Jay's POV
Keifer exploded.
"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US?"
His voice echoed in the room, sharp and raw, not angry-terrified.
Kuya Angelo didn't stay silent either.
"What were you thinking, Yuri?"
Yuri flinched under their voices but still lifted his head.
"I thought... I could manage it."
That was it.
Keifer stepped forward.
"Manage?" he cut him off harshly. "How were you planning on managing, huh?"
Yuri opened his mouth but Keifer didn't stop.
"What if something happened to us?" His voice cracked. "What if something happened to Jay?"
My heart skipped.
Yuri looked down, fists clenched.
"I knew," he said quietly. "I knew it was dangerous. I knew."
He swallowed hard.
"Before, it was... different," he continued. "But now-it's different."
Keifer was about to speak again, anger burning in his eyes, but Kuya Angelo cut in sharply-
"What do you mean by different?"
The room went completely still.
All eyes turned to Yuri.
And suddenly, I had a very bad feeling that whatever he was about to say...
was going to make everything worse.
Yuri didn't answer immediately.
Instead, his eyes shifted.
First toward Kuya Angelo.
Then-slowly-toward me.
That look.
I knew that look.
It was the "please remove Jay from here before I say something that will destroy her peace" look.
I felt it in my bones.
And of course...
Keifer saw it too.
Why wouldn't he?
He was Yuri's best friend. They spoke an entire language with just their eyes-annoying, honestly.
Keifer's jaw tightened.
Then he turned to me.
I instantly activated my emergency weapon.
👉 Puppy eyes.
The biggest.
The wettest.
The kind that could melt glaciers.
I even tilted my head a little.
Please work. Please work. Please-
Nothing.
Not even a blink.
He sighed and said calmly,
dangerously calm,
"Let's go. I'll drop you home."
...
...
WHAT?
Excuse me???
"Uggggghhhh," I groaned internally. Why is it always me? Why am I the first person to be evacuated like some fragile glass doll?
I stared at him harder.
Upgraded puppy eyes.
Level two.
With silent begging.
Still nothing.
Before I could protest properly-
this man just picked me up.
Like-
no discussion, no consent, no drama approval.
"KEIFER-" I started.
Too late.
He opened the car door, placed me inside like I was some precious but annoying package, and shut it.
I crossed my arms, fuming.
From inside the car, I glared at him through the window.
This was not over.
Not even close.
He dropped me home.
The car stopped.
Engine off.
Silence.
Keifer came around, opened my door, and waited.
I didn't move.
I sat there like a statue.
A very angry, very offended statue.
"Jay," he said softly. "Come on."
Nope.
Why would I?
First he shouted at me.
Then he removed me from their conversation like I was a kid who wandered into an adult meeting.
What the hell.
I crossed my arms tighter and stared straight ahead.
He sighed. "Please."
Still no.
He tried again. "Jay... don't do this."
Oh, I'll do this.
He looked at me for a second, like he was deciding something.
And when Keifer decides something-it's never good news for my dignity.
Before I could react, he leaned in, unbuckled my seatbelt-
"HEY-"
Too late.
Next thing I knew, I was on his shoulder.
Like a sack of potatoes.
A very cute sack, but still.
"KEIFER WATSON PUT ME DOWN," I protested, hitting his back uselessly.
"Walk or fly," he said calmly. "You chose fly."
Humiliation. Pure humiliation.
He carried me to the door, set me down on my feet, and made me stand properly in front of my house.
"There," he said. "Home."
I stared up at him, furious.
Hair messy. Pride shattered. Heart annoyed.
"This is unfair," I muttered.
He looked at me-soft now, not angry, not sharp. Just... worried.
"I know," he said quietly. "That's why I'm doing it."
That didn't make me feel better.
Not at all.
He turned back toward the car.
Just like that.
As if everything was normal.
As if my heart wasn't still racing from everything that had happened.
"Keifer," I called.
My voice didn't sound like mine.
It was polite. Confused. Small.
He stopped.
Turned.
"Hm?"
One eyebrow lifted, surprise flickering across his face.
I swallowed. My hands felt cold.
"What exactly was that?" I asked.
I knew how stupid it sounded.
I knew he was probably thinking now she wants explanations?
But I wasn't joking.
I was terrified.
The guns.
The shouting.
The way death felt... close.
He didn't answer.
He just stepped back toward me and stood there, right in front of me, close enough that I could feel his presence grounding me.
For a second, neither of us spoke.
And I couldn't take it anymore.
Before he could say a single word, before my courage disappeared, I stepped forward and hugged him.
Just like that.
My arms wrapped around him tightly, like if I let go, everything would fall apart again.
I buried my face into his chest, my voice coming out muffled.
"I was scared," I whispered.
His body went still.
Then slowly-carefully-his arms came around me, holding me back, firm and protective, like he was making a promise without words.
He rested his chin lightly on my head.
"I know," he said quietly. "I know."
And for the first time since everything exploded, my breathing finally slowed.
Right there.
In his arms.
I didn't lift my head.
I just stayed there, pressed against him, holding on like he was the last solid thing in the world.
"We'll be safe, na?" I whispered.
My voice cracked. "I'm not ready to lose anyone more now... please."
I don't even know when it happened-
but my eyes burned, my cheeks were wet, and suddenly I was crying without permission. Again.
Very rude of my emotions, honestly.
Keifer's hands came up gently, cupping my head. He tilted my face up so I had to look at him.
He was still holding me, close, steady.
"Hey," he said softly. "Everything will be okay. Everything will be perfect."
Then, with that stupid calm confidence of his, he added,
"My wifey. My queen."
Excuse me???
I smacked his chest-not hard, just enough to make my point-
and immediately buried my face back into his chest like nothing happened.
And-
I don't know what possessed me-
I kissed his chest.
Right there.
Instant regret.
Instant embarrassment.
Instant what did I just do???
I felt his body stiffen for half a second.
Then he chuckled.
Actually chuckled.
"What was that?" he laughed.
I pulled back just enough to glare at him. "What do you expect me to do when you're this handsome? Is that my fault?"
He laughed louder, clearly enjoying this way too much, and opened his mouth to flirt back-
I smacked his hand before he could even start.
"No," I said firmly. "Go. Go to your best friend and your boss."
He blinked. "Jay-"
"I am still angry," I added dramatically. "Very angry. Don't talk to me."
Before he could say another word, I stepped back, turned around, marched into the house-
and smacked the door shut behind me.
I leaned my forehead against it, heart racing.
Ugh.
Why is being in love so exhausting?