Shotgun Love

Chelsea Attacks

The bell above the café door jingled. Keira’s blood ran cold when she saw who walked in.

Chelsea.

Her heavy makeup was practically melting under the daylight, her lips curled into a sneer. And before anyone could even blink, she stormed toward Keira like a raging bull.

“You—” Chelsea shrieked, her manicured hand flying forward as if she meant to claw Keira’s face off.

But she never made it.

Jacob, calm as ever, simply extended his arm and planted his palm right on her forehead. Chelsea swung wildly, her hands flapping uselessly in the air, feet stomping like a toddler throwing a tantrum.

“Seriously?” Jacob muttered, holding her back effortlessly.

Keira, instead of cowering, straightened her back and of all things, raised her fist like a boxer ready to land a knockout punch. The sight was so ridiculous Crystal almost spit out her iced latte.

“Oh, I swear I’ll land this one right on her nose,” Keira hissed, though her trembling fist betrayed her nerves.

Chelsea screeched, still trying to swipe at her. “Let me go! She’s asking for it!”

The entire café turned to watch the spectacle. That’s when the door swung again, and in walked Kevin.

He froze. His eyes darted from Jacob’s hand on Chelsea’s forehead… to Keira’s clenched fist. His jaw tightened, his face darkening with something unmistakable. Seeing Keira with a guy seemed to make him jealous.

“Enough!” Kevin barked, striding over. He grabbed Chelsea by the wrist, pulling her back. “Chelsea, stop embarrassing yourself.”

She whined, trying to resist, but Kevin shot Keira a quick glance, then, surprisingly, lowered his head. “I’m… sorry.” His voice was rough, ashamed, almost too soft to hear. Well, maybe that's because he felt embarrassed by Chelsea's actions.

Before Keira could react, he tugged Chelsea toward the door. The two argued loudly as they exited, their voices echoing all the way down the street.

Debbie and Crystal jumped to their feet immediately, crouching low like ninja warriors.

“Operation: Hunt the Witch,” Debbie whispered, making slicing gestures with her hand.

Crystal cracked her knuckles. “Let’s finish what Keira started.”

They darted for the door, but Jacob grabbed them both by the collars in one smooth motion, lifting them back like two misbehaving cats.

“Sit. Down.” Jacob deadpanned.

The café erupted in laughter.

Keira, still red-faced with her fist half-raised, slowly unclenched her hand. “Well… that escalated.”

The café felt like it had just survived a mini soap opera episode. The crowd was buzzing, half curious, half entertained.

Jacob released Debbie and Crystal, who landed back on their seats with sheepish grins.

“Aw, come on, Jacob,” Crystal whined. “We had her! One swift move and poof! Problem solved, bro.” She mimed a karate chop.

“Yeah,” Debbie added with a pout, “you ruined our ninja debut.”

Jacob just shook his head. “Trust me, the world isn’t ready for you two.”

Keira finally dropped into her chair, covering her face with her hands. “God. That was so humiliating.”

Crystal leaned in. “No, babe. That was legendary. Did you see your fist? You looked like Manny Pacquiao about to headline a fight.”

The girls burst out laughing while Jacob smirked, sipping his coffee. “For the record, if your punch actually landed, she’d be the one humiliated. You pack more power than you think.”

Keira peeked at him through her fingers, cheeks still flushed. “Thanks, but… next time I’d rather not almost get into a café brawl.”

“Next time,” Jacob replied casually, “just let me do the forehead defense again. It works every time.”

That made Keira laugh despite herself, the tension breaking like thin glass. For a moment, she even forgot about Kevin, Chelsea, and the storm they brought into her morning.

Later that day, Keira found herself swept along with Jacob, Debbie, and Crystal. What started as “just coffee” had turned into an unplanned adventure.

They strolled through the park, teasing each other as they passed by food stalls. Debbie insisted on buying fish balls, only to scream when the stick snapped and her snack fell straight into the sauce pan. Crystal laughed so hard she almost choked on her dirty ice cream.

Jacob, of course, was the calm one, juggling a bottle of soda and a bag of peanuts like nothing could faze him. Then, without warning, he crouched down by the sidewalk where a scruffy brown dog sat wagging its tail. He whistled softly and tossed a piece of his bread to the dog, who devoured it gratefully.

Keira slowed her steps, watching quietly. A few blocks later, Jacob did the same with a stray cat lounging on the curb, breaking his peanuts in half and setting them gently near its paws.

“You like animals, huh?” Keira asked, her tone casual, but her eyes locked on him.

Jacob straightened, brushing off his hands with a grin. “They’re easy to please. Just feed them and they trust you. Better company than most people, actually.”

His words were simple, but Keira caught something deeper in them. She never liked cats, they scared her, especially their eyes, but somehow, seeing Jacob treat them with care made her chest feel lighter. She thought he looked like someone who could be dangerous, yet here he was sharing food with creatures most people ignored.

Crystal ruined the moment with a laugh. “Keira, you’re staring again. Careful, you’re about to drool.”

Keira rolled her eyes, cheeks warming. “I’m not staring, I’m just… observing.”

“Uh-huh, observing,” Debbie teased, smirking.

As the sun dipped, the group followed the sound of music and ended up at a free concert in the plaza. The air was thick with street food smoke and laughter, and the stage lights painted everyone’s faces in neon shades.

Keira swayed with the music, the sound almost drowning out her thoughts. Almost. Because every so often, her eyes wandered back to Jacob, how he laughed at Debbie’s terrible dance moves, how he clapped off-beat without caring, and how just hours ago he had crouched down for stray cats and dogs like they were old friends.

And for the first time in a while, Keira felt free.

At the concert the crowd clapped and cheered as the band hyped everyone up. The lead singer suddenly pointed in their direction.

“Alright, everyone! Grab the hand of the person next to you. Yes, don’t be shy! Hold hands and sing with us!”

Debbie’s eyes immediately darted to Jacob’s hand. She leaned ever so slightly toward him with a sly grin—

—but before her fingers could even brush his, Crystal swooped in and clamped onto Debbie’s hand like lightning.

“Not today, ma’am,” Crystal said with mock seriousness, giving her a dramatic side-eye.

Debbie groaned. “Ugh! Crystal! I was going for Jacob!”

“You’re with me now,” Crystal announced proudly, swinging their locked arms like they were in a three-legged race.

Keira tried not to laugh, biting her lip as Debbie whined and Crystal cackled.

Meanwhile, Keira froze when she realized Jacob was still next to her. The person she was supposed to hold hands with.

Before she could even hesitate longer, Jacob reached out casually and took her hand.

“Relax,” he said with a grin, squeezing her fingers lightly. “It’s just part of the show.”

Keira’s heart stuttered in her chest. Just part of the show. Easy for him to say, he wasn’t the one trying not to blush in front of a hundred strangers. But she shrugged it off, "yeah, he's right it's just part of the show".

The music started, and the crowd sang along, voices rising in messy unison. Jacob leaned a little closer so she could hear him over the noise. “See? Not so bad.”

Keira tried to sing, but her voice cracked, and Jacob chuckled. “You’re totally off-key.”

“Shut up,” she muttered, laughing despite herself.

By the end of the song, she realized she hadn’t let go of his hand.

When the concert ended, they all walked together until Debbie and Crystal branched off toward their own houses. That left Keira and Jacob heading down the quieter streets. The night air was cool, and their footsteps echoed softly.

“Thanks for walking me home again,” Keira said, hugging her arms against the cool night breeze. She glanced at him, her voice softening. “And… for today. Really. After what happened at the café, I thought I’d just carry that heaviness around all day. But you…” she paused, almost embarrassed to admit it. “You made me laugh. You made it lighter.”

Jacob stuffed his hands into his pockets, giving her a small smile. “Laughter’s free, you know. I’ve got plenty of supply.”

Keira chuckled, shaking her head. “Well, I guess I owe you then.”

“You don’t owe me anything,” Jacob replied simply, glancing at her with that steady, unreadable look. “You just… needed a break.”

For a moment, Keira let herself smile back. It was genuine, not forced, different from the polite smiles she’d been giving Kevin for years.

When they reached her gate, she lingered, almost not wanting the moment to end. “Goodnight, Jacob.”

“Goodnight, Keira.”

She slipped through the gate and climbed carefully into her bedroom window, landing with a small thud on the floor. Catching her breath, she peeked outside one last time.

Jacob was still there, lingering by the streetlight. He wasn’t moving, just staring at her window as if making sure she got in safely.

Keira ducked quickly, her heart thumping. Why was she even checking if he was still there? And why did it feel… comforting that he was?

She pressed her back to the wall, smiling despite herself.