Petals and Promises - Love from you (Jayfer)

JAY JAY POV

I blinked. I was expecting a hitman, or maybe another long-lost relative popping out of the shadows to ruin my day, but instead... there was just a guy. A delivery man, to be exact. He looked like he had been standing there since the dawn of time.

"Kuya? What do you want?" I asked, my voice still sounding a bit breathless from the walk.

Sarah stepped up beside me, her arms crossed and a look of pure confusion on her face. "Jay-jay, he's been here for almost two hours. He refused to leave! He kept saying these are only for a Jasper Jean Mariano Watson."

I felt my heart do a violent, caffeinated skip. Watson.

There was only one person in the world arrogant enough to drop that last name like a claim before the wedding bells even rang. Keifer. That gorgeous, possessive, absolutely impossible asshole.

"I'm Jasper Jean," I said, stepping forward.

The man's face instantly brightened with relief, as if his long-suffering stakeout was finally over. "Ma'am, these are for you. Mr. Watson was very clear—I was to give this to you personally, and no one else."

He reached out and handed me a single Sampaguita.

I stared at the delicate white petals in my palm. It looked so simple compared to the chaos of my life, but I knew what it meant. Love. Divine Hope. Dedication. It was Keifer's way of calling a truce without actually saying the words. It was a promise that even if I walked away, he'd still be waiting at the finish line.

"May I know who this is from?" Jare asked, his voice dropping into that deep, protective register that usually meant someone was about to get punched.

"Mark Keifer Watson po," the man answered, straight to the point.

I heard Jare's jaw clench so hard it probably defied the laws of biology. If glares could set things on fire, that delivery man would have been a pile of ash in three seconds.

"Ma'am, there's more," the man added, reaching into his van. "Here are the roses, too."

And then, the flood began. My arms were suddenly buried under a mountain of color. Roses, Lilies, Sunflowers, Dahlias, and Tulips.

An entire botanical garden was being dumped onto our doorstep.

I stood there, hidden behind a sea of petals, the scent of a thousand different flowers filling my lungs. Passion, purity, loyalty, commitment—it was like Keifer had sent me a physical manual of every single emotion he didn't know how to put into a normal sentence.

My brain was screaming at me to stay mad. He lied! He used you as a strategy! Have some dignity, Jay-Jay!

But as I looked at the Sampaguita tucked against the vibrant roses, my resolve felt like it was melting into a puddle at my feet.

Honestly, Keifer Watson... how am I supposed to keep you on the blacklist when you're literally trying to bury me in flowers?

"Thank you, Kuya," I managed to say, my voice muffled by a stray sunflower petal hitting my nose.

The delivery man looked at me, probably pitying the girl buried under five different types of expensive foliage. "Ma'am, here is a note from Mr. Watson," he said, handing me a small, sleek envelope that smelled faintly of Keifer's expensive cologne.

I nodded and took it, a traitorous smile tugging at the corners of my lips despite my best efforts to stay "sullen."

"Jay-Jay, seriously. You look like the flowers are about to stage a coup and bury you alive," Mia remarked, leaning against the doorframe with a look of pure amusement.

"If you're so concerned about my safety, then help me!" I huffed, struggling to find my way toward the living room table without dropping a hundred-dollar lily.

Sarah and Mia just stood there, chuckling like the supportive friends they totally aren't. Meanwhile, the paparazzi—A.K.A. Ben and Dave—were already hard at work.

"Don't move, Jay-Jay! This is definitely going on the group chat. The views are gonna be insane," Dave said, his phone clicking faster than a machine gun.

"Yeah, look at our girl," Ben added, laughing as he angled his camera for a better shot. "Special delivery from Romeo himself. Who knew the King of Section E was this much of a sap?"

I rolled my eyes, my face burning. Between Keifer's overwhelming romantic gestures and my friends' refusal to let me live in peace, I really didn't know which one was going to kill me first.

Honestly, Section E... can we just have five minutes of silence for my dignity?

After scrubbing off the literal scent of a thousand flowers and the lingering tension of the day in the shower, I finally collapsed onto my bed. My hair was still damp, and my brain was officially fried, but there was no escaping the reality of my life.

I stared at the envelope sitting on my nightstand. It looked so innocent, but I knew better. Anything coming from Keifer Watson was bound to be a emotional landmine.

I took a deep breath, my heart doing that annoying, frantic stutter-step it only ever does for him. My fingers were actually trembling as I broke the seal.

This was so typical of him using expensive stationery and old-school romantic gestures to make me forget that he's a total jerk

I pulled out the paper, Keifer's bold, elegant handwriting staring back at me. It even smelled like him—that signature scent of expensive cologne and trouble.

I braced myself. Jay-Jay, stay strong. Don't let a few pretty words make you forget the blacklist.

With a shaky exhale, I started to read.

To my favorite headache,

By now, you're probably buried under a mountain of flowers and screaming at your friends to stop taking pictures. I can practically see that grumpy, beautiful face of yours from here. Are you still wearing that I hate Keifer Watson expression? Because honestly, Jay... even when you're mad at me, you're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.

I know. I'm a jerk. I'm the Asshole who treated your life like a plan. I lied, I kept secrets, and I let my Plan get in the way of the only thing that actually matters—you. Saying I'm sorry feels too small for the wreckage I caused, but I'll say it a thousand times if it means you'll look at me without that wall in your eyes again.

The Sampaguita? That's for the truth. No more strategies. No more moves. Just me, standing in front of you without a script. The rest of the flowers? Those are just a down payment on all the ways I'm going to worship you until you finally remember that you're mine. Infinitely.

Mrs. Watson. I'll do whatever it takes to get off it. I'll crawl, I'll fight, and I'll punch every ghost from your past until they realize they have no business touching what belongs to me.

Try to sleep well tonight, Jay-Jay. Dream of me even if you're shouting at me in your dreams or (Wet dreams will also be fine perfect actually) It's a start

I love you. More than the game. More than the win. More than my own heart.

Yours (always),

Mark Keifer Watson

"Idiot!" I hissed at the empty room, my face feeling like it was currently being grilled over an open flame.

Dream of him? Seriously? The audacity of this Watson is actually terrifying.

"As if I'd actually waste my precious sleeping hours letting your arrogant face haunt me," I muttered, staring at his bold handwriting as if it were a personal insult. "And 'wet dreams'? In your dreams, Keifer! Like I've ever even had one about you!"

I rolled my eyes so hard I'm pretty sure I saw my own brain cells protesting. Just because he's the King of Section E doesn't mean he gets a VIP pass to my subconscious. I'm Jay-Jay! I'm supposed to be the one giving him headaches, not the other way around.

But my heart, the ultimate traitor, was currently executing a frantic, caffeinated sprint against my ribs.

I felt my cheeks burning—not because of the letter, obviously. It was just… humid. Yeah. The ventilation in this room is trash.

"You're still on the blacklist, you arrogant jerk," I whispered, even as I carefully smoothed out the creases in the paper. I tried to toss the letter onto my nightstand with an air of complete indifference, but my fingers lingered on the edges for a second too long.

A total of zero percent of me wanted to admit that his stupid, flirty, half-apology was actually working.

"I'm not dreaming about you, Keifer Watson. Not even if you were the last man on earth," I lied to myself, pulling the blanket over my head.

But then again… if he keeps sending me entire gardens and calling me Mrs. Watson... my brain might just decide to ignore my orders tonight.

The next few days? A literal, throbbing, one-hundred-percent-certified headache.

I was trying my absolute best to stick to the plan. I was treating Keifer Watson like a localized weather disturbance—ignored, invisible, and completely irrelevant.

But that asshole? He clearly didn't get the memo that he was supposed to be in the "doghouse."

The Watson brand of persistence is on a whole other level. My locker? It's currently a health hazard. It's so stuffed with flowers that I'm pretty sure I'm developing a permanent allergy to anything with petals. And it didn't stop there.

Every single day, it was a landslide of bribery.

Flowers. Stuffed animals so big they were practically taking up a seat in the cafeteria. Chocolates that cost more than my entire tuition. And don't even get me started on the food.

Every time I turned around, someone was handing me a bag of my favorite snacks or a gourmet lunch with a note that said something infuriatingly charming. He knew my weakness. He knew that the quickest way to my heart—or at least my forgiveness—was through my stomach.

"Jay-Jay, seriously, are you going to eat that or can I have it?" Mia asked, staring longingly at the box of premium donuts sitting on my desk.

"Eat it! Take it away before I throw it at his head!" I huffed

But then, I'd catch the scent of the lilies or see the stupidly cute face of a giant teddy bear, and my Blacklist resolve would start to feel like it was made of wet cardboard.

Damn you, Keifer Watson. You're literally trying to drown me in gifts until I forget that I'm supposed to be mad at you. And the worst part? It's getting harder and harder to pretend I don't love every second of it.

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Sorry everyone!! ✨🤍

I know I didn't post yesterday 😭 but I swear I had a valid reason — I was studying for my exam 📚🧠💫 and my brain was literally melting.

Chapter 52 - Petals and Promises