KEIFER POV
I was leaning against the wall, nursing my jaw and smirking at her, even though Jay-Jay looked like she was actively plotting my murder with her eyes.
"Jay, I told you not to punch him," Jare muttered, sounding more exhausted than actually protective of me.
"Yeah, listen to your brother, London," I interjected, feeling the sting of her right hook. For a girl who looks like she spends all her time at the mall, she hits like a heavyweight.
Jare sighed, adjusting his bag. "Next time, just break his arms or legs instead. Less obvious than a bruise on the face."
"Tss," I scoffed, shaking my head. Typical. Why did I ever think these twins would have a shred of manners? They were like two sides of the same chaotic, aggressive coin.
I touched my lip, the memory of the hallway hitting me harder than the punch did. I didn't mean to kiss her—not really. The moment I realized what was happening, I knew I should have backed away. I had plenty of chances to pull back, to make a joke
But her lips were... different.
I've kissed girls before—but there was something about her that felt good. Too good. It wasn't like the practiced, shallow movements of the girls at HVIS. It was sharp, electric, and completely unexpected.
And the weirdest part? I couldn't stop thinking about what she screamed after she hit me. "That was my first kiss!"
Why the hell did that make me feel so damn happy? I should have been annoyed that I was stuck with a "clueless" London girl who hit like a truck, but knowing I was the first one to ever get to her... it felt like winning a prize I hadn't even realized I was competing for.
"Ate Jay!" Keiran called out, breaking the heavy tension in the hallway.
Jay-Jay turned, still looking like she wanted to spit fire. "What?" she snapped, though her voice softened slightly when she saw my youngest brother.
"Mama is asking for you, and Kuya Jare, and Kuya Keifer," Keiran said, bouncing on the balls of his feet.
"She's probably in the living room," I muttered, taking the lead and gestured for them to follow me.
We walked back into the main area, and I could see Mom sitting on one of the velvet sofas. Her eyes were practically sparkling with excitement—which, in this house, usually meant she'd already done something impulsive and was just waiting to reveal the chaos.
"Jay! Jare!" Mom chirped the second we stepped into the room.
"Yes, Tita?" Jay said, standing as far away from me as humanly possible.
"So, I talked to your parents on the phone just now, and I asked them to let you live here!" Mom announced, clapping her hands together.
The room went dead silent. Jay-Jay's eyes went wide, and Jare looked like he'd just been told he won the lottery but lost the ticket.
I stood there, processing. Living here? In this house? Why was she so excited about this? I had never seen her make this face before—not when I introduced Ella back in the day, and definitely not when I'd brought Freya around. It was like Jay-Jay wasn't just a guest; she was a missing piece of something Mom was desperate to get back.
Thinking of Ella made my jaw tighten instinctively. Which led my brain straight to Aries. That bastard.
I glanced at Jay-Jay. She looked horrified.
"Live... here?" she whispered, her face pale.
"Yes! No more haunted apartments!" Mom insisted. "Keifer, isn't that wonderful? You can help her with her schoolwork since you're in the same class!"
I looked at Jay-Jay, specifically at her lips, then up at her furious, blushing face.
"Yeah," I said, a slow, dangerous smirk spreading across my face as I watched the realization sink in. "Absolutely wonderful. Welcome home, London."
"You know what, Tita? It's fine. Really," Jare interjected, shattering the moment.
Asshole. I shot him a look, but he was busy avoiding eye contact with my mother.
"Why, Jare?" Mom asked, her voice dropping into that small, almost heartbroken tone.
My chest tightened. I couldn't stand seeing my mom look sad. I would do literally anything to keep that expression off her face. After she finally escaped my biological father—Keizar, that absolute monster—she had finally found peace. She'd been happy ever since she left him, and I refused to let anyone, even these twins, damp her spirit. Thanks to Victor, she had a life worth smiling about, and I protected that smile at all costs.
"Just stay here. It's better anyway," I said, stepping in to back her up. I never thought I'd be advocating for Trashcan to move into the room down the hall, but if it made my mom happy, I'd deal with the headache.
"No, Tita, it's not that," Jay-Jay explained quickly, her hands waving in front of her as she tried to soften the blow. "It's just... we want to stay with our friends. We're a team, you know? We can't just leave the other four behind."
Mom didn't even blink. "Oh! Well, that's easy. You can just ask your friends to stay here, too! We have plenty of room."
Jay-Jay and Jare shared a panicked look. They were running out of excuses, and Mom was a force of nature when she wanted something.
"Actually, Tita..." Jare started, rubbing the back of his neck and looking sheepish. "The real thing is... we already bought a house here in the Philippines."
Mom's eyes widened, her hands pausing mid-air. "When?" she asked, her voice filled with surprise.
"This morning," Jay-Jay jumped in, her voice sounding a little frantic. "I couldn't stand staying in that place—the villa—for another second. We haven't even told our parents yet, but we already signed the papers."
I leaned against the wall, watching the "London Princess" try to explain her way out of moving into my house. So she'd rather drop millions on a new mansion than spend another night sharing a roof with me? I didn't know whether to be offended or impressed by her dedication to avoiding me.
Mom let out a soft sigh, her disappointment visible, but she eventually gave a small, resigned nod. "Fine, I guess," she said, though she quickly pointed a finger at Jay-Jay. "But make sure you visit regularly. Especially you, Jay. I won't take 'no' for an answer."
"Sure, Tita," Jay-Jay said, looking visibly relieved. She flashed my mom a sweet smile—the kind of smile that made her look like an actual angel, which was a total lie considering she'd punched me in the face less than thirty minutes ago.
I stood there, feeling the ache in my jaw and the lingering heat on my lips. They had their own house now. They were staying in the Philippines for good, or at least for the semester.
"Visit regularly, huh?" I muttered under my breath, catching Jay-Jay's eyes.
She glare at me, her cheeks still a faint shade of pink from our "incident" in the hallway. She thought she was escaping. She thought that by buying a house, she was putting distance between us.
But we were still in the same school. Still in the same section. And if my mom had her way, she'd be back in this living room every other day.
"See you at home, Trashcan," I whispered as they started to head for the door.
She didn't look back, but the way her shoulders tensed told me she heard me perfectly.
This was going to be the most entertaining semester of my life.
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