Jay's POV :
David froze at my question. For a second, the noise of the café dimmed, and it was just the three of us — him, me, and the weight of everything that had been broken.
"I didn't plan it," he said finally, voice rough. "That night—everything was already falling apart, and you looked like you were going to disappear. I just… didn't want you to."
I let out a short, humorless laugh. "So you kissed me to stop me from falling apart? That's new."
He shook his head quickly. "No, Jay. I kissed you because I cared.I had to push keifer to his limits, because even after everything, I still care about you ."
The words hung there, heavy and too soft to trust.
"Cared," I repeated. "While you stood by and let them use me? While you helped them?"
His jaw clenched. "I didn't help them." He looked down, guilt flickering across his face. "I protected you — just not in a way you could see."
Percy shifted beside me, arms crossed, saying nothing but watching like a guard dog who wasn't sure if he should bite.
David took a slow breath. "When they started tracking you, I knew something was wrong. Keifer said it was to keep you safe, but the way he moved, the things he hid—it wasn't right. So I stayed close. Watched. Made sure they never went too far."
I stared at him, my heart caught between disbelief and the tiny, desperate hope that maybe, just maybe, someone hadn't meant to hurt me.
He continued quietly, "Cin didn't want any part of it either. He fought with Keifer more than once. Said what they were doing wasn't protection—it was control."
My throat tightened. "Cin…"
David nodded. "He misses you. We all do. Even if we're the last people you want to hear that from."
"I know it's not easy jay to forgive me or cin and that's alright because we are willing to wait for you. "
He then hesitated, then reached into his jacket and pulled something out — a small folded piece of red paper. He placed it on the table, sliding it toward me.
"What's this?" I asked.
He smiled faintly, like it hurt to. "A birthday card. Cin made it. Fourteenth of February — you know how he gets about birthdays."
The paper was messy, childlike, full of hearts and stickers like it came from another life.
"He wanted you to have it," David said softly. "He said… he wants his Ate there."
The word hit me like a pulse. Ate Cin's ate .suddenly all our late night meals and the stupid teasing and jokes. I remembered laughing until I cried that night.
"I can't," I whispered. "I can't face him."
"You don't have to forgive anyone," David said gently. "Just come. Cin doesn't want apologies. He just wants you to show up."
He looked at me one last time, eyes steady. "That's all I came to say."
He stood, ready to go, but Percy reached out and clapped his shoulder — firm, grounding.I could hear them but didn't let them notice...
"You did good," Percy said quietly. "Sometimes giving someone a chance to breathe is the best thing you can do."
David gave a small, sad smile. "I just want her to have peace, Percy. Even if it's not with us."
Then he left — the bell above the door ringing once, fading into silence.
I looked down at the card. The ink had smudged in places, maybe from his clumsy fingers or maybe from tears. On the back, in Cin's crooked handwriting, were five small words:
"Come home, Ate. Just once."
My vision blurred, and before I could stop it, my hand trembled over the paper.
Percy said nothing. He just watched me quietly as I whispered, mostly to myself —
"…Maybe I will."