The love we keep

She had a boyfriend!

James said, "It's okay, come on. If you don't want to talk about it, you're still very emotional." He smiled, remembering how Serena used to cry over a missing pencil in school. Serena wiped away her tears, laughing out loud.

James had always had a secret crush on Serena. Seeing tears in her eyes was unbearable for him. He had spent six years searching for her, and now, he was thrilled to see her smile. Their coffee arrived, and they cheered, blowing on the hot beverage before taking sips.

Just then, Jacob walked into the coffee shop. He had planned to meet Serena there but overslept. When he woke up, Serena was nowhere to be found, and she wasn't answering his calls. Jacob sat down at a nearby table, dialing Serena's number again, only to find it unreachable. His coffee arrived, but he was too worried to enjoy it. "This girl is so careless," he muttered to himself. "Why would she leave the house without telling anyone?"

As he pondered, he heard a familiar laugh. His heart skipped a beat as he realized it was Serena's laughter. He turned around, and his heart sank. James was helping Serena clean her lips with a tissue. Jacob's mind flashed back to Paul's words from the previous night: "What if she's interested in someone else?" Jacob looked away, losing his appetite for coffee. He paid and quickly left the coffee shop.

As he drove away, his thoughts ran wild: "That's why she snuck out before everyone woke up – to meet a guy. She has a boyfriend." Jacob's heart felt like it had been ripped out of his chest. He drove faster, his emotions in turmoil.

Serena and James shared a warm hug before parting ways again. When Serena arrived home, she surprised Ma Ruth with a hug from behind. "Ma, guess what?" she exclaimed. Ma Ruth turned around, concern etched on her face. "What? You were nowhere to be found for hours. Jacob was worried sick about you." Serena apologized, "Oh, sorry. I went for coffee."

Before she could finish, Jacob interrupted from behind, "A coffee date?" Serena's eyes sparkled as she clarified, "Hey, not a date. He's my—" Jacob cut her off again, his tone cool, "You're happy with him?" Serena's expression turned puzzled. "What are you saying?" Jacob didn't respond; instead, he turned and walked away, heading upstairs.

Serena turned to Ma Ruth, confusion written across her face. "Why is he acting cold toward me?" Ma Ruth shook her head. "I don't know. What happened?" Serena explained, "I went to see my long-lost bestie, James. We grabbed coffee." Ma Ruth listened intently. "Really?" Serena assured her, "I wouldn't lie, you know me, right?" Ma Ruth suggested, "Go explain to him. Maybe he misunderstood something."

Serena smirked, deciding to clear the air. She went upstairs to her room, dropped her bag, and headed to the bathroom to wash her face.

She returned to her room, sat down, and received a call from James. "Hey?" she answered. James asked, "Hope you got home safe?" Serena smiled, "Yes, what about you?" James replied, "Just got home, preparing to go to work now. I miss you!" Serena paused before responding, "I missed you too, it's been years, James. I hope we can spend more time together."

Jacob, who had been on his way to apologize to Serena, stopped outside her slightly open door. He overheard her conversation and grinned, feeling a pang of jealousy. He decided not to disturb her and walked away.

Serena ended the call as her phone battery died. She plugged it in to charge and walked out of her room to find Jacob. She knocked on his door, but he didn't answer. She knocked again, and Jacob opened the door, smirking. "What?" he asked gruffly.

Serena's concern grew. "What's wrong with you? Why are you acting like this towards me?" Jacob's smirk widened. "What's wrong with me? Do you want to know?" Serena's heart beat faster. "Why are you being harsh? What did I do?" Jacob's expression turned cold. "Leave now. I don't want to talk to you."

Serena's anger flared as she dragged Jacob back, preventing him from closing the door. "But I want to talk! Don't walk away." Jacob's voice rose. "Let go of me!" Serena released her grip, and Jacob stormed back into his room. Serena walked away, feeling frustrated and confused.

Later that evening, Serena woke up and headed downstairs to help with dinner. She found Jacob and Ma Ruth in the kitchen. "Ma Ruth, hey. Sorry, I was sleeping," Serena said, forcing a smile. Ma Ruth replied, "Jacob is already helping me out." Serena offered, "What can I help with now?" Ma Ruth instructed, "You can slice the onion."

As Serena began slicing the onion, Jacob suddenly smirked, "Ha!" Serena turned around, concerned, and rushed over to him. He had cut his finger. Without thinking, Serena grabbed his finger and put it into her mouth to stop the bleeding. She didn't even realize what she had done.

Jacob's heart beat rapidly as Ma Ruth smiled knowingly and fetched the first aid kit. Serena applied ointment to Jacob's cut, scolding him gently, "You should be careful, Jacob. I told you, you don't know how to cook! Stay away from the kitchen." Jacob remained silent, unsure how to process Serena's concern for him. Did she love him? But she had a boyfriend... "Serenaaaaaa," he thought to himself.

Finally, Jacob spoke up, "Thanks." Serena instructed, "You should sit down now. Sit right there," pointing to the couch. As Jacob sat down, Serena resumed cutting the carrots, remarking to Ma Ruth, "He doesn't care about himself." Ma Ruth smiled, "That's why you're always around him, to be with him." Serena's eyes sparkled as she continued cutting.

After finishing dinner preparations, they served the meal. With Mr. Smith away on a business trip, only Ma Ruth, Jacob, Serena, and Lucy were present. Following dinner, everyone retired to their rooms, except Serena, who stayed behind to clean the dining area and wash the dishes.

Once done, Serena headed to her room, freshened up in the bathroom, and changed into her nightwear. She settled onto her bed, played games on her phone, and eventually drifted off to sleep.