Jay-Jay(POV)
The sun was setting.
Golden light spilling across the water.
For once…
Everything felt normal.
Rory, Edrix, Drew, Eran, and Josh were already in the water—shouting and splashing like idiots.
Eman was at the grill, fully focused like this was a five-star kitchen.
Felix and Calix were helping.
Blaster was… aggressively flipping meat like he had personal issues with it.
Kit got hit in the head.
Again.
Mayo was quietly cutting vegetables like the only sane person here.
C.I.N?
Dragging me.
Of course.
"Jay, come on!" he said, pulling my wrist. "Let's go!"
"C-in, slow down," I complained, trying to keep up.
"Jay, it'll be fun—"
Before he could finish—
My hand was pulled back.
Firm.
Warm.
Familiar.
Kiefer.
"C-in, no."
His voice wasn't loud.
But it cut through everything.
"She doesn't know how to swim."
A pause.
"And it's risky…"
His grip tightened slightly.
"…when she's pregnant."
Silence.
Not normal silence.
Heavy silence.
The kind that drops like something just broke in the air.
Even the waves felt louder.
Thud.
Somewhere behind us, something fell.
No one moved.
No one breathed.
Then—
"WHAT??"
Everyone.
At once.
Water splashed violently as the idiots in the sea rushed back like it was a life-or-death situation.
"WHO'S PREGNANT??"
"WHO???"
"WHAT???"
"JAY???"
I closed my eyes.
"…Gago," I muttered.
Slowly—
Very slowly—
I turned my head toward Kiefer.
He froze.
"…Oops," he said.
C.I.N. looked between us like his brain couldn't process it.
Then he screamed.
"YOU'RE PREGNANT?!"
I winced.
"Yes."
He gasped louder.
"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME FIRST?!"
"You're the loudest, not the closest," I shot back.
Drew ran up, still dripping water.
"Wait—wait—wait—THIS IS REAL???"
"Does it look fake?" I snapped.
Rory stared at my stomach like it was going to wave back at him.
Edrix pushed his glasses up.
"…Statistically speaking—"
"SHUT UP," everyone shouted.
Eman came out of the grill area.
"…Jay?" he asked carefully.
I sighed.
"…Yes."
Silence again.
But softer this time.
Not shocked.
Processing.
Felix blinked.
"…We're going to be TITO?"
Calix looked like he had just unlocked a new life purpose.
"WE'RE GOING TO BE TITO."
Blaster dropped the meat.
"OH SH*T I'M NOT EVEN MARRIED AT IM GOING TO BE TITO AGAIN??."
Kit, still holding his head, whispered—
"…I got hit for this moment."
Mayo froze mid-cut.
Knife still in the air.
"…I'm not emotionally prepared for this."
He looked at Kit and added " I also want kids."
Kit hit him on the head.
C.I.N?
He hugged me anyway.
Too tight.
"Kiefer," I said flatly.
He pulled him off immediately.
"She needs space."
C.I.N. pointed at him.
"YOU. YOU DID THIS."
Kiefer didn't even deny it.
"Yes."
Denzel walked in slowly, holding the juice pitcher like nothing made sense anymore.
"…Do I still serve this?"
"No," Drew said. "We need holy water."
Yuri and David came out from inside.
"What happened—"
"JAY IS PREGNANT," ten people shouted.
David froze.
Yuri blinked.
Then both slowly turned toward Kiefer.
"…You're dead," Yuri said calmly.
Kiefer smirked.
"Too late."
All eyes turned back to me.
Too many.
Too loud.
Too much.
I exhaled slowly.
"…I was going to tell you properly."
C.I.N. sniffed.
"You told us by accident."
"Blame him," I said, pointing at Kiefer.
He didn't even look guilty.
"I said it at the right time."
"You said it at the worst time."
Silence.
Then—
Felix raised his hand slightly.
"…Can I carry the baby when it's born?"
"No," everyone said.
Eran raised his hand next.
"…Can I name it?"
"Absolutely not," I said immediately.
C.I.N. stepped forward again.
"I will teach him video games."
"No."
"I already decided."
I rubbed my forehead.
…Why are they planning my child's future like it's a group project?
Drew leaned back like a proud investor.
"Relax," he said. "That kid's going to be rich before even being born… after all, he's got great titos."
"Wow," Yuri muttered. "So the baby's future is corruption."
"Networking," Drew corrected proudly.
Rory smirked, clearly choosing violence.
"If he—or she—takes after Jay-Jay…"
He paused.
Grinning wider.
"…then first thing they'll learn is every curse word in existence."
Silence.
Then—
THUD.
The rock flew straight at his head.
He dodged.
Barely.
"What did you just say??" I snapped, already picking up another one.
"HEY—VIOLENCE IN FRONT OF A CHILD!" Rory shouted, backing away.
"THE CHILD ISN'T EVEN BORN YET!" I yelled, aiming again.
"EXACTLY—EARLY EDUCATION!"
"I WILL END YOU!"
Felix laughed from the side. "Too late, the baby already heard everything."
Calix nodded seriously. "Yeah, first word is definitely going to be 'idiot.'"
"That's because of ALL OF YOU!" I shot back.
Blaster pointed at Kiefer. "Nah, genetics."
I froze.
Slowly turned.
"Kiefer."
He raised both hands immediately.
"I didn't say anything."
"That's worse."
Yuri grinned. "So it's confirmed… the baby's dangerous."
"Of course," Drew added. "With those parents? That kid's going to rule us."
Rory nodded dramatically. "Yeah. We should start apologizing early."
I picked up another rock.
They all stepped back at once.
"RUN—SHE'S SERIOUS!"
And just like that—
Section E scattered like their lives depended on it.
Idiots.
…All of them.
But somehow—
I was smiling.
"…I regret everything."
Kiefer stepped closer behind me.
His hand rested lightly on my waist.
Steady.
Grounding.
"You don't," he said quietly.
Behind us—
Chaos restarted.
Louder than before.
"TITO DUTIES START NOW!"
"DON'T LET HER WALK FAST!"
"WHO'S COOKING FOR HER?"
"I ALREADY AM!" Eman shouted.
"PROTEIN! SHE NEEDS PROTEIN!"
"DON'T GOOGLE THINGS!" someone yelled.
I stared at the ocean.
Then at them.
Then I closed my eyes.
"…This is a disaster."
Kiefer smiled against my hair.
"…Our disaster."
And somehow—
Even with all the noise…
I didn't feel overwhelmed anymore.
Just…
Surrounded.
After everything finally settled…
We lit a bonfire.
The sky was darker now—deep orange fading into night.
The waves were calmer.
The chaos?
Not gone.
Just… redirected.
Toward me.
Of course.
I sat on the sand, arms wrapped around my knees, watching the fire crackle.
Kiefer was behind me, too close as usual.
Like distance personally offended him.
Then—
David broke the silence.
"It's not really a surprise," he said, staring into the fire. "I mean… we're talking about Kiefer."
A few snacks.
"Yup," Yuri agreed. "Honestly, I expected it sooner."
I narrowed my eyes.
"…Expected what exactly?"
Rory leaned forward immediately.
"Timing," he said. "We're discussing timing."
I picked up a small rock.
He saw it.
Too late.
I threw it.
He dodged.
"HEY—" he shouted. "That was attempted murder!"
"You want to be dead?" I asked calmly.
He sat back instantly.
"…No."
Drew leaned in.
"So… when did it happen?"
Silence.
Then—
Everyone turned.
At me.
Slowly.
Suspiciously.
Dangerously.
"…Why are you all looking at me?" I asked.
Blaster grinned.
"Because you're the source."
"I will end you."
That didn't stop them.
Of course it didn't.
The night stretched longer than expected.
We sat around the bonfire, talking about everything we lost… and everything we missed.
College.
Old fights.
Stupid crushes.
Bad decisions.
Worse decisions.
And somehow—
I became the main topic again.
Naturally.
They teased me.
A lot.
Too much.
I was already reaching for another rock when—
"Enough."
Kiefer's voice cut through it.
Calm.
Firm.
Not loud.
But enough.
And just like that—
They stopped.
No jokes.
No pushing.
No "one last comment."
Just… silence.
Respect.
I didn't say anything.
But I noticed.
We slept late.
Too late.
At some point, my body just gave up.
I don't even remember lying down properly.
"Jay… wake up."
C.I.N's voice dragged me back.
I frowned.
"…What?"
My eyes barely opened.
Everyone was rushing around like something important was happening.
"What happened?" I asked, still half-dead.
"Before we leave, we're watching the sunrise," he said excitedly.
I blinked.
"…Why are you all so energetic this early?"
"No questions. Move."
After freshening up, I went downstairs.
And stopped.
Almost everyone was still sleeping.
Scattered.
Dead.
Unresponsive.
I stared at them for a second.
Then turned.
Slowly.
Picked up a bucket.
Filled it with water.
Came back.
And—
Splash.
"WHAT THE—"
"JAY—"
"ARE YOU INSANE—"
Perfect.
I smiled.
Mission success.
They were awake. I hide behind Yuri and David before they hit me.
Eman handed me a bowl after that.
"Eat."
I looked down.
Porridge.
"…What is this?"
"You ate too much last night."
I narrowed my eyes.
"…You're going to be a good husband."
He nodded with a smile.
Then I looked at the bowl again.
"…But why is this so much?"
He didn't even blink.
"That's your normal portion. "
I hit him lightly on the head.
"Gago."
Still—
I ate it.
Kiefer appeared behind me, as usual.
No warning.
Just presence.
"Good morning," he murmured.
"…You're late," I said.
"I was watching you commit violence."
"…They deserved it."
He hummed.
Agreed.
We all headed out after that.
To the cliff.
The one facing the ocean.
The wind was stronger there.
The sky is just starting to change.
Everyone climbed up like excited kids.
Some slipping.
Some shouting.
Some are almost dying.
I stayed back.
Watching.
"…Idiots," I muttered.
They were laughing.
Running.
Yelling at each other like nothing ever went wrong between us.
Like this was always how it was supposed to be.
Kiefer walked back to me.
Quiet.
Different from them.
He didn't say anything at first.
Just looked at me.
Then leaned down—
And kissed me.
Soft.
Warm.
Unrushed.
"I'm living the happiest moment of my life," he said.
Just like that.
Simple.
Honest.
Then—
He turned.
And jumped down to join them.
I stayed sitting.
Watching.
My chest felt… weird.
Not sad.
Just—
A little heavy.
Because I couldn't go down like them.
Not anymore.
Not the same way.
My hand moved unconsciously to my stomach.
"…Yeah," I whispered.
"Jay!"
I looked up.
They were waving.
Calling me.
C.I.N., Drew, Rory—
All of them.
Then—
They brought something.
A large tub.
I blinked.
"…What are you doing?"
"Special treatment!" C.I.N shouted.
"VIP access!" Felix added.
Kiefer was behind them.
Holding it steady.
Looking at me.
"Come," he said.
I stared at them for a second.
Then sighed.
"…You're all ridiculous."
But I stood up anyway.
They helped me into the tub like I was some fragile queen.
Which was annoying.
And unnecessary.
But also—
Kind of nice.
They carried it closer to the water.
Careful.
Still loud.
Still chaotic.
But careful.
For me.
And then—
We played.
Water splashing.
People shouting.
Laughter echoes across the cliff.
I forgot—
Just for a moment—
What I couldn't do.
And focused on what I still could.
When we finally headed back—
The sun was fully up.
The sky is clear.
And everything felt lighter.
Not perfect.
But…
Right.
I looked at them.
At him.
At this mess I somehow belonged to.
"…Yeah," I murmured.
This time—
I didn't feel like running away.