Jay-Jay (POV)
I felt heavy when I woke up.
Like something was literally crushing me.
I frowned before even opening my eyes properly.
"…What the—"
I tried to move.
Impossible.
He was on top of me again.
Like a damn snake.
Clinging. Tight. Comfortable.
"Hey," I muttered, pushing at his shoulder. "I can't breathe."
He didn't even react properly.
Just shifted… then hugged me tighter.
"…You asshole," I groaned.
I shoved him again—harder this time.
He finally moved slightly.
I took a breath—
And then—
He kissed me.
On the lips.
My brain stopped.
"What are you doing??" I asked instantly, eyes wide.
Still half-asleep, he blinked at me lazily.
"Giving CPR," he said.
Silence.
"…You're going to kill me instead."
I sighed, dragging a hand down my face.
"Just let me sleep."
Finally.
Relief.
He pulled me back into his arms again.
Warm.
Too warm.
Too familiar.
And I was gone again.
Sleep hit instantly.
—
"…Taba…"
A voice cut through my sleep.
I frowned.
"…Now what?" I muttered, my voice rough.
I forced my eyes open.
Messy hair.
Tired face.
Brain still offline.
I rubbed my eyes—
And froze.
C.I.N.
Standing there.
Grinning.
Behind them—
Section E is slowly entering one by one.
One after another.
It was a group tour.
"…What the hell," I whispered.
"Jay… sleep more," Kiefer said, still half-asleep, pulling me back toward the bed like nothing was wrong.
"Kiefer, get up," I snapped.
He didn't even care.
"Jay… you didn't even let—"
Before he could finish—
I kicked him.
Straight off the bed.
Thud.
Silence.
Then—
"What the f**k, Jay!" he shouted from the floor, rubbing his head.
I sat up instantly, glaring at the entire room.
"…Why are they here??"
Kiefer stood up slowly, completely unbothered.
"They wanted to see you," he said casually.
"…So I invited them."
I turned slowly toward the group.
They were all smiling.
Way too much smiling.
Too aware.
Too entertained.
I already knew.
Their thoughts were absolutely illegal.
"I'm going to the washroom," I said flatly.
No eye contact.
No pause.
Nothing.
I just walked past them.
Didn't look at a single face.
Because I knew—
If I did…
I wouldn't be okay.
Not yet.
After a while, when I came back…
The room felt different.
Quieter.
Kiefer was already inside, changed and refreshed, like he had reset himself into his usual calm.
But I hadn't.
He looked at me.
"Jay," he called softly. "Are you not going to talk to them?"
I stopped near the bed.
My fingers tightened slightly.
"I don't know," I said quietly.
A pause.
"…When I see their faces, I keep hearing things again."
My voice dropped.
"…and it hurts."
Silence.
Kiefer didn't respond immediately.
Then he stepped closer.
Slow.
Careful.
Like he already knew I wasn't okay.
He tapped my head lightly.
Once.
Then again.
"Jay," he said gently.
"Listen to them… you listen to me."
I frowned slightly.
"They like you."
That made something in my chest twist.
Not anger.
Not sadness.
Just… too much.
Too many things at once.
I pushed him lightly.
"…I still didn't forgive you," I muttered.
His hand paused for a second.
But he didn't argue.
Didn't push back.
Just looked at me like he accepted it.
"…Okay," he said softly.
Then added, even quieter—
"I'll wait."
That was worse.
Because it didn't demand anything.
And somehow, that made it harder to hold onto anger.
I turned away before he could see my expression.
"…I'm going downstairs," I said.
And walked out.
Before I changed my mind.
Downstairs, the energy was still loud—
But it shifted the moment I appeared.
Not angry.
Not cold.
Just… quiet.
Too quiet.
I walked past them without my usual sharp glance.
Straight ahead.
Like, I didn't see them at all.
They noticed immediately.
One of them leaned forward.
"Did she just… ignore us?"
"She didn't even insult us."
"…That's worse."
All eyes turned toward Kiefer like he was the only one who could decode me.
I sat down.
Pulled my knees slightly toward my chest.
"Kiefer," I said casually, "I'm hungry."
"I cooked everything, Jay," Eman said quickly.
The table was full but untouched.
Like no one dared to act normally.
Rory leaned forward.
"Jay… why are you ignoring us?"
I didn't look at them.
"So," I said, voice calm, "who won the bet?" And how much?"
The room froze.
They looked shocked.
I finally glanced at Kiefer.
"…Didn't you tell them I got my memory back?"
"I did," he said, handing me a cup of hot chocolate.
"…Just not everything."
I took it.
Warm.
Familiar.
Too grounded.
"So how much did I earn?" I asked again, looking at them.
"Five thousand pesos," Drew said quietly.
I paused.
Then blinked.
"…Oh."
A small laugh slipped out of me.
Not amused.
Not angry.
Just empty.
"That's so little," I said softly. "Can't you even earn that from actual work?"
Silence hit instantly.
Heavy.
Kit shifted.
"Jay… we know we made a mistake. Can't you accept it?"
I didn't answer immediately.
Then—
I threw the cup.
Fast.
Sharp.
I knew he would catch it.
And he did.
The room went dead silent again.
"Why?" I said, my voice suddenly colder.
"You're not even sorry for it… and I'm still giving you a chance to explain yourself."
"But you forgave Kiefer?" Mayo shot back. Of course, defective for his husband.
My eyes snapped up.
"Who said I forgave him?" I snapped. Then added, sharper—
"I gave him a chance."
Silence again.
"Then give us one too," David said quickly.
Felix stepped forward slightly.
"Jay… we like you genuinely. The way you helped us… Nobody ever did that for us."
"You're special to us," Calix finished it off.
That word.
Special.
It echoed wrong.
I let out a small laugh.
"You all said I was special," I repeated slowly.
My grip tightened slightly.
"I didn't understand then."
My voice dropped.
"But now I do."
I looked at them directly.
"You didn't mean special."
A pause.
"You meant convenient."
Silence.
"You called yourselves men," I continued, my voice sharper now.
"But when you wanted revenge for something I had nothing to do with… You dragged me into it."
My breath steadied.
"And played with my heart."
Edrix opened their mouth.
"Jay—"
I cut them off instantly.
"Why am I the one explaining this to you?"
Silence.
Kiefer's voice came softly from beside me.
"Jay…"
I didn't look at him.
Not yet.
"Why?" I repeated quietly.
The room went still.
Not dramatic, still.
Just… tense.
Likewise,e even breathing felt louder than it should've.
Then I saw C.I.N.
C-in's eyes were already red.
Not fake red.
Not pretending.
Actually crying.
And one by one… the others followed.
Section E.
All of them.
No jokes now. No smirks. No teasing.
Just silence and regret sit heavily on their faces.
They weren't looking at me like before.
Not like entertainment.
Not like a game.
They were looking at me like… they finally understood I wasn't part of one.
My gaze shifted to the table.
Food.
So much food.
Too much effort.
Eman's cooking.
Plates arranged properly.
Warmth was still rising from some of it, like they had been waiting too long for this moment.
They worked hard.
I could see it.
And that was the problem.
Then back at them.
"…Eat first," I said flatly.
A beat.
"…Then we'll talk."
Not forgiveness.
Not rejection.
Just… a beginning that didn't belong to their timeline.
And for the first time—
They didn't interrupt me.
They just nodded.
Quiet.
Waiting.
And I stayed standing there a moment longer than I needed to.
Because for once…
They were the ones learning how to wait.
Kiefer (POV)
We finished eating.
The house slowly loosened up after that heavy silence… but Jay didn't.
She went upstairs without a word.
Now she stood on the balcony.
Still.
Watching the beach like the ocean had answers she didn't want to ask anyone else.
I stayed inside, watching her from a distance.
One by one, they started going up to her.
I didn't stop them.
Maybe I couldn't.
David was first.
"Jay… can I talk to you?"
She didn't even look at him.
Just a small nod.
That was enough.
"I know what we did wasn't something you can just forget," he said quietly. "But we didn't expect Kiefer to actually do all that… and we all knew he fell for you from the start."
Silence.
"Please… give us a chance."
She nodded again.
Still looking at the sea.
Not at him.
Yuri came next.
"Jay… I knew the plan from the start," he admitted. "We all liked you like family. We just… messed up. Can't you give us a chance? Don't you miss those old days?"
A pause.
"Let's just… be us again, Jay."
Another nod.
Edrix stepped forward quietly.
He didn't speak much.
Just handed her a memory card.
"This is from your old phone… your data. I recovered it after Jare threw it away."
"…Thanks," she said softly.
Rory came after.
His voice was lower.
He couldn't even meet her eyes fully.
"We tracked you because we thought we were protecting you… " You always ended up in trouble," he said. "We knew it was wrong. We invaded your privacy… but we were also trying to track Percy. That was part of it."
He exhaled.
Then walked away.
No excuses left.
Just guilt.
And it hung in the air longer than his words.
Felix stepped in next.
"You helped me," he said. "I got my scholarship because of you… I'm sorry, Jay."
He didn't wait for a response.
Just left.
Calix followed.
"You even helped my love life, but I…" he muttered awkwardly. "I'm sorry."
Mayo and Kit came together.
Kit spoke first.
"I'm sorry for hurting you."
Then pushed Mayo forward like he didn't have a choice.
Mayo scratched the back of his head.
"…I'm sorry too."
Eman stayed longer than the others.
"I'm sorry, Jay… I asked Kiefer to tell you everything before it got worse. You ended up hearing it all anyway…"
He looked down.
"Can you forgive us?"
She didn't answer immediately.
But she nodded once.
Blaster and Drew came next.
"We're sorry… we couldn't stand against Kiefer," Drew muttered. "But we knew he loved you."
Then they left.
Denzel stayed a moment.
"I'm sorry for everything… even after you helped me with Grace," he said quietly.
Jay looked at him.
"How are Grace and Garzel?"
"They are good," he answered quickly. "If you want… I can take you to see her."
A small pause.
"…Okay," she said.
Josh came after.
"I'm sorry, Jay… because of you, we learned what it means to be a family."
That one hit differently.
Even I felt it.
Eran tried to joke through guilt.
"If you forgive me, I swear I'll never cheat again—"
"Don't finish that sentence," someone muttered behind him.
Finally… C.I.N stepped forward.
Her voice cracked instantly.
"Jay… I know you hate me. You don't even look at me properly anymore…"
She swallowed hard.
"I tried to stop the plan… I really did… but I couldn't."
Her eyes shook.
"I missed you… Can't you be my ate again?"
That was it.
Jay turned.
Walked straight into her.
And hugged her.
"Gago…" Jay muttered softly. "Don't cry, I'm your ate..I forgive you."
C.I.N broke instantly in her arms.
And that was it.
Everything cracked open after that.
One by one, they all moved closer.
Not loud.
Not chaotic.
Just… human.
Hugging.
Apologizing.
Breathing again.
And for the first time in a long time—
They looked like a group, not broken pieces pretending to be one.
Jay stood in the middle of it.
Not smiling fully.
But softer.
Like something inside her finally unclenched.
She looked at all of them and said quietly,
"Just don't do something like that again."
Silence.
Then every head nodded.
No hesitation this time.
Later, the house turned chaotic again.
Barbecue started.
Laughter slowly came back.
Carefully.
Like they were afraid to scare peace away.
I walked up to Jay.
Pulled her into my arms.
Pressed a kiss on her forehead.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
She nodded.
And for the first time that day—
She smiled a little.
"Finally…" she whispered.
"I got my other family back."