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🌙 Chapter 55: Two Different Worlds
Jay's POV
By the time evening settled in, the house had gone quieter—but not in a peaceful way.
It wasn't calm.
It was the kind of quiet that sits heavy in the air, like something unsaid is pressing against every wall, every corner, every breath.
I stood near the window for a while after washing my hands, staring outside without really seeing anything. The sky had shifted into that deep shade of blue just before it turns black, and the streetlights below flickered on one by one. Everything looked normal.
Too normal.
Inside me, nothing matched it.
Tita Gemma's voice drifted in faintly from the kitchen. Soft. Warm. Familiar. The kind of voice that usually made things easier without trying.
"Jay, come eat before it gets cold," she called.
I didn't answer immediately.
Not because I didn't hear her.
Because I was still deciding if I wanted to feel anything tonight.
But I turned anyway.
Because ignoring her wasn't something I could do.
Not her.
Dinner felt… steady.
That was the best word for it.
Not tense. Not exactly comfortable either. Just steady.
Tita Gemma kept placing food on my plate like she used to—without asking, without making it a big deal, like she already knew I wouldn't say no. Aries sat across from me, talking nonstop, jumping from one topic to another so quickly that even he probably forgot where he started.
"And then that guy had the audacity—like, the audacity—to say I was wrong. Me. Wrong. Can you imagine?" he said, pointing his fork dramatically.
I glanced at him. "You're wrong most of the time."
"Excuse me?" he gasped, offended. "I am rarely wrong."
"You just proved my point."
Tita Gemma chuckled softly under her breath.
Aries leaned back in his chair, shaking his head. "Unbelievable. I save your life emotionally by entertaining you, and this is the respect I get."
"No one asked you to."
"That hurts," he said, placing a hand over his chest. "Deeply."
I rolled my eyes, but something in my chest loosened.
Just a little.
Enough to breathe without feeling like I was forcing it.
And then there was Jeana.
She sat at the end of the table.
Quiet.
Not speaking.
Not interrupting.
Not even looking at me directly.
But she was there.
And that was enough.
I didn't look at her.
Not once.
Not when she moved.
Not when she reached for something.
Not when I could feel her eyes flicker toward me for a second before pulling away again.
I kept my focus on my plate.
On Aries' voice.
On Tita Gemma.
Anywhere except her.
Because I knew—
if I looked at her—
everything I was holding back would start pushing forward.
And I didn't trust myself to control it.
Not yet.
"I'm done," I said after a while, placing my fork down.
Tita Gemma glanced at my plate. "You ate well."
"That's because you didn't give me a choice."
She smiled gently. "I never do."
I stood up, grabbing my bag.
"Already leaving?" Aries asked, frowning slightly.
"Yeah."
"You just got here."
"And now I'm leaving."
"That's not how visits work."
"It is today."
He watched me for a second, like he wanted to say something else.
Then he sighed.
"…Fine. But don't disappear again."
I didn't answer that.
Because I didn't have one.
I walked out without looking back.
Didn't say goodbye to Jeana.
Didn't give her that.
Didn't give myself that either.
The door closed softly behind me, but the silence outside felt louder.
Heavier.
Like everything I didn't say was still following me.
The drive after that was slow.
No speeding.
No music.
No distractions.
Just the steady hum of the engine and the city lights stretching across the road in soft, blurred lines.
My hands stayed firm on the steering wheel.
My eyes stayed forward.
But my mind—
was everywhere.
Back at the table.
Back at the silence.
Back at her.
"Bwisit…" I muttered under my breath, tightening my grip slightly.
Why was it so hard to just—
ignore it?
Why did it feel like something was unfinished?
Because it was.
And I knew it.
I didn't realize where I was going until I was already there.
The second place.
The other world.
Not home.
Not family.
Something in between.
I parked outside and turned off the engine.
The quiet inside the car felt louder now.
I didn't move immediately.
Just sat there.
Thinking.
Or trying not to.
"…You're really doing this again," I murmured to myself.
No answer.
Of course.
I exhaled slowly and stepped out.
No message.
No warning.
No permission.
I walked straight to the door.
Unlocked.
Always unlocked.
---
The moment I stepped inside—
sound hit me.
Laughter.
Voices overlapping.
Someone shouting.
Something falling.
"—I'm telling you that was NOT my fault!"
"It was literally your fault!"
"Sebastian, shut up!"
"Make me."
Normal.
Loud.
Unfiltered.
Alive.
I stopped just inside the doorway.
Watching.
Same people.
Same chaos.
Same energy.
Nothing had changed here.
And somehow—
that made it harder.
Because I had.
---
"JAY."
Mia spotted me first.
Of course she did.
She crossed the room quickly and pulled me into a hug before I could react.
"Where have you been?" she asked, her voice softer now.
"…Around."
"That's vague."
"It's enough."
She pulled back slightly, studying my face.
Her eyes didn't miss much.
"…You look tired," she said quietly.
"I'm fine."
"You always say that."
"Because it's always true."
"Liar."
Sebastian's voice came from the side.
I glanced at him.
He was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, watching me carefully.
Not joking.
Not teasing.
Just observing.
"You look different," he added.
"Say something new."
He smirked faintly. "Still defensive."
I walked past them, further into the room.
Each step felt slower.
Like I was measuring distance again.
Like I wasn't fully stepping into this space either.
---
"You're late."
Aries' voice came from behind me.
I turned slightly.
"You weren't expecting me."
"I always expect you."
"That's your problem."
"It's a talent."
I scoffed.
Before I could move—
flick
"OW—BWISIT KA?!" I snapped, grabbing my forehead.
"Grounding you," he said casually.
"I don't need grounding."
"You walked in like a ghost."
"I walked in like a normal person."
"No," Sebastian said, "you walked in like someone carrying too much."
I didn't respond.
Because he was right.
Again.
And I was getting tired of people being right.
---
"Sit," Mia said, pulling me toward the couch.
I didn't argue this time.
I just sat.
The noise filled the space around me again.
Familiar.
Loud.
Unpredictable.
Safe.
No one asked too many questions.
No one pushed.
No one tried to fix anything.
They just—
let me be there.
---
I leaned back slightly, letting the noise settle around me.
Not controlling it.
Not reacting to it.
Just… existing inside it.
Between two different worlds.
One that held my past.
One that didn't ask about it.
One that expected answers.
One that didn't need them.
And me—
stuck in the middle.
Not fully in either.
Not fully out of them.
Just—
there.
---
For the first time that day—
I didn't feel like I had to pretend.
And maybe—
just for tonight—
that was enough.
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