JAY JAY POV
As we navigated the neon-lit paths toward the haunted house, a very familiar, tall silhouette appeared near the entrance. Of course. The universe couldn't let me have one night of peace.
It was Keifer. He was leaning against a railing, looking entirely too cool for an amusement park in his casual gear.
"Hey, Keifer!" Dave called out, waving like he'd just found a long-lost brother.
Keifer turned, and when his eyes landed on our chaotic group—and specifically on me—a slow, knowing smile spread across his face. "What are you guys doing here?" he asked, his voice cutting through the distant screams of a roller coaster.
I immediately reached up and paused my video recording, not wanting him to have any footage of me looking like a wind-blown mess. I crossed my arms and looked him up and down.
"Drinking coffee," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "Can't you see the invisible lattes we're holding? It's the latest trend from London. You wouldn't understand."
Keifer chuckled, stepping closer. "Funny. You look more like you've just been through a wind tunnel. Your hair is doing things I've never seen before."
"It's called 'Roller Coaster Chic,' Keifer. Look it up," I snapped, though I subconsciously tried to smooth down the stray strands.
"You guys heading into the haunted house?" Keifer asked, glancing at the dark, gothic building behind us. "I was just about to go in myself. I heard the actors are particularly aggressive tonight. Some girl apparently punched a zombie in the face ten minutes ago."
Everyone turned to look at me simultaneously.
"What?" I defended, my face heating up. "I haven't even gone in yet! But if I do, the zombies are definitely catching these hands."
"Well, in that case," Keifer said, falling into step right beside me, "I think I'll join you. I'd hate to miss the sight of a London girl starting a brawl with the undead."
Jare groaned in the background. "Great. Now we have two idiots to deal with. Can we just go in before I change my mind and go home?"
We all stepped into the dim, eerie hallway of the haunted house, the air suddenly turning cold and smelling like artificial fog.
"What are you doing here alone, anyway?" I asked Keifer, keeping my voice low as he fell into step right beside me.
"Oh, I came with Keigan and his friends. They're wandering around somewhere. I was bored," Keifer said, his eyes locking onto mine with that intense gaze of his. "Not anymore, though."
I felt that familiar flutter in my chest but ignored it, choosing instead to scan his outfit. "Hey, you're finally not wearing a leather jacket," I teased with a smirk. He was wearing a simple black shirt layered over a white T-shirt. He actually looked… hot.
Wait, what? Who said that? Not me. I definitely didn't just compliment the King of Assholes in my head. Impossible.
"It's too hot for leather tonight," Keifer replied smoothly. He let his eyes wander over me for a second. "Besides, you look good, too. But I think your skirt is a little too short."
My jaw dropped. "Excuse me?"
Before I could launch into a lecture about London fashion and how I can wear whatever I want, Jare's head snapped around from the front of the group.
"Pervert! Stop looking at my sister's legs!" Jare barked, pointing a warning finger at Keifer.
Keifer didn't even flinch. He just gave Jare a bored look. "I'm just expressing a safety concern, Jare. If a ghost tries to grab her, she's got no protection."
"I'll give you a safety concern," Jare muttered, stepping closer to me as if he could physically block Keifer's view.
"Ignore him," I whispered to Keifer, though I was secretly tugging at the hem of my skirt. "And for the record, if a ghost tries to grab me, they're getting kicked. The skirt just gives me a better range of motion for my martial arts."
"Is that so?" Keifer leaned in closer, his shoulder brushing mine. "I'll be sure to stay out of your kicking range then, London."
Suddenly, a loud, distorted scream echoed from the darkness ahead, and Mia let out a yelp, clinging to Jare's arm. The real fun was about to start.
"Picture! Everyone smile!" Ben shouted, suddenly popping up in front of us.
"Who did you even give the camera to?" I asked, noticing Ben wasn't holding his gear for once.
"It doesn't matter!" Ben dismissed me, grabbing my shoulders to position me for the shot. Before he could even get a proper grip, Keifer moved like a flash, swatting Ben's hands away with a sharp flick of his wrist.
"Keep them off her shoulders," Keifer said, his voice dropping an octave into that dangerous territory. He gave Ben a look that would have made a normal person run for the exit.
Ben just rolled his eyes, clearly used to Keifer's possessiveness by now. "Chill, man. I've known her my whole life," Ben retorted, though he did step back a few inches.
"Shut up and smile! You guys can fight later!" Sarah hissed, pointing aggressively at the camera lens.
In a move that was purely Keifer, he took the space Ben had vacated and placed his own heavy, warm hands on my shoulders. It was a total power move, and I could feel the heat radiating through my shirt.
"Smile," Keifer murmured into my ear, his breath tickling my skin. He reached up, his fingers briefly brushing my jawline as he tilted my chin toward the lens. "Look at the camera, Jay Jay"
The guy taking the photo—a park employee who looked like he'd seen way too many teenage dramas today—raised the camera and hesitated, watching the tension between Keifer and Ben. "Ready?" he asked tentatively.
"Yes, Kuya," I said, trying to ignore the fact that Keifer was basically claiming me in front of everyone. The employee nodded.
"Cheese, everyone!" Dave yelled, trying to lighten the mood.
We all smiled. I caught Jare in the corner of my eye looking like he wanted to murder Keifer, Mia looking amused, and Ben still looking slightly annoyed. But as the flash went off, I couldn't help but feel that stupid, traitorous grin on my face.
The photo was probably going to be a mess, but at least I had the King of Assholes acting like my personal bodyguard in the dark.
"Great, we have the evidence," Keifer whispered as we started moving again. "Now, let's see if you're as brave against ghosts as you are against me."
I tapped the screen, starting my vlog again. The tiny red recording light felt like a beacon of safety in the dim, strobe-lit hallway.
"Here we go," I said to the camera, trying to keep my voice steady.
"Are you vlogging?" Keifer asked from right beside me, leaning into the frame with an eyebrow arched.
I nodded quickly, focusing on the screen. Keifer just gave a short nod back, staying close enough that our shoulders were pinned together.
"Jay-Jay, remember: do not hit the actors!" Dave warned from somewhere behind us.
"Idiot!" I snapped back, though I was already gripping my phone so hard my knuckles were white.
We officially rounded the first corner and entered the "Asylum" section. The air was thick with fake fog and the sound of metal scraping against metal. Suddenly, a figure in a blood-stained doctor's coat lunged out from behind a curtain.
"AHHHH!" I yelled, jumping back. I didn't hit him, but I definitely lunged toward the nearest solid object, which happened to be Keifer's chest.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Sarah's scream ripped through the air, about ten times louder and more high-pitched than mine. She sounded like a teakettle reaching its boiling point.
"Relax, Jay Jay," Keifer chuckled, his arm instinctively wrapping around my waist to steady me. He didn't even look startled; he looked like he was taking a casual stroll through a garden. "It's just a guy in makeup."
"I know that!" I hissed, trying to regain my dignity while still hiding behind his arm. I pointed the phone toward the darkness where Sarah's screaming was still echoing. "Did you guys hear that? That's the sound of Sarah's soul leaving her body."
"Jay! Help me!" Sarah wailed from the back, probably clutching Ben or Dave for dear life.
"You're on your own, Sarah!" I shouted back.
Just then, a 'corpse' on a gurney to our right sat up with a mechanical screech. I let out another undignified yelp and practically climbed up Keifer's side.
The mechanical screech of the gurney was the tipping point. Suddenly, Mia came sprinting past us like an Olympic track star, with Jare right on her heels.
"What happened?!" I shouted, but Jare didn't even look back.
"RUNNNN!" Jare yelled, his voice echoing through the corridor.
I slowly turned my head, and my heart nearly stopped. Standing right there was a zombie that looked way too realistic—decaying skin, milky eyes, and a jaw that looked like it was hanging by a thread.
"AHHHHHHHHH!" Keifer and I both screamed in unison. Yes, the King of Section E actually screamed. He didn't just "shout" or "grunt"—it was a genuine, high-pitched, caught-off-guard yelp.
We bolted. In the chaos of the flashing strobe lights and the maze of dark hallways, we must have taken a wrong turn. Everything was a blur of black walls and fake blood until we finally skidded to a stop in a small, quiet room decorated like an old nursery.
I was panting, clutching my phone like a lifeline. Keifer was leaning against a wall, trying to regain his "cool guy" composure, but he was breathing just as hard as I was.
"Where are the others?" Keifer asked, glancing back at the door we just burst through.
"I don't know," I said, checking my phone. The camera was still rolling. I looked at the preview and bit my lip to keep from laughing. I'm 100% sure it captured Keifer's terrified face and that glorious scream. Blackmail material acquired.
Suddenly, the closet door in the corner of the nursery creaked open. A guy dressed as a red-faced devil with massive horns lunged out at me, snarling.
"AHHH!" I yelled.
My reflexes kicked in. Before I could even think, my hand flew out. SLAP!
The sound of my palm hitting his mask echoed through the room.
"OWWWWWWWW!" the devil yelled, clenching his face and doubling over. It wasn't a scripted scream—it was the very real cry of a man who had just been smacked into next week. "Ma'am! No hitting!"
"Oh my god!" I gasped, pulling my hand back. "I'm so sorry! You scared me!"
Keifer moved from the wall, but he wasn't helping the actor. He was clutching his stomach, doubled over in laughter. "You... you actually slapped the devil!" he choked out between wheezes. "Jay-Jay, you're a menace!"
"Let's head back," Keifer said, finally catching his breath from laughing at my accidental assault on the devil. I nodded, still feeling a bit guilty, and we started navigating the dark corridors to find the exit.
After a few more turns, we finally spotted two familiar figures standing under a dim flickering light. It was Dave and Sarah. Both of them were standing remarkably close to each other, and their faces were incredibly red—even in the weird lighting.
"What happened to you two?" I asked, squinting at them.
"Nothing!" Dave and Sarah shouted at the exact same time, snapping apart like two magnets with the same pole.
I raised an eyebrow, shifting the camera so I could get a better angle of their suspicious behavior. "Really? Because you both look like you just saw a ghost... or maybe something else?"
"RUN!" Sarah suddenly shrieked, her eyes widening as she looked past my shoulder.
I spun around. My heart did a literal backflip in my chest. Right there on the floor was a girl dressed as a creepy, cracked porcelain doll. She wasn't standing; she was contorted, scurrying toward us on her hands and feet in a terrifying, spider-like crawl.
"AHHHHHH!" I screamed. I absolutely hated the ones that crawled. It was unnatural and way too fast.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Keifer yelled right next to my ear.
He didn't even try to be cool this time. He grabbed my arm, and we both took off sprinting toward the bright "EXIT" sign at the end of the hall. I didn't care about the vlog, I didn't care about my short skirt, and I didn't care about London dignity.
We burst through the heavy plastic strips of the exit and out into the cool night air, gasping for breath.
Jare, Mia, and Ben were already there, looking relatively unscathed. They turned to look at the four of us as we came flying out.
"Well," Jare said, crossing his arms and looking at Keifer, who was still slightly panicked. "I see the President of Section E found his scream. I think I heard you from the parking lot."
Keifer straightened his shirt, his face flushing as he tried to regain his composure. "I was just... projecting my voice to lead the way out."
"Yeah, sure," I gasped, holding up my phone with a triumphant smirk. "And I've got the 'projection' recorded in 4K. That's going straight to the group chat."
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A/N
Hey lovies 🤍✨
So… I started working on our new story, My Husband Is a Mafia Boss (JAYFER edition), and OMG 😭
I really tried my best to bring out the dark‑romance vibes, but for some reason… I just can't do it 😭🔥💔
I can literally see my future self looking back at this story and regretting all my life decisions, which is NOT a good sign 😭🌿
And if that happens, you guys can officially say bye to your author 😭✨ (joking… kinda)
So I'm really sorry, lovies. I know everyone wanted the Mafia Jayfer story, but something in me just isn't clicking with it right now 💙🌙
I don't want to force it and give you a story that doesn't feel right.
I will think of a different storyline — something that fits the vibe and still gives you all the drama, romance, and chaos you love 🌸💫
I'll let you guys know as soon as I figure it out 🤍✨