Chapter: The Name He Didn't Want Her To Know
Keifer's POV
I knew this day would come.
I just didn't think it would be this soon.
Jay was sitting on the couch in my living room, her legs folded under her, holding my old photo album like it was some kind of treasure map. She had found it in the storage cabinet while looking for snacks.
And then she saw it.
That picture.
Me… younger. Smiling. Standing beside a girl with long hair and soft eyes.
Zoya.
I felt my chest tighten the moment Jay's fingers froze on that page.
"Keif…" she called softly.
Not Keifer.
Not Mark Keifer Watson.
Just… Keif.
And somehow that was worse.
I walked closer, pretending I didn't know what she was staring at.
But I knew.
"Who is she?"
Her voice wasn't loud.
It wasn't dramatic.
It was calm.
Too calm.
My heartbeat started racing.
"That's… someone from before," I said casually, shoving my hands into my pockets.
Jay slowly looked up at me. Her eyes were searching. Reading me like I was one of her alien-language messages.
"From before… what?"
Silence filled the room.
I hated this.
Not because of Zoya.
But because I didn't want to see that expression on Jay's face.
The tiny crack in her confidence.
The tiny jealousy she was trying to hide.
"She was… important?" she asked again.
I swallowed.
"She was part of my past."
Jay's fingers tightened slightly on the edge of the photo.
"Were you… close?"
The way she asked it — like it physically hurt her to ask — made something twist violently inside my chest.
Yes.
She was my first.
My first love.
My first heartbreak.
But that story doesn't belong to the present.
And Jay…
Jay is my present.
"She doesn't matter anymore," I said quietly.
Jay's eyes flickered.
"That wasn't my question, Keif."
There it was.
That tone.
The jealous Jay.
The possessive Jay.
The one who screams my full name when she's mad.
I stepped closer to her, crouching in front of the couch so we were eye level.
"You want details?" I asked softly.
She hesitated.
Then shook her head.
"No."
Her voice betrayed her.
She did want to know.
But she was scared of the answer.
"Jay…" I reached for her hand but she pulled it back slightly.
That small movement hurt more than I expected.
"You never told me," she whispered.
I smiled faintly. "You never asked."
She glared.
"Don't play smart with me, Mark Keifer Watson."
There it is.
Full name.
Jealous level: dangerous.
I couldn't help it.
I laughed softly.
That made her even more mad.
"This isn't funny!" she snapped. "You were smiling like that with her."
Her voice cracked.
And that's when I understood.
It wasn't about Zoya.
It was about fear.
Fear that maybe… I once looked at someone the way I look at her.
Fear that maybe she wasn't my first choice.
Jay looked down at the photo again.
"She looks nice," she muttered.
"She is," I admitted.
Her head snapped up.
"You're admitting it?!"
I exhaled.
"She's nice. She was kind. She was part of my life."
Pause.
"But she isn't part of my heart anymore."
The room went quiet.
Jay stared at me like she was trying to measure the truth in my eyes.
"And if she comes back?" she asked softly.
"She won't."
"And if she does?"
I leaned closer.
"Then she'll see I've already chosen someone else."
Jay's breath hitched.
Her fingers slowly loosened on the photo.
"But you never told me she was—" she stopped herself.
I tilted my head. "Was what?"
She looked away.
"Nothing."
She didn't know she was my first.
And I wasn't ready to tell her that yet.
Because if I told her…
She'd overthink.
She'd compare herself.
She'd torture her own heart.
And I refuse to let her feel second.
I gently took the album from her hands and closed it.
"That chapter ended a long time ago."
She looked up at me again.
"And what chapter is this?"
I smiled.
"This one?"
I leaned closer.
"Is still being written."
Her cheeks turned pink.
She tried to look annoyed but her eyes softened.
"Why didn't you tell me before?"
"Because," I said honestly, "the only thing that matters now is you."
Her lips parted slightly.
And for a second…
We were so close.
Too close.
Her eyes dropped to my lips.
Mine dropped to hers.
The tension between us was insane.
"Keif…" she whispered.
"Hmm?"
"If she was important…"
I froze.
"…then what am I?"
My heart pounded.
I didn't answer immediately.
Instead, I placed my hand gently against her cheek.
She stiffened at first.
Then melted.
"You," I said quietly, "are the one who makes me jealous for no reason."
Her brows furrowed.
"You're the one who screams my full name."
She tried not to smile.
"You're the one who gets scared of my past."
Her eyes softened.
"And you're the only one who can read your alien messages and still understand my silence."
She blinked.
"And that," I whispered, leaning closer until our foreheads almost touched…
"…means you're not just someone."
Her breathing turned uneven.
"So what am I?" she whispered again.
I smirked slightly.
"Dangerous."
Her eyes widened.
"Because if you ever leave," I murmured, "I don't think I'll survive it."
Silence.
Heavy.
Intense.
Jay slowly reached up and grabbed my shirt.
"You better not be lying."
I smiled.
"I don't lie about important things."
Her grip tightened slightly.
"And I'm important?"
I leaned in even closer.
"More than you think."
For a second, it felt like we might kiss.
Like the entire world paused just for us.
But then—
She pushed my chest lightly.
"Don't think this means I'm not jealous."
I laughed softly.
"Be jealous."
She narrowed her eyes.
"Why?"
"Because I like it when you care."
She rolled her eyes but her smile betrayed her.
"Idiot."
"Your idiot."
Her heart skipped.
I saw it.
And she saw that I saw it.
And suddenly…
The past didn't matter anymore.
Because the only thing that felt real—
Was her.
And the way she whispered my name like it belonged to her.