Jayjay'sPOV
My first full day with KYAP was pure chaos, but I loved it. In just three days, it's finally my birthday. I'll officially be eighteen! Legal age—yaayyyyy!
What should I do first? Should I adopt a child? No, wait, I'm still in school. What about getting married to Keifer? Just kidding! Well... actually, it's not a bad idea. Maybe a simple wedding now and we can move in together after graduation?
I shook my head to clear the thought. Bad plan. Neither Kuya nor Aries would ever survive that idea without having a heart attack. I shouldn't think that far ahead yet. The first thing I'm actually doing is bringing a puppy home. They are so cute, and I've always wanted to raise one.
But wait—did that King of Ulupongs actually dry my bed? Time to check. I ran back upstairs to my room.
I pushed the door open and stopped dead. Aries was sprawled out on the left side of the floor, and Keifer was passed out on the right. Did I really make them work that hard? I only told Keifer to do it—what was Aries doing down there too?
I walked further into the room. "Hey!" I said, my voice cutting through the silence.
"AHHHHHHHHH!" they both bolted upright, screaming at the top of their lungs.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I screamed right back, jumping nearly a foot in the air because their reaction scared the life out of me!
"You scared us!" Keifer panted, clutching his chest as he tried to catch his breath.
"Why did you even scream?" Aries asked, looking at me like I was the crazy one.
"Because I was scared of your screaming, idiot!" I snapped back.
"You're the biggest idiot," he countered smoothly.
"You're a larger idiot!" I said.
"You're an extra-large idiot," he shot back.
"You're an extra-extra-large idiot!"
"You're an extra-extra-extra-large idiot!" he insisted, getting louder.
"You're an extra-extra-extra-extra-large idiot!" I yelled.
He was about to open his mouth to add another "extra," but his phone suddenly rang. His eyes lit up instantly, and he bolted out of the room without another word.
"Wow. Just... wow," I said sarcastically, watching him disappear.
"Ella was calling him," Keifer said. I jumped slightly, realizing he was still standing right there.
"How do you know?"
"I saw her name on the screen while I was standing behind him," he explained. I nodded, but then I noticed the look on his face. He looked a bit... quiet. "I'm noticing that you aren't giving me as much time as you used to," he said, his voice barely a whisper.
"No," I said softly. I walked over and took both of his hands in mine, looking up at him. "Who told you that?"
"No one. I just noticed," he said, looking away.
"Listen to me carefully. I'm not avoiding you, and I'm not giving your time to anyone else. It's just that lately, whenever we're together, the room is always full of people."
He gave a slow, understanding nod. "Yeah. I know."
"Let's go get ice cream. Just the two of us," I suggested. His face transformed, a bright smile breaking through his serious mood. I smiled back, and we quietly made our way downstairs.
Thank God the living room was empty. We were halfway out the front door when Aries' voice echoed from somewhere behind us. I froze and looked back; his back was turned to us, but he was definitely close. We didn't wait to see if he'd turn around. We bolted, running as fast as we could toward the gate.
If he turned around, he'd definitely join us, and right now, I didn't want the Horoscope, the Rooster, or the blue eyes alien around. I just wanted Keifer. No one else between us.
We finally reached the mini-mart, our lungs burning and our hearts racing from the sprint. We stood there for a second, bent over and catching our breath, before looking at each other.
Maybe it was the adrenaline or the fact that we had successfully "escaped" the others, but we both just burst out laughing. We laughed so hard we could barely stand, right there in the middle of the sidewalk. In that moment, the stress of the exams, the mystery of the biker, and the noise of the boys all just faded away. It was just us.
After laughing like a pair of idiots, we finally composed ourselves and headed into the mart. Keifer bought the ice cream: cookies and cream for me, and vanilla for himself.
"So, in just three days, my boyish fighter queen turns eighteen. Legal age," he said, reaching over to poke my cheek playfully. I just smiled, my mouth full of cookies and cream. "What do you want for a gift?" he asked.
"Nothing," I said casually.
"Just say it, Jay."
"Really, nothing."
"Jayjay," he groaned, taking a bite of his own ice cream.
"I mean it. I don't need things. I just want you to always be honest with me," I said, looking him in the eye.
"Oh... well, okay. So, what's the plan then?" he asked.
"I'm going to buy a puppy first," I said firmly.
Keifer stayed quiet for a second, then looked at me with a serious expression. "Jayjay... let's do a simple wedding. Then, after graduation, we can live together. If you want."
I froze, my spoon halfway to my mouth. I stared at him, my heart doing a little flip. Is he reading my mind? I was literally thinking those exact words just a few minutes ago.
"Kuya won't allow it," I said, shaking my head. "And I'll think about it... but I'm telling you now, we should get married after graduation."
"Aye, aye, ma'am!" he said, snapping a playful salute. I couldn't help but laugh. Oh god, this guy has changed so much.
"Do you remember our first talk?" he asked suddenly.
"Yeah. You yelled at me, 'Are you deaf? Leave!'" I mimicked his old, grumpy voice.
"No, the one in class," he clarified. "When I asked, 'When are you gonna leave our section?'"
"When are you gonna leave this planet?" I shot back, replaying the memory.
"Why don't you go first?" he said.
"Cause I'm the one who is gonna make you disappear from this world," I said.
"Like you can," he said.
"Yes, I can," I insisted.
"You did, Jayjay," he said softly. I looked at him, confused, because I thought we were still just replaying our first bickering match.
"Huh?"
"Jayjay, you made the old me disappear—the one who was always angry and irritated with everything" he said, his gaze turning intense and sincere. "And now I'm here, being a new man. You made me like this, and I'm glad that I met you in my life."
"Keifer... why did you want to change yourself?" I asked, looking at him curiously.
"Because I don't want to hurt you again," he said, his voice dropping an octave. "Like I did when my anger and jealousy took over. I don't want to hurt my loved ones anymore."
I looked at him for a long moment, seeing the genuine regret in his eyes. "Okay, enough of the heavy talk. We should go home now," I said. "We'd been out for quite a while, and the others were probably wondering where we vanished to".
He nodded and stood up, offering me his hand. I took it, and we started the walk back in silence. It wasn't an awkward silence, though; it was the kind of comfortable quiet where you don't feel the need to say anything at all.
"Mahal kita," he said suddenly, his voice breaking the stillness.
"Mahal din kita," I replied automatically.
He flashed me a huge, triumphant smile. Oh god, why did I say that? Now he's definitely going to tease me for the rest of the night. Stupid, stupid Jayjay!
We reached home and started tiptoeing through the living room, trying to be as silent as ghosts.
"You two took so long," a voice called out from behind us. It was Percy. I didn't even have to turn around to know it was him.
"Yeah, you both were in that room for a while," Yuri added from the kitchen. My heart stopped for a second, but then I realized—they thought we had been in my room the whole time! They didn't see us sneak out. Thank God. Wait—what was Yuri doing in the kitchen? Keifer and I walked in to investigate.
"What are you doing in here?" I asked.
"Making sushi," he said simply. My eyes widened with pure joy.
"SUSHI?!" I yelled. He just laughed at my reaction and nodded.
"Yuri told me it's your favorite, so we decided to make it at home," Aries added. I hadn't even noticed him standing there, deep in "chef mode."
"Thank you!" I said, literally jumping up and down.
"Hoi, Kangaroo! Stop jumping, you might break the floor," Percy teased. They all burst out laughing, but it was time for a little revenge. I turned to Keifer and gave him my most innocent, cute look. He got the message immediately.
"Hey, she's not that heavy," Keifer shot back at Percy. "You've seen yourself lately? You must weigh at least 80 kilos. And you," he pointed at Aries, "85. And Yuri, you're easily 75."
This time, I was the one laughing. I laughed so hard I nearly cried.
"AND YOU'RE 90!" the three victims yelled in perfect unison.
My laughter doubled. Keifer looked at me, silently pleading for backup, so I cleared my throat and stepped in. "My boyfriend is not fat like you guys," I declared. Keifer beamed.
"I'm not even that fat! Look how slim I am!" Percy cried, starting to do a weird dance that made him look like a wiggling worm.
"I'm not 85 kilos! I'm not that heavy!" Aries argued.
"75? Bro, look at me! Do I look like I have that much weight on me?" Yuri asked, defensively holding his stomach.
"Okay, okay, okay! Just make the sushi for me now," I said, cutting through the noise. Aries and Yuri stopped and looked at me like I'd just confessed to a crime. "What?"
"Tell your boyfriend..." Aries started.
"...to make you sushi," Yuri finished.
"I would make it, but I have no idea how," Keifer admitted, shrugging.
"Fine, you all make it and I'll help too," I offered, reaching for an apron.
"NOO!" they all screamed at once.
"Do you want us to remind you of every single disaster that happened the last time you stepped foot in a kitchen?" Aries asked, looking genuinely traumatized.
"Fine! Do it all yourselves then! I'm going to my room," I huffed, turning around and heading upstairs.
I was scrolling through my phone when a loud BOOM echoed from downstairs. I bolted out of my room and flew down the stairs, only to stop dead at the kitchen entrance.
All four of them were sprawled out on the floor, completely covered in white flour from head to toe. Percy let out a small cough, and a cloud of white powder puffed out of his mouth. I couldn't hold it in—I burst out laughing, my voice echoing through the flour-covered kitchen.
"Are you... are you laughing at us?" Yuri asked, struggling to find his footing on the slippery floor.
"Of course she's laughing at us!" Percy groaned, rubbing his back as he stood up.
"We were actually in here making sushi for you," Keifer added, looking like a grumpy ghost.
"And you're just standing there laughing," Aries said. But I couldn't stop! They looked so ridiculous, four "tough guys" turned into white statues by a bag of flour.
"I need to change! Now!" Percy yelled, bolting toward Aries' room.
"You're going to wear my third pair of clothes?!" Aries screamed, chasing after him to save his wardrobe.
"What am I supposed to wear?" Yuri asked, looking at his white-coated skin.
"Aries' clothes," I said with a shrug. He nodded and followed the other two. I turned back to Keifer and saw him tapping away on his phone. "What are you doing?"
"Calling my butler to bring me a fresh change of clothes," he said simply. My mouth dropped into a perfect 'O' shape. Right. Rich guy problems.
"What about my sushi?" I asked, looking at the mess.
"We actually finished making it before the disaster," he said.
"Then how did... all of this happen?" I gestured to the flour-covered floor.
"Percy was grabbing flour for some reason—I don't even know why—and then he accidentally poured it all over Aries. Aries retaliated by throwing some at Yuri, and then Yuri's foot got tangled in something. He fell and took me down with him. Like a domino effect, we all ended up in the flour."
I started laughing all over again.
"Jayjay, stop laughing," Keifer warned, a devious glint in his eye. "Stop, or you'll regret laughing at me."
"What are you gonna do?" I challenged, and then I bolted.
I was out of breath but this guy wasn't going to back down he was still running after me! I was gasping for air, laughing and squirming until I couldn't take it anymore. After a while he caught my wrist
"Okay! Okay! I stop! Stop!" I cried out, and he finally let me go, both of us breathless and grinning.
We both just stood there for a moment, looking at each other and smiling. Why? I didn't even have a reason. I guess just watching the person I love laugh and smile makes me genuinely happy. The chaos of the flour explosion felt a million miles away, even though we were still catching our breath.
Then, the doorbell rang, echoing through the house. Keifer turned to go check it.
"Wait, I'm coming too!" I yelled, scrambling to my feet and running to catch up with him.
I reached his side just as he pulled the door open. Standing there was his butler, looking perfectly professional as he held a fresh set of clothes. It made sense—Keifer is a lot taller than Aries, so trying to squeeze into Aries' clothes would have probably ended in another disaster.
His butler handed over the clothes and left without a single word, closing the door behind him. Wow. No small talk, just pure efficiency. I looked down at my own clothes and sighed.
"Because of you, my clothes are covered in flour too, idiot," I said, pointing my index finger at him accusingly. He just laughed at me. Oh, okay. So we're laughing now? Well, Jayjay never forgets a chance for revenge.
I slowly pointed my middle finger out alongside my index, like a peace sign. He stopped laughing and just stared at my hand, confused. Then, very slowly, I tucked my middle finger back and the thumb out, he raised an eyebrow confused. Then I put my hand on my forehead and stuck my tongue out with one eye closed, and my hand was making loser sign on my forehead.
"Jayjay! You little brat!" he laughed, his eyes widening.
But I didn't wait for a reaction. I bolted for the stairs, sprinting to my room and slamming the door shut. I clicked the lock just as I heard his footsteps hitting the floor behind me. Hehe. 😈
I laughed to myself as I entered my room and was about to flop onto the bed when I caught myself just in time. Wait! I'm still covered in flour. I'd end up turning my bed into a giant loaf of bread if I sat down.
I quickly grabbed a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, changed, and headed back downstairs. Everyone was already gathered at the dining table, diving into the sushi. I hurried over and squeezed into the seat between Keifer and Aries. Keifer immediately handed me a piece of sushi, and Aries held out a pair of chopsticks.
I stared at the chopsticks for a second. Yeah, right. I'm using my fingers; I don't even know how to use these sticks. I started laughing at my own thoughts because I suddenly remembered how Percy used to call Yuri "Stick."
"Why are you laughing now?" Aries asked, looking at me suspiciously.
"Maybe she finally lost her mind," Yuri teased.
"Did she even have a mind to lose?" Percy added.
"HEY!" I yelled, and before I could think, I threw the chopsticks straight at Percy.
"Why were you laughing, though?" Keifer asked, actually curious this time.
"I was just thinking that I'd have to eat with my hands because I don't know how to use these sticks," I explained. "And then I remembered that Percy used to call Yuri—"
"Stick!" Percy finished for me, cutting me off.
We both burst out laughing while Yuri just sat there, looking like he wanted to disappear.
"Stick?" Aries asked, looking between us. Once he realized the joke, he and Keifer joined in, and soon the whole table was vibrating with laughter.
"Seriously?" Yuri groaned, looking totally unimpressed. "That's not even funny."
"It's not funny for you because it's your nickname!" I managed to choke out between laughs.
"Whatever," he muttered, trying to ignore us and focus on his food.
We all started eating, but the peace didn't last long. Every few minutes, one of us would lean over and whisper "stick" under our breath, and the rest of us would lose it all over again, laughing silently into our sushi. Yuri eventually reached his limit; he finished his meal at lightning speed and bolted upstairs to escape the teasing.
Once we were all full, we followed suit. The KYAP boys piled into Aries' room—probably to continue their chaos or plan more "surprises"—while I headed to mine. I crawled into bed, the sound of their distant laughter still echoing through the house, and I didn't even realize how tired I was until I drifted off to sleep.
The End 🌸