Jay's POV — Leaving for Norway
The house was unusually loud that morning.
Suitcases were open everywhere, clothes spread across couches and chairs as everyone packed for the trip.
Hannah and Elise were sitting on the floor near the coffee table, arguing about which jackets were warm enough for Norway.
"No, that one is useless,"
Elise said, shaking her head.
"It's cute," Hannah protested.
"It's cute, not warm."
I laughed quietly as I zipped my suitcase halfway.
Across the room Noel and Liam were comparing flight times on their phones.
"Seven hours," Liam said.
"Seven hours of Noel talking," Elise added.
"Hey," Noel said dramatically, "people enjoy my conversations."
"Debatable," Hannah replied.
Everyone laughed
Then the front door opened.
Keifer walked in with Adrian.
He looked more relaxed than yesterday, wearing a simple dark sweater and jeans.
For a moment his eyes met mine.
Neither of us mentioned the balcony.
But the memory of that conversation sat quietly between us.
Adrian dropped his bag on the chair.
"Alright," he said, clapping once. "We leave in two hours."
Elise stood up immediately.
"Finally. I miss Oslo already."
Hannah nodded.
"Same."
Noel pointed at me.
"Jay is our tour guide now."
I raised an eyebrow.
"I never agreed to that."
"You lived there," Elise said.
"You have no choice."
Keifer leaned against the wall quietly watching the conversation.
Then he looked at me and said softly,
"So… are you excited to go back?"
The question caught me off guard.
"A little," I admitted.
He nodded slowly.
"I guess it's still home."
For a moment neither of us spoke.
Then Hannah suddenly clapped her hands.
"Alright everyone! Finish packing!"
Suitcases zipped closed, bags were lifted, and the house turned chaotic again.
As I reached for my suitcase handle, another hand grabbed it at the same time.
Keifer's.
Our fingers brushed for a second.
"I've got it," he said quietly.
"You don't have to."
"I know."
But he carried it anyway
And for some reason…
I didn't stop him.
( At the airport )
The airport terminal was crowded, but our group somehow managed to be louder than everyone else.
Celestine was talking with mama and ate serina
While papa and Keizer was talking about their business
Hannah and Elise were walking ahead, already arguing about which café we should visit first when we reached Oslo.
"No, that place is overrated," Elise said.
"It is not!" Hannah protested. "Jay, tell her!"
I lifted my hands. "I'm not getting involved in this."
Noel laughed beside me. "Smart decision."
Behind us, Keifer and Adrian were pulling the suitcases.
Every once in a while I could feel Keifer's gaze drift toward me.
And every time it did, my heart reacted before my brain could.
We reached the boarding gate and everyone started sitting down.
Hannah dropped into a chair dramatically.
"I'm exhausted already."
"You've done nothing," Liam said.
"I emotionally prepared for this trip."
Elise rolled her eyes.
few minutes later the boarding announcement came.
"Finally," Noel said, standing up.
We walked onto the plane together, finding our seats.
And of course…
There was immediate chaos.
"No way," Elise said, looking at the seat numbers. "This is perfect."
"What?" I asked.
She pointed.
My seat was in the middle.
Noel's seat was by the window.
And Keifer's seat was on the other side.
Hannah burst out laughing.
"Oh this is going to be entertaining."
I narrowed my eyes at her.
"You did this on purpose."
"I wish I had that much power," she said smugly.
Noel dropped into the window seat happily.
"Best seat secured."
Which left me…
Between them.
I sat down slowly.
Keifer took the seat beside me a second later.
Our shoulders brushed slightly when he adjusted his seatbelt.
Neither of us moved away.
Noel leaned forward, clearly enjoying this.
"So," he said dramatically, "seven hour flight. What should we talk about first?"
"Nothing," I replied.
Keifer chuckled quietly beside me.
The sound made my chest tighten again.
For a while the plane filled with the usual sounds—people settling in, overhead bins closing, announcements from the crew.
Then the plane started moving.
The plane slowly rolled down the runway.
I gripped the armrest a little tighter than I meant to.
I hated takeoffs.
Noel was looking out the window beside me like he was enjoying the view,
while Keifer sat quietly on my other side.
The engines suddenly roared louder as the plane picked up speed.
My stomach dropped
.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
I hate this.
The plane lifted suddenly.
The force pushed me back into the seat and a wave of panic rushed through my chest.
Without thinking—
My hand grabbed Keifer's arm.
Hard.
I didn't even realize what I was doing until the plane tilted slightly and I instinctively leaned closer to him, my fingers clutching the sleeve of his jacket.
For a second everything felt too loud.
Too fast.
Then I felt something warm.
Keifer's hand covering mine.
"It's okay," he said quietly beside me.
His voice was calm, steady.
"It's just the takeoff."
I didn't let go.
In fact… I think I moved even closer.
My shoulder pressed against his chest as I tried to breathe normally.
"Still hate flying?" he murmured softly.
"Yes," I whispered.
He let out a quiet chuckle.
"I remember."
His hand gently squeezed mine.
"Relax. I've got you."
Slowly the plane leveled out.
The pressure eased.
My breathing started returning to normal.
That's when I realized…
I was practically clinging to him.
My hand was still gripping his arm and my shoulder was leaning against him.
My face immediately warmed.
"Oh—" I quickly pulled back slightly. "Sorry."
Keifer shook his head.
"Don't apologize."
His voice was softer than usual.
Across the seat, Noel was staring at us.
Arms crossed.
Very obviously noticing everything.
"Well," he said dryly, "that was… cute."
I rolled my eyes.
"I was scared."
Noel smirked slightly.
"Sure."
Keifer didn't say anything, but I could feel the faint smile he was trying to hide.
And for the rest of the flight…
I noticed he didn't move his arm away from where I had grabbed it.
Not even once.