Jay‑Jay's POV
The first week of uni in London felt like being dropped into a movie — old buildings, giant libraries, accents everywhere, and a campus map that refused to make sense. Section E: London Edition tried to stay together, but the timetable had other plans.
"Okay," Rakki said at breakfast, waving her phone. "Me, Freya, Grace: Literature and Media. Felix, Calix, Denzel, Edrix: Business and Computing. Mica and Jay… oh. You two are in the same class."
Mica grinned, bumping my shoulder. "Survive uni with me, queen."
"And me?" Keifer asked, pouting dramatically.
"You," I said, stealing a piece of his toast, "are in the other block. You'll live."
He groaned. "Separation anxiety."
Rakki rolled her eyes. "You'll see her at lunch, relax, ulupong."
The lecture hall was huge, all polished wood and too-bright light. Mica and I slipped into seats halfway up, clutching our fresh notebooks like we were starting high school again.
"Stop looking so nervous," she whispered. "You literally survived gangs and comas. This is just essays."
"Essays are scarier," I muttered.
Students filed in, a mix of accents and styles. And then my stomach dropped.
He walked in. Same blue eyes, same softened face, hair a little longer, tattoos peeking under his sleeves.
Robin.
My ex from before everything — the one who'd told me he was gay, then left the country "to figure himself out."
He spotted me. Froze. Then smiled — small, surprised, a little unsure.
"Jay?" he said, coming closer. "No way."
Beside me, Mica's eyes narrowed with instant protective energy.
"Hi," I said, forcing my brain to catch up. "Wow. London?"
"Yeah." He laughed awkwardly. "Apparently I'm… not as gay as I thought."
Mica choked on her water. I elbowed her gently.
"Cool," I said, because what else do you say to that?
He slid into the empty seat on my other side. "It's really good to see you."
My phone buzzed under the desk — a message from Keifer.
Ulupong: You okay? Big hall? Weird prof?
I typed back quickly. Jay: I'm good. Mica's here. Will update you later.
Lecture started, but my brain felt loud — old memories mixing with our new life. Mica leaned in. "You gonna tell Keifer?"
"Eventually," I whispered. "No secrets."
After class, we streamed out into the hallway. Robin fell into step beside us. "Can we catch up sometime?" he asked. "Coffee? No pressure."
Before I could answer, Mica spoke. "Maybe. Group hang. We're never alone."
He chuckled. "Noted."
We reached the courtyard, where the others were already gathered. Keifer spotted me instantly and walked over, that familiar half-smile on his face.
"Hey, queen," he said, kissing my forehead. "How was—"
He stopped mid-sentence when he saw Robin behind me.
Robin blinked. "You must be Keifer."
Keifer's arm tightened around my shoulders, eyes cool but polite. "Yeah. And you are?"
"Robin," he said, offering a hand. "Old friend."
"Ex," Mica coughed into her drink.
Robin shot her a look. "We were kids."
Keifer shook his hand, grip firm. "Nice to meet you."
There was tension, but not the dangerous kind — more like two parts of my life meeting for the first time and trying to decide who got center stage.
Before it could get weird, a girl from Keifer's course walked up — tall, pretty, with perfect eyeliner and a confident smirk.
"Keifer!" she called, sliding closer. "You left your pen in class." She pressed it into his hand, fingers lingering a little too long. "You should sit next to me next time. I take excellent notes."
Her eyes flicked to me briefly in that way that said she'd already assessed me and was not threatened.
My hackles went up.
Keifer stepped slightly in front of me without thinking, still holding my shoulder. "Thanks," he said evenly. "But I'm good where I sit." He nodded toward me. "My girlfriend keeps me awake in lectures."
The girl's smile faltered just a bit. "Oh. Right." She glanced at me again, this time actually seeing me. "Nice to meet you."
"Same," I said, friendly but firm.
She left with a flirty wave that landed nowhere.
Felix leaned over from the bench, stage-whispering, "Daaamn, London brought side quests."
Calix smirked. "Relax. Jay already won the main game."
Robin watched all of this with a small, resigned smile. "You two look… solid," he said softly. "I'm happy for you, Jay."
And, surprisingly, I believed him.
"Thanks," I replied. "We are."
Keifer looked down at me, something soft and certain in his eyes, then pressed a kiss to my temple right there in the middle of the courtyard.
London buzzed around us — new classes, new faces, old ghosts.
But his arm stayed around me.
Mine.