Authors POV
The heavy velvet curtains were still drawn when Jay's eyes fluttered open the next morning. For a moment, the room was blissfully quiet, but then the memories of the previous night hit her like a freight train.
The neon lights. The champagne. The... kisses.
Jay squeaked, burying her face in her pillow as she remembered Freya's clumsy collision and Rakki's blunt "investigation" into the strawberry flavor of her lips.
Her fingers drifted up, tracing the contour of her mouth. Her skin felt electric, not just from the girls' drunken antics, but from the memory of Keifer trapping her against the door.
She could still feel the phantom pressure of his lips on her forehead and the low, possessive vibration of his voice.
"Strawberry," she whispered to the empty room, her face heating up to a dangerous degree.
She forced herself out of bed, showering away the scent of the club and dressing in her school uniform. She tried to tame her hair, but her hands were shaking. She was officially a "victim" of her best friends'
affection, and she knew the boys wouldn't let her live it down.
When she finally gathered the courage to head downstairs, the kitchen was already a battlefield.
Aries was leaning against the counter, nursing a massive mug of black coffee, while Percy was mid-bite into a piece of toast. The moment Jay stepped into the room, Percy choked.
"Look! It's the Strawberry Queen!" Percy cackled, waving his toast like a wand. "Aries, hide the jam! She might try to taste it to see if it matches her own lips."
"Shut up, Percy!" Jay snapped, though her ears were pink.
Aries smirked, his eyes tracking her. "I don't know, Jay. Do we need to hang a DON'T KISS ME board on your neck."
Jay rolled her eyes, moving toward the fridge to grab a juice box. As she turned, her eyes landed on Angelo, who was sitting silently at the head of the table, reading a tablet.
He looked as stoic as ever, but as he tilted his head to take a sip of his espresso, the high collar of his shirt shifted.There, nestled against the side of his throat, was a faint, purplish-red mark.
Jay's eyes widened. A slow, mischievous grin spread across her face. The hunter had become the prey.
"Gosh, Angelo," Jay said loudly, leaning in. "Am I still dreaming? Or really a very specific 'someone' decide to leave a permanent mark on his territory?"
The kitchen went silent. Percy leaned over, squinting at Angelo's neck. "No way. Is that a hickey? On the Great Dictator?"
Angelo's eyes darkened. Without looking up from his tablet, his hand shot out with lightning speed. He caught the top of Jay's ear between two fingers and gave it a sharp, agonizing tug.
"Ow! Ow! Angelo, let go!" Jay shrieked.
"Worry about your own reputation, brat," Angelo growled, his voice a low warning. He didn't deny it, which was a confirmation in itself. He gave her ear one final, punishing twist before releasing her.
By the time Jay reached the Section E classroom, her ear was bright red and swollen to twice its size.
"Whoa, Jay-Jay! Did a bee mistake your ear for a flower?" Cin asked, leaning over her desk the moment she sat down.
"No, it was a Demon," Jay grumbled, shielding her ear with her hair.
The teasing was relentless. Every time someone whispered "strawberry," Jay felt her soul leave her body.
Keifer entered the room a few minutes later. He looked effortlessly cool, but the moment his eyes landed on Jay's swollen ear, his expression shifted into something unreadable. He hovered near her desk, his gaze lingering on the red skin.
"Your ear," he said, his voice dropping an octave. "Who did it?"
"Angelo," Jay muttered. "I teased him about a mark on his neck."
Keifer's jaw tightened. He looked like he wanted to soothe the injury but also like he was annoyed that someone else had laid a hand on her, even her brother.
He didn't say anything else, but his presence felt heavy and restless throughout the morning. The teasing increased with the time.
To make matters worse, Keifer was being... weird. He kept staring at her swollen ear with a mixture of dark amusement and protectiveness, his jaw clenched as if he was deciding whether to laugh or go fight her brother.
When the lunch bell rang, the tension broke. The group migrated to the courtyard, where the girls—Rakki, Ella, Freya,MICA andAries—joined them.
The atmosphere was thick with post-hangover regret. Rakki looked like she wanted to evaporate into the pavement, her usual bold persona replaced by a shy, hunched posture. Freya, however, was as brazen as ever.
"Oh, come on, Rakki! It was a scientific experiment" Mica giggled, nudging the shy girl.
"I'm going to die of embarrassment," Rakki whispered into her hands.
Aries crossed his arms, looking at Freya. "You're lucky Jay didn't sue you for assault, Freya. You nearly took her teeth out."
Freya didn't flinch. She leaned back, her eyes locking onto Jay, who was trying to hide behind a sandwich. A slow, cat-like grin spread across Freya's face.
"I didn't lie," Freya stated clearly, loud enough for the neighboring tables to hear. "Her lips were sweet. Like candy. I'd do it again if I wasn't so worried about Keifer murdering me in my sleep."
Jay turned a shade of crimson that rivaled a fire engine. "Freya! Stop it!"
The table erupted into whistles and cheers. Jay felt like she was suffocating under the attention. She caught Keifer's eye across the table; he wasn't laughing. He was staring at her with a dark, burning intensity that made her stomach flip.
Unable to take the teasing anymore, Jay stood up abruptly. "I'm going to the library. I need peace."
She practically ran toward the school building, heading for the quieter second floor. She ducked into the old music room, hoping the heavy soundproof doors would give her a moment to breathe.
As the door clicked shut, a hand suddenly shot out from the shadows, grabbing her wrist and pinning her against the wall.
Jay gasped, her heart leaping into her throat. But the familiar scent of expensive cologne and sea salt hit her instantly.
"I know it's you, Keifer," she breathed, her voice trembling. "Why did you block me?"
Keifer didn't answer immediately. He was hovering inches from her face, his body a solid, warm weight. He looked down at her, his eyes dark and predatory. He slowly bit his lower lip, a habit he had when he was trying to restrain himself.
"Strawberry," he murmured, the word sounding like a curse.
He reached up, his thumb tracing the outline of her lower lip with agonizing slowness. "Everyone seems to have an opinion on how you taste, Jay. It's making me... lose my patience."
Jay's breath hitched. "They were just drunk, Keifer."
"I don't care," he rasped. "I'm the only one who gets to know."
He leaned in, his lips brushing hers in a light, teasing ghost of a kiss. Jay let out a small whimper, her hands reaching up to bunch in the fabric of his shirt. But just as she thought he would deepen it, he pulled back, his thumb still pressing against her lip.
"Don't ever let anyone else kiss you, Jay." he said, his voice surprisingly steady despite his racing heart. "Remember. You're mine."
Keifer's eyes flared with a sudden, wild heat. He didn't wait, he crashed his lips onto hers, this time with a hard, demanding intensity that knocked the wind out of her. It wasn't the gentle kiss of a childhood friend; it was the claim of a man.
Jay responded instantly, her arms wrapping around his neck as she kissed him back with equal fervor. The world outside the music room ceased to exist.
Suddenly, Keifer shifted, his mouth moving to the sensitive skin just below her jawline. He nipped at her skin, and then, with a sharp, possessive pressure, he sucked.
"Ahh!" Jay gasped, a sharp sting of pain radiating through her neck.
Keifer pulled back, looking at the dark mark he'd left on her pale skin. He looked satisfied, almost smug.
"Now everyone knows , You are mine" he whispered, his voice a low growl.
Without another word, he turned and walked out of the room, leaving Jay leaning against the wall, breathless and dazed.
She waited a few minutes to compose herself, adjusting her hair to cover the new mark, before heading back toward the main hall. But she wasn't fast enough.
The girls—Freya, Rakki,Mica Ella—were waiting like a pack of wolves. They dragged her into the center of the hall, their eyes sharp.
"What's this?" Freya asked, reaching out and flicking Jay's hair aside before she could stop her.
The hickey was impossible to miss.
"Oh my god! The Strawberry Queen has been branded!" Ella squealed.
"Was it Keifer? It was definitely Keifer," Rakki said, her embarrassment forgotten in favor of gossip.
Before Jay could invent an excuse, the heavy glass doors of the main hall opened.. She was dressed in a sleek, overly professional suit, her heels clicking rhythmically on the marble.
Honey stopped in front of the group, her eyes sliding over Jay's messy hair and the mark on her neck. She let out a small, condescending sniff.
Jay's annoyance, which had been simmering all day, finally boiled over. She straightened her posture, looking Honey dead in the eye.
"Did you come the wrong way, Honey?" Jay asked, her voice steady and laced with ice.
"Why would you think so?" Honey asked, her confusion momentarily overriding her snobbery.
"Because this isn't the way to the zoo," Jay retorted, her eyes flashing.
The girls behind her let out a synchronized burst of giggles that sounded like a chorus of mocking birds.
Honey's face flushed a deep, indignant pink.
"Leave me be, Jay. Look at you, standing there with a hickey on your neck like it's a medal of honour."
"Whatever," Jay shot back, crossing her arms. "At least I didn't scare a boy so badly he ran off just because I was too thirsty to control myself. I remember at restaurent Honey. You didn't just flirt with Percy; you tried to annex him. He didn't know whether to kiss you or call emergency services for a security breach on his personal space."
"He didn't run away!" Honey shrieked, her poise evaporating. "He was just captivated by my look!"
"Oh! But I remember him saying he felt like he was being hunted by a predator in a pencil skirt," Jay countered, her smirk widening.
Honey's eyes narrowed into slits. "Jay, look at yourself. Do you really think with that messy hair and that… body… you are actually beautiful?
Before Jay could even draw breath, Freya stepped forward, her heels clicking aggressively against the marble. She loomed over Honey, her presence radiating undiluted chaotic energy.
"Well, she is a hundred times more beautiful than you, Ms. Overconfident," Freya snapped, her voice dripping with disdain.
"And who do you think you are to tell me that?" Honey hissed, looking Freya up and down with an exaggerated roll of her eyes.
"Well, I'm Freya Edilog. Queen of HVIS," Freya stated, her chin tilted high.
"Queen…" Honey mocked, her lip curling. "More like the Queen of Delusion. Go back to your playground, little girl."
"You—" Freya started, her hand twitching as if she was ready to snatch Honey's perfectly styled hair, but Rakki stepped in, grabbing Freya's arm with a firm grip.
"Freya, ignore her," Rakki whispered, her voice a calm anchor in the middle of the storm. "We have to head back."