Jay-Jay POV
I came to help Keifer recover.
I stayed because I couldn't imagine leaving.
This house was loud. Unhinged. Full of glitter bombs and pancake wars. But it was also full of him.
And every day, I fell a little harder.
Day 1: Arrival and Authority
I walked in with a duffel bag, a first-aid kit, and a glare that made Kieran drop the Nerf gun mid-air. Kegain greeted me with a smoothie and a dramatic bow. "Welcome to the Watson asylum," he said, like this was a five-star resort and not a war zone.
Keifer was pale, stitched up, and trying to act like he wasn't in pain. I didn't let him.
"You're not allowed to lift anything heavier than a juice box," I told him.
He smirked. "What if it's a juice box filled with emotional baggage?"
I rolled my eyes. "Then I'll carry it for you."
Kieran tried to sneak a glitter bomb under Keifer's blanket. I intercepted it mid-air and threatened to duct-tape him to the wall. Kegain clapped. "She's already one of us."
That night, I slept in a beanbag next to Keifer's bed. He whispered, "Thanks for staying."
I whispered, "Always."
And I meant it.
Day 2: Pillow Forts and Flirting
Kieran built a pillow fort around Keifer's bed and declared it a "romance-free zone." Kegain added fairy lights and called it "aesthetic chaos." I called it "a fire hazard."
Keifer tried to sit up. I shoved him back down.
"You're not dying," I said. "You're recovering."
He looked at me — really looked at me — and said, "You make it easier."
I pretended not to melt.
Later, we watched a movie. Kieran threw popcorn at us and yelled, "Emotional PDA is banned!"
Keifer reached for my hand. I didn't let go.
"You're breaking the rules," I whispered.
"I'm breaking them for you," he said.
Kegain walked in, saw us holding hands, and said, "I'll start planning the wedding."
I threw a pillow at him.
Keifer laughed. I laughed too.
And for a moment, the pain didn't matter. The stitches didn't matter. The chaos didn't matter.
It was just us.
Day 3: Mustaches and Midnight Talks
I woke up with a mustache.
Not metaphorically. A literal, marker-drawn mustache courtesy of Kieran, who had apparently decided I was "too serious" in my sleep.
Kegain took a photo. Keifer laughed so hard he pulled a stitch and then immediately regretted it.
I chased Kieran through the hallway with a slipper while Keifer wheezed on the couch, clutching his side and begging me not to murder his brother.
Later that night, the house was quiet. Kieran had passed out in a pile of blankets. Kegain was editing a video titled "Jay vs. Chaos: The Slipper Chronicles."
I sat beside Keifer in the dim light of his room. He looked tired, but peaceful.
"I couldn't sleep," he said.
"Pain?"
"No. You."
I blinked. "Me?"
"I keep thinking about you. About how you stayed. About how you didn't give up on me."
I didn't know what to say. So I just reached for his hand.
"You scared me," I whispered. "I thought I lost you."
"You didn't," he said. "You found me."
And then he leaned in and kissed my cheek.
Soft. Quick. Real.
I didn't say anything.
I just leaned into him.
Day 4: Backyard Tension and Almosts
The backyard was quiet. For once.
I helped Keifer walk, slow and steady, his arm looped through mine. He was stronger today, but still shaky. Every step felt like a victory.
He tripped once. I caught him.
And suddenly, we were close. Too close.
His breath hitched. Mine did too.
He looked at me like I was gravity. I looked at him like I was falling.
"I'm fine," he said, voice low.
"You're reckless," I replied, but I didn't move away.
Kieran yelled from the porch, "Are you guys dating or just emotionally constipated?"
Keifer laughed. I turned red. We didn't kiss. But we didn't stop looking at each other either.
Later, we sat on the porch swing, wrapped in a blanket. Kegain brought us hot chocolate and winked like he was officiating a wedding.
Keifer whispered, "I wanted to kiss you."
I whispered, "I wanted you to."
We didn't. Not yet.
But the air between us was charged, humming with everything we weren't saying.
And I knew — when the moment came — it would be real.
Day 5: Pancake Wars and Confessions
Breakfast was chaos.
Kegain made pancakes. Kieran tried to flip one onto the ceiling. It stuck. Kegain declared it "modern art." Keifer groaned. "I live with gremlins."
I handed him his meds. He took them without protest.
"You scared me," I said quietly.
"I know," he replied. "I thought I'd never see you again."
I sat beside him. "You're here now."
He reached for my hand. "Because you stayed."
We didn't speak for a while. Just sat there, fingers intertwined, the noise of the house fading into the background.
That night, I found him in the living room, staring at the stars through the window.
"I don't know what I'd do without you," he said.
"You'll never have to find out," I replied.
And then?
He kissed me.
Soft. Real. Terrifying.
I kissed him back.
Kieran screamed from the hallway, "I KNEW IT!"
Kegain yelled, "FINALLY!"
I groaned. "I hate this house."
But I was smiling.
And so was he.
Day 6: Glitter Bombs and Love
Kieran tried to prank me with whipped cream in my shoes. I tackled him. Kegain filmed it. Keifer watched me laugh, eyes wide, heart loud.
Later, I sat beside him in the dark.
"I think I'm in love with you," he said.
I blinked. "You're delirious."
"I'm serious."
I didn't speak. I just kissed him again.
This time, it wasn't tentative. It was certain.
He held me close, careful not to pull his stitches, and whispered, "You make everything better."
I whispered, "You make me brave."
Kieran burst in with a glitter bomb and yelled, "LOVE EXPLOSION!"
Keifer groaned. "I regret everything."
I laughed. "You love it."
And he did.
Because this house was chaos. But it was ours.
Day 7: The Goodbye That Wasn't
I packed my bag. Said I was going home.
Keifer looked panicked. "You don't have to go."
"You're better now," I said.
"I'm not better without you."
I froze.
He kissed me again. I kissed him back.
Kieran burst in with a trumpet. Kegain threw confetti.
Keifer groaned. "I regret everything."
I laughed. "You love it."
He looked at me.
"I love you."
And just like that?
We weren't just healing.
We were beginning.
Together. In this house. In this chaos. In this love.