JAY JAY POV
"KIDS! GET DOWN HERE!" Tita Serina's voice boomed from downstairs, probably loud enough to shake the foundations of the house—and my sanity.
I turned back to the four chaos-magnets standing in front of me: Yuri, Keifer, Aries, and Percy. If looks could kill, this room would currently be a crime scene featured on the nightly news.
"We are going to finish this talk later," I said, crossing my arms and giving them my best death stare. You know, the one that says if you breathe wrong, I will bury you. "Until then, try your hardest not to commit murder. Act like friends. Better yet, act like human beings instead of rabid enemies. Got it?"
I leaned in, my eyes darting between them. "Yes or no?"
Silence. Just the lovely sound of testosterone and unresolved resentment thick enough to cut with a chainsaw.
"Of course, my precious baby sistah!" Percy broke the silence first, grinning like the idiot he is. He slung a heavy arm over Aries' shoulder, nearly toppling him. "I have so much catching up to do with my bestest buddy here anyway. Right, Aries baby? Did you miss me? Did you cry yourself to sleep every night without me?"
Aries' face turned a shade of purple that definitely wasn't healthy. "You son of a—"
I cleared my throat, my glare intensifying by 1000%.
Aries caught himself, his jaw twitching so hard I thought a tooth might pop out. He forced his lips into a smile that looked more like a painful grimace. "Of course I missed you, Percy. Why wouldn't I? I've been dreaming of this exact moment... mostly the part where I jump off a cliff to get away from you."
"God, give me strength," I muttered under my breath. If patience was a virtue, I was officially a candidate for sainthood.
"Let's go before they actually start making out—wait, I mean, fighting," Jare chimed in, biting his lip to keep from exploding with laughter at the sheer awkwardness radiating off Aries and Percy.
We trotted downstairs, and the atmosphere shifted from "war zone" to "family reunion from hell" real quick.
"Oh, finally! You kids decided to join us mortals!" Mama chirped.
But the mood plummeted when Kuya Angelo stepped forward, his eyes landing straight on Aries. "Aries? Where exactly were you?"
The moment those words left his mouth, it was like someone hit the pause button on the entire world. Mama and Papa froze mid-air, looking like they'd just seen a ghost—or worse, the electricity bill.
"Recyce... Jasfher..." Kuya Angelo whispered, his voice sounding weirdly formal.
Aries, looking just as confused as I felt, shrugged. "Kuya, I was with Jay."
Papa's eyes nearly popped out of his head. He looked at Aries like he was a puzzle with half the pieces missing. "Wait... how exactly are you related to Angelo?"
"Uh, he's my Kuya?" Aries answered, his tone dripping with 'Duh, are you blind?' vibes.
My brain was currently doing gymnastics. What in the Wattpad plot twist was happening? I looked at Aries, then at Angelo, then back at my parents. Is there a script I missed? Is this a hidden camera show?
"Angelo," Papa said, his voice suddenly very serious and very father mode. "I want to talk to you. Privately."
They disappeared toward the sunroom, leaving the rest of us standing there like NPCs in a glitching video game.
"What do you think is going on?" I whispered to Jare, nudging him.
"Let's follow them. They're going to the sunroom," Jare whispered back, a devious glint in his eyes.
"Why? You want to get us grounded until we're eighty?"
"Nope," Jare grinned, that trademark idiot grin that usually meant we were five minutes away from a disaster. "I actually left a recording device in there earlier."
I stared at my twin brother, my jaw dropping. "You absolute asshole! Why on earth is there a recording device in the sunroom?!"
Jare just widened his grin, looking way too proud of his criminal behavior.
"Oh dear God," I groaned, face-palming so hard I probably left a mark on my forehead. "Don't tell me you're up to that stupid 'Spy-Network' thing again. Jare, we are going to die. Literally die. Our funeral will be themed 'Mind Your Own Business.'"
"What is it? What are you two whispering about?" Keifer asked, narrowing his eyes at us like he was trying to read our thoughts.
Jare didn't even flinch. He just looked at me and said, "45798 3682."
To anyone else, it sounded like he was reciting a zip code or a glitching calculator, but I knew exactly what it meant: Later, when everything is done, we can get the recording and listen to it.
I gave a subtle nod. What? Don't judge me! My curiosity was currently at a Level 10, and if I didn't find out what was going on, my brain was going to short-circuit. Investigation is a family tradition, okay?
As Jare wandered off to probably go bribe a maid or plant more bugs, Keifer stayed glued to my side like we were attached by a magnetic force.
"Why are you following me? Is there a tracker on my back I don't know about?" I asked, looking at him over my shoulder.
Keifer just gave me that smirk—the one that makes girls in romance novels faint—and shrugged. "I'm not following you. I'm just following my Queen. Guard duty is 24/7, didn't you know?"
I rolled my eyes so hard I nearly saw my own brain. "Ugh, stop it with the cheesy lines. Do you at least know what this whole big 'New Year announcement' is about? My parents are acting weirder than usual, and that's saying a lot."
Keifer shook his head, his expression turning a bit more serious. "No clue. But whatever it is, it's big."
We finally made it outside, and wow. The backyard had been transformed into a literal wonderland. Everything was set up for the midnight countdown—huge crates of fireworks, elegant chairs, fancy tables... and most importantly...
THE FOOD.
My eyes practically turned into hearts. I ignored the decor and the tension and headed straight for the buffet like a heat-seeking missile. I grabbed a plate and started piling it up because, hello? Emotional stress requires calories.
Keifer stood next to me, let out a low chuckle, his eyes dancing with amusement as he watched me practically defend my pile of spring rolls.
"What? You want some?" I asked, or well, muffled, because my mouth was already half-full. I held my plate closer to my chest. "Get your own. This is mine."
"Yeah," Keifer said, his voice dropping an octave as he stepped a little closer into my personal space. "I do want some."
I pointed a fork toward the long table of appetizers. "There! Go get some! Don't look at my plate like that, you're scaring the ham rolls."
I was literally in the middle of a serious relationship with a spring roll when the unthinkable happened.
One second, I was prepared to fight for my honor (and my ham rolls), and the next, Keifer moved like a flash of lightning. Before I could even swallow, he leaned down and pressed his lips against mine.
My eyes nearly popped out of my head. EXCUSE ME?!
I frozen in place, standing there like a statue with my cheeks puffed out like a confused chipmunk. But the real crime? This absolute asshole didn't just kiss me—he actually managed to steal the piece of food right out of my mouth during the process!
He pulled back just an inch, his eyes dancing with that annoying, heart-throb mischief as he coolly chewed the stolen prize.
"Delicious," he smirked, looking way too satisfied with himself. "Thanks for the treat, Queen."
I stood there, fork suspended in mid-air, my brain currently experiencing a 404 Error: Logic Not Found. My face was definitely turning a shade of red that out-glowed the nearby Christmas lights.
"YOU—!" I pointed my fork at him, my voice cracking. "That was my ham roll! You literal thief! Do you have any idea how many germs are in a human mouth?! And the audacity! The disrespect! The—the—"
"The romantic tension?" he finished for me, leaning in closer until I could smell his cologne.
"THE ROBBERY!" I yelled, though my heart was currently doing a drum solo against my ribs. "Go get your own plate, Keifer! Or I will personally make sure you don't live to see the fireworks!"
He just laughed, that deep, rumbly laugh that made me want to either punch him or kiss him again. Seriously, Section E boys should come with a Warning Label: May cause high blood pressure and sudden loss of snacks.
I ignored his teasing and went back to my true love: the buffet. I was currently four spring rolls deep and eyeing a plate of pancit when Keifer decided to be a menace again.
He sidled up behind me, his large hands sliding naturally to rest on my waist. I almost choked on a piece of ham. Seriously, my heart needs a break, or at least a warning sign.
"How do you even do it?" Keifer whispered near my ear, his voice dropping into that low, husky tone that makes my knees feel like jelly. "How do you keep your weight that fit when you eat like there's no tomorrow?"
I tried to elbow him, but he didn't budge. He just tightened his grip slightly, his thumbs tracing circles against my sides. It was like he was trying to memorize every inch of me.
"You're literally smaller than me in every way—height, weight..." He paused, his eyes traveling up and down my body as if he were a human measuring tape. "It's like I could pick you up and tuck you in my pocket. You're tiny, Jay."
My face flushed a deeper shade of crimson. "Idiot! Don't say things like that out loud!" I hissed, swatting at his hands. "And don't measure me with your eyes! It's creepy!"
"It's not creepy," he chuckled, pulling me back against his chest so I could feel the steady thrum of his heartbeat. "It's fascinating. My Queen is a bottomless pit who still fits perfectly in my arms. It's a miracle of science."
"The only miracle here is that I haven't stabbed you with this fork yet!" I grumbled, though I didn't actually pull away.
Keifer is dangerous. He steals your food, he steals your personal space, and if you aren't careful, he can also steal your heart right out of your chest while you're busy chewing.
"Eat more," he teased, resting his chin on my shoulder. "I like it when you're happy. Even if you're a grumpy, hungry Queen."
I immediately smacked his arm—hard. "I am not grumpy! I'm hungry! There's a biological difference, Keifer!"
But did he listen? Of course not. This is Keifer we're talking about "listening" isn't exactly in his vocabulary.
Before I could even load my fork with more pancit, Keifer tilted my chin up and crashed his lips against mine again. This wasn't like the food-stealing peck from earlier. This was—oh god—this was a full-throttle Wattpad-worthy kiss. It was deep, possessive, and felt like a thousand fireworks were going off behind my eyelids before the clock even hit midnight. My brain officially melted into a puddle of goo.
"KUYA! ENOUGH! PLEASE! HAVE MERCY!"
A voice like a megaphone shattered the romantic atmosphere. I gasped, practically lunging away from Keifer as if he'd suddenly turned into a hot stove.
I whipped my head around to find the brothers standing there. Keigan, the mature (but secretly the most devious) one, had a deadpan expression on his face, while his hand was clamped firmly over Keiran's eyes like he was shielding a toddler from a horror movie.
"My eyes! My innocent, pure eyes are burning!" Keiran wailed from behind Keigan's palm, his voice full of his usual mischief. "I'm having flashbacks! I'm getting second-hand PTSD just standing here! Someone call 911!"
"Seriously, Kuya," Keigan added, his voice dripping with judgment, though I could see a tiny, mischievous glint in his eyes that told me he was definitely enjoying this. "Some of us are trying to enjoy the New Year without witnessing a live-action romance novel in the buffet line. Get a room. Or at least a curtain."
My face was so hot I was surprised the nearby ice sculptures weren't melting. I glared at the ground, suddenly finding my shoes very, very interesting.
"Shut up, both of you," Keifer growled, though he didn't look even a little bit guilty. In fact, he looked annoyed that his brothers had interrupted his 'exploration.'
"We're leaving! We are leaving before I see something that requires years of therapy!" Keiran yelled, stumbling away as Keigan steered him toward the drink station, probably already planning their next prank.
I turned to Keifer and hit him again. "See?! Now look what you did! You traumatized them! And in front of the food, too!"
"They'll live," Keifer smirked, stepping back into my space as if his brothers didn't even exist. "Now, where were we before the peanut gallery showed up?"
"Tita Serina called me," I said, my heart still doing backflips as I reluctantly put my plate away. Goodbye, spring rolls. It was a short but beautiful romance.
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