MARRY YOUR KILLER
Chapter Twenty: The Morning After
---
The kiss ended.
Jay pulled back. Her hand was still on Keifer's face. Her fingers were still tangled in his hair. Her lips were still warm from his.
The hospital hallway was empty. The sun was rising through the windows, gold and red, painting everything soft. Behind her, Lyra was sleeping. Alex was beside her, his head on the edge of her bed, his hand still holding hers. The waiting room was quiet. Her family was scattered across chairs and floors, exhausted, waiting for news that had already come.
She should feel something. Relief that Lyra was safe. Satisfaction that the raid had succeeded. Hope that the war was finally turning.
Instead, she felt the contract.
It was in Keifer's desk drawer. Twenty-three pages. Two years. A promise to leave before anything could grow.
She stepped back. Her hand fell from his face. The warmth between them cooled.
Keifer's eyes followed her. His face was unreadable, but she saw something flicker there. Something that looked like understanding.
"We should go back," she said. "People are waiting."
He nodded. He didn't reach for her. He didn't say anything.
They walked back to the waiting room together. Not touching. The space between them was the same as it had always been.
But it wasn't.
---
The waiting room was quiet when they returned.
Percy was asleep in a chair, his head back, his mouth open. Aries was beside him, their eyes closed, their hand on Percy's arm. Yuri stood by the window, watching the street, his face cold, but his shoulders were relaxed now. The tension had left him.
Ci N was curled up on two chairs pushed together, his head in Felix's lap. Felix was awake, his hand in Ci N's hair, his eyes on the window. He looked at Jay when she walked in. He didn't say anything. He didn't have to.
Care was sitting with Cole. Her head was on his shoulder. His arm was around her. They weren't talking. They didn't need to.
Rakki was on the floor, her head on Mayo's jacket. Mayo was beside her, awake, watching the door. Freya was standing by the entrance, her arms crossed, her eyes sharp. She looked at Jay. She looked at Keifer. She didn't say anything.
Mica was at a small table in the corner, her laptop open, her fingers moving. Calix was beside her, his head close to hers, his voice low. They were still working. They were always working.
Grace was by the vending machine, a cup of coffee in her hand. Erdix was beside her, silent, watching. They didn't speak. They didn't need to.
Kit was checking something in her bag. David was eating something he had found somewhere. Denzel was on the phone, his voice low, his face serious. Eman was asleep against the wall, his screens dark for once.
Jay stood in the doorway. Her family. His family. The lines between them blurring into something she hadn't expected. Something she hadn't planned for.
Keifer stood beside her. His shoulder was almost touching hers. His hand was at his side.
She didn't take it. She didn't pull away.
---
The doctor came out again as the sun rose higher.
Lyra was stable. She would need to stay for observation, but she was out of danger. Alex could stay with her. One person. No more.
Alex didn't argue. He didn't move from Lyra's side. He looked at Jay across the room. His face was tired, but his eyes were steady.
"Thank you," he said.
Jay shook her head. "She saved us."
Alex looked at Lyra. At her pale face, her bandaged head, her hand in his.
"She always does," he said.
---
They left the hospital in groups.
Freya went first, taking Rakki and Mica with her. There was work to do. Her uncle was still out there. The war wasn't over. Grace went with them, Erdix beside her. They didn't talk. They didn't need to.
Care and Cole left together. Cole's arm was around her shoulders. Care's hand was on his back. They walked out into the morning light like they had been walking together for years.
Kit went with David and Denzel. Eman was carried out by Mayo, still asleep, his screens packed away. Calix followed Mica, his laptop under his arm, his eyes on her back.
Percy woke up. He stretched. He yawned. He looked at Aries.
"Breakfast?" he asked.
Aries nodded. They walked out together. Yuri followed, silent, his hands in his pockets. But his eyes were on Percy. They were always on Percy.
Ci N stood up. His face was pale. His eyes were red. He looked at Jay.
"She's going to be okay," he said.
"She's going to be okay," Jay said.
He nodded. He walked to the door. Felix followed him. They didn't look back.
---
Jay was alone in the waiting room.
The chairs were empty. The lights were dim. The sun was high now, bright through the windows, warming the floor where her family had been sleeping.
Keifer was still there. He was standing by the window, his back to her, his hands in his pockets. He hadn't moved since the doctor came out. He hadn't spoken since they left.
She walked to him. She stood beside him. Her shoulder was almost touching his. Her hand was at her side.
"You should go home," she said. "Rest."
"I'm not tired."
"You're always tired."
He almost smiled. "So are you."
She looked at his face in the window. His reflection was pale, tired, the shadows under his eyes darker than she had ever seen them. He looked like a man who had been fighting for a very long time.
"Keifer," she said.
He turned. His face was close. His eyes were dark.
"The contract," she said. "It's still there. In your desk drawer. Twenty-three pages."
He didn't speak.
"I signed it because I was scared," she said. "I was scared of my uncle. I was scared of the war. I was scared of what would happen if I let myself—" She stopped.
He waited.
"I was scared of wanting something I couldn't keep," she said.
He moved closer. His hand came up. His fingers touched her face. His skin was warm. His touch was light.
"You kissed me," he said.
She closed her eyes. "I kissed you."
"In the hallway. Outside Lyra's room."
"Yes."
"You kissed me, and then you walked away."
She opened her eyes. His face was close. His eyes were steady.
"I walked away because I signed a contract," she said. "Because I promised I would leave. Because I promised myself I wouldn't want anything I couldn't keep."
His thumb moved against her cheek. Soft. Slow.
"What if you could keep it?" he asked.
She stared at him. The waiting room was quiet. The sun was warm on her skin. His hand was warm on her face.
"The contract—" she started.
"Forget the contract."
"I can't. I signed it. You signed it. It's there. Twenty-three pages. Two years. A promise to leave."
He moved closer. His face was inches from hers. His breath was warm against her lips.
"The contract is paper," he said. "It's words written by lawyers who don't know us. It's a plan we made before we knew what this was. Before we knew what we could be."
She didn't move. She didn't breathe.
"I don't want two years," he said. "I don't want a contract. I don't want a promise to leave before anything grows."
His hand was steady on her face. His eyes were steady on hers.
"I want you," he said. "I want to wake up and make you coffee. I want to sit beside you in the study and plan the war. I want to watch you laugh at something Ci N says. I want to hold your hand on the steps of the garden. I want to kiss you in hospital hallways and in warehouses and everywhere else you'll let me."
She was shaking. She didn't know when she had started shaking.
"I want to end the war," he said. "And when it's over, I want to be with you. Not because we signed a contract. Not because our families told us to. Because I choose you. Every day. For as long as you'll let me."
Her hand came up. Her fingers touched his face. His skin was warm. His jaw was rough with stubble. He was the most real thing she had ever touched.
"What about the contract?" she asked.
He smiled. It was small. Tired. Real.
"We burn it," he said.
She kissed him.
Not like before. Not soft and questioning. This was different. This was choosing. This was deciding. This was letting herself want something she had been afraid to want.
His arms went around her. His hands were in her hair. Her hands were on his face. They stood in the empty waiting room, the sun rising over Manila, the contract forgotten in a drawer somewhere, a piece of paper that meant nothing now.
She pulled back. Her forehead against his. Her breath mingled with his.
"We burn it," she said.
He kissed her forehead. Her cheek. Her lips again.
"We burn it," he said.
---
Ci N came back ten minutes later.
He had forgotten his phone. It was on the chair where he had been sleeping. He walked in, his eyes on the floor, his hand reaching for the cushion.
He saw them.
Jay was sitting on the windowsill. Keifer was standing in front of her. Her hands were in his hair. His hands were on her waist. They were talking. Their faces were close. Their voices were low.
Ci N stopped. His hand was still reaching for his phone. His mouth was open.
Jay looked up. She saw him. Her face didn't change. Her hands didn't move from Keifer's hair.
"Ci N," she said.
He pointed at them. His hand was shaking. His voice was high.
"You. You're. You're—" He couldn't finish.
Keifer turned. He looked at Ci N. His face was calm. His hands were still on Jay's waist.
"Yes," Keifer said.
Ci N stared at them. Then he smiled. It was the biggest smile Jay had ever seen on his face.
"FINALLY," he shouted.
His voice echoed through the empty waiting room. He grabbed his phone. He pointed it at them.
"This is for posterity," he said. "This is for history. This is for when you two are old and boring and I need to remind you that you were once young and stupid and in love."
"Ci N—" Jay started.
"This is the greatest day of my life," he said. "I've been waiting for this since the engagement. I've been waiting for this since you threw mud at each other. I've been waiting for this since—"
"Ci N."
"Percy owes me money. Felix owes me money. Rakki owes me money. Everyone owes me money."
Jay looked at Keifer. Keifer looked at her. They were still standing close. His hands were still on her waist. Her hands were still in his hair.
"Everyone owes you money," Keifer said.
Ci N was still recording. His face was bright. His eyes were wet.
"Everyone owes me so much money," he said.
Jay laughed. It was the first real laugh she had laughed in weeks. Keifer was laughing too. They stood in the waiting room, the sun rising over Manila, Ci N recording everything, and for a moment, the war didn't exist.
There was just them.
---
END OF CHAPTER TWENTY