The courtroom slowly emptied as people stepped out for the twenty-minute recess. Conversations filled the hallways, papers shuffled, and lawyers prepared for the next round.
Jay stepped into the hallway, rolling her shoulders slightly as she tried to shake off the tension of the hearing.
Behind her, Percy and Jane followed closely.
Percy leaned in immediately."So…" he whispered dramatically. "You and Keifer."
Jay didn't even look at him. "Percy."
Jane crossed her arms, smirking. "You two were practically finishing each other's arguments."
Jay stopped walking and turned toward them.
"We are opposing counsel," she said firmly. "That's all."
Percy made a dramatic face. "Sure. Totally believable."
Before Jay could respond, Percy suddenly grabbed Jane's arm.
"Oh look! Snacks!"
"There are no snacks—" Jane started, but Percy dragged her away down the hallway.
Jay stared after them suspiciously.
"…That was weird."
Meanwhile
Across the hall, Keifer was standing with Keigan and Keiren.
Keigan leaned on the wall. "You almost helped her earlier."
Keifer sighed. "I did not."
"You moved your hand," Keiren said with a grin. "We saw it."
Keifer rubbed his forehead. "Can both of you stop talking."
Keigan suddenly grabbed Keiren's shoulder.
"Oh look! Coffee."
"There's literally no coffee stand here—"
Too late. Keigan dragged him away down the hall.
Keifer blinked.
"…Idiots."
When Keifer looked up again…
Jay was standing alone across the hallway.
They both paused.
The long courthouse corridor suddenly felt very quiet.
Jay cleared her throat. "…Looks like our teams abandoned us."
Keifer glanced down the hallway where his brothers had disappeared.
"Looks like it."
They stood there awkwardly for a moment.
Then Keifer stepped a little closer.
"How's your ankle?" he asked quietly.
Jay blinked, surprised. "…It's fine."
He raised an eyebrow. "You almost twisted it again in court."
Jay looked down briefly. "…You noticed."
"I notice things," he said simply.
For a moment neither of them spoke.
The tension wasn't hostile anymore.
Just… complicated.
Heavy footsteps echoed down the hallway.
Jay turned slightly.
Aries approached, his expression serious as always.
His gaze went straight to Keifer.
The air instantly became tense.
Jay sighed quietly. "Aries…"
But Aries stepped closer, stopping directly in front of Keifer.
"You care about her?" he asked bluntly.
Jay nearly choked. "ARIES."
Keifer blinked once, slightly surprised by the question.
But he didn't back away.
"…Yes," he answered calmly.
Jay froze.
Aries studied him carefully.
"If you hurt her," Aries said quietly, "we will have a problem."
Keifer met his gaze evenly.
"I'm not planning to."
The tension held for a few seconds.
Then Aries nodded once and stepped away.
Jay covered her face with one hand.
"I'm so sorry about him."
Keifer shrugged slightly. "…I've had worse interrogations."
Jay laughed softly despite herself.
It was the first real laugh between them.
And for a second, both of them forgot they were supposed to be rivals.
Up on the second-floor walkway overlooking the hallway…
Judge Luke Reyes leaned casually against the railing.
He had seen the entire interaction.
The almost concern.The awkward conversation.Aries' warning.
Luke chuckled under his breath.
"Oh this case," he murmured, "just keeps getting better."
He checked his watch.
Then he turned and headed back toward the courtroom.
A court officer called down the hallway:
"Court will resume in two minutes."
Jay straightened her blazer again.
Professional mask returning.
Keifer adjusted his sleeves.
"Back to war?" he asked.
Jay smirked slightly.
"Back to war."
They walked back toward the courtroom doors together.
But this time…
Neither of them walked away first.