JayJay POV
"Jay…" my brother called slowly, his tone carrying a warning.
I ignored him and kept staring at the red-haired girl. She looked ridiculous fussing over Yuri, while the other one looked confused.
"I'll take your food," my brother threatened, so I quickly faced him.
"Stop staring at them."
"Do you know that girl?" I asked in a near-whisper.
He shook his head. "Never seen her before."
I was starting to get intrigued by her because of the way she acted. Add to that the fact that we had only officially met her today. What I couldn't figure out was why she was at Yuri's house earlier and why she was picking a fight with me. At first, I really thought she was an enemy, but now, seeing how she was fussing over the other red-haired person, I was getting even more uneasy.
I continued eating even though she wouldn't leave my mind. While everyone else was busy with their own food and conversations, Keifer kept putting more food on my plate.
"Hey! I won't be able to finish all this!" I said irritably.
"You just think that," he said and added more rice. He even smiled at me before focusing on his own plate.
I glanced at the red-haired girl and noticed her staring at me and Keifer.
She turned to Yuri and said something in Japanese. It looked like she asked a question. Yuri looked at us awkwardly before answering her. "You can ask them."
She looked at both of us, curiosity all over her face. I couldn't help but feel nervous. The way she looked at us was way too intriguing.
"Are you two dating?"
What?
I answered immediately, already suspecting what Keifer would say.
"No."
"Yes."
We spoke at the same time, and I wasn't wrong. I heard my brother Angelo curse beside me. Sir and Ma'am laughed.
"Jay!" my brother called, and I quickly shook my head at him.
"No way! Keifer's just messing with us!"
My brother glared at Keifer. "What the hell are you thinking?"
"That's where we're heading anyway," Keifer said, and I almost broke my neck turning to face him.
I shot him a deadly glare.
You better stop it, you idiot.
"It's okay… I know you're not ready to be officially with me. But I know deep inside you, you love me too," he said with an innocent smile.
"Are you okay?" I asked, almost in tears.
He said that like my brother Angelo wasn't right beside us. He said it like I wouldn't get in trouble with my brother. He said it like everything would be fine—but I definitely wouldn't be fine once my brother got to me.
"You're an idiot," I muttered.
I heard my brother sigh, like he was holding back his anger. Just keep it together, Kuya.
"I'll pretend I didn't hear that," he said and went back to eating.
Same here. I'll pretend I won't get in trouble with him later. I'll pretend I'm okay, even though I'm already dreading his lecture.
Let's all just pretend.
I went back to eating and immediately noticed how the red-haired girl kept looking at me. It was like she was trying to dissect my soul.
I narrowed my eyes at her. You've been staring for a while now.
She turned to Yuri and said something in Japanese again. Suddenly, Yuri choked, almost spitting out his lungs as he coughed.
I had a feeling she said something about me because of the way Yuri looked at me—like he was awkward and embarrassed.
I just kept eating. I'd get scolded if I kept observing them anyway. Besides, the king wouldn't stop piling food on my plate if I didn't focus on eating.
We almost finished eating at the same time. The red-haired girl volunteered to clean up. I smiled because I didn't have to move anymore, but Sir Alvin and Ma'am Cindy still helped her.
"There you go, just eating and not even helping clean up," my brother teased me. "Your future husband is going to have a hard time. You're too lazy to take care of things."
"Eh? What's the connection between not cleaning up and marriage?"
"It's okay, we have lots of maids. Jay doesn't need to move at all to do house chores," the King chimed in on our conversation.
We both stared at him, blinking. What was he talking about? I was starting to worry about his state of mind. And why were we suddenly talking about marriage? It's my brother's fault — he always says the most ridiculous things.
"What makes you think you two will end up as husband and wife?" my brother Angelo asked threateningly.
"I just know," he answered with a smile.
All that was missing were flowers and butterflies surrounding him. He was so confident that we were meant to be together. The strength of his conviction was unbelievable. Where was he even getting this confidence from? Maybe I could borrow some.
My brother turned to me like he was trying to read my mind, as if he could see any secret I was hiding deep within me. He was probably thinking there was already something going on between me and the King of Snakes.
But we didn't even have a proper label.
The only secret I was keeping was my hidden stash of food. Food I sneaked out of the kitchen while everyone was asleep and hid in my room. They were safe with me.
I glanced at Yuri, who was just smiling at our conversation. It was obvious he wasn't really listening and had something else on his mind. I was about to approach him when Ma'am Cindy beat me to it and signaled him. It looked like they were leaving to pick up the rest of Yuri's belongings that hadn't been damaged by the fire.
He excused himself and left. The red-haired girl followed them, giving me a look that seemed like she was teasing me. I pouted and rolled my eyes. This girl really had a problem with me.
Maybe she was just jealous because I was prettier.
When they left, my brother went over to Sir Alvin, leaving me alone with the King of Snakes. I immediately felt him move closer, so I quickly stepped away.
"Behave yourself. My brother is right there," I warned him.
He just smirked. "Like I'm scared," he said arrogantly. "We might even end up fighting here."
"Oh, really?" I asked sarcastically. "Want me to call him over now?"
"Don't. He's busy talking to Sir Alvin," he answered quickly.
I thought he wasn't scared?
"You backing out now?" I teased, and he seemed a bit offended.
"Want me to show you how brave I am?" he challenged.
I gave a small nod, already sensing the trouble he was about to cause. I wasn't too worried, though — my brother was right there, and I knew he'd come running at one shout from me.
"Come on..." he said, inviting me, but I didn't move. "Come on... let's just go a little farther."
Why did we need to move away?
"Hurry up," he urged me.
"Why? We can stay here," I insisted.
He shook his head. "We need to go over there."
I glared at him. "You better not try anything funny. My brother is right there."
He laughed softly. "What funny business?" He took my hand and pulled me along.
"Don't play dumb. Acting all innocent?" I let him lead me back to the living room.
When we got there, he glanced around briefly before suddenly wrapping one arm around my waist. I almost screamed, but he quickly covered my mouth. He only let go once he was sure I wouldn't yell.
I immediately smacked his chest. "Isn't this funny business? Let me go."
I tried to push him away, but now both his arms were wrapped around my waist. If my brother saw us like this, Keifer wouldn't be the only one in trouble — I'd get an earful too. And my brother hadn't even finished his earlier sermon yet — I didn't want him adding more.
I really needed to behave right now.
If my brother lost his patience with me, he might use his "sideline" skills on me. And with my dad arriving soon, I didn't want to end up seeing angels before that.
"Just a hug. I just want to hug you," Keifer pleaded.
"If my brother catches us, your arms are getting chopped off," I threatened, but he just laughed.
He rested his head on my shoulder and took a deep breath. That's when I realized why he was acting this way. I could feel his exhaustion, and it seemed like he had his own worries. I must have made him anxious earlier when I told him how I played tag with gunmen.
I had added to his stress.
"I feel useless," he whispered.
Before I knew it, my arms had wrapped around him too. I only noticed when his embrace tightened.
"Why do you feel useless?" I asked.
"I wasn't there to help Yuri. Yes, we're rivals in some things, but he's still my best friend. I care equally for my friends, but when it comes to Yuri, it hits differently," he said, and I knew it was true.
From then until now, even when they fought, Keifer never failed to show how much he valued Yuri. Even when their friendship was on the verge of breaking, he was still willing to take Yuri back. I knew why. He didn't want another Percy in his life — another friend who would disappear from his life. That's why, no matter how much they argued, he would always accept Yuri.
It was amazing to see someone like him. Even though they had different views and beliefs, he still accepted his friend. I guess that's how true friendship should be — no matter how different you are, as long as you accept and respect each other, there won't be a problem.
It's even better when there's some mischief involved.
"It wasn't your fault. He dialed the wrong number," I said, patting his back. "Our names are right next to each other. J and K."
"He should've double-checked before calling. You ended up in danger because of it."
"But I'm okay, right? Whole, nothing missing, nothing extra. Don't worry about it anymore — we need to focus on what we can face now, just like Ma'am Cindy said."
He sighed deeply before nodding. "But please, stay away from danger. I couldn't handle it if something happened to you."
I paused, thinking over his words. Keifer was making my heart race again — it was getting a little out of hand. My defenses were weakening. Without realizing it, I hugged him tighter.
"You keep repeating yourself. I told you, I'll be careful," I whispered.
"You're so stubborn," he said, and I chuckled softly.
I stopped to think. What was I doing? I was getting too attached to him even though we didn't have anything official.
As embarrassing as it was to admit, I liked the attention he gave me. I liked it when he was this affectionate. But we couldn't keep going like this without clarity.
Maybe it was time. Maybe I was ready. I still had fears and doubts, but I wouldn't know if I'd truly forgiven him if I didn't give this a chance. A lot had already happened since he came back.
Maybe we could finally be together.
"Keifer..." I called his name. "Is it okay with you if we stay like this without a label?"
He chuckled softly. "At first, yes. But I later realized it's better if we have a proper relationship status. I want to legally call you mine, and you do the same to me."
"Why so formal?"
He let go of me and held my hand. "Felix told me the consequences of not having a label. He also said people might think you're just my side chick — and I don't want that. So I realized it's better if we make things official."
His forehead furrowed briefly, and he stared at me. "Why are you asking me that?"
"Uh... because... I just suddenly remembered since it feels like your mind changed so quickly," I answered while scratching my head.
"As long as it's for your good, I will quickly change my mind."
So full of himself. For my good, really.
"Of course, it's you..." I muttered and folded our hands together. He stared at them, and so did I. I took a moment to feel the warmth of his palm against mine.
Keifer and I were almost the same age, but his hand was so much bigger than mine, making my hand look like a child's. My nails were short and stubby — like a duck's feet. Good thing they were at least clean right now.
"Is there something bothering you?" he asked.
I shook my head and forced a smile, looking up at his face. I was always getting used to his face. Maybe because I often avoided his gaze to shield myself from my own weakness. So whenever I had the chance to look at him, I felt shy.
He smiled at me softly before tucking my hair behind my ear. The way he took care of me felt different. Suddenly, I missed the times we used to fight — even the times I pulled pranks on him that he never found out about... and never will. I'll take those secrets to my grave.
Was it too fast if we got together right away?
Everything just happened recently. He had only just come back and explained things. I only just noticed his changes. I only just saw how he seemed to be improving himself. But all of that only happened over a few months, while we had been flirting for so long. Yes, I admit it — our mutual flirting.
There probably wasn't anything wrong if we became official despite the short time, right? Most importantly, only the two of us knew what we went through and when the right time for us would be.
"Jay?" he called when I didn't respond.
"Keifer..." I began. "I-I think..."
He waited for me to continue. My grip on his hand tightened as nervousness took over, and I started sweating even though the temperature inside Sir Alvin's house was perfectly fine.
"What do you think?" he asked impatiently.
"I think... w-we... c-can... b-be..." I stammered because of my nerves.
Breathe! Just breathe!
There was no reason for me to be this nervous, but I couldn't help it. It felt like I was about to say a secret code, and if he didn't get it, it would mean the end of our lives.
I also felt a little embarrassed. I wasn't the type to initiate relationships. I was usually the one who said 'yes' or 'no' or 'okay.' I was supposed to be the girl here.
"U-Us..."
"Us?"
I was starting to have second thoughts. Why did it feel so fast? Too fast. Faster than the speed of light. Faster than Lightning McQueen. Faster than the Flash. This shouldn't happen so quickly — it should take a bit more time.
I stared at his face, clearly waiting for my answer. I'd regret it if I didn't continue what I was about to say. It was a perfect opportunity since it was just the two of us. Besides, my courage was unusually strong right now — strong enough to hold hands with Keifer even though my older brother, Angelo, was just around. I might not have hands later if he saw this.
"Is everything alright?" he asked, getting impatient.
"I'm fine... I just want to s-say..." I couldn't finish my sentence. My tongue kept tying itself up because of my nerves. Annoying. It felt like I was the one courting him. Courting? Come to think of it — did this guy ever properly court me? I frowned and my eyebrows met.
"Did you even court me properly?" I asked irritably.
He blinked, looking like his brain was saying, 'You gotta be kidding me.'
"Haven't everything I did for you already counted as courtship?"
I covered my mouth with my free hand because of his words. He had a point — with everything he had done and given me, it could already be considered courtship. But the kind of courtship I had in mind was the old-fashioned one.
"Well... I guess it could count," I replied, though neither of us seemed fully convinced.
"Do you want me to court you traditionally?"
I shook my head quickly. "N-No. What you've done is okay. At least it's unique and not something everyone would copy."
"You sound sarcastic."
I blinked rapidly. "I'm not —"
"It's fine with me. I'll serenade you in front of your house."
I didn't know whether to laugh or wince at what he was saying. He could serenade me if he wanted to, but he'd better prepare for my older brother and our noisy neighbors. I wouldn't even be surprised if our house's chaos disturbed them. If they didn't like it, they could just move out.
"And what exactly would you sing?"
"I'll compose my own song. Blaster can help me."
I smiled. That was quite an effort for a serenade. Maybe I should make him sing an Eminem song.
"No need," I quickly declined.
"Why not?"
"Everything you've done for me is enough, isn't it?" I said gently, and he stared at me.
He looked into my eyes, clearly waiting for the next thing I was about to say. It felt like he was anticipating some kind of word — but just like earlier, my tongue retreated. A magic word?
"U-Us..." I felt his hand tighten around mine.
"Us... t-together —"
"HELLO!" someone shouted loudly from outside the house, cutting me off. Oh, crap!
"HELLO, ANYONE HOME?" the voice called again. Keifer and I quickly let go of each other's hands when my brother Angelo and Sir Alvin appeared. They immediately went to the door to see who was outside.
"Are you sure this is the right house? We might be lost," someone outside said, and I recognized the voice. I quickly followed my brother outside, and I wasn't wrong — our friends, the Ulupong gang, were standing outside, waiting for someone to answer the door.
Great timing.
"Here's Sir — oh hey, Jay-Jay!" Eren called out, pointing at me.
"Jay-Jay!" Ci shouted and ran to hug me. I hugged him back, and we spun around like we hadn't seen each other in ten years.
"How did you find my house?" Sir Alvin asked, confused. I was a little surprised by his demeanor — he switched back to the strict Sir Alvin we knew from school, unlike the more relaxed version from earlier. Hehe. Double personality.
"Keifer gave us your address so we could follow here," Felix answered.
"I said after class," Keifer said beside me, checking his watch.
"Lunch break's just ending." The others chuckled awkwardly, scratching their heads. Looks like these guys cut class. Impressive.
Sir Alvin sighed deeply. "I need to call your next subject teacher." He turned and went back inside the house.
I looked at my brother, who was shaking his head at us. The Ulupong gang fell silent, avoiding his gaze out of awkwardness.
"I don't see the point of you guys being here," my brother said, crossing his arms. I wanted to yell at him for saying that. I could feel how embarrassed our friends were. He didn't even ask why they came — he just assumed. Come on, couldn't they just be worried about us?
"We just got lazy to go back to class," Ci-N answered, smiling.
"You're so talkative!" Mayo scolded him.
I winced. I thought they came because they were worried — turns out they were just cutting class. Nice one. My brother shook his head again, clearly disappointed.
"We're here because we care for our friends," David said, staring my brother down.
"Yeah, right," my brother replied sarcastically before turning his back on us and following Sir Alvin inside.
As soon as they were out of sight, the Ulupong gang swarmed around us with their reactions and questions.
Where was Yuri, and what exactly happened?