Jay's POV:
The first thing I felt was the weight in my chest — not the physical kind, but the one that sits heavy and still, pressing down on your lungs until even breathing feels like effort.
The second thing was light — soft, filtered sunlight slipping through the curtains. Morning.
I blinked slowly, the familiar scent of cedarwood and antiseptic hitting me. My room. The sheets tucked in too neatly to be my doing. My throat ached — dry, sore — and when I tried to move, a sharp pain shot through my arm.
Then I heard a voice.
"Easy, Jay."
I turned my head slightly. Four faces hovered over me.
Cole. David. Stella. Percy.
All of them looked like they hadn't slept in hours.
Stella was sitting closest, her hair tied in a messy bun, eyes rimmed red. David was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, but his jaw was tight — too tight for someone pretending to be calm.
Percy was at the foot of the bed, scrolling through something on his phone but not really looking at it.
And Cole… he was pacing near the window, phone in hand, trying hard to look composed.
"What—" My voice cracked, barely a whisper. "What happened?"
Cole turned immediately, the usual calm in his eyes replaced by concern. "You fainted," he said quietly. "Panic attack. The doctor said it was exhaustion, stress… and lack of sleep."
I tried to sit up, but Stella pressed a gentle hand to my shoulder. "Don't move too fast, Jay. You scared us last night."
Scared them?
Flashes returned like pieces of glass.
The party.
Keifer.
His words.
My slap.
Running — the streetlights blurring.
Then Stella's arms catching me before the darkness did.
I swallowed hard. "Keifer…"
David's expression flickered, but he didn't say anything. Cole shot him a look that said, don't.
Cole came closer, kneeling beside the bed. "You don't have to worry about him right now. STOP THINKING ABOUT HIM." he said calmy but with threat laced...
Something in his tone made me look at him sharply. "What do you mean? You are different today. Did you do something? "
Percy finally looked up from his phone, his voice calmer than I expected. "Let's just say he got a wake-up call."
I frowned, confused. "What's that supposed to mean?"
No one answered. Just glances exchanged — silent, loaded.
"Jay," Stella said softly, squeezing my hand, "you need to rest. You've been through enough already. Let the boys handle the rest, okay?"
Her words were kind, but they only made my chest tighten more. I looked at their faces — the worry in Cole's eyes, the restrained frustration in David's, the quiet guilt in Percy's.
They knew something. Something they weren't telling me.
"Tell me?" I asked finally, my voice small.
Cole didn't answer right away. He looked out the window instead, watching the light shift through the curtains before he spoke."nope not happening Jay. "
The silence after that felt like a storm brewing inside the room.
I looked away, staring at the blanket bunched near my fingers.
David sighed and straightened up. "You're not allowed to think about him right now. Doctor's orders. Ours too."
Despite everything, a small, bitter laugh escaped me. "You guys planning to babysit me now?"
Percy smirked faintly. "We already are."
That earned a soft chuckle from Stella — and even Cole's expression eased, just slightly. The tension thinned a little, replaced by something warmer.
For a moment, it almost felt normal again — almost.
But deep down, I knew nothing was normal.
Not anymore.
Because even though I was safe in this house, surrounded by the people who cared, the last thing I remembered was the look in Keifer's eyes before I ran — that raw, broken look he didn't even try to hide.
And no matter how hard I tried to ignore it… it stayed.
Right there, beneath my ribs....
By late afternoon, the house had gone quieter.
Cole had to rush for an emergency board meeting — something about a deal in Dubai. David got called back to the firm. Stella, after a lot of hesitation, finally agreed to attend an urgent shoot that couldn't be postponed.
That left me with one very reluctant babysitter.
Percy.
He sat across from me on the couch, scrolling through his phone with exaggerated focus while pretending not to notice me staring at him.
I leaned forward, elbows on my knees. "Percy."
He didn't look up. "No."
I frowned. "You don't even know what I'm going to say."
"I don't have to. Every time you say my name like that, it means trouble."
I crossed my arms, tilting my head. "I just want food."
He finally looked up, brow arched. "You just ate soup."
"That was liquid," I protested. "I need something solid. Something that doesn't look like hospital food."
He sighed dramatically, tossing his phone aside. "Jay, the doctor said rest, not an adventure."
I grinned — the first real grin in days. "Who said anything about an adventure? Just a small meal. Promise."
He gave me a flat look. "You promise every time. And somehow, every time, it turns into chaos."
I pouted, widening my eyes in that way that always worked when we were kids. "Please? I'm going to die of boredom. And hunger. Mostly hunger."
Percy stared at me for a long moment — then muttered under his breath, "You're lucky you look half-dead right now, or I'd say no."
I gasped. "Excuse me—"
"Fine," he cut me off, already standing. "Get your jacket before I change my mind."
A victorious smile spread across my face. "You're the best."
"Yeah, yeah," he muttered, grabbing his keys. "If Cole finds out, you're explaining this."
---
The steakhouse wasn't far — one of those dimly lit places with leather booths and soft jazz playing in the background.
It felt strangely normal. Almost comforting.
I inhaled deeply as the smell of grilled meat and butter hit me. "God, I missed real food."
Percy shook his head, sliding into the seat across from me. "You're unbelievable. One night of rest and you're back to being a menace."
I smiled faintly, tracing the rim of my glass. "You missed me."
He looked at me — really looked — then sighed. "Yeah. I did."
The waiter came, took our order, and left us with a quiet that neither of us rushed to fill.
For a moment, I just watched the faint reflections in the glass, the way the candlelight danced against the shadows. Everything around me felt warm, soft… but inside, the chill still lingered.
Percy noticed. He always did.
"Jay," he said quietly, leaning forward. "You don't have to pretend, you know."
I blinked, feigning innocence. "Pretend what?"
"That you're okay."
The words hit harder than I expected. My throat tightened, and I stared down at the table, the fork clinking softly against the plate.
"I'm trying," I whispered.
"I know," he said, his voice gentler now. "But trying doesn't mean you have to do it alone."
Something about the way he said it — steady, grounded — made my chest ache. I didn't trust myself to speak, so I just nodded, picking at the napkin on my lap.
After a while, he sighed and leaned back. "Eat properly, okay? I'll tell the others I forced you into this."
That made me smile again. "Percy the hero."
"More like Percy the handsome" he muttered, but the corners of his mouth twitched.
When the food arrived — sizzling, fragrant — I realized how long it had been since I'd felt this simple peace.
No running.
No tears.
No Keifer.
Just me and Percy, sitting under the soft glow of a restaurant lamp, pretending — even if just for a little while — that things weren't falling apart.
We barely got our drinks when the door chimed.
And the last person I wanted to see walked in.
Keifer.
And next to him, her — Honey Ryder.
Percy noticed me freeze. "What?" he asked, turning— then scowled. "Oh, fantastic."
Honey spotted us first. She gave a bright, knowing smile and tugged Keifer's sleeve before I could even blink. "Oh my God, isn't that Jay?" she said — loudly enough to make me wish the ground would open up and swallow me whole.
"Jay Jay!" she called, voice too sweet to be genuine. "Long time no see."
I forced a tight smile. "Not long enough."
Her laugh was light, practiced. "Still the same sharp tongue, I see. Guess some things don't change."
"Some do," I replied, meeting her gaze evenly. "Like your taste in company."
Her smile flickered. Just slightly.
Keifer's eyes met mine then — and didn't move. Not once. Not even when Honey looped her arm through his.
Percy leaned back, arms crossed, clearly unimpressed. "You two know each other?"
"Unfortunately," I muttered.
Honey turned her attention to him — and her expression softened instantly. "Oh, you must be Percy. I've heard so much about you."
Percy blinked. "Have you?"
"Mhmm," she hummed, voice silk and sugar. "Jay's stepbrother, right? The handsome one.."
"Well atleast you know.." Percy said carefully.
The air turned thick with polite tension, like everyone was smiling with knives hidden behind their backs.
Keifer cleared his throat. "They're short on tables. Mind if we—"
Before Percy could say no, Honey had already slid into the seat across from me, pulling Keifer down beside her. "Perfect! I love coincidences."
I stared at her, voice smooth but dripping with venom. "Yeah, you seem to love a lot of things that aren't yours."
Honey smiled — all teeth. "And you seem to lose a lot of things that are."
Percy choked on his water. "Wow," he muttered. "This is… something."
Keifer stayed quiet, gaze still locked on me like he was trying to say a thousand things he couldn't. It made my skin prickle.
The food arrived — steaming steaks, buttery sides. Honey turned to Percy, clearly trying to shift attention. "So, Percy," she started, leaning in just a little. "Tell me, do you work with Jay? Or do you just make sure she doesn't bite people in public?"
Percy gave her a tight-lipped smile. "Mostly the second one."
I almost laughed. Almost.
We started eating. Or rather, they did.
I just stared at my plate, cutting half-heartedly until the knife slipped. My grip faltered.
Before I could fix it, Keifer's voice came — low, careful.
"Here," he said, reaching slightly forward. "You're holding it wrong. Let me—"
I didn't even look up. "I'm fine."
Then I passed the plate to Percy instead. "You cut it. Please."
Percy gave Keifer a small glare before obliging, slicing the steak silently.
Honey smirked, clearly enjoying the power shift. "She's lucky to have you," she told Percy sweetly. "Most people don't get such… devoted brothers."
"Yeah," Percy said, meeting her eyes coolly. "And most people don't know when to stop talking."
The table went quiet again.
Halfway through dinner, Percy excused himself to the restroom.
The instant he was gone, Keifer leaned slightly toward Honey, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Keep him busy.."
Honey blinked. "What—oh okay my pleasure 😉"
But he didn't wait for her response. His attention snapped back to me, voice quiet, firm, and a little rough at the edges.
"Jay," he said. "We need to talk."
I froze, knife still in hand, heart thudding.
Honey looked between us, realizing exactly what was about to happen — and for once, she had nothing clever to say.
I met Keifer's eyes — the same eyes that hadn't left me since he walked in — and said softly,
"Then you'd better choose your words carefully."