Jay's Pov
The weekend had finally arrived.
After the craziest week of my entire life—secret half-brother, public kiss number three, Percy's dramatic return, and Keifer finally pulling his head out of his butt—I needed rest.
Just sleep. Maybe food. Definitely no drama.
Ha.
Jare and I were sprawled on the couch at the residence, doing absolutely nothing, when my phone rang.
Tita Serina.
"Hello?"
"JAY! Good, you answered! Lunch today! At our house! Be here in an hour!"
"Tita, I'm really tired, I don't think—"
"NONSENSE! You need to eat! And there are people here who want to see you!"
"People?"
"SURPRISE! See you in an hour!"
She hung up before I could argue.
I stared at my phone. "Tita Serina just invited us to lunch."
Jare didn't open his eyes. "No."
"Yes."
"No."
"YES."
"We're not going."
"We HAVE to go. She already hung up."
"Then call her back."
"She won't answer. She's too powerful."
Jare groaned. "I hate your life."
"You LOVE my life."
"I tolerate your life. There's a difference."
"Same thing."
"Don't use Keifer's lines on me."
"It's MY line now. I earned it."
An hour later, we were standing in front of the Watson mansion.
Dressed in whatever we could find. Me in Keifer's leather jacket (because I wasn't giving it back) and Jare in a hoodie that said "I DON'T DO DRAMA" which was hilarious given our lives.
"Ready?" I asked.
"No."
"Same. Let's go."
We walked in and immediately knew something was DIFFERENT.
The voices. There were MORE voices. And laughter. And—
"Is that Papa?!" Jare froze.
I listened. "And Mama Reycee?!"
We ran toward the dining room.
And stopped dead in the doorway.
The dining table was PACKED.
Like, absolutely stuffed with people.
Tita Serina and Victor at the head. Mia and Keifer on one side. Keigan and Keiren on the other.
And then—
PAPA. MAMA REYCEE. And PERCY.
Sitting at the table like they owned the place.
"JAY-JAY!" Mama Reycee stood up and ran toward me. "BABY!"
"MAMA?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"
"We came to visit! And to meet everyone! And to explain—" She stopped. Looked guilty. "To explain everything."
I looked at Papa. He looked tired. Worried. But hopeful.
"We owe you an explanation," he said quietly. "Both of you."
Jare and I exchanged looks.
"Okay," I said. "But after lunch. I'm too hungry for emotional conversations."
Percy snorted. "Priorities. That's my sister."
"You're NOT taking credit for my survival instincts."
"I'm taking credit for everything. It's my brand."
We sat down. Me between Keifer and Mia. Jare across from us, next to Keiren, who immediately attached himself to Jare.
"HI JARE! I'M KEIREN! I'M SEVEN! I LIKE DINOSAURS!"
"I remember."
"GOOD! We're friends now!"
"Okay?"
Keigan, the 14-year-old, was trying to look cool but definitely checking out the chaos.
Victor was already laughing. "This is going to be the best lunch ever."
"The BEST," Tita Serina agreed.
Mama Reycee was looking around with wide eyes. "You have a beautiful home, Serina."
"Thank you! And you have beautiful children!"
"I know! They're disasters but they're MINE."
Percy raised his hand. "I'm the most beautiful."
"No one asked, Percy."
"Facts don't need to be asked."
Lunch started. And by "started," I mean chaos erupted immediately.
Mama Reycee turned to Keifer with laser focus. "So. YOU'RE the one who's been kissing my daughter."
Keifer choked on his food.
"MAMA!" I screamed.
"What?! I'm just OBSERVING."
"That's my line," Keifer muttered.
"He's cute," Mama Reycee decided. "Tall. Good ears."
"HIS EARS?!"
"They turn red when he looks at you. I've been watching."
"You've been here for FIVE MINUTES!"
"Five minutes is all I need."
Papa was nodding approvingly. "You play basketball, right?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good. I like athletes."
"PAPA."
"What? I'm just saying."
Percy leaned over. "They're going to interrogate him all lunch. This is going to be AMAZING."
"Percy, HELP."
"Help? I bought popcorn for this moment." He actually pulled out popcorn from somewhere.
"WHERE DID YOU GET THAT?!"
"I have my sources."
Keiren, bless his chaotic soul, decided to help.
"Kuya Keifer is REALLY nice!" he announced. "He gave Jay his jacket! And he kisses her! And his ears get red! And he stares at her ALL the time!"
"KEIREN."
"What?! It's TRUE!"
Mama Reycee's eyes sparkled. "He STARES at her?"
"All the time! Like she's the last dinosaur on earth!"
"The last what now?"
"He likes dinosaurs. It's a whole thing."
Victor was LAUGHING. "This kid is going to be the death of Keifer."
"The best death," Tita Serina agreed.
Keifer's ears were now the color of tomatoes. I almost felt bad for him.
Almost.
"Your ears are really red," I whispered.
"Shut up."
"It's cute."
"Don't say cute."
"Too late. Already said it."
He glared at me. But he was fighting a smile.
Then Mama Reycee turned to Jare.
"And YOU. Mia's friend, right?"
Jare froze. "Uh. Yes?"
"You're very quiet."
"I'm... observant."
"Observing is good! My Jay-Jay observes too. When she's not being loud."
"I'm ALWAYS loud."
"That's true."
Mia was bright red. Jare was bright red. They were both looking anywhere but each other.
Keiren, again, saved the day by being absolutely unhinged.
"JARE LIKES MIA!" he announced.
"KEIREN!" Mia screamed.
"What?! He DOES! He looks at her the same way kuya looks at Jay! Like she's a dinosaur!"
"Why do you keep using dinosaurs as a romantic comparison?!"
"Because dinosaurs are the BEST! And love is like dinosaurs! BIG and POWERFUL!"
Victor was crying from laughter. Tita Serina was wiping tears. Even Papa was chuckling.
Mama Reycee leaned toward Mia. "Do you like my son?"
"MAMA!"
"I'm just ASKING!"
Mia's face somehow got redder. "I—he's—we're—"
"She does," I supplied helpfully.
"MIA!"
"What? You DO."
"JAY!"
"I'm just OBSERVING."
Keifer snorted. "Using my lines?"
"Learn from the best."
"You're not the best."
"I'm the BEST."
"Sure."
"STOP."
"Make me."
Mama Reycee gasped. "They do this ALL the time?! This is their THING?!"
"Yes," Mia confirmed. "It's exhausting and romantic at the same time."
"Like a teleserye!"
"EXACTLY like a teleserye."
Percy, meanwhile, was holding court with Keigan.
"So you're the cool one?"
Keigan tried to play it cool. "I guess."
"You guess? Kid, you have the best seat in the house. You get to watch this disaster every day."
"It's pretty entertaining."
"Entertaining? It's a GIFT. My sister and her dramatic love life. Your brother and his red ears. The twins pining for each other." Percy waved dramatically. "This is content."
"You're weird."
"I'm ICONIC. There's a difference."
Keigan almost smiled. "Maybe."
Percy grinned. "I like you. You're my new favorite."
"I thought Jay was your favorite."
"Jay is my favorite SISTER. You're my favorite COOL KID. Different categories."
Papa, meanwhile, was having a serious conversation with Victor.
"So you're the stepdad?"
"Yes. For about ten years now."
"And the kids? They're good?"
"Great. Keifer's a little intense, but he's a good kid. Mia's a sweetheart. The little ones are chaos."
"Chaos is good. Keeps you young."
Victor laughed. "Or makes you old faster."
"Both. Definitely both."
They clinked glasses like old friends.
Midway through lunch, Tita Serina stood up.
"Okay! Since everyone's here, I think we should do something FUN."
"NO," Keifer and I said immediately.
"YES," everyone else said.
"What's the fun thing?" Keiren asked.
"Each person has to say one embarrassing thing about someone at this table!"
Keifer stood up. "I'm leaving."
"SIT DOWN."
"This is a violation of my rights."
"You don't have rights at this table."
"Then I'm REVOLTING."
"Sit. Down. Keifer."
He sat. But he was glaring.
Tita Serina started. "Okay! I'll go first! Keifer, when he was eight, he had a diary. With a LOCK. And he wrote in it every night."
"MOM."
"He wrote about a girl in his class named Maria. He said, and I quote, 'Maria smiled at me today. I think I'm in love.'"
The table ERUPTED.
Keifer buried his face in his hands. "I was EIGHT."
"EIGHT AND IN LOVE!" Percy yelled. "THAT'S MY BOY!"
"YOU'RE NOT MY BOY!"
"I'M EVERYONE'S BOY!"
Victor went next. "Okay, my turn. Mia, when she was six, she tried to run away from home because we wouldn't let her have ice cream for breakfast."
"I was COMMITTED to the cause!"
"She packed a bag. With one shoe. A stuffed animal. And a single slice of bread."
"The bread was for EMERGENCIES!"
Keiren was on the floor laughing. Keigan was actually smiling. Even Jare cracked up.
Mia grabbed my arm. "This is betrayal."
"Betrayal is funny."
"You're supposed to be on MY side!"
"I'm on the side of LAUGHTER."
Mama Reycee raised her hand. "Oh! Oh! I have one! Jay-Jay, when she was five, she tried to cut her own hair because she wanted to 'look like a princess.'"
"No—"
"She ended up with a bald spot. Right here." She pointed at the top of my head. "We had to give her a bowl cut for SIX MONTHS."
"IT GREW BACK!"
"The photos exist, baby. I brought them."
"YOU DID NOT."
She pulled out her phone. "Wanna see?"
"NO."
"TOO LATE!" She showed everyone.
The laughter was DEAFENING.
Keifer looked at the photo. Then at me. Then back at the photo.
"You had a bowl cut."
"SHUT UP."
"It's... adorable."
"It's TRAUMATIC."
"You look like a mushroom."
"I WILL END YOU."
But he was smiling. That real smile.
Papa cleared his throat. "My turn. Jare, when he was three, he was obsessed with a chicken."
Jare's face went white. "Papa, don't."
"A rubber chicken. Named Clucky. He carried it EVERYWHERE. Wouldn't go to sleep without it. Once, we lost Clucky and he cried for THREE DAYS."
Mia's eyes went wide. "You had a rubber chicken named CLUCKY?!"
"It was a PHASE."
"Clucky!"
"STOP."
"I'm never letting this go."
Jare looked at me with pleading eyes. Save me.
I shrugged. You're on your own.
Percy, of course, went last.
"My turn! My turn!" He stood up dramatically. "I have one for EVERYONE."
"No," Keifer said.
"Yes."
"Percy, don't."
"Percy, DO!" Keiren encouraged.
Percy pointed at Keifer. "You. You called Jay 'interesting' before you even knew her name. Yuri told me."
Keifer's ears went red. "That's not embarrassing."
"Your EARS say otherwise."
Percy pointed at Mia. "You. You have a playlist called 'Songs That Make Me Think of Jare.'"
Mia choked. "HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT?!"
"I have my sources."
"YURI!"
"I'm not confirming or denying."
Percy pointed at Jare. "You. You Googled 'how to tell if a girl likes you' last week. The search history is PUBLIC on the residence Wi-Fi."
Jare's soul left his body.
"I—that's—it was for—"
"For RESEARCH!" Ci-n's voice would have said if he were here.
But he wasn't. So Jare just died alone.
Percy pointed at me. "And YOU, dear sister. You saved Keifer's number as 'Gagong Baliw' but changed it to '❤️ Gagong Baliw ❤️' after the first kiss."
"PERCY!"
"The heart emojis don't lie, Jay-Jay."
Keifer looked at me. "You added hearts?"
"SHUT UP."
"Hearts, Jay?"
"SHUT. UP."
He was SMILING. Smug idiot.
After the embarrassment fest, we moved to the living room for "chill time."
Which meant more chaos.
Keiren was building a dinosaur fortress. Keigan was on his phone but definitely listening. Victor and Papa were talking about business. Tita Serina and Mama Reycee were looking at old photos and crying.
And me? I was on the couch with Keifer.
His arm around me. My head on his shoulder.
"Today was insane," I said.
"Every day with you is insane."
"Thanks?"
"It's a compliment."
"Was that a compliment?"
"The highest compliment."
I smiled. "You're weird."
"You're weirder."
"Impossible."
"Clearly not."
We sat in comfortable silence.
Then: "Jay?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm glad you're here."
"Here in your house?"
"Here. In my life."
My heart did a thing. "That's cheesy."
"It's honest."
"Same thing."
"Stop using my lines."
"Never."
He kissed my forehead. Soft.
Across the room, Keiren gasped. "FOREHEAD KISS! I SAW IT!"
"KEIREN, STOP WATCHING!"
"NEVER! I'M DOCUMENTING LOVE!"
Mia and Jare were on the other couch. Also close. Also pink.
"Jare," Mia whispered.
"Yeah?"
"Clucky."
"NOT FUNNY."
"Little bit funny."
"...Maybe little bit."
She laughed. He smiled.
And for a moment, everything was perfect.
Later, as we were leaving, Mama Reycee pulled me aside.
"Jay-Jay. About Jeana—"
"Not now, Mama."
"But—"
"Not now. I'm not ready."
She looked sad. But she nodded. "Okay. When you're ready."
"I will be. Just... not yet."
She hugged me. "I love you. You know that, right?"
"I know."
"No matter what. You're my daughter. Always."
I hugged her back. "I know, Mama."
Keifer walked us to the gate.
"Same time tomorrow?" he asked.
"Maybe. If you're lucky."
"I'm always lucky with you."
"That's so cheesy."
"Your fault."
"How is it MY fault?"
"You make me like this."
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only answer I have."
I laughed. Pulled him down. Kissed him quick.
"Goodnight, Gagong Baliw."
"Goodnight, heart emoji girl."
"I WILL KILL YOU."
"❤️"
I walked away, smiling like an idiot.
Behind me, I heard Keiren yell, "THEY KISSED AGAIN! THAT'S NUMBER FOUR!"
"KEIREN, GO TO BED!"
"NEVER! LOVE NEVER SLEEPS!"
That Night, in the Group Chat
SAME BRAIN CELLS (PLUS GUESTS)
CI-N: REPORT. SHIP UPDATE. KISS NUMBER FOUR CONFIRMED.
FELIX: I'm CRYING. MY RADAR IS OVERLOADED.
YURI: Keifer just texted me "she called me Gagong Baliw with hearts" and I've never seen him so happy.
SARAH: This is the best timeline.
DAVE: I ate too much lunch. Worth it.
BEN: I have 47 new photos. The lighting was PERFECT.
BELLA: Of course it was.
MAYO: True love is real.
KIT: So real.
EMAN: Cookies for everyone tomorrow. Celebration.
CALIX: Mica says congrats to both couples.
RORY: Hacking group chat is also invested.
EDRIX: Freya is SPIRALING.
DREW: I won 500 pesos on them dating by Friday. PAY UP.
EREN: My girlfriends are all asking about Jay. I don't know how to explain.
JOSH: 👊
BASTER: 🎵🎵🎵 (wedding music)
DAVID: I just woke up. Did something happen?
CI-N: EVERYTHING happened. Go back to sleep.
DAVID: Okay. leaves chat
MIA: I love this chaotic family.
JARE: Same.
ME: Same.
KEIFER: Same.
PERCY: I'M THE FAVORITE THOUGH, RIGHT?
EVERYONE: NO.
PERCY: UNFAIR.