JAY JAY"S POV
laid down on the bed, thinking about life and blah blah blah—
Okay no.I was thinking about him.
About how his lips felt on mine.About how he held my face like I was something soft—something fragile—something that mattered.About how I literally sprinted away like a traumatized pigeon the moment Aries opened his mouth.
I grabbed my pillow and screamed into it.
"WHY AM I LIKE THIS?!"
I rolled to my side.Then my back.Then my stomach.Then back again.
I swear I looked like a fish that regretted every decision it ever made.
I kicked my legs under the blanket in full emotional meltdown mode.
"Ughhhhhhh."
But my brain wouldn't shut up.
It kept replaying the kiss like a 4D movie I didn't pay for.
The soft part.The deeper part.The part where his hand held my waist like I was his—
LORD HAVE MERCY.
I buried myself under my blanket like a burrito of shame.
"Stop thinking stop thinking STOP THINKING."
But my brain:
Keifer. Keifer. Keifer. KEIFER.
I grabbed my pillow and smacked myself because apparently I hate myself.
"SHUT UP!!!"
And then—
The door opened.
I froze.
Oh no.Oh please no.Not now.
Aries.
I panicked and turned around, pretending to be asleep. Horribly.Like a toddler pretending to be dead during hide-and-seek.
"Are you guys together now?" he asked.
…No.But I want us to be.
"Jay," he sighed. "I know you're awake. Answer me."
My soul cracked internally.
I slowly turned around.He was sitting on the edge of my bed, looking serious.Too serious for someone who once cried because his horoscope told him to avoid electricity that day.
"I'm serious," he said again. "If you want to be with him… I'm fine with it. As long as you're not making out in front of the door again."
I blinked.
"Really?" I whispered.
He nodded. "If you love him… and if he treats you right… I can't stop you."
My smile practically lit up the whole barangay.
Then—
"What are you planning to do about Yuri?" he asked quietly.
My smile died.Painfully.
I lowered my head. "I… I don't know."
"Did you tell Kuya about the hit list?"
I shook my head.
He didn't speak.
"I can't lose Keifer," I whispered, voice breaking.
Aries wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close.
"It's okay," he murmured. "Nothing's going to happen to him."
I buried my face in his chest, shaking.
Eventually, I lay my head on his lap, his hand gently patting my hair.
We talked.We teased.We gossiped.
And somewhere in between the laughter and the quiet—
I fell asleep.
And maybe…this was what family actually felt like.Not perfect.Not storybook-complete.
But real.Warm.Safe.
NEXT MORNING
I woke up to the smell of pancakes.
Wait.
Waffles?
Garlic rice???
My eyes burst open.
…It was just a dream.
My heart shattered.
"JAY-JAY! WE'RE LATE!" Aries yelled.
I shot upright. "WAIT—TEN SECONDS!"
"You said that ten minutes ago!"
I jumped out of bed like someone threw holy water at me.
"Aries, I was eating—food—bring back the food—"
"WE LEAVE IN FIVE MINUTES."
I froze.
"Five minutes?! Aries, I survived a FOOD APOCALYPSE in my dream!"
"FOUR minutes."
I scrambled around my room like a dying tornado.
My stomach growled.
Angrily.
"I DIDN'T EVEN GET TO EAT THE BURGER!" I complained while death-rolling into my uniform.
Aries tapped his foot at the door. "And no, we are NOT stopping for food."
My jaw dropped.
"THEN WHY DID I EVEN WAKE UP?!"
IN THE CAR
I ran outside, hair half-tied, sanity half-gone, and jumped into the back seat.
And then—
I froze.
Yuri.
Sitting there like a calm morning while I looked like I lost a fight with a blender.
"Good morning," he said.
"moring," I muttered (yes, MORING), staring at the window like it was the love of my life.
"You okay?" he asked. "You look… sleep-deprived."
"I blame the food dream."
"What?"
"Nothing."
My stomach growled violently.
Yuri blinked."Did you eat?"
"No."
Aries added, "Because she took too long hallucinating about food."
"I WAS NOT HALLUCINATING— I WAS DREAMING."
Yuri stared at me.
"You're acting weird."
I laughed nervously.
"Weird? Me? Nooo. Totally fine. Just hungry. And tired. And hungry. And stressed. And hungry."
Yuri raised an eyebrow.
"Jay… you're avoiding me."
"I am NOT avoiding you," I said, avoiding him completely.
"You won't look at me."
"I'm admiring the scenery."
"You're staring at Aries' headrest."
"BEAUTIFUL HEADREST."
Silence.
Then—
"Jay-jay," he said quietly. "Are you hiding something from me?"
My brain: SCREAMING
Before I could choke on a lie—
"Jay."
Just my name.
Said in that soft-but-deadly Yuri tone.
He leaned closer.
"You didn't tell anyone about… that. Right?"
Not a question.
A reminder.A threat.A promise.
My heart stopped doing its job.
"I—I—of course not," I whispered.
He stepped closer.
"Good. Because you know what happens if you do."
I swallowed my soul.
Then—
A hand touched my shoulder.
I didn't even have to look.
Keifer.
He slid between us like a wall.
"Yuri," he said sharply. "Back. Off."
Yuri's expression didn't change.
"I wasn't doing anything."
"You were cornering her."
"Oh?" Yuri smirked. "And since when do you care so much?"
Keifer didn't move.Didn't blink.
His hand stayed on me.
Yuri looked at it.
Noticed everything.
"I was just reminding her of our agreement," Yuri said.
Keifer stiffened."What agreement?"
"UH—MATH!" I blurted."WE AGREED TO STUDY MATH! TOGETHER! MATH THINGS!"
Yuri raised an eyebrow.
"Math."
"YES. I LOVE MATH. SO MUCH."
Keifer frowned. "You didn't eat again?"
Yuri folded his arms. "Hunger makes her talk even more."
Keifer gently pulled me away.
But before we left—
Yuri called out:
"Remember, Jay."
I turned.
"Your secret is safe…as long as you keep mine."
My stomach dropped.
Keifer didn't understand.
But Yuri knew I did.
He knew I remembered everything.
And he knew—
I was scared.
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✨ Author's Note ✨
Hey, hi, hello 👋
Yes, this chapter exists 😅
Yes, Jay is an emotional disaster 🫠
Yes, Yuri is terrifying 😳
No, I don't have my life together either 🤷♀️
Honestly, I just threw some words on the page 📝💨
Spilled some feelings 🫣💖
And hoped it made sense 🤔
If it did, amazing 😎
If it didn't… also amazing 🤪
Anyway, enjoy the chaos 🎢😂
Laugh 😆 Cry 😭 Roll your eyes 🙄
Jay is doing all of it for you 💛
— Your Lazy, Crazy Author 🫡✨