ด้วยรักตลอดไป (With Love, Forever)

Jeff

The courtroom was still buzzing with a quiet energy as Jackson walked out with the weight of victory lifting from his shoulders. His eyes met mine across the room, and I could see the storm of relief that was finally starting to clear. Xinxin's words had carried the day, her quiet but adamant stance giving him the win he so desperately needed.

I pushed off the wall and walked over to him, unable to hide the smile pulling at the corners of my mouth.

"You did it," I said, my voice low but filled with an unspoken pride.

Jackson looked up at me, still processing the words of the judge, but his face softened when he saw me. "I couldn't have done it without you," he said, his voice rough, like the weight of the moment was still settling in.

"Come on. You've been fighting for this since the start," I said with a small laugh, brushing off the credit. "I just showed up to hold your hand through the mess."

Jackson shook his head, a faint chuckle escaping him. "Well, I'm still grateful. You've been a hell of a... fri...end.., Jeff."

The word hung in the air, a little too heavy for my liking. "Friend," I repeated, the familiar term sitting oddly on my tongue. It was hard to hear it, harder still to acknowledge it after everything we'd shared. After that kiss, that lingering moment of unspoken possibilities. But I couldn't push it. Not yet. Not with everything still so raw.

"Well, that's what I am, right?" I tried to sound casual, but the words felt like they were getting stuck in my throat. "Your friend. I mean, someone had to keep you sane through all of this."

Jackson's gaze softened, and he took a step closer, his hand finding my shoulder briefly, the touch grounding and warm. "You're not just someone, Jeff. You're there for me, no matter what. And that means everything to me."

There it was. That quiet sincerity in his voice, the way his eyes met mine with something deeper than just gratitude. It was a look that carried more weight than I was prepared for, more than I'd ever anticipated when I first agreed to help him out.

I opened my mouth to say something, to deflect or joke it off, but the words stalled in my chest. What was I supposed to say? Was I really just a friend now? Was that all I could be, or was there something else—something more that had started to form between us, whether we wanted to acknowledge it or not?

Before I could wrestle with my thoughts, Jackson gave me a tight smile, his eyes flicking away for a moment as if he too was navigating the sudden shift. "I know we've been through a lot of weird... stuff lately, but I just—" he stopped, running a hand through his hair, clearly unsure of how to finish that thought.

"Hey," I interrupted gently, trying to break the tension. "It's okay. We don't have to figure everything out right now. Not after today."

Jackson nodded, a little grateful exhale leaving his lips. "Yeah. You're right. Just—thank you, Jeff. Really."

I smiled at him, but my heart was still racing. I couldn't ignore the pull between us. The shift in the air when we were close, the way my chest tightened whenever he looked at me just a little too long. But I didn't want to push. Not now, not with everything that had happened.

As we made our way out of the courthouse, Jackson offered me a quiet, almost tentative glance. "You want to grab dinner? Celebrate a little?"

"Celebrate?" I repeated with a raised eyebrow, trying to play it cool. "I mean, you won the case. I think you've earned the right to eat whatever you want. I'm just here for the free food."

Jackson laughed, the sound light and unburdened. "Yeah, well, you've earned a bit of the celebration too. Let's grab something. I can't deal with this whole victory on an empty stomach."

I nodded, giving him a playful nudge. "Good idea. Lead the way."

But as we walked toward the car, I couldn't help but feel that weight of more lingering between us. I wasn't sure where it was headed, but I knew this: whatever came next, it was going to be something neither of us could ignore for much longer.