It started with a letter.
Not a love letter. Not an assignment. Just a regular letter, slipped under Jay's door one morning.
She opened it while getting ready for class.
Dear Jay,
I've noticed you around school. You're beautiful. Smart. Funny. I know you're with the President, but I had to tell you: if you ever want someone who will put you first, who will worship the ground you walk on, I'm here.
Your secret admirer.
Jay stared at the letter. Read it three times.
"Who sent this?" she muttered.
Mila leaned over her shoulder. Read it. Gasped.
"OH NO."
"What?"
"OH NO, JAY."
"What does OH NO mean?"
"It means someone just sent you a love letter. A REAL love letter. Not an assignment. Not a joke. A confession."
Jay's stomach dropped. "Keifer can't see this."
"Keifer is definitely going to see this."
"How?"
"Because Lyra already knows. Look."
Jay looked up. Lyra was standing in the doorway, holding a copy of the same letter. Her eyes were WIDE.
"JAY," Lyra whispered. "JAY, SOMEONE SENT YOU A LOVE LETTER."
"I KNOW."
"THIS IS AMAZING."
"THIS IS TERRIBLE."
"THIS IS CONTENT."
Jay grabbed the letter from Mila. Stuffed it in her pocket. "No one tells Keifer. Got it?"
"Got it," Mila said.
"Got it," Lyra said, crossing her fingers behind her back.
Jay didn't see the crossed fingers.
Keifer found out within the hour.
Not because Lyra told him. Because ANOTHER letter arrived. This one slipped under HIS door.
Dear Keifer,
I'm writing to let you know that I have feelings for Jay. Real feelings. I know she's yours, but love doesn't follow rules. I'll be fighting for her.
Your competition.
Keifer read it once. Twice. His face didn't change.
But the cup of coffee in his hand cracked.
Lyra appeared in his doorway. "You got one too?"
"Yes."
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
"You just broke a cup."
"It was old."
"It was new."
"It was defective."
"Keifer." Lyra stepped closer. "Someone is trying to steal your girlfriend."
"I know."
"What are you going to do?"
He stood up. Calm. Controlled. Eyes like ice.
"Find them."
The hunt began.
Keifer didn't say much. Didn't yell. Didn't threaten. He just... watched. Every boy who looked at Jay too long. Every boy who smiled at her. Every boy who breathed in her direction.
The temperature in the school dropped five degrees.
"Jealous Keifer is back," Adrian noted, checking his devices. "Atmospheric cooling: confirmed. Glare intensity: maximum. Threat level: rising."
Jay was stressed. "He's going to scare away everyone."
"That's the point," Mila said.
"I don't WANT him to scare away everyone."
"Too late."
Another letter arrived. And another. Every day, a new one. Different handwriting. Different paper. Different style.
Someone was dedicated.
Someone was obsessed.
Someone was making Keifer CRAZY.
On the fourth day, Jay caught him staring at a first-year boy who'd asked her for the time.
"Keifer. He's TWELVE."
"He looked at you."
"He asked what time it was."
"For three seconds."
"That's how long it takes to ASK THE TIME."
Keifer's jaw tightened. "Three seconds too long."
"You're impossible."
"You love me."
"I'm reconsidering."
He looked at her. His eyes softened. Just slightly.
"No you're not."
"...No. I'm not."
But the letters kept coming.
On the fifth day, Jay decided to fight back.
She found Keifer in the library, "studying" (staring at the door, waiting for her to walk in).
"Okay," she said, sitting across from him. "This has gone far enough."
"What has?"
"Your jealousy. It's out of control."
"I'm not jealous."
"You've glared at seventeen people today. Adrian counted."
"Adrian needs a hobby."
"YOU need to calm down."
Keifer was quiet. Then: "Someone is writing you love letters."
"I know."
"Multiple someone. Different handwriting."
"I know."
"They want you."
"I know."
"They're trying to take you from me."
Jay leaned forward. "Keifer. Look at me."
He did.
"No one is taking me from you. No one COULD take me from you. I'm yours. Remember? You said it yourself. I'm yours. That hasn't changed."
His eyes searched hers. Looking for doubt. Finding none.
"I know," he said quietly. "But I still hate it."
"Why?"
"Because they get to tell you things. Beautiful things. And I don't know if what I give you is enough."
Jay's heart cracked.
"Keifer." She took his hands. "You gave me everything. You gave me love. Safety. A home in this terrible school. You ran through lightning for me. You fought shadows for me. You told me I was yours in front of everyone."
"I know but—"
"No buts." She squeezed his hands. "Those letters are just words. Pretty words from strangers. But YOU? You're real. You're here. You're MINE."
He stared at her.
"I love you," she continued. "Not because of pretty words. Because of YOU. Because you're annoying and stubborn and wrong about coffee. Because you hold me when I'm scared. Because you make me feel like I matter."
"Jay..."
"So stop being jealous. Stop glaring at children. And trust me when I say: I'm not going anywhere."
He pulled her into a kiss. Right there in the library. Deep. Desperate. Grateful.
When they broke apart, he pressed his forehead to hers.
"I love you," he whispered.
"I know."
"I'm still going to find whoever wrote those letters."
"Keifer."
"They need to know you're taken."
"I am taken. Everyone knows that."
"Not everyone."
She sighed. But she was smiling.
"Fine. Find them. But no murder."
"No promises."
"KEIFER."
He found them the next day.
Not a them. A her.
A shy first-year girl, hiding behind a book in the library. When Keifer approached, she turned white.
"It was you," he said. Not a question.
The girl nodded. Shaking.
"The letters. All of them?"
Nod.
"Different handwriting?"
"I practiced. To make it look like different people."
Keifer stared at her.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I know she's yours. Everyone knows. I just—I wanted her to know someone else saw her too. Someone besides you. Not to take her. Just to... appreciate her."
Keifer was quiet.
The girl braced herself for anger. For punishment. For the famous President glare.
Instead, Keifer said: "Thank you."
She blinked. "What?"
"You appreciate her. That's good. She deserves to be appreciated." He paused. "But she's mine. And I'm hers. That won't change."
The girl nodded quickly. "I know. I wasn't trying to—I just—the letters were supposed to be secret. Anonymous. So she'd feel special without anyone knowing."
"She felt special. She also felt stressed because I kept glaring at everyone."
"Sorry about that."
"It's fine." Keifer almost smiled. "Next time, just tell her directly. As a friend. She needs those."
The girl stared at him like he'd grown a second head.
"You're... nice," she said.
"I'm not."
"You're being nice right now."
"I'm being practical." He turned to leave. Then stopped. "The letters. They were well-written. You have talent."
He walked away.
The girl sat frozen for a long time.
When Jay heard the story, she laughed so hard she cried.
"HE COMPLIMENTED HER?"
"He said her letters were well-written."
"KEIFER WATSON GAVE A COMPLIMENT?"
"To the girl who wrote you love letters."
"THAT'S INSANE."
"That's your boyfriend."
Jay found him in the common room. Threw her arms around him.
"You're ridiculous," she said into his chest.
"I know."
"You complimented my secret admirer."
"She had talent."
"She was trying to steal me."
"She wasn't trying to steal you. She was appreciating you. Different thing."
Jay pulled back. Looked at him.
"You're really okay with this?"
"I'm okay with people appreciating you. You deserve it." He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm not okay with anyone thinking they can HAVE you. But appreciating? That's fine."
"You've grown."
"I've learned."
"From who?"
He smiled. "From you."
She kissed him. Right there. In front of everyone.
Their friends watched from nearby.
"Jealousy level?" Lyra asked.
Adrian checked his devices. "Zero. He's calm. Happy even."
"He complimented her secret admirer," Mila said. "That's character development."
"That's LOVE," Bella corrected.
Daniel just shook his head. "This school is weird."
They all agreed.
The next morning, Lyra's whiteboard had new entries.
THE JEALOUSY REVERSAL
Secret Admirer Revealed: First-year girl, shy, talented writer
Keifer's Reaction: COMPLIMENTED HER (historic)
Jay's Reaction: Laughed, cried, kissed him (romantic)
Overall Outcome: CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
JAYFER STATUS: ETERNAL (JEALOUSY-PROOF)
Bond Strength: STILL UNBREAKABLE
NEXT MILESTONE: WHO KNOWS? MAYBE PEACE? (UNLIKELY)
Jay read the board. "Jealousy-proof?"
"You survived Keifer's worst jealous episode AND he grew as a person. That's love."
Keifer appeared beside her. Read the board. Nodded.
"Accurate."
"You're STILL agreeing with her?"
"She's still right."
Lyra beamed. "I'M ALWAYS RIGHT. NOW SIT. EAT. ARGUE ABOUT COFFEE."
They sat.
They ate.
They argued.
Normal. Perfect. THEIRS.
The first-year girl approached them later that day.
"I'm sorry again," she said quietly. "For the letters. For the stress."
Jay smiled. "It's okay. They were really sweet."
"Really?"
"Really. And Keifer was right—you have talent. You should write more. Stories, not love letters to taken girls."
The girl laughed. "Okay. I will."
She walked away, happier.
Keifer looked at Jay. "You're good at that."
"At what?"
"Making people feel seen."
"They made ME feel seen. It's only fair."
He kissed her forehead. "I love you."
"I love you too. Even when you're jealous."
"I'm not jealous anymore."
"Liar."
"I'm not."
"You're literally staring at a boy who just looked at me."
"He looked too long."
"Keifer."
"...Fine. Maybe a little jealous."
She laughed. "I love you."
"I love you too."