Jay's POV]
The final day of the winter holiday arrived with a bittersweet clarity. The snow outside the Watson Estate was thick and untouched, like a fresh page in a notebook waiting for a complex formula.
Keifer and I were standing on the balcony of the Blue Suite, the morning air crisp enough to make our breath plume in white clouds. Usually, this would be the day we packed our trunks to head back to the university dorms, but as I looked at the sprawling grounds and the warmth of the home behind us, I felt a shift in my internal logic.
"The dorms feel... small now," I whispered, leaning my head against Keifer's shoulder. He was wrapped in a heavy wool coat, his arm around me, keeping the winter chill at bay.
"They are small," Keifer replied, his voice a deep rumble against my ear. "And they're inefficient. Why spend our nights in a ten-by-ten room when the 'Watson-Jay Constant' functions best right here? I've already run the logistics, Jay. The commute is fifteen minutes by car, ten by helicopter if we're in a rush. There's no reason to leave."
I looked up at him, the "Glow" reflected in the icy blue of his eyes. "You want to live here? Permanently? While we finish our degrees?"
"I want you here," he corrected, turning me in his arms. "I want to wake up with you in this bed, have Mamma fuss over your breakfast, and drive you to the department myself. The house is big enough for your research, my CEO duties, and our... everything else. What do you say? Shall we make the Watson Estate our official headquarters?"
"100%," I breathed, the decision clicking into place like a perfectly solved equation.
The Announcement
We walked down to the final holiday brunch with a sense of purpose. The entire family was there, including a very brooding Bridget, who looked like she was mentally counting down the minutes until we left for the dorms so she could have the house—and the parents—to herself.
"Mamma, Pappa," Keifer said as we took our seats. He didn't wait for the tea to be poured. "Jay and I have reached a decision. We won't be returning to the university housing this semester. We're going to live here and commute to the campus daily."
The silence that followed was broken by Keiran's high-pitched cheer. "YES! Ate is staying! I don't have to give Rexy back!
Mamma Serina looked like she had just won the lottery. She reached across the table, squeezing both of our hands. "Oh, that is the best news I've heard all year! I'll have the staff properly integrate Jay's things into the Blue Suite. It's officially your wing now."
Pappa Keizer gave a sharp, approving nod. "A wise move, Keifer. Efficiency and family should never be mutually exclusive."
[Keifer's POV]
I caught Bridget's reaction out of the corner of my eye. Her face went from pale to a ghostly white, her fork clattering against her plate. She had spent the last week comforting herself with the thought that once the holiday ended, I would be "trapped" at the university with her while Jay was busy in the labs.
She had thought she'd have two years to play the "doting relative" to my parents while I was away. Now, she realized she was going to have to watch us—every single day. She would see us leaving together in the morning, returning together in the evening, and retreating.to our private wing every night.
"But... Keifer," Bridget stammered, her voice desperate. "The university experience... isn't it better to be on campus? For the 'social' aspect?"
I looked at her, my CEO mask firmly in place. "My social life is currently sitting to my left, Bridget. And my 'experience' is significantly improved when I don't have to leave my wife-to-be at a dorm gate. You should focus on your own commute. I hear the morning traffic for students can be... brutal."
The "Lust" in Bridget's eyes was now completely drowned in a sea of defeated jealousy. She was a guest in a house that had just become a fortress of our love.
[Jay's POV]
As the brunch ended, Keifer led me toward the garage where his sleekest sports car was waiting to take us to our first post-holiday lecture. The staff was busy unpacking the few things we had brought from the dorms, moving them permanently into our room.
We weren't just students anymore. We weren't just a "holiday romance."
As we drove out of the estate gates, the sun catching the "Watson" crest on the stone pillars, I realized that the holiday hadn't ended. It had just evolved into a lifestyle.
"Ready to show the department the new version of us?" Keifer asked, his hand finding mine on the gear shift.
"Ready," I said, looking at the ring on my finger and the man by my side. "The Watson-Jay Constant is now a permanent fixture."