JAY JAY POV
I finally stepped out of the airport, the humid Philippine air hitting me like a warm, familiar blanket. It felt strange to be back, like my body recognized the atmosphere even if my mind didn't have the memories to match.
Kuya Luan couldn't join me at the last minute because of another urgent business call, so I was on my own for the first time in years. My phone vibrated in my hand—speak of the devil.
"Yes, Kuya, I've reached the Philippines," I said, juggling my suitcase as I looked for a cab.
"Good. Go straight to our house now. Don't wander anywhere," Kuya commanded, his voice sharp with that signature overprotectiveness.
I sighed, stopping near the curb. "Kuya, the estate is way too far from the hospital. I can't travel two hours every day just to go to work and come back home. I'll be dead on my feet before my first shift ends."
There was a frustrated silence on the other end, followed by the sound of him pacing. "Shit. I forgot about the traffic. What's the plan now?"
"There's an apartment complex near the hospital. I've already looked into it. I need to move in there so I can actually function as a human being," I told him firmly.
"An apartment, Luna? That's dangerous," he argued, his voice dropping into that low, warning tone. "I can't control the security there. I don't know who your neighbors are."
"Kuya, please! It's not that dangerous," I countered, waving down a taxi. "It's a high-end building with 24-hour security and facial recognition. Besides, I'm a surgeon, not a hermit. I need to be near the ER."
"I don't like it," he grumbled.
"I know you don't, but you're in the U.S. and I'm here. I'm making an executive medical decision for my own sanity," I teased, trying to lighten the mood. "I'll send you the address and the unit number. You can even send your scariest guards to check the perimeter if it makes you feel better."
"Fine," he finally relented, though he sounded like he was swallowing lemons. "Forward me the details. And stay on the phone with me until you're inside the lobby."
I rolled my eyes but smiled. "Yes, Boss. I'm getting in the cab now. See you soon, Kuya."
As the taxi pulled away from the terminal, I looked out at the chaotic streets of Manila.
"Your Kuya really needs to get his chills together," Mia said, shaking her head as she adjusted her sunglasses against the bright Manila sun.
"I know, right?" I let out a frustrated huff, looking at the screen of my phone where Luan's last three protective texts were still glowing. "I think it's finally time I find him a girlfriend. If he has someone else to worry about, maybe he'll be too busy to track my every breath."
"Matchmaking now, are we?" Ben asked, leaning against his luggage with a smirk.
"I don't have a choice!" I argued, throwing my hands up. "It's a survival tactic. For the sake of my freedom and his blood pressure, he needs a distraction."
"Sure, that's what they all say," Zen teased, nudging my shoulder.
I just smiled at him, feeling the familiar warmth of our group's banter. It was the one thing that made this giant leap across the ocean feel grounded.
"So, what's your apartment number?" Zade asked, checking the digital confirmation on his own phone.
"Umm, eighth floor. Unit 546," I replied, trying to remember the floor plan the agent had sent over.
"I'm on the seventh floor," Mia said, her eyes lighting up. "Close enough for late-night coffee runs when we're drowning in paperwork."
"Same for us," Ben and Zen said in unison, high-fiving each other. "The seventh floor is officially the 'Boys' Wing'—plus Mia."
"What about you, Zade?" I asked, turning to him.
"Eighth floor," Zade said, flashing that mischievous grin of his. "Looks like you're stuck with me on the same level, Jay."
"That's nice," I said, feeling a wave of relief. Having my best friends just a flight of stairs or a hallway away made the prospect of living in a new city much less daunting. "At least if I get locked out or have a medical emergency—like running out of snacks—I know exactly which doors to kick down."
"Don't worry," Zade added, grabbing the handle of my heaviest suitcase as we stepped out of the taxi.
We stood there for a moment, shielding our eyes from the glare as we looked up at the towering apartment complex. It was a sleek, modern structure of glass and steel, standing tall against the chaotic Manila skyline.
"Not bad, I guess," I said, a small sense of relief washing over me. It looked secure enough to satisfy even Kuya Luan's paranoia—at least for a week or two.
I led the way inside, and we split up at the elevators, the boys and Mia heading to the seventh floor while Zade and I continued up to the eighth. After a quick inspection of my new place—minimalist, clean, and fortunately equipped with a large fridge—I turned to see Mia poking her head in before heading down to her own unit.
"Jay, set your alarm, okay? The hospital is fifteen minutes away from us, and tomorrow is our first shift. We can't afford to be late on day one," Mia reminded me, her doctor-voice already starting to kick in.
"Tell that to those idiots over there," I said, pointing down the hallway toward the elevator where we could still hear Ben and Zen arguing about whose room had a better view. "They're the reason we're always late to everything. If we're behind schedule tomorrow, I'm blaming the Boys' Wing."
Zade chuckled, waving a hand as he headed toward his own door further down the hall. "I heard that! Don't worry, surgeon, I'll make sure they're awake."
I offered a tired wave in return and finally stepped into my suite. The silence of the apartment felt heavy but welcome after the long flight and the sensory overload of the city. I didn't even bother unpacking. I made my way straight to the bedroom, locked the door, and collapsed onto the bed.
The mattress was firm, the sheets cool against my skin. As I felt my eyes growing heavy, that strange, fleeting sense of being watched—or perhaps just being somewhere I was meant to be—brushed against my mind.
Tomorrow, I thought, pulling a pillow to my chest. The real work starts tomorrow.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
KEIFER POV
I couldn't shake the feeling clawing at my chest. It was a strange, electric restlessness—like the air before a storm, but without the dread. For the first time in seven years, I felt like something was about to happen. Something good, I hoped, though good was a word that had long since been erased from my vocabulary.
"Kuya, I'm heading to the appointment," Keigan said, pausing by the door with his bag over his shoulder.
"Wait, I'm coming with you," I said, pushing back from my desk. The stacks of reports could wait; the feeling in my gut wouldn't.
"No need, Kuya. I can go alone," he insisted, his voice quiet but steady.
"Tss. I already told you I'm coming. I don't have work today. Let's go," I said, grabbing my suit jacket.
Keigan froze, looking at me with a bewildered expression. It was like he was staring at a ghost—or perhaps a version of me he thought had died on that pavement seven years ago.
"What?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at his stunned silence.
"Nothing... it's just that I haven't heard you say 'Tss' in a very long time," Keigan murmured, a small, tentative light flickering in his eyes.
I felt a ghost of a smile tugging at the corners of my lips—the first real one that didn't feel like a mask.
"Get used to it. I have a feeling I'm going to be using it a lot in the coming days," I said, clapping him on the shoulder.
I didn't know why I was so certain, but as we walked out to the car and headed toward St. Jude's International, the hollow ache in my chest felt just a little less heavy. It was as if the universe was finally alignment after years of chaos.
"Let's move," I commanded the driver.
The ride was silent, but my mind was anything but quiet. The closer we got to the hospital, the more that electric pull in my chest intensified. It was a physical sensation, like a string tied to my heart was being tugged toward the building.
We finally reached the hospital, the sterile glass of St. Jude's International gleaming under the afternoon sun. As we stepped through the sliding doors into the bustling lobby, the familiar scent of antiseptic met me, but for once, it didn't trigger the usual wave of nausea or memory.
I adjusted my suit, my presence alone causing a few people to step aside. Beside me, Keigan walked with his head down, still uncomfortable in such public spaces.
As we waited near the reception area, the hushed whispers of two nurses nearby caught my attention.
"Did you see the new doctors?" one of them whispered, eyes wide with excitement.
"Yes! Damn, the boys among them are hot," the other responded, giggling behind her clipboard. "And the one with the brown hair? She's too beautiful. It's a good thing I'm a girl; if I were a boy, I would have courted her a long time ago. She looks like a literal angel in those scrubs."
Tss.
Out of habit, I let out a sharp exhale. Doctors were doctors; their looks shouldn't be the gossip of the ward. But something about the description—the brown hair, the beauty that demanded attention—made my heart skip a beat.
"Kuya, let's go. Dr. Mia's office is on the fifth floor," Keigan said, nudging my arm.
I nodded, forcing my eyes away from the nurses. "Right. The fifth floor."
But as we stepped toward the elevator, I found myself scanning the hallways, my eyes searching for a flash of brown hair or a face that didn't belong in my dreams. I told myself I was being a fool, that I was just being haunted by another phantom of the mind.
Still, the feeling remained. She was here. Somewhere in this labyrinth of white walls and ticking clocks, the reason my world had been broken for seven years was finally within reach
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Hey guysss 🤍✨
Do you think they'll meet 😭 because I'm lowkey stressing over it
ANYWAYS since I feel comfy with you guys, here's some stuff abt me 😭💗
• Yes, I'm Asian 🌏✨
• And yup, some people guessed it — I am Indian 🇮🇳
• BUT I'm not fully Indian 😭 I'm half Indian, half Filipino 🇮🇳🇵🇭💗
• You detectives were guessing like crazy and I was just watching 😭🕵️♀️
Sibling chaos:
I have 2 older annoying brothers 😭💀 so I'm the youngest (pls send emotional support) 🙏✨
And the whole Jare vibe in my some of my story??
Yeah… that's literally my middle brother 😭💀 Everything I described about him is straight from real life
And my oldest brother kinda acts like Percy (minus the "I'm handsome" delulu energy) 😭✨
Jokes aside, they actually help me a LOT with my writing style. They even watch Section E with me — no matter how many times they say "I don't want to watch it" 😭💀
They're just as hooked as we are 😭🔥