Chapter Seventeen: His Jealousy
The morning after their makeup, everything felt perfect.
Jay woke in Keifer's arms, warm and content. The memory of their reconciliation—the desperate kisses, the whispered promises, the way he'd loved her all night—made her smile against his chest.
"You're doing it again," he murmured, still half-asleep.
"Doing what?"
"Smiling. Early. Without coffee."
"You make me smile."
"Good." He pulled her closer. "Stay."
"Work?"
"Call in sick."
"I can't call in sick."
"You're the boss's girlfriend. You can do whatever you want."
She laughed, kissing his chest. "That's not how it works."
"It should be."
---
They went to work together, as usual. Held hands in the car. Stole kisses at red lights. Walked into the building with their fingers intertwined, ignoring the whispers.
Jay settled at her desk, ready for a normal day.
She had no idea what was coming.
---
His name was Ethan Cole.
New hire. Transferred from the Singapore branch. Tall, effortlessly handsome, with an easy smile and the kind of confidence that came from years of success. He was thirty, maybe, with salt-and-pepper hair at his temples and eyes that crinkled when he laughed.
He arrived at Jay's desk at nine-thirty.
"Hi there." His voice was warm, welcoming. "I'm Ethan. New transfer. I was told you're the person to see about getting set up?"
Jay smiled automatically. "That's me. Jasper Jean Mariano. Everyone calls me Jay."
"Jay." He tested the name, smiled wider. "Pretty. Suits you."
She blinked, slightly thrown. "Thanks? Let me get your paperwork."
She busied herself with files, ignoring the way his eyes followed her.
---
Ethan was friendly. That was all.
Friendly and charming and apparently determined to learn everything about the company from her specifically.
He found excuses to visit her desk all morning.
Questions about protocols. Questions about departments. Questions about lunch options in the area.
Each time, he lingered. Smiled. Made her laugh.
She didn't think anything of it.
She should have.
---
Keifer noticed.
Of course he noticed. He noticed everything about her. The way she tucked her hair behind her ear when concentrating. The way she bit her lip when reading. The way she laughed at Ethan's jokes—polite laughter, professional laughter, but laughter nonetheless.
He noticed the way Ethan leaned on her desk. The way his eyes lingered. The way he found excuses to touch—a brief brush of fingers when passing a file, a hand on the back of her chair when leaning over to see her screen.
By eleven, Keifer's jaw was tight.
By noon, his hands were fists.
By one o'clock, he'd cancelled two meetings just to watch through his window.
Yuri appeared beside him. "You're doing it again."
"Doing what?"
"Staring. Glaring. Plotting murder." Yuri followed his gaze. "Ah. The new guy."
"Ethan Cole. Transferred from Singapore."
"Seems friendly."
"Too friendly."
Yuri raised an eyebrow. "He's just doing his job. Learning the ropes."
"His job doesn't require touching her."
"Did he touch her?"
"Her chair. Her desk. Her—" Keifer stopped, running a hand through his hair. "I'm being irrational."
"Yes."
"I know I'm being irrational."
"And yet."
"And yet I want to throw him out the window."
Yuri patted his shoulder. "Welcome to jealousy, my friend. It's awful. It makes no sense. And it's completely justified because that guy is definitely flirting with her."
Keifer's head snapped around. "You think so?"
"Absolutely. The leaning? The lingering? The way he laughs at everything she says? Classic flirting." Yuri shrugged. "Not that she's noticed. She's too busy being professional."
"She hasn't noticed?"
"She hasn't noticed. She's oblivious. You know this about her."
Keifer relaxed slightly. "So I'm jealous for no reason."
"Not no reason. There's a reason. The reason is that guy is hot and charming and making your girlfriend laugh." Yuri grinned. "But she's your girlfriend. She loves you. She's just being nice."
Keifer took a deep breath. "You're right. I'm being ridiculous."
"Yes."
"I should trust her."
"Yes."
"I should go back to my meetings."
"Probably."
"I'm going to kill him."
"WHAT?"
Keifer was already moving.
---
Jay looked up as Keifer approached her desk.
His expression was carefully neutral, but she knew him too well. Something was wrong.
"Keif?"
"Ethan." Keifer's voice was smooth, pleasant, terrifying. "How's the transition going?"
Ethan straightened, smiling easily. "Great, actually. Jay's been incredibly helpful. Best orientation I've ever had."
"Good. Good." Keifer's smile didn't reach his eyes. "I'm sure you're busy. Lots to learn. Jay has her own work."
Subtle. Not subtle at all.
Ethan's smile flickered slightly, understanding dawning. "Of course. I should let you get back to it." He glanced at Jay. "Thanks for the help. Maybe we can continue later?"
"Maybe," Jay said, confused.
Ethan disappeared.
Jay looked at Keifer. "What was that?"
"Nothing."
"That was not nothing."
"Just checking on the new hire."
"Keif."
He met her eyes. The mask slipped—just for a second—and she saw it.
Jealousy.
Burning, irrational, undeniable jealousy.
Her heart flipped.
---
"Keif." She stood, moving closer, lowering her voice. "You're jealous of Ethan?"
"No."
"You absolutely are."
"He was touching your desk."
"He was leaning."
"Leaning. Touching. Same thing."
"Keif." She fought a smile. "He's just being friendly. He's new."
"He's flirting."
"He's not—"
"He's absolutely flirting. Yuri confirmed it."
"Yuri?" She glanced toward where Yuri was hiding behind a plant, filming. "You discussed this with Yuri?"
"I discuss everything with Yuri. He's my emotional support best friend."
She couldn't help it—she laughed. "Your emotional support best friend?"
"He has a phone. He documents. It helps."
"Keif." She stepped closer, ignoring the watching eyes of the entire office. "I love you. Only you. Ethan is just a coworker."
"I know."
"He means nothing."
"I know."
"I didn't even notice he was flirting."
That made him pause. "You didn't?"
"No. I was being professional. Answering questions. Doing my job." She touched his chest. "You're the only one I see. The only one I want. The only one I think about."
His expression softened. "Really?"
"Really." She rose on her toes, kissed him softly—right there, in front of everyone. "You're my forever, remember? Until scientists find the end of the universe."
He kissed her back, relief evident in every line of his body.
When they broke apart, the entire office was staring.
Yuri was openly weeping behind his phone.
---
Ethan appeared again at three o'clock.
This time, he approached cautiously, eyes darting toward Keifer's cabin.
"Hey, Jay. Just wanted to drop off these completed forms." He set them on her desk, careful not to linger. "And apologize if I overstepped earlier. I didn't realize you and the boss were... together."
"We are," Jay said simply. "Very together."
"Got it. Loud and clear." He smiled—genuine, unbothered. "He's a lucky guy."
"I'm the lucky one."
Ethan nodded, then headed toward his desk.
Jay watched him go, then glanced toward Keifer's cabin.
He was watching through the window. Glaring.
She shook her head, smiling.
---
At five o'clock, Keifer appeared at her desk.
"Ready to go home?"
"Almost." She saved her files, gathered her things. "You know, you could have just told me you were jealous. Instead of the whole... performance."
"Performance?"
"The dramatic walk-out. The veiled threats. The glaring through windows."
He had the grace to look slightly embarrassed. "I may have overreacted."
"May have?"
"Definitely overreacted."
She stood, taking his hand. "It's okay. I get it. I was jealous of Valentina too."
"That was different."
"How?"
"She touched my arm. He touched your desk."
"Same thing?"
"Completely different." He pulled her close. "But I'm sorry. I should trust you."
"You should. And I should trust you." She kissed his chin. "We're both learning."
"Together?"
"Together."
---
They walked out hand in hand, past the whispering employees, past Yuri's filming, past Ethan's respectful nod.
In the car, Keifer finally relaxed.
"She's really not interested in him?" he asked quietly.
"She's really not. She didn't even notice he was flirting."
"How is that possible?"
"Because she was too busy thinking about you." Jay squeezed his hand. "All day. Every day. Only you."
He lifted her hand, kissed her knuckles. "I love you."
"I love you too. Even when you're being a jealous caveman."
"I'm not a caveman."
"You literally beat your chest earlier."
"I did not."
"You did. Metaphorically."
He laughed, the tension finally breaking. "Okay. Maybe a little."
"A lot."
"Your lot."
She smiled. "Yeah. My lot."
---
That night, they lay tangled together, Keiran asleep down the hall, Keigan at a friend's.
"Keif?"
"Yeah?"
"No more jealousy?"
"No more jealousy." He paused. "Unless someone else flirts with you."
"Keif."
"I'm serious. I can't promise anything."
She laughed, kissing his chest. "You're impossible."
"Your impossible."
"Yeah." She smiled in the dark. "Mine."
---
End of Chapter Seventeen