Weird

*Like I said before, I want to skim their college year*

*AFTER FIRST QUARTER*

JAY JAY POV

I woke up to my alarm clock destroying my peace.

It was shrill.

Unforgiving.

Evil.

"Keifer," I groaned, pulling the blanket over my head. "Turn off the alarm before I break it."

He didn't move. Typical.

I peeked out and saw him sprawled across the bed like a starfish, one leg dangling off the edge, mouth slightly open.

"Keifer," I said louder. "I swear I will launch this clock into orbit."

He mumbled something that sounded like "five more minutes" and rolled over.

I sat up, grabbed the alarm, and turned it off myself.

Peace.

Finally,

Then I smacked him with a pillow. "You're lucky I love you."

He blinked awake, groggy. "You're lucky I'm cute."

I snorted. "You're lucky I haven't replaced you with a coffee machine."

He grinned. "Cold. But fair."

"Now get up and get ready," I said, yanking the blanket off him. "We have to check our exam scores."

Keifer groaned and buried his face in the pillow. "Five more minutes, wife."

"Keifer, if you don't wake up—" I didn't even get to finish the threat.

This gago pulled me onto him like I was a pillow, and now I'm kissing him.

Not planned.

Not strategic.

Just lips.

Warm.

Familiar.

Stupidly good.

I tried to push away.

Failed.

His arms were already around me, smug and sleepy.

"You were yelling," he murmured against my mouth.

"I was threatening," I corrected, breathless.

"Same difference."

I pulled back just enough to glare at him. "You're impossible."

He smiled, eyes still half-closed. "You're kissable."

I groaned. "We're going to be late."

He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "We're already doomed. Might as well kiss through it."

"Keifer, if you don't get up," I warned, standing at the edge of the bed, "I'm not going to kiss you for the entire day."

That got him moving. Within seconds, he was in the bathroom brushing his teeth like his GPA depended on it.

I smirked. "Works every time."

We did our morning routine—me stealing his hoodie, him pretending not to notice.

He made the bed.

I fixed my hair.

We moved like we'd done this a hundred times.

Because we had.

Downstairs, the house was quiet.

Kerian and Keigan had already left for school, which meant no flying cereal boxes or ghost pranks before 9 a.m.

Peace.

I went inside the class, still riding the high of that 97%.

I passed.

I more than passed.

I wanted to scream it.

Or tattoo it on my forehead.

Or text Keifer a hundred mango emojis.

Instead, I slid into my seat and tried to act normal.

Lila turned around, grinning. "Jay! You look smug. What happened?"

"I passed," I said, trying to sound casual. "Got a 97."

She gasped. "You genius! I knew you'd crush it."

Eric, already seated beside me, looked up from his notebook. "That's good."

I smiled. "Thanks."

He hesitated. "I knew you would."

I blinked. "You did?"

He nodded, eyes soft. "You always underestimate yourself."

I laughed, brushing it off. "It's part of my charm."

Lila leaned in. "So... any plans to celebrate?"

I shrugged. "Keifer and I might grab dinner later."

She froze. Just for a second. Then smiled. "Oh. That's nice."

Eric looked between us, then back at his notes.

The air shifted.

Just a little.

I didn't notice.

Not really.

The professor walked in, and the lecture began.

At the end of class, we spilled out into the courtyard, sunlight bouncing off the pavement like it had something to prove.

Lila was still talking about her professor's weird obsession with pineapples.

Eric walked quietly beside me, hands in his pockets, eyes flicking toward me every few seconds.

Then I saw him.

Keifer.

Leaning against the railing like he was posing for a magazine cover he didn't know he was on.

"Keif!" I waved, already smiling.

He looked up, grinned, and walked over. "Hey, genius."

I rolled my eyes. "Don't start."

Lila blinked. "You know him?"

Keifer raised an eyebrow. "She knows me very well."

Eric's jaw tightened.

Lila tilted her head. "Wait... you're Keifer?"

Keifer smirked. "The one and only."

I looped my arm through his. "My fiancé, actually."

Silence.

Lila's face froze.

Eric looked like someone had unplugged his brain.

"Oh," Lila said, voice tight. "I didn't know."

Eric cleared his throat. "Congrats. That's... cool."

I smiled, oblivious to the tension. "Anyway, we're grabbing dinner later. You guys wanna come?"

Lila shook her head. "I've got a study group."

Eric mumbled something about needing to catch up on notes.

They left quickly.

Too quickly.

Keifer looked down at me. "You missed something."

I frowned. "What?"

He smiled. "Nothing. Just... you're cute when you're oblivious."

"Keifer, can we go to the library?" I asked, slinging my bag over my shoulder.

"Sure," he said, already adjusting his hoodie. "I've got some notes to complete."

"Me too."

We walked across campus, the buzz of students fading as we reached the quieter part of the quad.

The library loomed ahead—tall, glassy, and blessedly air-conditioned.

Inside, it smelled like paper, coffee, and stress.

Keifer found us a table near the back, tucked between two shelves labeled Philosophy and Disaster Management.

Fitting.

He pulled out his notebook, already scribbling.

I opened my laptop, tried to focus.

But my brain kept drifting.

To my score.

To Lila's weird reaction.

To Eric's quiet smile.

Keifer nudged me. "You're staring at the screen like it insulted your ancestors."

I blinked. "Sorry. Just... thinking."

He tilted his head. "About?"

I hesitated. "People. Stuff. College."

He nodded, like he understood all of it without needing details.

Then he reached over and gently bumped my knee with his. "You're doing great, Jay."

I smiled. "You're biased."

"I'm accurate."

We worked in silence after that. His handwriting was messy but fast.

Mine was color-coded chaos.

And even though the world outside was loud and complicated, this moment—this quiet, shared space—felt like peace.

About thirty minutes into studying, my brain was fried.

My notes looked like hieroglyphics.

Keifer was still scribbling like his pen was possessed.