Keifer's POV.
I initially thought Jay was just resting her eyes against my arm, but when I looked down, I realized she was completely dead to the world, snoring softly. Percy glanced over and noticed her sleeping face. He immediately raised his hand, gesturing for the rest of the noisy squad to lower their voices. Every single head at the table turned, looking first at Jayjay and then up at me.
Before anyone could say a word, the waiter from the counter came running over to our table in a panic.
"Ma'am—" he started, but stopped abruptly the moment he saw her knocked out. He let out a heavy sigh of relief. "Ah, I guess it already affected her."
Aries stood up instantly, his eyes narrowing. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"That girl right there," the waiter replied, pointing a trembling finger at Jayjay. "She drank alcohol instead of her fruit juice. She asked me for a juice, but I accidentally placed her order next to two glasses of alcohol on the tray. She picked up the wrong glass by mistake."
The entire table went dead silent as we all exchanged stunned glances. Suddenly, Jayjay mumbled something incoherent in her sleep, drawing all of our attention back to her.
"I should take her home right now," I stated firmly, looking around the table.
"But you came on a sports bike," Honey pointed out, her brow furrowing with worry.
"Exactly. How are you supposed to take a sleeping girl home on a bike?" Percy added. "Are you going to balance her or focus on steering the bike?"
Before I could even formulate a response, Aries spoke up. "You can take my car. Her extra tubs of ice cream are already in the mini fridge anyway. Ella and I can take your sports bike back, if you don't mind."
I didn't hesitate for a single second. I pulled the motorcycle keys from my pocket and handed them over to him, and he smoothly tossed his car keys into my hand. Sliding my arms under Jayjay, I lifted her up effortlessly in a bridal style carry and walked out to the parking lot.
I carefully placed her into the passenger seat of Aries' car and securely buckled her seatbelt. She stirred slightly against the leather, murmuring softly under her breath, but she didn't wake up. I closed her door, walked around to the driver's side, and started the engine.
Throughout the entire drive back, I kept glancing over at her. She looked completely at peace, curled up comfortably in the seat.
When we finally reached the mansion, I drove through the gates and parked the car inside. Getting out, I walked over to the passenger side and scooped her back up into my arms. The moment I lifted her, she instinctively wrapped her arms tightly around my neck, whispering something faint against my chest.
I carried her all the way up to our bedroom and gently laid her down onto the mattress. Standing over the bed, I stared down at her. She looked incredibly cute and innocent while she slept. Leaning down, I pressed a soft, lingering kiss against her forehead before quietly turning away and heading into the bathroom to change out of my clothes.
I stepped out of the bathroom and immediately noticed Jay sitting up, tightly clutching her head. She looked up at the sound of the door, her eyes completely glossy and filled with tears from the pain.
"Keifer..." she whispered, her voice cracking.
I rushed over to the bed and immediately pulled her into a warm hug. "It hurts," she mumbled against my chest, still holding her head tightly.
I gently pulled away just enough to look at her. Bringing my hands up to her face, I began to softly massage her temples and forehead with my thumbs, trying to ease the throbbing pain. She just sat there quietly, her big, glossy eyes staring right back into mine as I worked through the tension.
"Does it still hurt?" I asked softly, searching her face.
"Not anymore... you can stop now," she whispered.
I stopped massaging her temples but didn't move away. Carefully leaning her back against the pillows, I made her lie down comfortably on the mattress. I then lay down right beside her, placing one hand back over her forehead to continue massaging it with a gentle, soothing rhythm.
"Rest, Jay," I murmured.
She closed her eyes, letting out a soft breath. I kept massaging her head for a few more moments until she gently reached up and pulled my hand away. I looked down at her, confused, but a sweet, tired smile spread across her lips.
"It's okay now," she said softly.
Without another word, she shifted closer and wrapped her arms tightly around me, tucking her head safely right under my chin. A wave of warmth rushed through me. I wrapped my arms securely around her frame, holding her close against my chest as I gently rubbed her back, letting her drift back into a peaceful sleep.
After a while, I looked down at her and realized she was wide awake again. She stared up at me for a second, then flashed a goofy smile.
"I can't sleep," she announced, abruptly sitting up on the bed.
I sat up right along with her. She raised her hand and pointed a finger directly at me—or at least, she thought she was pointing at me. In reality, her eyes were completely crossed, and her finger was aimed at the empty wall right next to my face. Seriously?
I gently grabbed her shoulders, made her lie back down on the pillows, and wrapped my arms around her. She didn't fight me, but she didn't close her eyes either. She just kept staring blankly up at the ceiling.
"Jayjay, go to sleep. You need to rest," I told her softly.
She turned her head to look at me. "But I really can't."
"How? You're literally drunk," I pointed out.
She quickly snapped her gaze back to the ceiling, completely denying it. "I'm not drunk."
I shook my head with a sigh. Holding up my hand right in front of her face, I extended two fingers. "How many fingers am I holding up?"
She squinted, looking at my hand with intense concentration. "Four!" she answered proudly.
I instantly slapped my own forehead in exasperation. Reaching out, I playfully flicked her forehead. She gasped, turning her fierce glare back onto me. "Ow! What the hell, Keifer?!" she whined, slapping my hands away.
"Jayjay, just try to sleep," I repeated.
In retaliation, she reached up and flicked my forehead right back.
"What was that for?" I asked, completely amused.
She gave me a thoroughly confused look. "I don't know. And anyway, how do you even try to sleep?" she asked with complete innocence.
"Count sheep until you reach two thousand," I suggested, closing my eyes to show her how it's done.
A second later, a small hand started tapping my arm aggressively. I cracked my eyes open.
"But I don't want to count sheep," she complained, pouting.
"Then count any animal you want," I groaned. She gave a firm nod and finally closed her eyes. After a few minutes, I checked on her and saw she had finally drifted off. Relieved, I closed my eyes and went to sleep too.
...
Sometime later, I woke up to someone persistently nudging my shoulder. I groaned, blinking my eyes open, only to find Jayjay sitting up beside me, pouting heavily in the dark.
"What happened now?" I asked, rubbing my tired eyes.
"I counted the dogs like you said, and then I fell asleep," she explained seriously. "But I just woke up and I don't remember my count anymore! I know for a fact that I didn't reach two hundred yet... so, do I have to start all over again from one?"
I slapped my forehead for the second time tonight.
"Okay, you don't need to count anything anymore. Just sleep," I pleaded.
"How?" she asked innocently. Then, her eyes lit up. "Sing."
"Alright, I'll sing for you, but you have to actually sleep," I bargained.
She gave a quick nod and shut her eyes tightly. I took a deep breath and began to softly sing the melody of our song—the very first song I had ever sung for her. This song held so many precious, chaotic memories of our journey together.
"Ikaw ang miss universe ng buhay ko...
Ilang beses ko ba namang sasabihin sa 'yo...
Sa piling mo'y tanggal ang lumbay...
Ni kasiyahan walang kapantay...
Ikaw ang miss universe ng buhay ko..."
'(You are the miss universe of my life / How many times do I have to tell you / With you, sadness disappears / Even happiness is unparalleled / You are the miss universe of my life)'
As I continued into the next verse, I watched her features completely relax.
"Ikaw ang miss universe ng buhay ko...
Ilang beses ko ba namang sasabihin sa 'yo...
Sakit ng ulo tanggal bigla...
Sa piling mo lungkot nawawala...
Ikaw ang miss universe ng buhay ko..."
'(You are the miss universe of my life / How many times do I have to tell you / Headaches suddenly disappear / With you, sadness disappears / You are the miss universe of my life)'
By the time the last notes faded into the quiet room, she was completely dead to the world, snoring softly against my chest. Smiling to myself, I pulled the blanket over us, held her close, and finally went back to sleep.
Jayjay's POV.
The moment I blinked my eyes open, I felt an absolute explosion of pain, as if someone had taken a massive hammer and smacked it directly into my skull. Slowly, a wave of chaotic flashbacks started rushing into my mind. Holy crap. I suddenly remembered everything. I had accidentally drank alcohol at that bar, got completely dizzy, and Keifer had obviously carried me home—because who else would? And then, to make things worse, I literally hadn't let the poor guy sleep peacefully for a single second the entire night!
The only thing I couldn't fully place was a faint melody lingering in my head. I distinctly remembered someone singing a song directly into my ear before I finally crashed, but my fuzzy brain couldn't remember who it was or what the song even was.
I glanced out the window. The sun hadn't quite risen yet, but the dark sky was just beginning to pale with the very first hint of dawn. Suddenly, a massive, echoing rumble erupted from my midsection. My stomach was growling fiercely. Well, that made sense. I hadn't eaten a single bite of dinner last night, so the angry rats dancing in my stomach had officially woken me up because they refused to let me sleep.
Wait. MY ICE CREAM!
I never got to eat those other two tubs! Where on earth were they? Were they still sitting in the mini fridge of Aries' car? But wait... didn't Keifer and I go to the park on a sports bike? Why did I faintly remember coming back inside a car? My memory was completely fractured, playing random scenes in my head like a glitching movie.
I looked down at Keifer. He was sleeping so peacefully beside me, his strong arm wrapped securely around my waist. Even though I was sitting up and he was dead to the world, his grip on me was still incredibly tight. Suddenly, without even opening his eyes, his arm twitched. He forcefully pulled me back down, causing my head to thud right against the pillow. I stared at his face, but his breathing remained deep and steady. He was still sound asleep.
GRRRR.
My stomach roared loudly for the second time. Hoi! Shut up right now! You're going to wake my husband! I aggressively scolded my own stomach, but it completely ignored me, letting out an even louder growl.
Okay, fine. I guess I just had to wake Keifer up. I reached over, grabbed my phone from the side table, and checked the time. It was only 4:17 AM. Well, here goes nothing.
I immediately began nudging Keifer's broad shoulders. Instead of waking up, he just let out a low, irritated groan and yanked me even closer into his chest. He slid one hand firmly under my back while the other gripped my shoulder, pinning me into a tight, inescapable bear hug. I couldn't even wiggle my arms out.
But wait. God gave me two perfectly good legs, and I knew exactly how to use them.
Unable to move my upper body, I lifted my leg and delivered a sharp, warning kick right against Keifer's leg. That did the trick. His eyes instantly snapped open. Without uttering a single word, he calmly reached over to his side table, grabbed something metallic, and sat up. Before I could even process what he was doing, he leaned over the foot of the bed and started aggressively tying my ankles together with something.
I strained my neck to look down at my feet. My jaw dropped. He was literally locking my ankles together with a pair of handcuffs!
"Hoi! Hoi! Hoi!" I yelled, completely stunned.
He completely ignored my protests. After securely clicking the cuffs into place, he casually lay right back down, wrapped his arms tightly around me all over again, and closed his eyes, burying his face directly into the crook of my neck. And just like that, I was completely paralyzed, unable to shift, move, or kick him ever again.
"Jayjay, it's not even morning yet," he muttered, his voice incredibly deep and thick with exhaustion. "You didn't let me sleep the entire night, and now you're starting again."
"But I'm starving!" I whined loudly against his shoulder.
Hearing that, Keifer slowly lifted his head from my neck. He shifted his posture and looked down, staring straight into my eyes with a deadpan expression.
"What?" he asked, his voice flat.
In response, I delivered a sharp punch right to his upper arm.
"Ow! That actually hurt!" he complained, instantly rubbing his arm and glaring at me.
"I want to eat! I'm starving, you stupid idiot!" I yelled back, matching his glare.
Keifer stared at me, his jaw dropping in pure disbelief as he pointed a finger at his own chest. "I'm a stupid idiot? Me?! The guy who drove you home, massaged your head, endured your literal physical torture, and ended up singing a whole song just to put you to sleep is being called a stupid idiot? Is this seriously the reward I get after doing all that work?!"
I just smirked, mimicking his offended expression right back at him. "Yes! Because bringing me home? Your responsibility. Massaging my head? Your responsibility. Enduring my torture? Your responsibility. Singing a song for me? Absolutely your responsibility! After all, I am your wife." My smirk grew even wider as I leaned closer. "You welcomed me into your life with open arms, Keifer, and now I am officially your responsibility forever."
Keifer let out a massive, defeated sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose as he accepted his fate. He looked back up at me. "Okay, fine. You are my responsibility. So what exactly do you want right now?"
"Obviously, I'm hungry! I want food!" I demanded.
He gave a slow nod and finally stood up from the bed, heading toward the bedroom door. Just as his hand touched the doorknob, a vital piece of information popped into my head, reminding me about my hidden treasures.
"Keifer!" I called out, throwing the blankets off and impulsively trying to stand up.
In my excitement, I completely forgot about the metallic punishment my beloved husband had just locked around my ankles for kicking him. The second I tried to step forward, my legs caught, and I went flying forward, about to face-plant straight into the hard floor.
Before my face could make impact, two strong arms suddenly swooped in, catching me securely mid-air. I looked up and stared directly at the culprit behind my near-death experience. Without a word, he hoisted me back up, sat me firmly on the edge of the bed, and kneeled on his one knee on the ground, Infront of me and pulled a small set of keys from his pocket.
I glared at him with pure fire the entire time he was unlocking the handcuffs. The very second the metal clicked open and my legs were free, I lifted my foot and delivered a powerful kick straight to his chest. Keifer wasn't expecting it at all, and he went flying backward, landing flat on his back on the floor.
"Oww!" Keifer groaned from the ground, rubbing his back. "Is this what I get for saving you from a concussion?!"
"Yeah! Because you are the sole reason I was falling in the first place!" I shot back, crossing my arms defensively.
Keifer slowly sat up and raised both of his hands in complete surrender. "Okay, okay, I surrender. What else do you want from me, my queen?"
Hearing him call me his queen out of nowhere made my face instantly burn. I looked away, trying to hide my blushing cheeks. "My ice creams..." I muttered under my breath.
"As you wish, madam," he teased, giving me a mock bow from the floor before pushing himself up and finally walking out of the room.
Once the door clicked shut and silence settled over the room, his earlier words suddenly echoed in my mind. "...and in the end sang a song for you..." My heart did a tiny flip. He was the one. He was actually the one who had stayed up singing to me in the dark.
A few moments later, the door opened and Keifer walked back into the room holding my precious ice cream tubs. I literally clapped my hands in pure excitement. He handed the two tubs over to me, and I immediately looked around the blanket for something to eat them with. There was nothing.
"Here, come eat with me," I offered, holding a tub out to him.
Keifer raised a skeptical eyebrow and sat down directly in front of me on the mattress. He glanced around the empty bed, then looked back up at me. "And where exactly is the spoon, Jay?"
Realizing what was missing, I quickly set the tub aside, lunged forward, and grabbed a fistful of his thick hair. "Exactly! Where is my spoon?!" I demanded, completely deflecting the blame onto him before letting go.
Keifer just stared at me, completely speechless, before turning right around and walking back out of the room. When he returned, he handed me a clean spoon. Without a word, he marched over to his side of the bed, lay down flat on his back, and covered his eyes with his forearm.
Staring at his silent figure, a sudden wave of guilt washed over me. Wait... was I being way too much? I mentally checked my behavior over the last few hours. First, I hadn't let him sleep peacefully for a single second all night. Then, I kicked him. Then, I punched his arm. Then, I literally kicked him causing him fall. And to top it all off, I had just violently yanked his hair for a mistake I made. Yeah... I was definitely being a total menace.
Feeling bad, I crawled closer to his side of the bed and lightly tapped his arm. "Keif..." I called out softly.
He moved his arm just enough to crack his eyes open. "What is it now, Jay?" he asked, his voice surprisingly calm.
"Are you... mad at me?" I asked, my voice dropping to a tiny whisper.
He covered his eyes with his arm again, letting out a tired breath. "I'm not mad. Just eat your ice cream and try to go back to sleep, alright? It's still incredibly early."
Instead of eating, I set the ice cream tub far away, slid over, and wrapped my arms tightly around his waist in a giant hug. Surprised by the sudden affection, he removed his arm from his eyes and looked down at me.
"I'm sorry," I mumbled against his chest, pulling back just enough to look at him. I brought my hands up to hold my own ears, pouting my lip out as far as it could go. "I'm sorry that I didn't let you sleep, then I kicked you, punched you, kicked you again, and yanked your hair. I'm really, really sorry."
Keifer stared at my pathetic, puppy-dog expression for a second before bursting into a soft, genuine laugh. He sat up, gently reaching out to pull my hands away from my ears. He then picked up the ice cream tub and the spoon, scooped up a perfect bite, and brought it right to my lips.
"I can't stay mad at my cute wife for long anyway," he murmured, his eyes locking onto mine.
My cheeks instantly burned a bright, furious red. To hide my embarrassment, I quickly snatched the tub and the spoon right out of his hands, scooped up another bite, and shoved it toward his mouth.
"And this is your official reward for everything you did from last night until now," I declared with a wide, proud smile. "Don't get greedy, though—I'm only sharing my precious ice cream with you because I'm nice."
Keifer laughed softly, happily accepting the bite. And just like that, sitting together in the quiet, dim light of the early morning, we took turns. First I would take a spoonful, and then he would take a spoonful. Working together, we completely finished off both tubs of ice cream, leaving absolutely no crumbs behind.
After we finished the very last bite, Keifer set the empty tubs and the spoon onto his side table. He pulled me back down onto the mattress, wrapping his strong arms securely around my waist, and I happily buried my face right into his chest.
"Wait... wasn't my ice cream sitting in Aries the horoscope's car?" I asked suddenly, the memory finally clicking.
"Yeah. We came back in his car since you were completely knocked out cold," he murmured, his voice deep and sleepy.
I nodded against his chest, completely understanding now. "And... which song did you sing for me?"
"The same one I sang for you before. Back at the festival," he replied softly.
The memory hit me instantly, and a warm smile spread across my face as I remembered the beautiful melody. I nodded against him once more, letting my eyelids grow heavy as I finally closed my eyes.
"Now you need to sleep too," I whispered.
I felt him nod against the top of my head. And just like that, wrapped in each other's arms, we both finally went to sleep.
The End 🌸.