Jay's POV
After visiting Drew, I was heading back with Yuri when suddenly my phone buzzed.
It was the King of Ulopong calling. When I checked my phone, there were many missed calls from Kuya, Aries, and Keifer.
Now I'm doomed. Jay, get ready for Kuya's sermons, Aries' death glares, and Keifer's… I can handle him, but I'll still get scolded.
My thoughts were interrupted when Yuri called my name.
"Jay."
"What?"
"What are you thinking?"
"Umm… I think they're looking for me." I knew they were worried at this time.
"You went to Drew without telling anyone, huh?"
"If I had told anyone, no one would have let me come here. I really wanted to talk to Drew," I said, pouting.
Suddenly, my phone buzzed again. It was a message from Keifer.
"Jay, where are you? Please reply."
I knew he was worried, so I called him. He picked up immediately.
"Hey, where are you? Send me your location," Keifer said.
"I'm safe. I'm coming home with Yuri."
"With Yuri??"
"I'll tell you later."
"Fine. I'm going to your house. Angelo is also looking for you."
Great. Death is waiting for me. I'm pretty sure when I get home, Kuya might use his side hustle on me, and I might end up seeing angels in heaven before I even meet Papa… before I even confess to Keifer… before caretaker and watcher...Wait, girl, get a grip.
"Jay??"
"Yeah, I'm coming," I said and ended the call.
I turned to Yuri. "Drive fast."
He nodded.
"Jay, you didn't have to visit Drew without telling anyone. It's dangerous. What if I didn't see you going there?" Yuri said.
"I just wanted to talk to Drew," I replied. He just shook his head.
"You're stubborn," he said with a chuckle.
I laughed with him.
Soon, we reached my house. As I entered, no one was there. Then Tita came and hugged me.
"Jay, where were you?" she asked.
"At my friend's house," I replied.
Just then, Kuya came.
"Where were you? We were so worried! We told you not to go anywhere alone, but I forgot—you're the stubborn Jay," he started lecturing, and I lowered my head.
"Angelo," Tita scolded him.
"Jay, at least you should have informed one of us. Next time, don't do anything like that," Tita said.
Wow. I thought you were on my side, Tita.
"Where were you?" Kuya asked again.
Here we go.
"At… uh… Drew's place," I said hesitantly.
"What were you doing there? Did you forget what he did?" he asked furiously.
"I didn't forget anything. I just wanted to talk to him. Besides, Yuri was with me," I replied.
Yuri nodded. "Nothing happened, so there's no need to worry."
Then Keifer entered and suddenly hugged me.
He hugged me in front of Kuya.
But I don't know why—I couldn't help but hug him back just as tightly. He kissed my forehead.
"Where were you?" he asked.
"Umm… at Drew's place," I said.
His expression suddenly changed. I couldn't tell if it was anger or worry.
"Jay, I told you to stay away from him, but still, here you are," he said, his voice filled with both anger and concern.
Kuya got a call and went inside. Tita followed, leaving just the three of us.
"You never consider me. I told you to stay away from him, and it wasn't for me—it was for your own good. But… what do I even say?" he said, shaking his head.
I started feeling guilty. He thought I didn't care about his feelings.
"Jay, listen. You're very stubborn. What do I—"
I cut him off by giving him a quick kiss on the lips.
He went silent.
Then I kissed his cheek… his nose… and then his lips again.
I completely forgot where I was—and that Yuri was there.
Keifer froze, then said, "Jay, that doesn't mean you're right… and I'm not melting."
He was blushing hard.
I kissed his cheek again and moved closer, our breaths mixing.
"Really?" I whispered.
Suddenly, he pulled me closer, his hand on my neck, and kissed me.
Then I heard someone coughing.
It was Yuri.
I quickly pulled away and looked at him. I had completely forgotten about him.
I glanced around to check if anyone else saw us. Thankfully, no one did.
I looked back at Keifer—his face and ears were red, but he had a wide grin.
"What?" I asked.
"What what?" he replied, stepping closer.
"What are you doing?"
"What am I doing?" Another step.
"Behave. Kuya is here," I warned.
"Really? But you're the one who kissed me," he teased.
Then again, someone cleared their throat.
Yuri.
"I should go inside. I'm tired. I'm going to sleep," he said.
I nodded, feeling embarrassed.
"Please go fast. Give us some space," Keifer said.
Yuri went inside
.
"Uh… I think you should go. It's late, and Kuya might get mad," I said.
"First, I want a kiss," he demanded.
"What? I already kissed you twice—on the lips and cheek!"
He wrapped his arms around me. I tried to pull away.
"Hey, Kuya might see us!"
To my surprise, he carried me and took me outside.
"Now no one can see us. So, can we kiss?" he asked.
I nodded.
We kissed softly at first, then slowly it deepened. It lasted almost ten minutes.
When he pulled back, our foreheads rested together. I kept my eyes closed.
"This is our longest kiss ever," he said.
"Hmm… wait, you forgot New Year's Eve."
"I don't forget anything. But since I came back from London, this is your longest kiss."
"Hmm…"
A thought crossed my mind.
What am I doing? I'm getting too attached… and we're kissing without any label.
It's better if we make it official.
"Keifer," I called.
"Yes, my future Mrs. Watson?" he said with a smile.
I giggled. Jasper Jean Mariano Watson… sounds good.
It was time.
"Keifer… I think…"
"You think?"
"I think we should be… us."
"Us?"
"Yeah… let's be… official."
Finally, I said it.
He froze—then smiled.
"Finally. You said it after so many tries."
"Huh? Tries? How did you—wait… don't tell me…"
"Did you know what I was going to say?" I asked.
"Of course. I knew from the very start."
My eyes widened. I started hitting him.
"So you knew and didn't ask me?!"
He caught my wrists.
"Yes, I knew. But I wanted to hear it from you."
"Gago."
"Profanity," he said with a grin.
"I'm not giving you a kiss. I already gave you one."
"That doesn't count. Profanity kisses are different."
"Idiot. What's the difference?"
"Two profanities."
"Keep counting. I'm not giving any."
"I will count, Jay. I will."
"Then count—gago, animal, fuck you, idiot—"
I was about to say more when Tita called me.
I said goodbye to the King and went inside.
He drove off with the widest grin on his face.
I ate dinner alone since everyone had already eaten.
Then I went to my room and fell asleep.