Chapter 75 — When I Fly Towards You
Rain tapped softly against the giant glass windows of Keifer's villa while the city lights blurred outside like melted gold.
Jay was laying upside down across the massive couch wearing one of Keifer's hoodies and fluffy black socks she absolutely stole from his closet while scrolling through Netflix with full concentration.
The villa itself was stupidly luxurious.
Warm lights.
Dark wood.
Huge open spaces.
A living room bigger than most apartments.
And somehow despite all that expensive architecture…
Jay still managed to look like a raccoon that broke into somebody's rich uncle's house.
Keifer walked out of the kitchen carrying snacks before stopping mid-step.
"…Why are you upside down?"
Jay didn't even look up. "The blood circulation helps me think."
"That sounds medically concerning."
"You sound judgmental."
Keifer sat beside her anyway while she continued scrolling dramatically.
The island trip ended three days ago.
And somehow…
Jay kept appearing at Keifer's villa naturally now.
Not officially staying there.
But suspiciously close.
Her charger was already near his bedside table.
One of her hoodies was hanging near the stairs.
And yesterday she threatened his chef because the coffee tasted "emotionally weak."
Terrifying behavior honestly.
Earlier that evening, Angelo had asked where she was going.
Without blinking once, Jay replied:
"Ci-N's house."
Meanwhile Ci-N himself had absolutely no idea he was apparently hosting her tonight.
Aries almost caught her too.
"Why are you dressed like that for Ci-N's house?" he asked suspiciously.
Jay looked him dead in the eyes.
"Because friendship is glamorous."
Aries stared for a full five seconds.
"…You're lying."
"I'm inspiring."
Then she immediately left before he could investigate further.
Now here she was.
Emotionally trespassing inside Mark Keifer Watson's villa again.
"What are we watching?" Keifer asked.
Jay finally looked at him seriously.
"Cinema."
"That sounded threatening."
"I'm making you watch a masterpiece."
Keifer narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Last time you said that Noah almost died during a horror marathon."
"That was character development."
"That was psychological warfare."
Jay ignored him completely before clicking play proudly.
The title appeared on screen.
When I Fly Towards You
Keifer blinked once.
Then slowly looked toward her.
"This?"
Jay looked offended immediately. "What's wrong with this?"
"You're emotionally obsessed with romance dramas?"
"I contain multitudes."
Keifer laughed quietly while she shoved popcorn aggressively into his chest.
"Respect the art."
"How many times have you watched this?"
Jay suddenly looked suspiciously calm.
Too calm.
Keifer narrowed his eyes immediately.
"…Jay."
She looked away.
"…Fifty."
Silence.
Keifer stared at her.
"FIFTY?"
"Don't yell at me."
"You voluntarily watched the same drama fifty times?"
"It heals me emotionally."
"That sounds unstable."
Jay pointed at him dramatically. "YOU HAVEN'T EVEN WATCHED IT YET."
"Because I enjoy touching grass."
"Shut up and experience happiness."
Keifer was still laughing when the drama finally started.
And honestly?
The first few episodes weren't bad.
Cute even.
Jay meanwhile looked frighteningly invested already.
Like genuinely concerning levels of invested.
She knew scenes by memory.
Entire dialogues.
Entire emotional expressions.
At one point she whispered the next line before the actor even said it.
Keifer paused the drama slowly.
"No."
Jay blinked innocently. "What?"
"You know the script."
"It's called dedication."
"It's called needing therapy."
"I already watched therapy. Fifty times."
Keifer laughed hard enough to lean back against the couch while Jay looked deeply offended by his lack of emotional sophistication.
Then somewhere around episode four—
He started understanding.
The comfort.
The warmth.
The stupidly soft atmosphere.
The tiny moments that somehow felt bigger than dramatic confessions.
The way Zhang Lurang looked at Zaizai like she was sunlight after years of rain.
Keifer glanced sideways slowly toward Jay.
Jay was fully focused on the screen while hugging one of his pillows dramatically.
Then without looking away, she spoke quietly.
"See?"
Keifer smirked faintly. "See what?"
"Lurang."
"That man looks emotionally gone already."
"EXACTLY."
Jay pointed aggressively at the TV like a professor presenting research.
"Do you SEE the way he looks at her?"
Keifer looked back at the screen.
Lurang was quietly listening to Zaizai talk nonsense while smiling slightly without realizing it.
Then Keifer looked back toward Jay slowly.
"…That's apparently what I look like?"
Jay finally looked at him.
Then narrowed her eyes.
"Watson."
"Hm?"
"You stare worse."
Keifer laughed immediately.
"I absolutely do not."
"You literally look at me like background music follows me around."
"That sounds dramatic."
"You kissed me beside the ocean."
"That was your fault somehow."
Jay looked deeply satisfied by that answer.
Then another scene played.
Zaizai running around excitedly while Lurang silently followed her with tired devotion.
Jay pointed instantly.
"That's us."
Keifer blinked once. "You think you're Zaizai?"
"No," Jay replied immediately. "I'm cooler."
"That sounds biased."
"It's factual."
"You absolutely have Zaizai energy sometimes."
Jay sat up instantly. "Excuse me?"
"You act tough but you're secretly emotional."
"I have never been emotional a day in my life."
"You cried during episode three."
"That was stress hydration."
Keifer grinned while Jay glared at him weakly.
Then suddenly another scene appeared.
The friend group eating together.
Laughing.
Talking over each other.
Simple.
Warm.
Jay's expression softened automatically.
Keifer noticed immediately.
"You really love the friendship part too, huh?"
Jay stayed quiet for a second before nodding slightly.
"It feels real."
That answer came softer than usual.
Less guarded.
"The way they stay together," she continued quietly while staring at the screen. "Even after growing up."
Keifer looked at her carefully after that.
Because suddenly this wasn't just about a drama anymore.
It was about her.
About someone who probably spent most of her life expecting people to eventually leave.
Jay hugged the pillow tighter unconsciously.
Then muttered:
"I think that's why the ending hurts."
Keifer stayed quiet.
Jay looked at the screen while speaking softly.
"Nothing bad happens."
> "Nobody betrays anyone."
"Nobody stops loving each other."
Her voice dropped quieter.
"But they grow up."
That sentence landed heavily in the room.
Rain still tapping softly outside.
The drama lighting flickering across her face.
And for the first time tonight, Keifer realized why she watched this show fifty times.
Not because it was romantic.
Because it felt safe.
Like a world where people stayed.
Keifer leaned back slightly against the couch while still watching her more than the actual drama now.
Then softly:
"You know what I think?"
Jay looked toward him tiredly. "What?"
"You like Lurang because he's calm."
"That's partially true."
"And Zaizai because she loves loudly."
Jay narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "You analyzed my emotional psychology from a Chinese drama?"
"I'm talented."
"You're annoying."
"But accurate."
Unfortunately…
He was.
Because Jay did love loudly.
Not openly.
Not gently.
But intensely.
Protectively.
Desperately sometimes.
Even when she pretended not to care.
Then suddenly another scene played where Gu Ran started teasing Jiang Jia again.
Jay immediately pointed at the screen.
"THAT'S NOAH."
Keifer burst out laughing instantly.
"Oh my God."
"Tell me that's not Noah."
"It absolutely is."
"Same dramatic stupidity."
"Same survival instincts too," Keifer added.
Jay snorted quietly.
Then another thought hit her.
"Oh my God."
"What?"
"Sebastian and Aurora are literally Lurang and Zaizai if they were emotionally constipated billionaires."
Keifer nearly choked laughing.
"That's terrifyingly accurate."
"And Matthew is Jiang Jia because both get angry professionally."
"Matthew would sue you for this comparison."
"He can emotionally recover."
The drama continued afterward while the rain outside grew heavier.
At some point Jay slowly shifted closer unconsciously until her legs rested across Keifer's lap naturally.
Neither of them acknowledged it.
Mostly because Keifer was busy realizing her feet were freezing.
"Why are your feet cold?"
"Because life is cruel."
"You're wearing socks."
"They're decorative."
Keifer grabbed a blanket from beside him before throwing it over her legs.
Jay looked at him suspiciously.
"That was caring behavior."
"I regret it already."
"You're soft."
"You watched fifty episodes of emotional eye contact."
"That's DIFFERENT."
Keifer smiled quietly to himself while the next episode played.
And honestly?
He was invested now too.
Unfortunately.
By midnight, both of them were fully emotionally attached.
Jay looked stressed.
Genuinely stressed.
"You already know what happens," Keifer pointed out.
"That doesn't make it hurt less."
"That sounds emotionally unhealthy."
"Shut up."
Then the ending episodes started.
And suddenly the entire villa became quiet.
No teasing.
No sarcasm.
Just both of them staring at the screen emotionally destroyed.
The graduation scenes came.
The growing up.
The feeling that time was moving too fast.
Jay was hugging the pillow tighter now.
Keifer looked equally betrayed by life itself.
And somehow the ending hurt even more because nothing tragic happened.
The characters just…
Kept living.
Growing.
Changing.
Still loving each other.
Still staying.
But the school days were over.
And suddenly even Keifer understood the ache.
"What the hell," he whispered emotionally.
"I KNOW."
"WHY DOES THIS HURT."
"BECAUSE THEY GREW UP."
"That's not emotionally fair."
Jay sniffed dramatically while wiping her face aggressively.
Then suddenly she looked toward him.
"You cried."
Keifer looked offended immediately. "You're literally sobbing."
"I cry attractively."
"You cried into my hoodie."
"That sounds like your problem."
Keifer stared at her for a second before laughing quietly again.
Then eventually the laughter softened.
The room grew quieter.
Rain still tapping outside.
The drama credits rolling slowly across the screen.
Jay looked strangely calm afterward.
Emotionally wrecked.
But calm.
Keifer looked at her carefully.
"You really love this show, huh?"
Jay looked down at the pillow in her lap quietly.
Then softer this time:
"It feels safe."
That answer hit harder than Keifer expected.
Because suddenly he understood everything.
It wasn't just romance she loved.
It was:
the consistency,
the gentleness,
people choosing each other over and over again,
friendships surviving time,
love staying soft.
Things life hadn't exactly given her easily.
Keifer moved slightly closer.
Close enough that their shoulders touched fully now.
Then quietly:
"You know what's funny?"
Jay looked at him tiredly. "What?"
"You watched this fifty times."
"And?"
"I still think you're more dramatic than the entire cast combined."
Jay gasped weakly. "That's offensive."
"It's true."
Jay narrowed her eyes before suddenly leaning closer.
Dangerously close.
"So what you're saying," she murmured softly, "is that you watched sixteen hours of romance because I asked?"
Keifer looked at her steadily.
"Yes."
Jay blinked once.
Then twice.
Like even she wasn't expecting him to answer that directly.
Keifer smiled faintly afterward.
"And honestly?" he added quietly. "I'd probably do it again."
And for the first time that night—
Jasper Jean Mariano-Fernandez became completely speechless.
Because sometimes love doesn't arrive through grand confessions… sometimes it appears quietly at 2 AM, crying over fictional characters beside someone who starts feeling painfully, terrifyingly permanent.