Jay's POV
[They ended up sleeping deeply till the next morning…thank god it was a Sunday :)]
Morning came in slow stretches of sunlight and warmth.
I woke up still tangled in Keifer's arms, his chest rising and falling steadily against my back. For a moment, I didn't move. Didn't breathe too loudly. Didn't even open my eyes all the way.
Because this was peace.
Not the kind you read about in fairytales, all glitz and magic. This was real. This was a boy who held me like I was the only thing he didn't want to lose. Who cooked for me. Who called me sweetheart like it was stitched into the seams of his soul.
His fingers twitched slightly, then settled again, his grip tightening instinctively around my waist.
I bit my lip to hold back a smile.
"You awake?" I whispered.
He groaned, voice rough with sleep. "Mmm… barely."
"Good morning."
Keifer nuzzled closer, nose brushing against my shoulder. "Best morning ever."
I giggled, shifting slightly to face him. His hair was a mess—adorably so and his eyes were barely open, but when they landed on me, they softened instantly.
"Hi," he murmured.
"Hi," I whispered back.
And then, just like that, he leaned in and kissed me. Slow. Lazy. Like we had all the time in the world. My heart stuttered in my chest.
"You know," he said as he pulled away, voice still heavy with sleep, "I wasn't joking last night."
"About what?"
"About you being my future wife."
Oh.
I blinked.
Then blinked again.
"Keifer—"
"I know, I know," he cut in quickly, sitting up just a bit, looking nervous for the first time in a while. "Too soon. Too much. But I meant it. I don't care how long it takes or how slow we go. Just… let me love you for the rest of my life, Jay."
I stared at him.
My heart felt like it had cracked open in the best way possible.
I reached out and cupped his cheek, leaning in to kiss him softly. "Then love me, My Keifer. But we're still way too young to be planning weddings and the last time was terrible with Yuri you know that."
He laughed, relieved. "Fine I guess, I'll start with being the best boyfriend in the world."
"Good plan king of ulupongs," I teased. "But I should warn you… I have high standards."
"Oh, trust me darling," he said, pushing me gently back down onto the bed and hovering over me with that signature smirk, "I'm just getting started."
We stayed in bed longer than we should have. The sun climbed higher, and somewhere between soft kisses, half hearted tickle fights, and quiet conversations about everything and nothing, we forgot about the rest of the world.
But eventually, the real world knocked.
Literally.
A loud knock echoed from downstairs, followed by the sound of a familiar voice.
"Keifer? You home?"
Freya.
I sat up so fast I got dizzy. "Oh my god, get me OUT OF HERE."
Keifer sighed dramatically and flopped back into the pillows. "Why is everyone so obsessed with us lately?"
"I think you mean obsessed with me," I said, tossing a pillow at his face.
He caught it easily and grinned. "Understandable. You're stunning."
"Shut up idiot and go answer the door."
Grumbling, he got up, grabbed a hoodie, and headed downstairs. I scrambled to fix my hair, my shirt, basically everything. I looked like someone who'd just spent the night in her boyfriend's bed which, okay, fair but still. I had a reputation to protect.
Sort of.
I tiptoed toward the stairs and peeked around the corner just in time to hear Freya say, "So… you and Jay?"
Keifer didn't even hesitate. "Yeah. She's mine now. Officially."
Freya laughed. "Good. Took you long enough, y'all were too obvious."
"Y'all really need to stop saying that," I called out, coming down the steps. "We're not that slow."
Freya raised a brow at me. "Jay, it's been monthsssss. We were about to file a petition."
I rolled my eyes but smiled anyway. "Whatever. What brings you here, anyway?"
Freya hesitated. "Yuri told me something. Just wanted to check if you were okay."
My heart squeezed. "That's…actually, we will talk later."
She shrugged, then gave me a sly look. "So… are you guys, like… official official?"
Keifer came up behind me, wrapped his arms around my waist, and rested his chin on my shoulder. "Want me to get it tattooed on my forehead or something?"
I elbowed him lightly, blushing. "Yes. We're official."
Freya grinned. "Well, About time. Now, I'm gonna go before this turns into a rom-com kiss montage and I'm going to see Edrix."
"Too late," Keifer whispered, already leaning in again.
"BYE!" Freya yelled, laughing as she shut the door behind her.
We burst into laughter.
After that, the rest of the day passed in a dreamy blur.
stayed at his place until late afternoon. Watched random episodes of whatever was on Netflix, stole kisses during every ad, and shared a bag of chips. Keifer kept trying to feed me himself, dramatically acting like it was some kind of whatever he was thinking.
I played along.
Because being with him like this? It was too easy to fall into. Too safe. Too warm.
But reality hit again around evening when my phone buzzed and I had thousand messages from kuya Angelo, Aries and Percy but I checked first
Mom.
Hey honey, just checking in. Everything okay?
I winced.
"I should go home," I said reluctantly.
Keifer sighed, clearly displeased. "Can't you stay one more night?"
I shook my head. "I already pushed it. One more night and Kuya will probably track me down with a helicopter."
He walked me to the door, fingers laced with mine the entire time. Before I stepped out, he pulled me in for one last hug. The kind that said don't go yet without saying it out loud.
"I'll see you tomorrow?" he asked.
I nodded. "You better."
He leaned down and kissed me one last time. "Goodnight, sweetheart.♥️"
"Goodnight, boyfriend.💖"
His smile could've lit up the whole block.
When I got home, Angelo greeted me with a knowing look but didn't say anything.
Aries had lots of questions for sure.
I went to my room, took a long shower, and fell onto my bed like a sack of emotions. Happy ones.
Later that night, I got a text.
Keifer:
I miss you already.
Me:
We literally just separated thirty minutes ago.
Keifer:
Thirty minutes too long.
Me:
God, you're dramatic.
Keifer:
Only for you, sweetheart.
I laughed into my pillow, cheeks hurting from smiling so much.
Then another text came through.
Keifer:
Also, guess what.
Me:
What?
Keifer:
Tomorrow… I'm bringing you breakfast.
Me:
Why?
Keifer:
Because I want to start every day making you smile.
And just like that, I melted into my mattress like butter on hot toast.
Maybe it was cheesy.
Maybe it was too much.
But with him? It felt just right.
The next morning, true to his word, Keifer showed up outside my house holding a takeout tray with coffee, a croissant, and a ridiculous bouquet of mismatched flowers.
I opened the door in my Uniform and socks, hair still a mess.
He just smiled at me like I was the prettiest thing he'd ever seen.
"Good morning, sweetheart," he said, handing me the tray. "Told you I'd show up."
"You really are something else, you want to die in Kuya Angelo and Aries hands." I muttered, letting him in.
"I know," he said smugly. "But I'm your something else now."
And I wouldn't want it any other way.