Jayjay's Pov:
After eating, they all went to clean the fun room and assigned Keifer and me to wash the dishes. Wow, just wow. Now I'm trapped with this jerk to WASH THE DISHES.
I was applying dish soap to the plates while he rinsed them. The soap kept stinging the cuts on my hands—wounds I'd picked up from my previous fights. It burned, but I tried to keep a straight face. I don't know when a tear dropped from my right eye, but he noticed because he was standing on my right.
"Jayjay, what happened? Why are you crying?" he asked, his voice full of worry.
"Nothing, something just went in my eye," I said, going back to my work. "Ouch!" Why did I say that? Now he was looking at my hands. The soap suddenly hurt a lot more.
"Jayjay, how are you applying soap to the dishes when you have cuts? It'll hurt! Leave it," he said, taking the sponge 🧽 from my hand. I looked at him defiantly.
"No, I can do it," I said, snatching the sponge back.
"Give me this. You are not doing this," he said, snatching it again.
"Then I'll rinse the dishes!" I said, pushing him aside to take his spot and wash the soap off my hands.
"Jay, go and sit over there," he said, his voice deep this time. I just shook my head.
"You won't?" he asked. I nodded. Then, he put the sponge down, washed the soap off his hands, and stepped closer to me. My breath hitched.
"W... what are you doing?" I asked.
Without a warning, he grabbed the antiseptic cream and bandages from the counter and started walking quickly toward the stairs.
"Hey! Those are for my hands! Give them back!" I yelled. I couldn't let him just walk off with the only thing that would stop the stinging. I chased after him, but he was fast. He led me all the way to my bedroom door.
"You don't understand the language of care, so this is what happens," he said, stepping into my room and placing the medicine on my desk. I rushed in after him to grab it, but the moment I stepped inside, he moved to the doorway, blocking it.
"What the hell!!!!!" I yelled.
"Don't waste your energy on yelling, it will not make me move. he said as he walked. "Now stay here, or I'll lock you in," he said calmly.
"How would you even have my room keys?" I asked sarcastically. He pulled something out of his pocket—my ROOM KEYS. "You jerk! How did you get those?" I tried to grab them, but he held them high, and I started jumping like a bunny to reach them.
"Aries gave them to me," he said. I stopped jumping and glared at him. He leaned in to get on my eye level, and our eyes met. "You look cute when you're pissed and jumping like a bunny," he said.
Then he walked out casually, as if he hadn't just started a storm inside me. Now I'm so confused. Do I like him? Do I hate him?
I went down anyway. Why should I listen to him? He is nothing to me at all; I'm just forced to be his fiancé. But this stupid heart won't admit it—why is my heart racing? I started rubbing my chest. Omg, what is happening? This shouldn't be happening. I can't fall for that guy; he's insane! And why did Aries give him my room keys? I hate him!
I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't realize I was already downstairs. I went into the fun room and punched Aries' arm so hard that he jumped.
"Ouch! Jayjay, what was that for?" he asked, completely confused.
"You're asking me?" I snapped. "You gave my room keys to that jerk, and now you're asking me?" I let out a dry, sarcastic laugh. "Who gave you permission to give my keys to him? That's my personal space, but I guess it's not anymore because you just handed them over!"
"I didn't 'just' give them to him," he said casually.
"Liar! He told me that YOU gave them to him," I argued.
"That was Papa's order. Are you going to punch Papa like that, too?" he asked. I immediately stopped and rubbed the back of my neck.
"Sorry... but you could have at least told me," I muttered. I walked toward him, but he just crossed his arms. "Guys, can I talk to Aries alone for a second?" I asked the others. They nodded and left the room.
"Oh, my poor brother... you should have just told me," I said, trying to hug him, but he stayed still with his arms crossed, not even looking at me.
"Like you gave me a chance to explain!" he said, looking away. "I gave him the keys yesterday, and then we started the sleepover right away, so I didn't get a chance to tell you."
"Sorry na, please?" I said, holding my ears and making the cutest face I could. I knew he would melt, and he did—his eyes softened instantly.
"Ok, fine," he said. I jumped up and hugged him tightly.
"Ok, ok. Now go tell the others to come back in," he said. I went out and nodded to the group, and they all filed back into the room.
We had been awake since 5:00 AM, and suddenly it was 7:30 AM. We have to reach uni by 8:00! Omg!
"RAKKI, ELLA, MICA, FREYA, GRACE—WE'RE GOING TO BE LATE!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. They all came running out.
"Omg, Jay is right. We only have half an hour!" Rakki said, panicking.
"Yeah, so?" Ella asked, as if it weren't a big deal.
"So?" Freya repeated. "We're going to be late!"
"Girl, I'm going to my house to change and I'll head to uni from there," Mica said.
"Me too," Grace added.
"Yeah, I'll do the same," said Rakki.
"Hmm, sounds like that's what I'm doing, too," Ella agreed.
"Then I'll be going now. Bye, Jayjay!" Freya said, but I caught her wrist. "What?" she asked.
"What about your boyfriends?" I asked all of them.
"I'll go with mine," Freya said.
"Yeah, me too," Ella added.
"Then Aries will drop you?" I asked Ella, and she nodded. "Then how will he get ready?"
"First he'll get ready here, then we'll go to my house so I can change, and then we'll head to uni from there," she explained.
"Ok," I said.
"And you will be going with Keifer," Ella said with a smirk.
"Wait, what?" I asked. "Never! Never ever in my life!"
"Girl, you have to! Please, for me?" she pleaded, holding my hands.
"Ok, fine. But when Aries is gone, is Keifer staying here?" I asked. She nodded. "Great!" I said sarcastically.
"It's fine. Aries told me he asked Keifer to bring an extra pair of clothes, so he'll get ready in Aries' room, and then you two will leave for uni together," she said. I just sighed.
"And at school, you have to tell us about the pancake incident!" Freya added in a teasing tone.
"Wait, I never agreed to that!"
"You have to," Rakki said, grinning.
"No," I said.
"No means yes to us!" Mica cheered.
"I said no!"
"You don't have the option of 'no,'" Grace said.
"I said no, no, NO!" Then I looked at all of them. Omg, my besties... how could I say no to those faces? "Ok, fine," I muttered, and they all clapped. After a while, they all left, and I bid them goodbye.
I looked at Keifer, who was already staring at me. "What?" I asked.
"Admiring my fiancé," he said casually, then turned and walked into Aries' room.
I stood there, my heart doing backflips. I could feel my cheeks heating up.
"Are you going to stand there, or are you going to change? We're going to be late," he called out from the stairs. I snapped out of my thoughts and blindly ran toward the staircase.
BAM! I bumped right into him. I lost my balance and was about to fall, so I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for the impact.
Wait... I didn't fall.
I opened my eyes and saw that he was holding me firmly by my waist.
"Leave me," I muttered, but he didn't let go. I tried to push against his chest.
"Stop pushing. We're both going to fall," he said in a low, deep voice. I don't know why, but his voice made me feel so incredibly nervous.
"Keif..." I said softly.
"Hmm?"
"We're going to be late," I whispered. He straightened up, but we just stayed there, looking at each other. Neither of us spoke; we just locked eyes for what felt like forever. Finally, I broke the silence, pushed him aside, and said, "I'm going to change! We'll be late!"
I ran to my room and jumped into the shower. As the cold water hit me, his words started racing through my mind: "Admiring my fiancé." FIANCÉ. Just "fiancé." I remember he used to call me his "so-called" fiancé, but now it's just... fiancé. Jayjay, focus!
I got out and went to my wardrobe. I chose a white hoodie and black baggy pants. I actually stole this hoodie from Percy—hehe. Then I headed downstairs. I saw him sitting on the couch in the living room, wearing a white hoodie and black trousers.
Wait. We're matching.
His gaze shifted to me, and he froze. He wasn't even blinking.
I was staring at him too, my eyes trailing down to his clothes and then back to his face. His hair was messy, falling perfectly over his forehead. His eyes looked so deep and clear... he actually looked handsome.
Tss, what am I even thinking?!
I quickly shook my head to clear my thoughts.
"What?" he asked.
"Nothing. Are you copying my dress code?" I asked, trying to sound annoyed.
"No! I think you are the one copying," he countered. "I brought these clothes from my house, and I've been sitting here for ten minutes. Besides, I know for a fact that me, Percy, Aries, and Yuri all have the same hoodie—and the one you're wearing is definitely Percy's."
I immediately looked away.
"You know, when people realize someone is telling the truth, they look away because they're afraid of getting caught," he said. I could hear his footsteps; he was walking closer. Suddenly, I could feel his warmth behind me.
"Ok, yes!" I said, spinning around to face him. He was dangerously close. My breath hitched, but I forced myself to finish. "I took this hoodie from Percy's closet. So what?"
"So, you admit you're the one who copied me," he said in a low voice, looking straight into my eyes.
"I never said that! I admitted I took the hoodie, but I never said I was copying you," I argued.
"Just admit you wanted to match with me," he teased, leaning in until his warmth was brushing against my skin.
"Why can't you understand that I didn't do this intentionally? I took this hoodie six days ago!" I insisted.
He leaned in even closer. "Why don't you ever apply makeup like other girls?"
The question caught me off guard. "Because I like things to be natural. I don't want to ruin my skin with chemicals," I said casually.
"You like natural things?" he asked, and I nodded. "Then why can't you naturally accept that you've fallen for me?"
I froze. "In your dreams!"
"You know... even without makeup or anything, you still look cute and adorable," he said softly. Then, he turned and left the room calmly.
He was perfectly calm, but my heart was racing. A storm had formed inside me, and I hated how easily he could make my heart feel like it was on a rollercoaster.
Hey, Jayjay, calm down. It's nothing. He's been like this since we were kids—just a flirty jerk. Eww.
I walked outside and saw him leaning against his black car. I reached for the door handle, but he beat me to it, opening the door for me. Wow, a gentleman. Hmph, just being a flirt.
I got in and was about to buckle my seatbelt, but he leaned across me and did it himself. He stayed in that position for way longer than necessary before finally pulling back to his side and starting the car.
He played the song "I Wanna Be Your Slave," and he was clearly vibing with it. He was tapping his fingers on the steering wheel and even stomping his feet to the beat. I didn't actually know the lyrics, nor had I ever bothered to listen to them closely. Then, we stopped at a red light just as the chorus played:
"I wanna be your slave, I wanna be your master
I wanna make your heartbeat run like rollercoasters
I wanna be a good boy, I wanna be a gangster
'Cause you could be the beauty and I could be the monster
I love you since this morning, not just for aesthetic..."
Why does it feel like he's the one saying those words to me? I swallowed hard and looked at him. He was already staring at me, a smirk playing on his lips.
We stared at each other for so long that I didn't even notice when his smirk softened into a genuine smile. Then, someone behind us honked their horn, and we both jerked our eyes back to the road.
"Ruined my moment," he muttered. It was low, but I heard it.
"Hmm?" I asked.
"Nothing," he said, and he started driving again.
"Now I'm going to play a song. Your choice is so bad," I said, reaching for the controls to hide how nervous I was.
"Jay," he called out. I stopped mid-way. "What?"
"I like a girl... but I don't think she likes me," he said.
I don't know why, but I felt like I had been stabbed straight in the heart. My chest tightened, and I bit my lip because I could feel my eyes starting to sting and well up.
"Thank God. Now I'll finally be free," I said. The words felt bitter on my tongue. Why did saying that hurt so much?
"Jayjay, I'm asking for your advice," he said. I turned to look at him.
"Wh... what kind of advice?"
"Should I tell her or not?" he asked.
Jay, just say don't tell her! Why was my heart even thinking that?
"You should tell her," I said, forcing myself to look out the window.
"You know, I can't really tell her because we used to be enemies. Well, we still are—at least from her point of view. I tried to tell her once through a song, but I don't think she took it seriously," he said.
I looked at him sharply. Everything he was saying... it all pointed to us.
"W... who is she?" I asked, my voice trembling slightly.
"That's a secret," he said, shifting his gaze back to the road. My heart did that stupid flip again.
Keifer'sPov:
No matter how hard I tried, she didn't get the hint. I was clearly referring to her, but maybe I'm rushing things. Maybe she just needs more time to get used to me, and I'm going to give her that time. From now on, I will always be nice to her, always care for her, and always support her—even if she's wrong.
I'm doing this because I can feel that she has fallen for me, too. Okay, maybe just a little, but she refuses to admit it. I need to make her face her own feelings. Even if she won't tell me, she needs to at least be honest with herself.
She thinks I didn't notice how she froze or how her eyes got watery when I said I liked a girl. I notice everything about her. I have to, because I'm the one who's going to take care of her in the future. My fiancé. My Jayjay. My queen. She says my music choice is bad, but my actual choice is her. Technically, she was my parents' choice, but now I've chosen her for myself. I'm positive that if Percy hadn't told her I was rude before we first met, things wouldn't be this tense. I probably would have fallen for her right then and there. But maybe this is better; without that tension, my life wouldn't be this chaotic—and I love the chaos she brings.
I will love her until scientists find the end of the universe. In every universe, I will love her. I will never regret it.
Now, I just need to figure out how Jayjay and I can live together. Idea.
"Now I'm going to play my favorite song," she said suddenly.
"And what's your favorite song?" I asked.
"You'll see," she replied.
She played "Criminal." She started vibing with the beat immediately. At first, I didn't care about the lyrics—I figured it was just some song girls like—but then we hit another red light. The lyrics actually hit me:
"He's a bad boy with a tainted heart, and even I know this ain't smart. But mama, I'm in love with a criminal... and this type of love isn't rational, it's physical."
Her taste is definitely different. I looked at her, but she was staring out the window, trying to act cool.
"So, you like this type of music?" I asked. She just nodded, still looking away. I let out a low laugh. "Well, this is going in my playlist because I love it too."
She finally looked at me. "Our tastes match," I said softly.
I leaned in, cupping her cheek with one hand and resting my thumb near the corner of her lips. She sat there, completely frozen in shock. I leaned across and for our foreheads touch but left a little distance.
"And this type of love isn't rational... it's physical," I whispered, repeating the lyric back to her.
I pulled back into my seat and started the car. She stayed in that exact position, stunned by what I'd just done.
We arrived at uni, and even before I could park, she hopped out and ran to her friends. Time to set the plan in motion. I dialed Tita Jenna.
Tita Jenna ☺️❣️
"Hello?" she said as she picked up.
"Hello, Tita. How are you?" I asked.
"Good! What about you?"
"I'm good, too. Are you enjoying the event?" I asked politely.
"Yes, I am," she said. There was a pause. "Keifer, just tell me what you want to talk about." I could hear her laughing on the other end. I laughed, too; she knows exactly what I'm up to just from my tone.
"Actually, Tita..." I started, suddenly feeling nervous.
"Just say it!"
"I've fallen for Jayjay... and I want us to live together," I said it all in one breath.
"WHAT?!" she yelled. "Omg, finally!" She sounded so excited. "I have a plan for that..." she continued.
The End 🌸
The author is being cruel now! 🤣🤣🤣 You guys have to wait for the plan reveal, hehe. 😁😁