Jay's POV — Late Night Visit
Dinner had already started when I noticed something.
Keifer wasn't there.
At first I thought he was just late, but when twenty minutes passed and his seat was still empty, I looked at Adrian.
"Where's Keifer?" I asked.
Adrian glanced up from his plate.
"He's still at the office."
"At this hour?"
Adrian shrugged. "He's been working late a lot recently."
Something about that didn't sit right with me.
"Did he eat?"
Adrian shook his head.
"Probably not."
My chest tightened slightly.
Before I could stop myself,
I stood up.
"I'll be back."
Hannah blinked. "Where are you going?"
"I… forgot something," I said quickly.
About thirty minutes later, I stood outside a tall glass building in the middle of London.
Watson Corporation.
The lights inside were mostly off except for a few floors.
My hands tightened slightly around the small bag of food I had brought.
Why was I nervous?
It was just Keifer.
I pushed the door open.
The lobby was quiet, almost empty.
After asking the receptionist which floor he was on, I took the elevator up.
The ride felt longer than it should have.
When the doors opened, the entire floor was silent.
Except for one office at the end of the hallway.
Light spilled from under the door.
I walked closer and knocked softly.
No answer.
So I pushed the door open slightly.
Keifer was sitting behind his desk, sleeves rolled up, tie loosened, eyes focused on his laptop.
Stacks of paper
surrounded him.
He looked exhausted.
He didn't even notice me at first.
"Keifer."
He looked up immediately.
Shock crossed his face.
"Jay?"
I lifted the small bag slightly.
"You skipped dinner."
For a moment he just stared at me.
Like he couldn't believe I was standing there.
"You came all the way here… for that?" he asked quietly.
I stepped inside.
"Adrian said you didn't eat."
He leaned back in his chair slowly.
"You didn't have to do that."
"I know."
I placed the food on his desk.
"But I did."
For a moment neither of us spoke.
Then he looked down at the bag, almost shyly.
"…Thank you."
His voice was softer than usual.
"You work too much," I said quietly.
He gave a small tired smile.
"Future CEO problems."
"That's not an excuse to skip meals."
He took another bite before answering.
"I forgot."
I raised an eyebrow.
"You don't forget to eat."
He shrugged slightly.
"It happens."
After a moment he looked at the food again, quieter this time.
"You know what's funny?" he murmured.
I tilted my head.
"What?"
He gave a soft, humorless laugh.
"No one really cared whether I ate or not."
My chest tightened.
He kept looking at the food like the thought had just hit him.
"People always assume I'm fine," he continued quietly. "Busy, successful, working… whatever."
He rubbed the back of his neck.
"But no one really checks."
His voice dropped slightly.
"Not like this."
The words hung heavily in the air.
I didn't know what to say.
Because I suddenly understood something.
For years… he had been carrying everything alone.
Work.
Guilt.
Regret.
Loneliness.
He glanced up at me after a moment, almost like he regretted saying it.
"Sorry," he said quickly. "That sounded pathetic."
"It didn't."
He looked surprised by my answer.
I crossed my arms lightly.
"You're just bad at taking care of yourself."
That earned the smallest smile from him.
"Maybe."
"You really didn't have to come all the way here."
"I know."
"Then why did you?"
I didn't answer right away.
Instead, I looked out the window at the city lights below.
"…Because you didn't eat."
For a moment he just stared at me.
And something in his expression softened.
Not hopeful.
Not healed.
But quieter.
Like the weight he had been carrying alone felt just a little lighter tonight.
And for some reason…
Standing there in that silent office, watching him finally eat
It didn't feel like such a bad place to be.