The early morning light crept into the room, soft and hazy, as Keifer slowly drifted back to consciousness.
His eyes remained closed for a few moments, a faint, relaxed smile playing on his lips.
His head felt clear—the heavy, throbbing heat of the fever was finally gone. He was sweating but it was not uncomfortable.
Memories of the previous night flickered through his mind like a film strip: the chaotic bathroom scene, the cold water, Jay shivering under the blankets, and him sitting in that cramped chair by the bed to feed her medicine.
He remembered watching her fall asleep while she held his wrist, and then... nothing.
Everything else was a blur of feverish dreams.
But as he started to fully wake up, he realized he wasn't in the chair anymore.
He felt something incredibly warm and soft against his cheek.
His eyes snapped open.
His breath caught in his throat. He wasn't just on the bed; he was completely tucked against Jay.
His face was nuzzled into her chest, and her arms were wrapped securely around his head, cradling him as if he were the most precious thing in the world.
The "Ice CEO" froze, but not from the cold—from the sheer, overwhelming sweetness of the position they were in.
He didn't pull away. Instead, he let out a soft, shaky breath and smiled, a genuine look of adoration crossing his face.
Very slowly, so as not to startle her, he climbed up to her level, shifting his body until his face was parallel to hers on the pillow.
He watched her sleeping peacefully.
Her nose was no longer red, and her breathing was quiet and deep.
In her sleep, as if sensing his movement, Jay's arms moved instinctively. She reached out and hugged his neck again, pulling him closer into her personal space.
Keifer didn't hesitate this time. He slid his arm around her waist, drawing her flush against him.
Jay's lips parted slightly as she let out a faint, contented smile in her sleep, leaning her forehead against his.
He didn't say a word. He didn't try to wake her. He just stayed there, his dark eyes locked on her face, finally seeing the girl who had stayed up all night to be his anchor.
Jay's eyelashes flickered as she stirred, the silk of the pillowcase cool against her cheek.
Still caught in the hazy, pleasant fog of sleep, her first instinct was to seek out more warmth.
She tightened her hold, her fingers curling into the soft, familiar cotton of a shirt, pulling the solid heat beside her even closer.
But as her vision cleared and the fog lifted, her heart gave a violent, rib-cracking skip.
Keifer was right there. He was inches away—so close she could see the golden flecks in his dark irises and the faint, sleepy crease at the corner of his eye.
He was looking directly into her soul.
Startled, Jay let out a small, sharp gasp, her body tensing to scramble backward. But Keifer was faster.
His arm, heavy and solid with morning strength, tightened its iron grip around her waist. He anchored her to the mattress, the friction of the duvet rustling loudly in the silence.
"Keifer..." she breathed, her voice a fragile thread, her lungs suddenly forgetting how to expand.
"Jay..." His voice was a low, gravelly rasp that vibrated right through her chest.
His gaze was searching, intense, and remarkably clear for someone who had been burning up hours ago.
"How did I get here?"
Jay's brain scrambled for a logical explanation, her face heating up so rapidly she felt like she was the one with the fever now.
"Keifer... you... just... fever..."
"Huh?" He arched a single dark brow, his expression unreadable but overwhelmingly present.
"I mean... you were... having a fever," she stammered, her gaze darting to his collarbone, then to the headboard—anywhere but not his eyes.
"And you came... and slept here... just... because you were shivering."
Keifer's gaze dropped. He looked down at the way they were perfectly entwined, noting how his head had been nestled securely against her chest just moments ago.
"Like this? Hugging you?" He looked back up, a trace of a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"And you let me... or did you hug me first?"
His eyes drifted to the nightstand. He saw the basin of lukewarm water, the discarded bottle of medicine, and the damp, crumpled towel—the silent, messy evidence of her long, sleepless vigil.
When he looked back at her, his expression had softened into something dangerously tender.
"Tell me, Jay."
"Yes... I mean, no... no..." Jay's words tripped over each other in a panicked rush. She squeezed her eyes shut, her face glowing a deep crimson.
"I don't know... when this happened. I was... I was asleep!"
A small, genuine smile touched Keifer's lips. He leaned in, the movement slow and deliberate, his scent—a mix of cedarwood and the faint metallic tang of the fever—enveloping her.
He pressed a soft kiss to the very tip of her nose.
"Keifer..." she whimpered, her knuckles turning white as she clutched the fabric of his shirt.
"What, Jay?" he murmured against her skin, his breath tickling her cheeks.
"By the way... I remember I told you that I love you. And you didn't reply to it."
Jay's breath hitched, her heart hammering a frantic rhythm against his chest. "Umm... I... umm..."
He leaned in again, trailing another slow, butterfly-light kiss across the bridge of her nose, his eyes locking onto hers with a fierce, newfound determination that made her knees weak even while lying down.
"I confessed my feelings and you didn't reply," he said, his voice dropping to a velvety, possessive whisper that filled the small space between them.
"It means it's not a 'no' yet. And if it's not a 'no,' it might just be a 'yes.' So, I'm going to do whatever I want... until you look me right in the eye and tell me that you don't love me."
Keifer didn't pull away; instead, he shifted, his large frame looming over her as he leaned down.
He buried his face in the crook of her neck, his lips grazing the sensitive skin just below her jawline before migrating toward her ear.
Jay felt his arm tighten like a band of iron around her waist, pulling her so flush against him that she could feel the steady, powerful thrum of his heart.
Her stomach did a violent somersault, a swarm of butterflies erupting in her chest as she squeezed her eyes shut, her fingers curling tightly into the silk of the duvet.
"I love you, Jay," he whispered in her ear.
The words weren't a question this time; they were a vow, delivered in a low, vibrating rasp that sent a shiver racing down her spine.
Before she could even gasp, she felt the warm, lingering pressure of his lips against her earlobe—a soft, searing kiss that felt more intimate than anything they had shared before.
And then, just as suddenly as he had pinned her, the weight was gone.
Keifer untangled himself with a fluid, effortless grace, leaving the bed before Jay's brain could even process the sensation of the cold air hitting her skin.
He didn't say another word. He didn't wait for her to stutter out a reply.
He simply strode toward the washroom, his silhouette tall and confident in the morning light, the door clicking shut behind him.
Jay remained frozen on the bed, her limbs feeling like lead and her heart hammering a frantic rhythm against her ribs.
Her mind was a chaotic loop, replaying those words over and over: I love you... I love you...
She stared at the closed bathroom door for much longer than she intended, her eyes wide and searching, as if she expected him to walk back out and tell her it was a fever dream.
Finally, she let out a long, shaky exhale—the breath she hadn't even realized she was holding.
She turned her head slowly, staring up at the white ceiling, her face still burning with a blush that refused to fade.
The "Ice CEO" was officially gone, and Jay was left wondering how she was supposed to breathe in the same house as him ever again.
Hey buddies 👋 how are you all, ❤️
Here's your chapter and now your homework is to tell me how's the chapter?
Bye 🫂👋
Love u 😘