Jayjay'sPOV
It's Friday. Finally.
Yesterday was a nightmare that left me drained, but today, all that exhaustion is going to vanish. I'm going to see my "little friends." I headed to the playschool, driving myself there—yes, I know how to drive, and today I needed the control of being behind the wheel.
The second I walked in, a swarm of tiny humans saw me. They sprinted over, jumping and yelling, "Ate Jay!" I laughed, hugging them all back. Their energy is the only thing that can fix my mood right now.
Once they settled back into playing, I noticed my favorite little guy standing in front of me. He had his tiny arms crossed, trying his absolute hardest to look angry, but failing miserably. Keiran.
"Hoi, Keiran! Why didn't you hug me?" I asked, teasing him.
He broke character immediately, running into my arms. I lifted him up, and he wrapped his small arms tightly around my neck, burying his face in my shoulder. He looked up at me with a pout. "Ate Jay, I'm angry! They all hugged you before me."
"Oh, my little baby is angry?" I cooed, and he gave a solemn nod. I pulled a chocolate from my bag. "Well, I made this chocolate just for my favorite little champion."
His eyes lit up. "I brought chocolate and chips for you, too!"
"No, I can't take things from my little friend. Go share them with your classmates," I said. He shook his head 'no' at first, but after I gave him a little "Keiran, plz na," he finally nodded and ran off to join the others.
The day went by perfectly. I was about to head home when I realized the school was almost empty. Everyone had been picked up except for Keiran. He was standing by the gate, his bottom lip trembling like he was about to cry.
I rushed over. "What happened, Keiran?"
"Kuya is late to pick me up," he whispered, throwing his arms around me. I hugged him back, rubbing his back gently. I felt a surge of anger—how could someone be so careless with a child?
Suddenly, a car screeched to a halt. A guy jumped out and ran toward us, practically scooping Keiran out of my arms. His back was to me, so I couldn't see his face.
"Sorry, Keiran. Kuya is late," he said.
That voice. That deep, familiar vibration hit me like a physical blow.
"Excuse me? Who are you? Give the child back!" I demanded, my protective instincts flaring up.
He turned around.
I froze. The world seemed to stop spinning. That voice belonged to the one person I wasn't ready to see—the person I didn't know how to feel about anymore.
"Jayjay," he breathed, his eyes wide with shock.
I didn't answer. I couldn't. I turned and ran to my car as fast as I could. I started the engine and drove off like a maniac, my heart hammering against my ribs. I couldn't face him. Not now. Not when I was just starting to breathe again.
Keifer's POV
I was late. The traffic was suffocating, a solid wall of metal that kept me from my promise. I had told Keiran I'd be the one to pick him up today, and I hated that I'd let him down. When I finally pulled up and hopped out, I saw him—but he wasn't alone. He was wrapped in the arms of a girl.
From behind, I couldn't see her face, and she hadn't noticed me yet.
"Excuse me? Who are you? Give the child back!"
That voice. It was sweet, sharp, and so incredibly familiar. My heart skipped a beat. I knew that voice better than my own name. I needed to be sure, so I turned around.
"Jayjay," I breathed.
It was her. My life. My world. She froze, her eyes wide as they locked onto mine. For a second, the air between us felt thin, like we were the only two people left on earth. But before I could even take a step toward her, she snapped out of it. She turned and sprinted toward her car. Aries had mentioned she'd started driving, but seeing her take off like that felt like watching my heart drive away.
I instinctively jumped back into my car, ready to chase her, to explain, to anything—but I forced my hand to stay off the ignition. No. Don't rush her again. Give her space.
I sighed and looked over at Keiran, who was happily munching on a piece of chocolate.
"Where did that come from?" I asked.
"Ate Jay made this for me!" he chirped, holding out the half-eaten bar. "Do you want some? It's so big and I'm full."
I took the chocolate from his tiny hand. As I took the first bite, a feeling I'd never experienced washed over me. It was rich, sweet, and... warm. Maybe it's because it was made with love. Maybe it's because it was her.
I didn't finish it. Instead, I carefully wrapped the rest of the chocolate in layers of tissue, tucked it into my pocket like it was a precious diamond, and drove us home.
As soon as we got back, Keiran ran inside to find the others. I went straight to my room and lay down on the bed. I took out the chocolate and began eating it slowly, savoring every single bit, wanting to make that feeling—that connection to her—last as long as possible.
My Jayjay made this. She's made me crazy. I'm completely, hopelessly crazy for her.
Jayjay'sPOV
It's been a full day since that incident at the school. Am I overreacting? No. I'm just saving myself. I keep telling myself his words aren't true, but a traitorous part of me wants to believe him so badly. If I let my guard down and he tells me he was "pretending" again... I'll be left in the dark, alone and heartbroken.
But why does it hurt so much now? He did this a hundred times when we were kids, and I always bounced back. Why am I so affected by his every word and action today?
I was so lost in my head that I didn't even realize I had reached the bottom of the stairs until a hand started snapping in front of my face.
"Jayjay!"
I swatted the hand away. "HEY!"
"What? I've been calling you for five minutes," Aries said, eyeing me suspiciously. "You were totally lost. Daydreaming about something?"
"Heck off," I muttered, pushing past him to sit at the dining table.
"Mom! Jayjay is using curses again!" Aries yelled at the top of his lungs. I lunged across the table and slapped my palm over his mouth to shut him up. He struggled for a second before pulling my hand away.
"Aries, shut up," I hissed.
His expression shifted, becoming uncharacteristically serious. "I saw the CCTV footage from Thursday. Mind telling me what happened? I saw you and Keifer talking right before you started crying."
I froze. I looked at him, my appetite completely gone. "Aries, please... I don't want to relive that."
"Jayjay, just tell me," he insisted, his voice dropping an octave. "I don't care if he's my friend. If he made my sister cry like that, I'll kill him myself."
I took a deep breath and let it all out. "Okay, so... me and Liam were talking, then suddenly..."
I explained everything—the confrontation, the rain, and the way Keifer had looked at me. When I finished, Aries looked thoughtful.
"So he said his care and affection are real now?" he asked. I nodded silently. "Well... maybe they are."
I looked at him, shocked. "What?"
"Jayjay, you're falling for him," he said simply. "You never reacted this way when we were kids. You're different now."
"I am not," I insisted, my face heating up.
Aries just shrugged and stood up. "Okay. Whatever helps you sleep at night."
He walked toward his room, leaving me alone with my thoughts—and the uncomfortable feeling that my brother might be right.
The sun was setting, and I was in my room doing some classic doom-scrolling when Mom's voice echoed from downstairs. "Jayjay, come down!"
I ran down the stairs, wondering what the emergency was. "What happened, Mom?"
"You're going to live in an apartment near the university," she said calmly.
"WHAT!!" I nearly choked.
"Yeah. You'll be on the 5th floor, and Aries will be on the 1st floor."
I let out a massive sigh of relief. "Oh, thank God. I thought you were saying I was going to live completely alone."
"You won't be alone, but don't go to Aries' apartment too much," she warned with a smirk.
"Why? He's my brother!"
"Ella will be living there too. They'll need their privacy."
"Ohh..." I said, the realization hitting me. Poor me, third-wheeling already.
"Now go pack. You're moving your things tomorrow."
I sprinted upstairs. I packed my suitcase with military precision: the front side was for the essentials—baggy jeans, hoodies, shoes, and jewelry. The back side? That was reserved for my true love: midnight snacks. But my stash was empty.
I marched to Percy's room, didn't bother knocking, and kicked the door open. I plopped down beside him. "Kuyaaaaaaa! I'm moving to an apartment near the uni."
He just raised an eyebrow. "So?"
"And I'm all packed... but..." I trailed off.
"But what?"
"I need snacks. For midnight. What if I get hungry at 2:00 AM and there's no Percy or Aries to cook for me or order food?"
He didn't even argue. He just stood up, grabbed his keys, and signaled for me to follow. I clapped my hands in excitement and shadowed him out of the room. We tried to sneak past the living room, but Papa's eyes were too fast.
"Where are you two going?" Papa asked, not looking away from the TV.
I gave him the same logic about the midnight hunger. He nodded slowly. "Well, you won't be alone..." He paused. "I mean, Aries is on the 1st floor if you need help."
"Nah, I don't want to be a third wheel for Ella and Aries," I said.
Papa chuckled. "Okay, you guys can go."
We were at the door when Aries suddenly stood up. "Wait! I'm coming too. I need stuff."
We ended up taking three separate cars because, obviously, we had to race. I pushed the pedal and flew—I won, Aries took second, and Percy came in last. He didn't even mind.
"That's my girl," Percy said, giving me a high-five as we met at the entrance of the mini-mart.
"My sister is a natural racer!" Aries added, high-fiving me too.
Inside, I went on a spree: noodles, chocolates, candies, chips, and stacks of juice boxes. I even grabbed enough bottled water to survive a drought so I wouldn't have to refill anything. Meanwhile, Aries was being boring, buying rice, wheat, and salt.
When we got to the counter, I noticed Percy had a basket full of the same "boring" groceries for me.
"Why that?" I asked, pointing at the rice and flour.
He looked at me with that 'Kuya' look. "You have to live there, Jayjay. You can't just survive on snacks."
My mouth formed a perfect 'O' shape. Real life was starting to feel very... adult.
We headed home, laughing and joking about the race. But the second we stepped through the door, Mom's voice turned serious.
"Jayjay," she said, looking toward the living room. "Someone is here to meet you.", and I know that who is here.
The End 🌸