(Jay's POV)
Delicious!!! Ice-cream!!!!
I was dreaming perfectly of Ice-cream that I suddenly fell in my dream which made me wake up in reality too!!!! Universal fate!!
Usually, Keifer is like a golden retriever with an internal alarm clock, hovering over me at 6:00 AM and whispering sweet nothings (or teasing me about my morning breath) until I get up.
But today? Silence.I rolled over, squinting, and saw him buried under a mountain of duvets. I reached out to poke his cheek, expecting a flirty remark, but instead of cool skin, I felt a literal furnace.
My eyes snapped open."Keifer?" I whispered. He just groaned, a low, gravelly sound that definitely didn't belong to a healthy man.
I went into full 'Tiger Mode,' but the medical version. I sprinted to the bathroom, grabbed the thermometer, and shoved it under his tongue before he could even protest.
He cracked one eye open, looking dazed and suspiciously glassy-eyed.
The thermometer beeped. 102.5°F.
"Okay, hot stuff, and I mean that literally—you're burning up," I said, crossing my arms.Keifer glanced at the bedside clock and let out a weak, pathetic chuckle. "Jay... love... you're finally awake first. Does this mean I get to tease you about being a lazy bones all day?"
His voice was raspy and thin, lacking its usual velvet punch. He tried to sit up, swaying dangerously. "Help me up. We have that LSE seminar... can't let Vanessa think she's won because we're no-shows."
"Absolutely not," I said, pushing him back down with one finger. "The only thing you're winning today is the 'Patient of the Year' award. You're staying in bed."
"But Jay," he pouted, trying to give me that smouldering look that usually melts my brain. "I'm a gentleman fiancé. I have to protect you from the campus vultures."
"The only thing you're protecting right now is this pillow," I retorted.I grabbed my phone and dialed Anne, my classmate. "Hey, Anne? Yeah, it's Jay. Listen, Keifer and I are taking a emergency leave. He's got a fever and is currently delusional enough to think he's going to class.
Tell the professor we're both on sick leave. Thanks, girl!"
I hung up and looked at Keifer. He looked like a defeated puppy."Right, I'm going to go have a quick shower and then I'm making you soup," I announced.
I was halfway to the bathroom when I heard a pitiful whimper. I turned around. Keifer was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking at me with big, watery, 'I'm-sick-and-fragile' eyes.
Tells a man who has biceps big than my stomach!!! AUDACITY!!
"Jay..." he croaked. "I feel all... sticky. And weak. I don't think I can stand in the shower alone. If I fall, I might break. You wouldn't want a broken fiancé, would you?"
I groaned so loud it probably shook the neighbors' windows. "Keifer, you are a 6-foot-something grown man. Do not use the puppy eyes on me."
"It's the fever talking," he whispered shamelessly. "The fever says... 'shower with Jay or I shall perish.' "
"You are a menace," I muttered, but I sighed and walked back to help him up.
Carefully—and I mean carefully, because he was basically a giant, hot noodle—I guided him to the bathroom. Taking care of a sick Keifer was like trying to wash a very large, very clingy bear. I made sure the water was just the right temperature, and despite my groaning, I made sure he didn't slip. He, of course, spent the entire time resting his forehead against my shoulder, mumbling about how "even sick, my lady is the most beautiful nurse in London."
"Shut up and let me wash the fever off you," I laughed, splashing some water his way.
After the longest, most coordinated shower in history, I bundled him into his softest grey hoodie and some flannel pyjama bottoms. I looked exactly the same—messy bun, oversized tee, and thick socks. We were the CEOs of Comfy Town.I tucked him back into bed, surrounding him with a fortress of pillows.
"Don't move. If I see your feet touch this carpet, I'm calling keigan and keiren or 911 "
911 sounds way too better , I guess!!
I headed to the kitchen and whipped up my "Emergency Victory Soup"—lots of garlic, ginger, and enough spice to clear his sinuses into the next century. When I brought the tray back, he was watching me with an expression that was dangerously sweet.
"Is this part of the 'Laws of the Castle'?" he asked, taking a slow sip of the soup. "Rule Number 5: If the Barnacle is broken, the Tiger must provide healing broth?"
"Exactly," I said, sitting on the edge of the bed and opening a bag of Spicy Chips of Peace for myself. "But don't get used to it. Once that temperature drops, you're back to being the one who makes the coffee."He reached out, his hand finally feeling a bit cooler, and tucked a stray hair behind my ear.
"Deal. But for today... can the Human Barnacle just hold your hand while he sleeps?"I looked at him—my usually cocky, flirty, protective Keifer looking so vulnerable and soft—and my heart did a little somersault. I slid in next to him, letting him lean his heavy head on my shoulder.
"Fine," I whispered. "Just for today."He was out like a light in minutes, clutching my hand like it was his most prized possession. Campus could wait. Vanessa could wait. Today, the Castle was closed for repairs, and honestly? It was the best day we'd had in ages.
I was just about to settle into a nice, quiet nap next to my feverish "Human Barnacle" when the front door didn't just open—it practically exploded.
"BABY SISHTAAAAAAH! WHERE IS MY MINI-ME?!"
I groaned, burying my face in my hands. There was only one person on the planet with that much unearned confidence and a voice that could shatter reinforced glass. Percy.
My stepbrother, Keifer's oldest friend, and the human equivalent of a golden retriever that accidentally drank five espressos.He stormed into the bedroom like he was walking a runway at Fashion Week, wearing sunglasses indoors and a shirt unbuttoned way too low.
"The legend has arrived! Jay, don't cry, I know you missed this face!" He lunged at me, grabbing me in a hug so violent I thought my ribs were going to turn into confetti.
He started shaking me back and forth, shouting, "LOOK AT US! THE GENE POOL IS SO BLESSED! WE ARE LITERALLY VOGUE COVERS!"
"Percy! Get off! You're vibrating!" I yelled, trying to peel his arms off me. "And keep it down! Keifer is sick!"Percy finally let go, striking a pose in front of the mirror. "Sick? Please. He probably just saw a photo of me and felt faint from the sheer handsomeness. It happens to the best of us."
Keifer, who was propped up against the pillows looking like a very grumpy ghost, rolled his eyes so hard I thought they might get stuck. "Percy, if you don't shut up, I'm going to vomit on your expensive shoes. I swear."
"See? Delirious!" Percy chirped, completely ignoring the threat. He hopped onto the end of the bed, nearly bouncing Keifer off the mattress. "Anyway, baby sis, I had to come check on you. I had a vision that you were missing my jokes. Did you hear the one about the—"
"Percy, no," I warned. "I am in Tiger Mode. I will bite."
He pouted, looking offended. Then, his face went from 'clown' to 'overprotective investigator' in 0.5 seconds.
He leaned in, squinting at me over his sunglasses. "Okay, serious question. Family business. Is my baby sistah still as Virgin as the day she was born? Or do I need to bury a body in the backyard?"
"No," I said instantly.
"Yes," Keifer snapped at the exact same time.
Silence hit the room like a brick. Percy's jaw dropped so low it hit his chest. He looked at me, then at Keifer, then back at me. His face started turning a very scary shade of purple."EXCUSE ME?!" Percy shrieked. "ONE OF YOU IS LYING AND THE OTHER ONE IS ABOUT TO DIE! WHICH IS IT?!"
I leaned over and whispered urgently into Keifer's burning hot ear, "Keifer! Why did you say yes?! We've literally... you know... laid around without clothes and done everything but not the final act!"
Keifer's pale face suddenly turned a deep, neon shade of red. He coughed, looking at Percy's murderous expression. "Uh... misunderstanding! Total fever brain! My bad! She's... uh... she's still a virgin, Percy. We haven't done the 'main thing' yet. I was just being... snappy."
Percy let out a breath so long it sounded like a deflating bouncy castle. He wiped fake sweat from his forehead. "Oh, thank the heavens. My blood pressure almost ended me. I was about to turn Keifer into a rug."
But then Keifer, despite having a 102-degree fever, found his signature sass. He narrowed his eyes at Percy and smirked. "But don't get too comfortable, Percy. She won't stay that way for much longer. I have plans for my 'House Laws' once I can stand up without wobbling."
Percy snapped his fingers, pointing them right at Keifer's nose. "Listen here, you sweaty barnacle! If you weren't currently a biological hazard with a fever, I would have sent you straight to hell already! I'll give you a five-minute head start once you're healthy, then the hunt begins!"
I sighed, grabbing a pillow and shoving it over my face. "I'm going to go make more soup. Percy, stop threatening the patient. Keifer, stop teasing the maniac."
"I can't help it," Percy yelled as I walked out. "I'm too handsome to be a quiet person! It's a burden, Jay! A burden!"
I laughed into my soup pot as I heard Percy in the other room trying to explain why his reflection in the window was "distracting his train of thought." Definitely sending him home.
"Alright, Percy! Time's up!" I announced, walking back in with a fresh bowl of broth. "Your 'handsome' energy is officially sucking the oxygen out of the room, and Keifer looks like he's about to pass out—either from the fever or your jokes, I can't tell."
"It's definitely the jokes," Keifer mumbled, pulling the duvet up to his chin. "My brain is melting, Jay. Save me."
Percy gasped, clutching his heart like he'd been shot. "Fine! I see how it is! Abandoned by my own blood and my best mate. I'll go, but only because I have a mirror at home that misses me."
He leaned over and gave me one last bone-crushing squeeze. "Keep her safe, Barnacle. And remember—I've got a shovel and a backyard with plenty of space if you get too 'shameless' with my sister!"With one last hair flip and a wink at his own reflection, Percy finally strutted out, slamming the door and leaving the flat in blissful, ringing silence.
Keifer let out a long, shaky breath. "Is he gone? Is the whirlwind over?"
I thought the whirlwind had finally passed when I heard the front door click shut. I let out a sigh of relief that probably deflated my entire body, but it was short-lived.Suddenly, the door didn't just open—it flew open.
"NOT TOO SOON, BROTHER-IN-LAW!"
Percy popped his head back in with a grin so wide it shouldn't be legal. "I realized my sacred purpose is yet remained to fulfill! I cannot leave my sick brother and my baby sishtah in their hour of need! Plus, I forgot my favorite hair serum in the guest bathroom, and we all know the world stops turning if my hair isn't perfect."
Keifer and I let out a simultaneous, soul-crushing groan.
The rest of the day was basically a series of Percy-themed catastrophes. First, he tried to "help" me make Keifer's medicinal tea but ended up accidentally filling the kettle with sparkling water because he thought it was "fancier."
Then, he decided Keifer needed "vocal therapy" and spent an hour singing off-key Broadway hits at the foot of the bed until Keifer looked like he was ready to crawl into the wall.
Every time I walked past the bed, Keifer would catch my hand, looking absolutely miserable. "Jay... I am so sorry," he whispered for the tenth time, his voice still a bit raspy. "I feel like a failure of a fiancé. You're having to manage that handsome hurricane all by yourself while I'm stuck here being a noodle."
"It's okay," I said, dodging a flying pillow Percy had thrown to demonstrate a "model pose."
"Just focus on getting better so you can kick him out for real."
Finally, after what felt like a hundred years, the guest room door clicked shut and the snoring began. Percy was out.I stumbled into our room, my legs feeling like lead. The lights were dimmed, and the only sound was Keifer's steady, quiet breathing. I walked over to the side of the bed and just stood there for a second, watching him sleep.
Even with a red nose and messy "fever hair," he looked incredibly peaceful."You really are too handsome and hot for your own good, aren't you?" I whispered to myself, thinking he was dead to the world.
Instantly, one of Keifer's eyes snapped open. A slow, weak, but definitely mischievous smirk spread across his face."Is that right?" he teased, his voice low and vibrating. He reached out, his hand much cooler now, and snagged my wrist.
"If I'm that hot, maybe you should let me recover completely... and then we can definitely forget all about that 'staying a virgin' thing you were telling Percy about."I felt the heat rush to my face so fast I probably looked like a tomato.
"Keifer! You were supposed to be asleep! And—and you're still sick!"
"Sick enough to want a hug," he murmured, his smirk softening into something much more tender. Before I could protest, he gave a gentle tug, pulling me down onto the bed and into a firm, protective embrace.
He wrapped his arms around me, burying his face in the crook of my neck, and let out a long, satisfied sigh."Don't go," he whispered, his grip tightening just a little. "The Barnacle needs his Tiger to stay right here."
I couldn't help it; I melted into him, blushing like crazy but feeling finally at peace. "Fine. But if Percy wakes us up with a morning concert, you're the one who has to fight him."
"Deal," he breathed, and for the first time all day, the Castle was finally, truly quiet.
(Next day- Sunday)
I didn't even wait for the sun to come up before I went on a stealth mission. If Percy's "sacred purpose" involved staying here and being a "handsome hurricane," my sacred purpose was making sure he had no reason to stick around.
While Keifer was still snoring softly beside me, I crept into the guest bathroom like a ninja. I gathered every single bottle of high-end hair serum, the expensive sea-salt spray, and even his "emergency" bottle of Moroccan oil.
I didn't stop there. I grabbed his favorite gold-plated comb and the portable ring light he'd brought for "emergency selfies."I stuffed the entire haul into the very back of the kitchen pantry, hidden behind a giant bag of flour and the "Spicy Chips of Peace."
When Percy finally emerged from the guest room a few hours later, his hair was a chaotic, frizzy mess. He looked like he'd been struck by lightning, and then the lightning had insulted his mother.
"JAY! EMERGENCY! CALL EMERGENCY SERVICES! THE CASTLE HAS BEEN ROBBED!" he shrieked, running his fingers through his tangles in horror. "My serum! My shine! My identity! It's all gone! I look like... like a normal person! I can't be seen like this!
The paparazzi—even the imaginary ones—will be disgusted!"
I took a calm sip of my coffee, not even looking up. "Oh, that's weird. Maybe the 'Fever Ghost' took them? Keifer's germs are very powerful, Percy. They probably dissolved your products to protect the environment from all those chemicals."
Keifer, who was finally sitting up in bed and feeling much better, started coughing—mostly to hide his laughter.
"Yeah, Percy. It's a tragedy. You should probably head back to your place immediately. I think I heard that your favorite salon is having a 'frizz emergency' sale."
Percy looked at his reflection in the toaster and let out a genuine sob of despair. "A 'normal' person! I'm a beast! A shaggy, unrefined beast! I'm leaving! I must go to my sanctuary and restore the glory!"
He scrambled to pack his bags, muttering about "environmental germs" and "betrayal of the genes." Five minutes later, the front door slammed so hard a picture frame rattled.The silence that followed was beautiful.
Keifer looked at me, a massive grin on his face. "The hair products, Jay? Truly? That was ruthless. I love it."
"The Tiger protects the Castle," I said, hopping back into bed and handing him a piece of toast. "Now that the hurricane is gone, are you feeling well enough for those 'House Laws' you mentioned?"
Keifer leaned in, his eyes dark and teasing, no longer glassy with fever. "Oh, Jay... you have no idea. The fever is gone, but the 'Human Barnacle' has a lot of making up to do for yesterday."
I leaned back, crossing my arms with a triumphant smirk. "Actually, Keifer, I have a better idea. Before we get to the 'House Laws,' you still owe me for managing that one-man circus all day."
I pulled out a list I'd scribbled on a napkin. "Since Percy was so kind as to leave us in peace, I've decided on your repayment plan. You are officially on full-time pampering duty for the next forty-eight hours. That means foot rubs, making me breakfast in bed, and absolutely no teasing me about my 'Tiger Mode' for at least a week."
Keifer groaned, falling back onto his pillows, though his eyes were still dancing with mischief. "A week without teasing? Jay, that's a human rights violation. My soul thrives on making you blush."
"The price of being a 'Human Barnacle' just went up," I laughed, tossing a pillow at him. "Now, are you going to start with the foot rub, or do I need to call Percy back to tell him I found his 'magic' hair oil?"
Keifer's eyes widened in genuine terror. "Okay, okay! Don't be cruel. My hands are ready for service." He reached out, pulling my feet onto his lap with a dramatic sigh. "But just so you know, once this week of silence is over, I'm coming back twice as flirty. It's part of the Castle's constitution."
I leaned back, closing my eyes as he actually started the massage. For a guy who was a literal furnace yesterday, he had surprisingly steady hands. The quiet of the flat was heavenly—no shouting, no singing, and definitely no talk of "blessed gene pools."
"Jay?" Keifer whispered after a moment, his voice dropping into that deep, serious tone that always made my stomach flip.
"Hmm?"
"I really am lucky to have you. Even if you are a ruthless thief of hair products."I smiled, not opening my eyes.
"I know. Now hush and keep rubbing. The Tiger is resting"
I looked down at Keifer, who was diligently rubbing my feet like his life depended on it. His hair was still a bit messy from the fever, and even though he was acting like a total champ, I could see a tiny bit of lingering tiredness in his eyes.
My heart did that annoying little "melt" thing it always does when he's being sweet."Alright, alright," I sighed, pulling my feet back and poking his chest. "Stop. You look like a sad butler. I'm canceling the conditions."
Keifer paused, blinking at me in genuine shock. "Wait, really? No foot rubs? No week of silence? I was actually just getting into my 'silent, brooding fiancé' era. I thought it made me look mysterious."
"You look like you're overthinking a foot rub," I laughed, crawling over to sit cross-legged in front of him. "I feel bad! You were literally a human radiator twelve hours ago. You should be resting, not catering to my every whim. The Tiger is feeling... merciful today."
Keifer's face broke into the most genuine, dazzling grin. He didn't waste a single second—he lunged forward, tackling me back onto the pillows and burying his face in my neck.
"My merciful queen!" he muffled against my skin, his arms wrapping around me like iron bands. "I knew you couldn't stay mad at this face for long. Does this mean I can go back to being a shameless flirt immediately? Because I have a backlog of about fifty teasing remarks I need to get through."
"Don't push your luck, Barnacle," I muttered, though I was wrapping my arms around him just as tight. "The mercy can be revoked at any time."
"Understood," he whispered, pulling back just enough to look me in the eyes. The playfulness was still there, but there was that deep, steady heat again—the one that had nothing to do with a fever. "But for real, Jay... thanks for taking care of me. Even with the Percy-chaos. You're the only person I'd want to be a 'human noodle' for."
I smiled, tugging on his hoodie strings.
"Well, someone has to keep the Castle from falling apart. Now, since we're both officially off duty, what's the plan?"
Keifer smirked, winking at me. "I think it's time for a massive celebratory nap—but this time, with zero interruptions from 'Mr. Handsome' and definitely more cuddling."
Suddenly we got a call from Phillipines. "What ?? For real?.....
Hahaha!! I love suspenses but I think you may not. So let's give a spoiler - Aries!! Yes that's it. I can't say anything else just guess it.
And guys!!! Pleaseeeeeee... Shower your love by commenting, please I need atleast 10 comments otherwise I am not uploading next chapter... I am being a very good obeying author for a lot of time... 🤧🤧
Bye sunshines 💛💛