts." Rakki started trying to explain the "physics of bubbles" to a confused Cin. Ion was leaning against a wall, staring at Angelo with a glassy, dreamy expression.
"Jay-Jay... you're so... sparkly," Freya slurred, swaying on her feet. She lunged forward to hug Jay, but her high heel caught on the edge of the Persian rug.
Time seemed to slow down. Freya tumbled forward, and Jay reached out to catch her. Instead of a hug, Freya's momentum sent them both staggering. Freya's face landed directly against Jay's, her lips crashing into Jay's in a clumsy, accidental kiss.
The room went dead silent.
Keifer's jaw dropped. Percy's eyes nearly popped out of his head. Angelo looked like he was about to short-circuit his veins pulsing with a mixture of shock and sheer brotherly outrage.
Freya pulled back just an inch, her eyes drooping as she stared at a bright red Jay. "Mmm... Jay... your lips are so sweet. Like... like candy."
"What?!" Jay squeaked, her face turning a shade of crimson that rivalled a fire engine.
Rakki stumbled over, leaning in close.
"Candy? Let me check." Before Jay could move, Rakki planted a quick, wet peck on Jay's lips. She pulled back, licking her own lips thoughtfully. "Yeah. Strawberry. Definitely strawberry."
"Oh my god! Get away from me!" Jay cried, backing away as Ella started pouting.
"I want strawberry too!" Ella wailed, reaching out with puckered lips.
"No! Stop! You're all perverts!" Jay yelled, ducking behind a shocked Aries and Percy.
"Protect me! The girls have lost their minds!"
Percy, finally finding his voice, stepped in front of Jay, holding his hands up like he was fending off a zombie horde. "Okay, that's enough! First we have to protect her from kidnappers , then from Keifer, now we have to protect our baby sister from girls? This is too much work!"
The chaos peaked as the boys finally moved in to manage their respective "charges."
Aries hoisted a giggling Ella over his shoulder to take her to the guest wing.
Angelo, with a sigh of weary frustration, guided a wandering Ion toward the stairs.
Cin scooped up a still-rambling Rakki, while Edrix caught Freya before she could try to "taste" Jay again. Calix led Mica away, and Denzel helped a sleepy Grace.
Jay bolted for her room, locking the door behind her, her heart hammering against her ribs. She touched her lips, her mind a whirl of neon lights, strawberry scents, and the lingering, confused heat of the night.
Through the door, she could hear Percy's muffled voice in the hallway. "I'm telling you, Aries, we need to buy her a face mask. A metal one. This is getting out of hand!"
Keifer's POV
I watched from the shadows of the hallway, my jaw clenched so tight it ached. Having the "boyfriend" title usually gave me a sense of security, but watching Freya accidentally crash her lips into Jay's made my blood boil. And then Rakki... and then Ella.
I knew they were drunk. I knew it was a joke to them. But seeing those girls crowd around my girl, tasting the lips that I spent half my life dreaming about and the other half trying to protect, sent a jolt of pure, unadulterated envy through me.
It was a primal, dark possessiveness that I could barely keep under wraps.
Strawberry.
The word felt like a taunt. I was the one who knew the exact shade of pink her lips turned when she was nervous. I was the one who knew how they felt when they curled into a secret smile just for me. And here were these lunatics, treating her like a dessert sampler.
When Jay finally broke free and bolted for the stairs, I was right behind her. I didn't care that the other guys were watching. I didn't care about the chaos downstairs. My focus was singular and intense, like a laser burning through the dark.
She reached her door, breathless and frantic, her eyes searching mine for an escape. "Keifer, they've gone crazy!" she whispered, her chest heaving.
I didn't answer. I stepped into her personal space, trapping her between the door and my body. The scent of the club—smoke and cheap gin—clung to her clothes, but as I leaned in, all I could smell was her. Just Jay.
I reached out, my thumb brushing over her forehead, smoothing out the lines of her worry. I wanted to kiss her properly—to wipe away the "strawberry" comments and remind her whose she was—but she was already overwhelmed. Instead, I leaned down and pressed a deep, lingering kiss to her forehead.
I let my lips linger there, a silent claim, a way of saying I'm here, and you're mine.The kiss was heavy with everything I wasn't saying, a silent anchor in the middle of her storm.
I felt her take a shaky breath against my chest, her body finally relaxing under the weight of my affection
"Get some sleep, Jay," I murmured against her skin, my voice dropping to a low, possessive growl. "I'll deal with the 'strawberry' fans in the morning."
I pulled back just enough to see her dazed expression, then I turned and walked straight out of the mansion. I didn't say goodbye to the guys.
I just got into my car and drove, the engine roaring as I tried to shake the image of her flushed face out of my head. If I had stayed one second longer, I wouldn't have stopped at a forehead kiss.The hunger to truly taste that strawberry sweetness for myself was clawing at my throat.
A/n
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