Jay‑Jay's POV
The tube ride back was a blur of metal and murmurs, London lights streaking past the windows like smudged stars. I kept my eyes on the floor, fingers curled tight into Keifer's hoodie, the echo of fake screams and dripping "blood" still clinging to my skin.
"Next stop," the announcement droned.
Mica glanced at me from the seat across, worry plain in her eyes. "You okay?"
"Yeah," I lied automatically. My voice sounded thin even to me.
Keifer tightened his arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer. "You don't have to be okay yet," he said quietly, only for me.
That almost broke me more than the horror house.
When we finally reached our stop and trudged back to the flats, Section E peeled away one by one — Felix shouting, "Text if you need anything!" Rakki pressing a chocolate bar into my hand, Freya and Grace promising a sleepover soon.
"Rest," Denzel said. "We'll handle notes tomorrow if you skip class."
Edrix added, "Seriously. No pressure."
The door to our flat closed with a soft click. Silence wrapped around us, warm but heavy.
I kicked off my shoes and dropped onto the couch, hugging a pillow like a shield. Keifer hovered for a second, unsure, then sat down beside me, leaving just enough space that I didn't feel crowded.
"Talk to me," he said gently. "If you want."
For a moment, I just listened to the hum of the fridge and the distant noise from the street below. Then the words tumbled out.
"It's stupid," I muttered. "It was just actors. Makeup. Everyone else was laughing."
"It's not stupid," he said immediately. "Your brain saw blood and crowds. It remembered real stuff. Your body reacted. That's not weakness, Jay. That's scars."
My throat tightened. "I thought I was past it. After the hospital, after everything with Kaizer, with Ram… I thought I was done freezing."
"You didn't freeze," he countered softly. "You got overwhelmed. And you came back. That's different."
I stared at my hands. "You had to grab me. Again. Like that night."
He took the pillow out of my grip and replaced it with his hand, fingers lacing through mine. "And I will. Every time. Until your brain stops expecting the worst. And even then, I'll still be there."
Tears slipped free before I could stop them. He shifted closer, thumb brushing them away.
"Hey," he whispered, tipping my chin up. "Look at me."
I did. His eyes were steady, full of that fierce, stubborn affection that always made my chest hurt in a good way.
"You walked into that horror house knowing it might poke your trauma," he said. "You held my hand. You trusted me. That's not something to be embarrassed about. That's brave."
"I still freaked out," I said, voice wobbling.
"You still tried," he replied. "And next time, if you don't want to try? We don't. There's nothing in there worth more than your peace."
Relief hit me so suddenly I laughed through the tears. "So no more horror houses?"
"Banned," he declared. "Official relationship rule."
I sniffled. "Even at Halloween?"
"Especially at Halloween," he said. "We'll just eat candy and make fun of bad costumes."
I leaned into him, resting my head on his shoulder. His arm came around me automatically, like it was wired that way.
After a few quiet minutes, he spoke again, voice softer. "You know what I was thinking, carrying you out of there?"
"That I'm heavy?"
He huffed a laugh. "Shut up. No. I was thinking… this is the same girl who woke up from a coma cracking food jokes, stood in front of Kaizer, walked into an ambush with Yuri, moved to another country, and still smiles like the world can't kill that part of her."
Heat rose in my cheeks. "You're being cheesy."
"Yeah," he said. "On purpose."
I smiled into his hoodie. "It's working."
We stayed like that until the knots in my chest finally loosened. The park felt far away now, like a bad dream that couldn't quite reach us here.
"Keifer?" I murmured.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you. For grabbing me before I hit the floor. For… everything."
He kissed the top of my head. "Always, Jay. That's not changing."
Outside, the city pulsed on — trains, lights, strangers.
Inside, it was just us, curled up on the couch, surviving another echo of the past and choosing, again, to keep going.
Together.