Chapter Fifty-Seven: Caught in the Act (Again)
The morning after Mysore, Jay woke slowly.
Sunlight filtered through the curtains. Birds sang somewhere outside. The hotel was peaceful.
And Keifer's lips were on her neck.
"Mmm," she murmured. "Morning."
"Morning." His voice was rough with sleep. "You're beautiful."
"You're biased."
"Your biased."
She laughed softly, turning in his arms. He kissed her—slow, warm, full of love.
Neither of them noticed the small figure in the doorway.
---
Keiran stood there, Rex in one hand, Ganesha in the other.
He'd woken up early. Wanted Mamma and Pappa. Had walked down the hall to their room.
The door was slightly open.
He saw them kissing.
His eyes went wide.
Then he ran.
---
Keigan was in the hallway, on his way to breakfast, phone in hand.
He saw his little brother running toward him, face full of drama.
"KEIGAN! KEIGAN!"
Keigan grabbed him before he could fall. "Whoa, what's wrong?"
"MAMMA AND PAPPA! THEY WERE—THEY WERE—"
Keigan's eyebrows shot up. "They were what?"
"KISSING! ON BED! I SAW!"
Keigan's expression went through several stages—surprise, amusement, and then a slow grin.
"Oh this is gonna be good."
He scooped up Keiran and headed straight for the dining room.
---
Percy was in the dining room, already on his third cup of coffee, when Keigan walked in with Keiran.
"TITO PERCY! TITO PERCY!"
Percy spun around. "KEIRAN! What's wrong?"
Keiran was breathless, eyes huge. "MAMMA AND PAPPA! KISSING! ON BED!"
The dining room went silent.
Percy's face split into the biggest grin imaginable. "THEY WERE WHAT?"
"KISSING! LIKE THIS!" Keiran demonstrated by kissing the air loudly. "ON BED! TOGETHER!"
Honey, beside Percy, buried her face in her hands. "Oh no."
"OH YES!" Percy was already running. "ARIES! YURI! COME QUICK! KEIRAN CAUGHT THEM!"
Keigan set Keiran down, still grinning. "This is the best morning ever."
---
Aries was in the hallway, coffee in hand, when Percy collided with him.
"Percy, what—"
"KEIRAN CAUGHT KEIF AND JAY KISSING! ON BED! TOGETHER!"
Aries blinked. "That's... not our business."
"IT'S EVERYONE'S BUSINESS!"
Yuri appeared, camera miraculously already in hand. "What's everyone's business?"
Percy grabbed him. "FOLLOW ME! CONTENT OPPORTUNITY!"
Yuri's eyes lit up. "I'M IN!"
Keigan followed with Keiran, already texting someone. "C.N., get to the third floor. Trust me."
---
Within minutes, a crowd had gathered outside Jay and Keifer's room.
Percy, Aries, Yuri, Honey, Akshi, Shreya, Chethan, Mithun, C.N., Rakii, David, Freya, Mica, Calix, Felix, Bridget, Keigan, and of course Keiran (with Rex and Ganesha).
Percy knocked dramatically. "KEIF! JAY! OPEN UP! WE HAVE QUESTIONS!"
Silence from inside.
Then Keifer's voice, slightly strained. "It's eight in the morning."
"AND WE HAVE QUESTIONS!"
"What questions?"
Keiran piped up. "WHY YOU KISSING ON BED, PAPPA?"
More silence.
Keigan leaned against the wall, phone out. "I'm documenting this. For the family archives."
C.N. grinned. "Good thinking."
---
The door opened.
Jay stood there, hair slightly messy, expression caught between embarrassment and laughter. Keifer stood behind her, looking like he wanted to disappear.
Percy pushed past them both. "OKAY! EVERYONE IN! INTERVENTION TIME!"
The room filled quickly.
Percy grabbed a chair, sat backward on it like a detective. "Alright. Explain yourselves."
Keifer pinched the bridge of his nose. "We were kissing. In our room. Privately."
"PRIVATELY? With the door OPEN?"
"It was cracked! For air!"
Yuri zoomed in. "For AIR. Sure."
Aries, leaning against the wall, was clearly enjoying himself. "You left the door open. In a hotel full of chaos agents. What did you expect?"
Keigan raised his hand. "For the record, I was not involved in this ambush. I'm just here for entertainment."
C.N. smirked. "Mother, I'm disappointed. I thought you were more careful."
Jay pointed at him. "Don't 'mother' me right now."
---
Keiran climbed onto the bed, Rex and Ganesha beside him. "Mamma, why you kiss Pappa on bed? Why not on couch? Or in kitchen? Or—"
Percy interrupted. "KEIRAN! Excellent question! Why the BED specifically?"
Keifer's jaw tightened. "Percy."
"I'm just ASKING! For SCIENCE!"
Honey tried to pull him back. "Babe, maybe we should—"
"NO! This is IMPORTANT!"
Akshi was crying with laughter. Shreya had given up and was just filming on her phone.
Chethan was taking mental notes. "This is the best morning ever."
Mithun, calm as always, observed, "They're engaged. It's not scandalous."
"IT'S SCANDALOUS BECAUSE KEIRAN SAW IT!"
---
Keiran, now fully involved in the interrogation, turned to Keifer. "Pappa, was it special hugs?"
The room lost it.
Percy fell off his chair. Aries actually laughed out loud. C.N. doubled over. Yuri's camera shook with his laughter.
Jay buried her face in her hands. Keifer stared at the ceiling.
Mica wheezed. "SPECIAL HUGS! HE REMEMBERED!"
Calix patted her back. "Breathe."
"I CAN'T! THIS IS TOO GOOD!"
Felix, usually composed, was hiding his smile behind his hand. Bridget wasn't even trying to hide hers.
David was on the floor. "Special hugs! I'm dead! I'm literally dead!"
Freya patted his head. "RIP David."
Keigan was laughing so hard he had to lean against the wall. "Keiran, you're my hero."
---
Keiran looked around, confused. "Why everyone laughing? Special hugs are good! Pappa said!"
Percy pointed at Keifer. "YOU! You told him about special hugs!"
"He asked! What was I supposed to say?"
"THE TRUTH!"
"The truth IS special hugs!"
C.N. wiped his eyes. "Mother, you've created a monster."
Jay threw a pillow at him. "Stop calling me mother!"
"BUT IT'S RELEVANT! You're the one having special hugs!"
"I WILL THROW YOU OUT THE WINDOW!"
"There's no sharks out there!"
"I'LL FIND SOMETHING!"
Keigan raised his hand. "I'll help hide the body."
"THANK YOU, KEIGAN."
"You're welcome, Mom."
---
Aries, finally composed enough to speak, addressed Keiran. "Keiran, buddy, when two people love each other, they sometimes kiss. It's normal."
"But on BED?"
"Beds are comfortable."
"Oh." Keiran considered this. Then he looked at Jay. "Mamma, is Pappa comfortable?"
Jay's face was the color of a tomato. "Yes, baby. Pappa is... comfortable."
Percy lost it again. "COMFORTABLE! THAT'S THE WORD SHE USES!"
Honey was crying. "I can't breathe. I literally can't breathe."
Mithun, still calm, offered, "This will be a story you tell at their wedding."
C.N. gasped. "THE WEDDING! CAN YOU IMAGINE?"
Rakii wiped her eyes. "I'm already planning the photos."
Keigan grinned. "I'm definitely giving a speech."
---
Keifer finally spoke. "Everyone. Out."
Percy gasped dramatically. "YOU'RE KICKING US OUT?"
"Yes."
"BUT WE'RE HAVING FUN!"
"You can have fun somewhere else."
Aries pushed off the wall, still smiling. "Come on, let's give them privacy. Before Jay actually murders someone."
Jay pointed at C.N. "Him first."
C.N. clutched his chest. "I'm honored."
Keigan grabbed Keiran. "Come on, little dude. Let's let Mamma and Pappa recover from their embarrassment."
"But I have more questions!"
"You can ask later. Over breakfast."
"OKAY!"
---
They filed out slowly, still laughing.
Keiran paused at the door. "Mamma? Pappa?"
"Yes, baby?"
"Can I have special hugs too?"
Jay's face went through several expressions. "Baby, special hugs are for grown-ups who love each other."
"But I love Rex and Ganesha!"
"Then give them regular hugs. Not special ones."
Keiran nodded solemnly. "Okay. Regular hugs only. For now."
Keigan picked him up. "Come on, let's go find pancakes."
"PANCAKES! REX LOVES PANCAKES!"
"Rex can have imaginary pancakes."
"REX HAPPY!"
They left.
The door closed.
---
Jay collapsed onto the bed. "I want to die."
Keifer lay beside her. "Me too."
"Keigan was there."
"He was enjoying it."
"He was FILMING."
"Probably."
"Our son is going to tell EVERYONE."
"He already told everyone."
"They're never going to let us forget this."
"Never."
She turned to look at him. "I love you."
"I love you too." He kissed her forehead. "Even though our son is a menace."
"Your son."
"OUR son."
She sighed. "Our son."
From outside, Percy's voice echoed: "SPECIAL HUGS! REMEMBER EVERYONE! SPECIAL HUGS!"
And Keigan's voice: "I'M PUTTING THIS IN THE FAMILY GROUP CHAT!"
Jay groaned.
Keifer laughed.
This was their life.
Chaotic, embarrassing, perfect.
---
End of Chapter Fifty-Seven