I kept my hands on her waist just a second longer before letting go — slowly, reluctantly — because if I didn't, we'd never leave this room.
Her fingers twisted together nervously.
I cleared my throat.My voice came out softer than I expected:
"Jayjay… can we talk? Like—really talk?"
She blinked, confused. "About… what happened? Just now?"
"No," I said gently. "About everything I said. And everything I did. You deserve to know why."
Her brows lifted, surprised by the seriousness in my tone.
I scratched the back of my neck — God, why was I nervous? I could face boardrooms, lawyers, shareholders, hostile takeovers, but one tiny girl with big eyes was turning my whole brain to jelly.
"I want to explain," I continued. "Everything. Why I acted the way I did. Why I said those things. All of it."
She bit her lip. "Where?"
I smiled a little. "Dinner. Or coffee. Or ice cream. Anywhere you want. Just… let me take you out. Just once. To talk."
She looked away, flustered. "Keifer, that sounds like a date."
"Yeah," I admitted. "It is."
She went red instantly. I swear I could hear her heart from across the room.
"But not that kind of date," I added softly. "Not until you're ready. This is just… to make things right."
She hesitated, like she was fighting herself again.
"Please," I said, stepping closer, lowering my voice. "Give me one night to explain. After that… if you don't want anything to do with me, I'll stop bothering you."
Her eyes snapped up. "Keifer, no— I don't want you to stop."
Something warm spread through my chest. I took her hand — not forcing, just holding her fingertips lightly, like she could pull away if she wanted.
"So you'll come?" I asked.
She looked at our hands.Then at me.Then nodded, small but certain.
"Yes," she whispered. "I'll come if it's ice cream."
A slow smile tugged at my lips. "Tonight?"
She blushed harder. "Y-yeah… tonight's is fine."
My heart actually skipped. Skipped.What the hell was she doing to me?
I lifted her hand slowly and pressed a soft kiss to her knuckles — nothing dramatic, just a quiet promise.
She shivered a little, like she felt something too.
I let go of her hand, only because if I kept holding it, I'd never stop.
She started walking toward the door, but I reached for her wrist gently.
"Jayjay?"
She turned.
"Thank you," I said. "For giving me another chance."
She gave me that tiny, shy smile — the one that always kills me.