Chapter: The Call
(Aries' POV)
The house was quiet again after Jay went upstairs to pack.
Too quiet.
I could hear drawers opening and closing from her room.
Suitcases being pulled out.
Zippers.
Every sound felt heavier than it should have.
Beside me, Percy Mariano leaned back on the couch, staring at the ceiling.
"…Six years," he muttered again.
I didn't answer.
Because my mind was somewhere else.
With someone else.
With Keif.
He deserved to know.
Even if it would break him.
I stood up slowly.
Percy looked at me.
"You calling him?"
"Yeah."
He nodded quietly.
"Tell him… we'll handle things here."
I stepped outside the house and pulled my phone out.
For a few seconds I just stared at the screen.
Because I already knew how this call was going to end.
Then I pressed his name.
The phone rang.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Then he answered.
"…Aries."
His voice sounded tired.
Like he hadn't slept either.
"Yeah."
A short silence followed.
Then he asked the question we both knew was coming.
"…How is she?"
I looked down at the ground.
"She cried."
I could almost hear his breathing stop on the other side.
"She's not okay."
Another silence.
Then his voice came out quieter.
"…Yeah."
I leaned against the wall.
"She asked Percy to take her to New York City."
That made him speak immediately.
"What?"
"She wants to stay with our dad."
He didn't answer right away.
So I kept going.
"She also wants to pause the wedding with Yuri."
"For how long?"
I exhaled slowly.
"…Six years."
The silence on the phone became heavy.
Too heavy.
I could practically feel the moment those words hit him.
When he finally spoke again, his voice sounded different.
"…Six."
"Yeah."
"She's leaving tonight."
Another long silence.
I closed my eyes briefly.
Because I knew what he was thinking.
Six years meant distance.
Six years meant separation.
Six years meant he wouldn't see Jay grow.
Wouldn't hear her laugh every day.
Wouldn't sit beside her in class again.
Wouldn't have any of the normal moments they used to share.
When Keif finally spoke again, his voice was barely above a whisper.
"…That's good."
I frowned slightly.
"Good?"
"She'll be safe there."
Of course that was his first thought.
Jay's safety.
Even now.
I rubbed the back of my neck.
"You okay?"
He gave a small laugh.
But it didn't sound real.
"…Yeah."
"No you're not."
Another pause.
Then he said quietly,
"Does she hate me?"
I didn't answer immediately.
Because lying wouldn't help him.
"…She's hurt."
His breathing became heavier on the other side.
"That bad?"
"Yes."
Silence again.
Then he asked something that hurt more than anything else.
"…Did she cry a lot?"
My chest tightened.
"…Yeah."
I heard him exhale slowly.
Like the air left his lungs all at once.
"Good," he said again quietly.
I frowned.
"That's not good."
"It means she cared."
For a moment neither of us spoke.
Then he asked,
"Did she ask about me?"
"No."
Another quiet pause.
Then he said something that sounded more like he was convincing himself.
"That's fine."
I leaned my head back against the wall.
"You know you could stop this."
"How?"
"Tell her the truth."
Keif didn't even hesitate.
"No."
"Keif—"
"If Yuri finds out…"
He didn't finish the sentence.
He didn't need to.
We both knew the risk.
Jay's life.
And that was something none of us were willing to gamble with.
Upstairs inside the house, I could hear Jay dragging her suitcase across the floor.
The sound echoed faintly through the phone.
Keif must have heard it too.
"…She's packing already?"
"Yeah."
Another long silence.
Then he asked quietly,
"Aries."
"Yeah?"
"…Take care of her."
I felt my chest tighten.
"Of course."
"If anything happens…"
"I know."
His voice became softer.
"…Don't let her cry like that again."
For a moment I didn't say anything.
Because the person who made her cry like that…
Was him.
But not because he wanted to.
Because he had to.
I looked up at the night sky.
"We're leaving soon."
"…Okay."
Another silence passed.
Then I heard him whisper something so quietly it almost didn't reach the phone.
"…Six years."
"Yeah."
Then he added,
"I guess that's how long I'll wait."
My chest tightened again.
"Keif…"
But he cut me off.
"Don't tell her anything."
"I know."
"If she finds out the truth now…"
"…Yuri could hurt her."
"Yes."
The silence returned one last time.
Then he said quietly,
"…Goodbye, Aries."
"Keif—"
But the line had already ended.
I slowly lowered the phone.
Inside the house I heard Jay coming down the stairs with her suitcase.
And for the first time since this entire thing started…
I realized something.
The lie Keif told didn't just break Jay.
It broke him too.