Jay‑Jay's POV
The rest of the day dragged in that weird way where nothing huge happens, but your brain won't shut up. Every lecture, every corridor, my thoughts kept bouncing between Robin's surprised smile and that girl's perfectly confident "sit next to me" to Keifer.
By the time we got back to the flats, my head felt louder than the London traffic.
Mica threw herself onto my bed the second we stepped into our room. "Okay," she announced. "We are debriefing. Emotionally, academically, romantically. In that order."
I dropped my bag and lay beside her, staring at the ceiling. "Emotionally: confused. Academically: dead. Romantically: mildly threatened and also guilty."
She snorted. "Honesty. We love that." She rolled onto her side to look at me. "You know you didn't do anything wrong today, right?"
"I know," I said. "But it's still… weird. Robin being here. That girl flirting with Keifer right in front of me."
Mica's face softened. "Robin's a closed chapter. You two had your ending already. And Miss Eyeliner? She can flirt all she wants. You saw how he answered."
He had.
You're the one who's here.
I exhaled. "Still hate it."
"Congratulations, you're human," she said dryly, then nudged me with her foot. "Talk to him. Before your overthinking turns into a telenovela in your head."
As if summoned, my phone buzzed.
Ulupong: "Can I come over? Boys are screaming about FIFA. Save me."
I smiled despite everything.
Jay: "Door's open."
A few minutes later, there was a soft knock anyway, because he was weirdly polite like that now. Mica hopped up. "I'll give you two space," she said, grabbing her notes. "I'll be next door if you need backup."
Keifer stepped in, hair a little messy from the wind, hoodie over his uni shirt. He closed the door behind him and just… looked at me for a second.
"Hey," he said softly.
"Hey."
He sank onto the bed beside me, close but not quite touching. "You've been quiet since campus."
"You noticed?" I tried to joke.
He gave me a look. "I always notice."
Silence pressed in for a moment. Then I took a breath. "Robin being here is… a lot. And that girl." I shrugged. "My brain's being annoying."
"Yeah," he said, surprising me. "Mine too."
I tilted my head. "Yours?"
He rubbed the back of his neck. "Robin showing up out of nowhere, sitting beside you, looking at you like…" He trailed off, jaw flexing. "And then eyeliner girl acting like I'm free real estate. Not my favorite part of the day."
Despite the knot in my chest, I laughed. "Free real estate?"
He cracked a small smile. "You know what I mean." His face grew serious again. "But you didn't see what I saw."
"What did you see?"
"You," he said simply. "Leaning away from him. Checking your phone to text me. Standing closer to Mica than to him when we met in the courtyard." He met my eyes. "And when that girl flirted? You didn't look scared or insecure. You looked… annoyed. Like she was interrupting something that was already settled."
"It is settled," I said, voice firmer than I felt. "I just… needed to hear it out loud, I guess."
He shifted closer until our knees touched. "Then hear this."
His fingers threaded through mine, warm and sure. "I don't care who sits next to me in lectures. I don't care who I used to be, or who you used to be with. You're my present. My future. My everything."
Heat climbed up my neck, but it wasn't embarrassment. It was that full, too‑much feeling he always unlocked so easily.
"And if he tries anything," Keifer added, a bit of the old edge slipping into his voice, "or if she keeps pushing after I said no? We set boundaries. Together. Clear ones."
I nodded. "No secrets. No pretending it doesn't bother us."
"Exactly." He squeezed my hand. "You can tell me if you're jealous. I can tell you if I am. It doesn't make us weak. It just means we care."
I let out a long breath I hadn't realized I was holding and leaned into him, resting my head on his shoulder. "I hate that you're right."
"Get used to it," he teased lightly, kissing the top of my head.
We sat like that for a while, the London sounds drifting in through the window — sirens far off, people laughing on the street, someone playing music too loud in another flat. His heartbeat under my cheek was steady, grounding.
"Tomorrow," he said eventually, "I'll say it plain in front of everyone. To Robin. To eyeliner girl. No room for confusion."
"You already did," I reminded him. "'My girlfriend keeps me awake in lectures.'"
"Then I'll say it louder," he replied, smiling. "Can't have London thinking you're on the market."
I rolled my eyes, but I was smiling too. "Possessive much?"
"Only about you," he said without shame.
I lifted my head and kissed him — slow, grateful. When we pulled back, some tight knot in my chest had finally loosened.
"Okay," I said. "New rules: we tell each other when something feels off. We don't hide old ghosts or new annoyances."
He nodded. "Deal."
He lay back on the bed, tugging me down with him until I was sprawled half on his chest. "Also new rule," he added. "We enjoy London. Together. No exes, no side characters, just main storyline."
"Main storyline is us being late to class if we lie here any longer," I pointed out.
He groaned. "Don't remind me."
But his arms stayed around me a little longer anyway.
Outside, London was huge and messy and full of people from our past and future.
Inside this small room, there was just us and the quiet promise that we'd choose each other, every time.