Jay-Jay POV
Weeks passed.
Weeks filled with sunburns, late-night laughter, beach games, inside jokes, and moments that almost made me forget the uneasy feeling sitting quietly at the back of my mind.
Almost.
Vacation life was loud and warm and distracting. Some days, it felt like we were all sixteen again—no responsibilities, no overthinking, just Section E being… Section E.
And then there were days like today.
We went jogging early in the morning—me, Yuri, David, Ci-n, Ciel, Chantelle, Felix, and a few others. The air was cool, the sky still soft with dawn, the kind of morning that makes you believe nothing bad can happen.
That's when I saw him.
"Hey," a familiar voice called out.
I slowed down, breath uneven. "Oh—Eli?"
He jogged up beside me, grinning like we were old friends instead of two people who met under the weirdest circumstances possible.
"Didn't know you guys jog here," he said.
"Neither did I," I replied, half-laughing. Apparently my life just keeps running into you.
Yuri shot me a look. Not angry. Just… alert.
Eli stayed with us for a bit, talking about the weather, the trail, how early mornings should be illegal. Normal. Innocent.
Or so I thought.
When we got back to the villa, Keifer was outside, arms crossed, talking to Sienna.
His eyes lifted.
Locked on me.
Then on Eli.
And something in his expression hardened.
Sienna noticed immediately.
"Oh," she said lightly, stepping closer to Keifer. "Is that the guy from the other night?"
I frowned. "Sienna—"
She tilted her head, smiling. "You didn't mention you were jogging together now."
Keifer's jaw tightened.
Eli waved awkwardly. "Uh, hey man. I was just—"
"So you jog now?" Keifer interrupted, tone sharp.
"With… him?"
I stepped forward. "Keifer, stop."
Sienna laughed softly. Too softly.
"I mean, it's cute," she added. "You two seem comfortable."
That was it.
"Comfortable with WHAT?" I snapped.
Keifer turned to me. "So this is nothing now?"
"Yes," I said firmly. "It's nothing."
Eli raised both hands. "Look, I swear, there's nothing going on. She's just a friend. I helped her once, that's all."
Keifer didn't look at him.
He looked at me.
"You didn't tell me you were seeing him again."
"I wasn't seeing him," I shot back. "I was jogging. With everyone."
"That's not how it looks."
"That's because you're not even trying to listen!"
Sienna sighed. "Maybe we should all calm down—"
"Don't," I cut in. "Don't pretend this is about calming down."
Keifer's voice dropped. "Then what is it about, Jayjay?"
I opened my mouth.
Closed it.
Because suddenly, I didn't know how to explain anything without sounding guilty for something I didn't even do.
"I don't deserve this," I said quietly.
Keifer exhaled sharply. "Neither do I."
Silence.
Heavy. Painful.
"I'm going back," he said finally, turning away.
"To where?" I asked.
He stopped. Didn't turn around.
"Anywhere that's not here."
He walked off.
I went the opposite direction.
My chest burned—not from jogging, but from everything I swallowed down instead of screaming.
I barely noticed when footsteps followed me.
"Jayjay," Chantelle called gently.
I kept walking.
"Jay," David said. "Please."
I stopped.
They gathered around me—Yuri, Ci-n, Ciel, Chantelle, David. Familiar faces. Safe faces.
Yuri crossed his arms. "Talk."
"I didn't do anything," I said, voice shaking. "Why does it feel like I'm being punished?"
Ci-n frowned. "Because jealousy makes people stupid."
Ciel nodded. "And because someone is enjoying the misunderstanding."
I looked up. "You noticed too?"
Chantelle sighed. "Sienna keeps… adding little comments. Little looks. It's subtle, but it's there."
Yuri clenched his jaw. "Keifer's not seeing it."
"Because he doesn't want to," I whispered.
David spoke softly. "He's scared. Losing you scares him."
"That doesn't give him the right to doubt me," I said.
Yuri stepped closer. "You're right."
Silence settled again.
Ciel broke it with a small smile. "For what it's worth, if you were going to fall for someone else, it wouldn't be Eli."
I blinked. "Excuse me?"
"He's… fine," Ci-n added. "But you'd need someone with more brain cells."
Despite myself, I laughed—a short, broken sound.
Yuri glanced away. "Just… don't let this turn into something bigger than it is."
I nodded, wiping my eyes.
"I don't want us to break."
None of them said it out loud.
But we all felt it.
Because somewhere between jealousy and silence, a line had been crossed.
And none of us knew how to uncross it .