( Jay's pov )
The campus felt strangely peaceful that morning.
Maybe it was because I had finally made a decision.
For weeks, my mind had been a storm of memories, anger, and pain. Every hallway reminded me of him. Every corner felt like a place where something had once been good.
But today… I was done letting the past control me.
I sat on one of the benches outside the library, a notebook resting on my lap. The cool breeze brushed against my face as I stared at the blank page.
For the first time in a long time, I wasn't thinking about Keifer.
I was thinking about myself.
About who I wanted to become.
I picked up my pen and wrote slowly.
I deserve peace.
The words looked small on the page, but they felt powerful.
"You're Jay, right?"
A voice pulled me out of my thoughts.
I looked up to see the same boy from yesterday standing in front of me. The one I had helped with homework.
"Yeah," I said simply.
He smiled awkwardly. "I'm Noah. I didn't really get the chance to introduce myself yesterday."
I nodded slightly. "Nice to meet you."
Noah gestured toward the empty space beside me.
"Can I sit?"
For a moment, I hesitated.
Not because of him.
But because of the old version of me—the girl who used to think every conversation meant something deeper.
That girl was gone.
This was just a normal moment.
So I shrugged lightly. "Sure."
He sat down, placing his notebook on the bench between us.
"Thanks again for helping me yesterday," he said. "You probably saved me from failing that assignment."
A small laugh escaped me before I could stop it.
"It wasn't that serious."
"Well," he said with a grin, "to me it was.
For a moment, we just sat there, talking about simple things—classes, professors, campus life.
Nothing dramatic.
Nothing heavy.
And strangely… it felt nice.
No expectations. No complicated emotions. Just a conversation.
For the first time in weeks, my chest felt lighter
Maybe moving forward didn't mean forgetting the past completely.
Maybe it just meant choosing yourself first.
And as noah continued talking beside me, I realized something quietly.
It was about me.
( keifer's pov )
We were walking past the library when something familiar caught my eye.
My steps slowed.
And then… I saw her.
Jay.
She was sitting on a bench outside, her notebook resting on her lap. The wind moved gently through her hair as she listened to something the guy beside her was saying.
The same guy from yesterday.
NOAH
He said something that made her laugh softly.
My chest tightened.
It wasn't a loud laugh. Not dramatic. Just a small, genuine one.
But somehow that hurt more.
Because she looked… peaceful.
Not angry.
Not sad.
Just calm.
Like the storm between us had already passed for her.
I stopped walking completely.
Adrian noticed and followed my gaze.
"Oh," he muttered quietly.
Noah was talking animatedly, waving his hand while explaining something from his notebook.
Jay leaned slightly toward him, listening.
And then she smiled again.
That same smile she used to give me.
Something twisted painfully inside my chest.
I forced myself to breathe, but it felt like the air wouldn't reach my lungs.
"She looks happy," Adrian said carefully.
Yeah.
She did.
And that realization hit harder than any fight we'd ever had.
Because if she could be happy without me… then maybe I had really lost her.
"I used to be the one who made her laugh like that," I murmured quietly.
Adrian didn't say anything.
He didn't need to.
For a moment I thought about walking over there again. Saying something. Anything.
But then I remembered the way she looked at me yesterday.
Cold.
Distant.
Like I was just another stranger.
So instead, I stayed where I was.
Watching her from a distance.
Watching the girl I loved slowly build a life… that didn't include me anymore.
And somehow, that hurt more than anything else. 💔