Jayjay'sPOV
Everyone was surrounding Keifer and me while we stood right in the center of the crowd.
"WE ARE GETTING MARRIED TONIGHT!" Keifer announced.
Instantly, their jaws dropped. Except for Lola, of course, since this whole thing was her brilliant plan.
"What?"
"No way!"
"You're joking!"
"Nice joke."
"It's not funny."
"What the..."
"Hell?!"
"That can't happen!"
"Liar!"
They all shouted at the exact same time, making it impossible to tell who said what. But I was pretty sure the one who said "That can't happen" was Kuya Angelo. I didn't care, though. We were going to get married eventually anyway, so we might as well just do it now.
"If he was lying, why would we be wearing these outfits?" I asked sarcastically, gesturing to our wedding clothes. They all nodded, realizing I had a point.
"Come on, let's go to the church!" Lola commanded. Keifer immediately took hold of my hand.
"Let's go," we said together, looking at each other and smiling.
"No way, you're too young!" Aries protested, only to get a swift smack on the head from Lola.
"Jayjay," Kuya warned, his voice strict, but Lola grabbed him by the ear before he could finish.
"It's my decision. I told the kids to do this," Lola stated firmly. Keifer and I both nodded as Section E literally started jumping and dancing around us.
"JAYFER WEDDING!" they all shouted, bursting into a chaotic dance. "JAYFER! JAYFER! JAYFER! JAYFER!"
They kept chanting our ship name while tearing up the grass. Keifer and I were laughing so hard that my stomach actually started to hurt. Ci-n walked up to me, wiping a fake tear from his eye.
"My Ate is getting married," he whined dramatically, before breaking into a dance right in front of me. He signaled with his hand, and Felix, Yuri, and Percy rushed over to join his ridiculous dance circle.
"Bro, you won," Yuri said, walking up to pat Keifer's arm.
"Lola did," Keifer replied with a huge grin.
"My baby sista is getting married!" Percy screamed at the top of his lungs.
Then Aries approached. He placed a gentle hand on my head and looked at Keifer. "You're just getting married, not living together yet," he warned. Keifer nodded respectfully. Aries then pulled me into a tight, protective hug. "You've grown up so much," he whispered against my hair, and for a second, I felt like crying.
Next was Tita Gemma. "Jay, are you absolutely sure about this?" she asked. I nodded without hesitation. Ate Ion ran up next, yelling, "Congratulations, Jay!" as she squeezed me tightly. I hugged her back warmly.
Then came Kuya Angelo. "I'm only accepting this because of Lola," he muttered grumpily before walking away. Finally, Tita Jenny stepped up. She gave me a totally fake smile, and I made sure to give an equally fake one right back to her.
"Enough!" Lola shouted, breaking up the crowd. "Clear the path for the bride and groom! To the church!"
Everyone stepped aside immediately. I held onto Keifer's arm while he carefully gathered the heavy layers of my gown so I wouldn't trip over myself. We reached Keifer's jeep, and he opened the door for me. He gently stuffed the massive tulle skirt inside and leaned over to buckle my seatbelt securely before heading over to the driver's side.
He started the engine, and I looked out the window. When I turned my head, I saw a massive line of cars trailing right behind us. First was Kuya Angelo's car, followed by Aries, Percy, Tita Jenny, and Yuri. Bringing up the rear were the rest of the Section E cars.
"Jayjay, you're going to fall out of the window," Keifer teased.
"Hey!" I barked, snapping back into my seat.
"What? I'm right. Look at you—you're so tiny and thin, a strong breeze could literally make you fly away," he joked, laughing at his own wit.
I crossed my arms and glared at him. "Take a U-turn right now. I don't want to get married to you anymore," I threatened.
"Sorry, sorry," he chuckled quickly, keeping his eyes on the road.
"Apologizing is not my thing so is explaining. So, where did that come from?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Umm... maybe I lost that side of me the exact day I fell for you," he said softly, flashing a rare, genuine smile.
After that, a comfortable silence settled between us. Neither of us spoke another word until we finally pulled up to the church, and he stepped out to help me down.
We both stood right outside the church doors, waiting for everyone else to file inside first. After a moment, Papa walked up to us, and Keifer gently let go of my hand so he could head in ahead of us. Papa smiled softly, offering me his arm, and we walked in together after a short while.
Everyone was already settled in the pews. Keifer was standing right at the front beside the priest, looking incredibly sharp in his tuxedo. Papa and I walked down the aisle toward them. When we reached the altar, Papa slowly placed my hand into Keifer's large, steady grip.
"Take care of her," Papa said softly, his voice full of emotion.
"I always will," Keifer replied without a second thought. Papa nodded gratefully and walked over to take his seat with the rest of the family.
I stood right beside Keifer, facing the priest as the real wedding ceremony began. The church grew beautifully quiet. The priest cleared his throat and looked at Keifer first.
"Keifer Watson, do you take Jayjay to be your lawfully wedded wife, to live together in holy matrimony? Do you promise to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, and remain faithful to her as long as you both shall live?"
Keifer looked down at me, his eyes incredibly deep and completely serious. "I do," he said, his strong voice echoing clearly through the quiet church.
The priest then turned to me and smiled warmly. "Jayjay, do you take Keifer Watson to be your lawfully wedded husband, to live together in holy matrimony? Do you promise to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health, and remain faithful to him as long as you both shall live?"
I felt a sudden rush of warmth inside my chest. I looked up at the man who had completely changed my entire life. "I do," I whispered, but I made sure it was loud enough for everyone to hear.
The priest smiled broadly at both of us and raised his hands in a blessing. "By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. The groom may now kiss the bride, and you may walk together into your new journey."
As soon as the priest said those words, Keifer didn't wait for another second. He stepped close and tenderly cupped my cheek. He leaned down, but he must have noticed the sudden panic in my eyes and realized how embarrassed I was to kiss in front of my entire family and Section E.
Without breaking eye contact, he gently placed his own thumb over my lips, leaning in to press his lips against his thumb instead. It was our own private, perfect moment. Ok we have kissed Infront of the whole section E but I can't do that Infront of my family it's embarrassing.
We pulled away and looked at each other, both of us biting our lips to hold back our laughter. We knew exactly what we were about to do, and it was going to make everyone completely explode—especially Kuya Angelo.
Keifer tightly gripped my hand, and we immediately pivoted toward the main doors. Sensing the sudden movement, everyone snapped their heads toward us.
"Sorry, everyone, but I'm taking my wife with me for tonight!" Keifer yelled at the top of his lungs.
But since the church doors were still a good distance away, we actually had to run for it. The only problem? I couldn't move.
"Jayjay! Get back here right now!" Kuya shouted, his strict voice echoing off the high church walls as he started to move after us.
"Sorry, Kuya!" I called back.
"That's not fair!" Ci-n whined dramatically.
"It's fair and square!" Keifer and I shouted back in unison.
Argh, why is the exit still so far away? Oh, wait, it wasn't the door—it was just me. I literally couldn't run because of the massive, heavy layers of my gown. Keifer instantly noticed that I was struggling to move in the dress. Before I could even protest, he swooped down, hoisted me right up onto his shoulder, and sprinted. How the heck was he running so fast while carrying me like a trophy?
"Close the doors! Block them!" Kuya ordered the boys, but his command came too late. We were already bursting through the exit and out into the cool night air.
"I'll be back after midnight!" I yelled back into the church as Keifer practically threw me into the passenger seat. He slammed the door, jumped into the driver's side, and started the engine. Within three seconds, he stepped on the gas and drove away so fast the tires practically screeched.
We played the song Minamahal in the car. Honestly, it was my first time hearing it, but it instantly became my favorite. When we finally reached Keifer's house, he got out and opened the passenger door for me.
"Come on, Jay, let's go inside," he said.
Instead of moving, I just held my arms out wide toward him. He knew exactly what I meant, but he was playing dumb just to tease me.
"Piggyback ride," I demanded, flashing a wide smile.
He laughed softly and turned around, bending down slightly so I could hop on. I jumped onto his back, wrapping my arms loosely around his neck while his hands securely supported my legs.
"You fine up there?" he asked. I nodded and rested my head against his shoulder. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the edge of his lips curve upward. He was smiling.
The front door was already unlocked, so he carried me right inside and gently set me down on the couch before sitting beside me. He was just about to say something when Keigan and Keiran walked downstairs. They stopped dead in their tracks, looking at us in pure shock.
"What the..." Keiran muttered.
"Why are you guys wearing wedding outfits?" Keigan asked, blinking rapidly.
"We got married," Keifer said normally, acting like it was just a regular Tuesday. But it wasn't a regular Tuesday because it's Friday, ha 😅.
But his brothers were definitely not reacting normally.
"HOW?!"
"WHEN?!"
They both shouted at the exact same time.
"Just now. And how? Like normal people get married, stupid," Keifer rolled his eyes.
"I mean... aren't her brothers against this?" Keigan asked, sounding completely baffled.
"Brothers are not the whole family," Keifer replied smoothly.
"So, is she going to live here now?" Keigan pressed.
"It's none of your business, but still, yes," Keifer answered.
Keiran shrugged. "It's fine with me, as long as she doesn't burn our house down like she did last Christmas."
"It's her house too. And even if she burns it down, that's fine," Keifer snapped, clearly getting pissed off at his brothers. I just sat there like a statue, not moving a muscle or saying a single word.
"Whatever, I'm going back to my room," Keigan muttered and headed back upstairs.
Keiran turned to Keifer. "Kuya, I have homework and I can't understand it."
"Ask Honey," Keifer suggested.
"She's busy with her brother," Keiran pointed out, glancing at me.
"Then Jayjay and I can help you together," Keifer offered.
Keiran backed away immediately. "No way. You both will just start yelling at me like you did before."
Hearing that, Keifer and I suddenly got a shared flashback of the time we actually did yell at him. Okay, yeah... we were pretty intense back then.
"Ask Keigan, then," Keifer said. Keiran nodded quickly and ran upstairs after his brother. Once they were gone, Keifer turned back to me, his expression turning serious.
"It's about the hit list, right?" I asked softly. He nodded.
"I don't want to talk about this right now, especially tonight, but it's important," he said. I placed a hand on his shoulder, gesturing for him to continue. "Yuri's parents got a divorce. Yuri doesn't know anything about it yet, but they are still forcing him to follow the hit list. He doesn't want to do it anymore, but they are all threatening him using his mom."
I looked at his worried face. "It's okay. What, are you afraid of dying?" I teased. I didn't like seeing this heavy, stressed version of Keifer; I preferred the arrogant guy who always teased me and took care of me.
He looked up at me and laughed out loud, the tension leaving his shoulders. "I'm not afraid of dying. I'm afraid that I will end up killing Yuri," he said. I laughed softly along with him.
Right then, my stomach growled so incredibly loud that I felt my face flush with embarrassment.
"I'm hungry," I whispered, looking away.
"I know," he said, biting his lip to hide his amusement. "What do you want to eat?"
"Salmon stick," I smiled widely. "Like the one you cooked for me when we were stuck on the island."
He burst out laughing. "It's steak, idiot. And first, call me hubby." He smirked, leaning in.
"Nope," I said, crossing my arms stubbornly.
"We are literally husband and wife now," he pointed out.
"Food first."
"Hubby first."
"Food!"
"Say it."
"No, food first!"
"Just say it."
"I said no!"
"Say hubby."
"Hubby!" I snapped.
"Now say—" He cut himself off, a massive, victorious smile breaking across his face. He didn't even finish his sentence; he just stood up with that smug grin and walked straight into the kitchen to start cooking for me.
He came back into the living room and gestured for me to get up and go to the dining table. But I didn't move an inch. I literally couldn't handle the weight of this dress anymore.
"Carry me," I said, looking up at him pouty-faced.
He let out a soft sigh but didn't argue. He leaned down and scooped me up effortlessly in a bridal carry.
"I feel like I'm your personal ride tonight," he teased as he walked toward the dining room.
"You're my husband," I muttered back, resting my hands on his shoulders.
He placed me gently onto one of the dining chairs and went back into the kitchen to grab the food. All the house servants were staring at him in pure shock. I couldn't help but smile—they had probably never seen the great Keifer Watson stepping into a kitchen, let alone cooking while wearing a tuxedo!
He came back out and placed a perfectly cooked plate of salmon steak right in front of me. I didn't waste any time; I stabbed the steak with my fork and started eating happily. In my rush, I accidentally got some hot sauce on my lips. Before I could even look for a tissue, Keifer leaned over and gently wiped it off with a napkin, his eyes soft.
"I don't hate Yuri's mom. I just don't like her, but still, I don't want her to be left in that condition all alone," I said before chewing another piece of steak.
"We can't do anything, Jay. And don't you dare meddle in this again," he said strictly.
I gave him a wide smile that reached my eyes. "Maybe I will or maybe I won't. I don't know, but even if I want to, you can't stop me," I said, pointing my fork at him playfully. "If you try, I'm going to stab you with this fork."
He let out a soft, amused laugh. "Well, at least I'll die at the hands of my wifey."
"Whatever," I muttered, finishing the last bite of my steak. "What about my clothes?" I asked, looking down at my heavy gown.
"Wear mine," he replied simply.
"No way, they won't fit me at all!"
"Just wear one of my polo shirts and trousers. They'll fit comfortably enough," he said as he stood up to take the empty plates back to the kitchen. When he walked back into the dining room, he raised an eyebrow. "Why are you still sitting here?"
"I told you, I can't walk up the stairs in this massive dress," I said, gesturing to the heavy layers of tulle.
He sighed, but a small smile played on his lips as he turned around and bent down to offer me a piggyback ride. Woohoo! I absolutely love it when I don't have to walk. I hopped onto his back, and he adjusted his grip on my legs to support my weight. Then, a sudden realization hit me.
"Keifer," I said, my tone sounding instantly suspicious.
"What?" he asked, taking a step forward.
"My nose is getting runny," I admitted. I reached up to scratch my head out of habit, but because of that, I lost my balance and almost flipped backward. Keifer quickly caught me and tightened his grip.
"Don't move!" he scolded.
"Don't scold me, or I'm going to wipe my nose right on your coat!" I threatened. He went completely quiet after that.
He started climbing the stairs effortlessly. I watched the steps fly by, amazed by his strength. "How can you walk up the stairs this fast while carrying me on your back?" I asked him.
"Practice," he answered smoothly.
My eyes narrowed. "Practice? How? You weren't even here for a long time, so you probably practiced by carrying other women around!"
Keifer looked absolutely terrified for a split second. "Excuse me? I only, and only, carry you," he said defensively. I couldn't help but smile at his reaction.
He finally reached his bedroom and gently set me down on the edge of the bed. Then, he walked into his walk-in closet and came back out a moment later with a T-shirt and a pair of drawstring trousers.
"Here, go change," he said, handing them to me.
I took the clothes and went into the bathroom. After taking a long, relaxing shower, I changed into his oversized clothes and walked back out. Keifer had already changed into his normal clothes too. He didn't even look up when the door opened because he was completely buried in his phone.
Feeling ignored, I marched over to the bed, grabbed a fluffy pillow, and smacked him hard right on the head.
"Ha! That is for not noticing me!" I declared, planting my hands firmly on my waist.
"Ow, Jay!" he groaned, rubbing the spot where the pillow had connected. "I was just checking important business emails!"
"Sorry. You didn't notice me, so I just hit you, hehe," I said, scratching the back of my head.
"Oh, so you want my attention?" he teased, a smirk playing on his lips.
"Shut up! I know what you're thinking, you dirty-minded idiot jerk," I snapped. I hit him again with the pillow, which only made him burst out laughing. His laughter annoyed me even more, so I kept hitting him again and again. I didn't stop until he reached up and firmly caught both of my wrists in the air.
"Okay, okay, stop now," he chuckled, gently letting go of my wrists.
I huffed, stepping away from the bed to grab my hairbrush. I started trying to comb through my hair, but it was so badly tangled from the heavy hairstyle earlier that tears immediately welled up in my eyes. Keifer must have noticed my struggle because he walked over to me. Without saying a word, he gently took the brush out of my hand and set it aside.
"If you try to brush your hair while it's still this wet, it's only going to hurt worse," he said softly. He grabbed a fresh towel and began to gently dry my hair. When the towel couldn't do any more, he pulled out a blow-dryer. He worked carefully, running his fingers through the strands until they were only slightly damp.
Then, he took the hairbrush again. He began combing through the tangles so incredibly gently that I barely even felt the bristles touching my scalp. My hair had been a complete mess; I was entirely sure that brushing it would be agonizing. It had hurt when I tried it, but under Keifer's care, there wasn't a single hint of pain. He was just so gentle with me. To finish it off, he even tucked a cute hair clip into place.
"Thanks," I muttered under my breath, but he heard me.
"Jayjay... are you still mad at me?" he asked. I turned around to look at him, completely confused.
"For what?" I asked, genuinely having no idea what he was talking about.
"For not giving you your dream wedding tonight... and for ignoring you earlier," he confessed, looking down as he scratched the back of his neck.
I reached up and cupped his face with both hands, gently forcing him to look at me since he was completely avoiding my gaze. "Well, for the wedding, I'm definitely not mad. We can always have the big function later anyway. But as for the attention..." I let go of his face and crossed my arms stubbornly, "I am absolutely furious."
"I'll do anything you want. Please, just don't be mad at me," he pleaded. I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing because he looked so ridiculously cute while pouting like a toddler.
"Anything?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. He nodded eagerly. I tapped my chin, pretending to think hard about a punishment, but honestly, I couldn't think of anything major. "Just go make some tea for both of us, and we'll drink it out on the balcony." I pointed toward the glass doors.
He nodded quickly and turned to head downstairs. While he was gone, I walked out onto the balcony, resting my hands on the cool railing as I looked up at the bright moon shining right in front of me. After a short while, Keifer returned, handing me a warm cup of tea. He leaned against the railing beside me, holding his own cup as he stared up at the night sky.
"Isn't the moon looking extra beautiful tonight?" I asked, turning my head to look at him.
"It is, but..." He paused, his deep eyes locking onto mine, "...not more than you."
He smirked, and I felt my face instantly burn up. Ugh, this guy and his endless flirting! Wait—what the hell? I'm turning into Aries the horoscope with all these cheesy thoughts. I just sighed, finally accepting the fact that his presence had a massive effect on me.
"You are so flirty," I muttered, looking back toward the moon to hide my blush.
"Just with you," he whispered. I looked back at him to find him smiling so warmly at me, and I couldn't help but smile right back.
"What do we do now?" I asked, placing my empty cup on the small table on the balcony.
"Let's watch a movie," Keifer said, a smirk spreading across his face. I knew exactly what kind of movie he was talking about.
"Okay, but a comedy," I countered. He shook his head immediately.
"No, no, no. Horror," he said, his smirk widening.
"No way!"
"Why? Are you scared?" he asked teasingly.
"H-no! W-why would I-I be scared?" Ugh, why the hell am I stammering?!
"Then why are you stammering?" he pointed out, chuckling.
"I need to go to the bathroom," I announced. Without waiting for his response, I turned on my heel and bolted to the bathroom. As I was standing there trying to calm my racing heart, I heard his voice echo from outside.
"Come downstairs to the third room!" he shouted.
"Okay!" I shouted back. I listened closely until I heard his footsteps fade away. After a short while, I finally came out and headed downstairs.
When I reached the lower hall, I saw two doors facing each other across the corridor. First, I opened the left door. It was pitch black inside, so I quickly snapped it shut. Then, I opened the right door, and my jaw instantly dropped while my eyes widened in pure disbelief.
This wasn't just a room; it was a freaking home cinema! There was a massive projector screen stretching across the front wall, and rows of chairs lined up just like a real movie theater, only they looked way more luxurious and comfortable. I spotted Keifer sitting all the way in the back row on what looked less like a theater chair and more like a plush, oversized sofa.
I walked up the aisle to join him, intentionally leaving a noticeable gap of space between us. But the second I sat down, he slid over, completely closing the distance. I blinked at him, suddenly wondering why I had even bothered leaving a space in the first place. I just let him stay there and turned my attention back to the screen.
Holy crap. The title card popped up: The Conjuring 2.
Literally, he wanted me dead. I instinctively moved even closer to his side.
"Are you scared?" he teased.
I shook my head stubbornly. "Nope."
"Then why are you this close?" he asked.
I immediately shoved myself a little away from him. But once the movie actually started, it was absolutely terrifying. Every single time a jump scare happened or the demon appeared on screen, I couldn't help but scream out loud and cling to his arm for dear life.
"Keif, we should go to sleep," I whined, but he didn't even take his eyes off the screen.
"You go ahead. I'll come up after finishing the movie," he said calmly.
But how on earth was I supposed to walk back through that dark house alone when I was literally this terrified? I tried to pull myself together and moved a little away from him again, desperately wanting to hide how scared I actually was.
Suddenly, I felt a cold hand wrap around my waist.
"GHOST! GHOST! GHOST! GHOST!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, jumping clean out of my seat.
"It was just my hand! You are so scared, Jay. Come here," he managed to say through his fits of laughter, opening his arms wide for me. I rolled my eyes hard at his ridiculous prank and sat back down beside him.
"Get lost," I muttered.
By the time the movie was nearing its end, I somehow found myself tucked right under Keifer's arm. He was holding me tightly against his side, and I was wrapping both of my arms around his waist just as securely. I tried to pull away slightly, but his grip didn't budge.
"Is my scaredy baby fine now?" he asked, his tone sounding exactly like he was talking to a coddled toddler.
I managed to free one of my arms and smacked his chest hard, which only made him laugh more. "You're the scaredy cat here! You got so scared of Kuya Angelo earlier that you literally bent down to hide in the car!" I hit his chest again for good measure.
"And when exactly did that happen?" he asked, acting completely innocent.
"Right when you said, 'Of course he's strong, I need to prepare!'" I mimicked his deep voice perfectly.
He looked down at me, an amused glint in his eyes. "Okay, fine. If I'm such a scaredy cat, then why are you clinging to me right now?" he asked, smirking.
"B-because—"
I was cut off instantly by a loud, sudden crash echoing from the kitchen. My brain short-circuited, and I instinctively buried my face right back into his chest, squeezing him even tighter than before.
"AHH! Keifer, a ghost! There is an actual ghost in your house, AHH!" I cried out, my voice muffled against his shirt. I gripped his waist so hard my knuckles turned white, and before I knew it, real tears of pure terror actually started spilling down my cheeks.
Realizing I was genuinely crying, Keifer's playful mood vanished. He gently rubbed my back to calm me down, chuckling softly as he pressed a comforting kiss to the top of my head. He tried to shift his weight to stand up, but I refused to unlock my arms.
"Where do you think you're going?" I panicked, clinging to him like glue.
"To check if there's an intruder or a ghost," he explained gently. "Come on, let's go look together." He stood up, extending a hand down to me.
"No! I am not going anywhere near that kitchen!" I insisted, scrambling up to grab hold of his forearm. "And you're not going either!" I whispered fiercely.
"Okay, then. Let's just sit right here and wait for the ghost to come find us," he said casually.
Hearing that, I stood up immediately. He started walking toward the door, and I shuffled right behind him, clutching the back of his shirt so tightly that the fabric was practically screaming.
We finally reached the kitchen, and Keifer slowly pushed the door open. It was so pitch black inside that I immediately switched from clutching his shirt to wrapping myself tightly around his arm.
"Keif, turn the lights on," I whispered urgently.
He flipped the switch, and the sudden bright light revealed... nothing but a kid sitting on the counter eating ice cream. He had ice cream smeared all over his face as he looked up at us and smiled. Wait. Keiran... smiling? No way. I had literally only ever seen him looking completely grumpy.
"What the hell are you doing down here?" Keifer asked angrily. I winced. Why was he being so harsh on a kid?
"Eating ice cream," Keiran answered simply, raising the tub to show us. "Can you see it now?"
"You are not allowed to eat sweets this late at night, and it is way past your bedtime," Keifer lectured, sounding so incredibly mad that for a second, I thought he was actually going to scold the poor kid into oblivion.
Keiran glared back. "Kuya, why don't you ever apply those strict rules to her?" he asked, pointing his finger right at me.
"Huh?" I blinked, completely confused.
"Lower your finger right now," Keifer warned coldly, and Keiran quickly dropped his hand.
"No bedtime for her, and she gets to eat sweets whenever she wants at night. Wow. Just wow," Keiran muttered. Seriously, why did this kid hate me so much?
"Look at yourself—you're a child. And look at her—she's a high school student, she's married, and she is my wife," Keifer stated firmly, putting emphasis on the last words.
"Yeah, a wife who can actually order you around, and you actually listen to her," Keiran muttered under his breath. Even though he tried to whisper it, both of us heard him perfectly, and it made me instantly burst out laughing.
"Jayjay," Keifer groaned, looking at me.
"Okay, okay, Keifer, just let the kid finish enjoying his ice cream," I said, stepping in.
Keiran stared at me for a moment, his grumpy expression melting away. "You know, you're really not that bad," he said, offering a genuine smile. I smiled right back at him.
"Fine. Let's go back and finish our movie then," Keifer said, turning to leave.
"No, wait—drop me home first," I said quickly. Keifer stopped in his tracks, raising a sharp eyebrow at me.
"Why?" he asked.
"I told Kuya Angelo that I would be back after midnight," I explained, but the moment I said it, Keifer's face fell, and he looked deeply upset.
"You're not going anywhere tonight. You're staying right here," he said stubbornly.
I took a step back and crossed my arms. "Excuse me? Are you," I pointed a finger at his chest, "going to order me around?" I pointed back at myself.
Keifer didn't answer me right away. Instead, he looked past me. "Keiran, go upstairs to your room. Now." Keiran didn't need to be told twice; he scrambled off the counter and ran upstairs.
Once his brother was gone, Keifer turned his full attention back to me. His tough posture completely disappeared. "I'm not ordering you, Jay. I'm just asking you for a favor," he said softly, looking down at me with the biggest, most helpless puppy-dog eyes I had ever seen.
Oh my god. I absolutely could not say no to those eyes. Argh, Jayjay, stay strong! Say no! Say no! Say no! "Okay, fine," I groaned, giving in.
A victorious smile broke across his face. He instantly grabbed my hand and dragged me straight back into the home cinema.
"One more movie?" he asked eagerly once the door shut behind us.
"No, no, no, absolutely not!" I said, my eyes darting to the giant wall clock ticking away at the back of the room.
"Why not? Are you scared again?" he teased.
I shook my head rapidly. I was honestly scared out of my mind after The Conjuring, but there was no way on earth I was ever going to admit that in front of the King of the Ulupongs. So, I just marched back over to my spot on the sofa and sat down. Keifer followed right behind me, sitting down on his side—only this time, he slid even closer than before.
Our first movie had thankfully ended, and I swear, every single time that ghost appeared on the screen, I felt like my soul was literally leaving my body. While Keifer was busy scrolling through the screen to select the next movie, I found myself absentmindedly playing with his hair. It was just so incredibly soft and silky. For some reason, he didn't seem to mind at all that I was messing with it. I even playfully arranged his hair strands into the shape of a heart and took a quick picture of it on my phone.
But then I looked up at the screen to see what he had chosen, and my heart dropped. He had selected yet another horror movie: The Exorcist. God save me.
"Ahh! Jay!" Keifer suddenly yelped.
I jumped, realizing that in my sheer shock from reading the movie title, I had accidentally yanked a fistful of his hair.
"Sorry," I whispered quickly, leaning my back against the plush cushions of the sofa to create some distance.
"It's fine," he grumbled, rubbing his scalp as the movie started playing.
Why did this one seem ten times more terrifying than the first one? I immediately grabbed a throw cushion and held it right in front of my face to block the view. But even if I couldn't see, the creepy, demonic audio track was completely freaking me out. Giving up on being stubborn, I lunged forward and hugged Keifer tightly once again. He didn't complain; he just wrapped his arm securely around my shoulders so I wouldn't slide off the couch.
While his eyes stayed glued to the screen, he started running his fingers through my hair, massaging my head so gently.
"Jayjay, don't ever brush your hair the way you did earlier," he said softly, his voice cutting through the spooky movie audio. "Just by looking at you, I could tell you were using way too much force."
I didn't answer out loud; I just nodded my head against his chest, snuggling closer. I kept my eyes tightly shut to avoid looking at the screen, but the terrifying sound effects were just too loud. When a blood-curdling scream echoed through the speakers, I panicked and squeezed him even tighter, practically crushing his ribs.
A moment later, I felt something gentle being pressed into my ears. Suddenly, the horrific movie sounds faded away, replaced by the deep, peaceful track of falling rain droplets. I reached up and touched my ears—they were wireless earbuds. Keifer must have quietly slipped them into my ears while I was busy clinging to him for dear life.
I looked up at his face and smiled widely, even though he was still staring straight ahead, acting emotionless. The rhythmic sound of the rain was so soothing and peaceful that the heavy exhaustion from the long day finally caught up to me. I didn't even realize when my eyes grew heavy and I drifted off to sleep right there in his arms.
Right before I completely lost consciousness, I felt the faint, warm pressure of a soft kiss being pressed against the top of my head.
I didn't need to open my eyes to know it was him.
The End 🌸.