Jay–Jay (POV)
I rolled across the bed for what felt like the hundredth time.
I was bored.
Completely.
Utterly.
Painfully bored.
Kiefer was at Kuya's company, stuck in some long meeting.
Kigen and Kiran were buried in their schoolwork like their lives depended on it.
I tried to join them.
Bad idea.
"I'll help," I told Kiran.
He didn't even look up.
"If you come, you'll mess it up."
I blinked.
"Excuse me?"
He finally glanced at me. "You heard me."
…rude.
"Fine. Suffer alone," I muttered and walked out.
I flopped back onto my bed and grabbed my phone.
Without thinking, I typed into the Section E group chat—
"I'm bored."
Then I tossed my phone aside like that solved anything.
It didn't.
I stared at the ceiling.
Kiefer wouldn't let me go out alone.
Which meant I was stuck.
In this huge house.
With nothing to do.
Mia and Jare were busy planning a new branch.
Percy was somewhere being a husband.
Everyone had a life.
Except me.
I let out a dramatic sigh and placed my hand on my stomach, tapping it lightly.
"Caretaker…" I mumbled.
Kiefer started that nickname.
I hated it at first.
Now… not so much.
"You see this? " I whispered. "Your mom is extremely bored."
I sighed dramatically.
"And your dad? Too busy. He abandoned both of us."
A pause.
"Do something."
Silence.
I narrowed my eyes slightly.
"Wow. Already useless."
I huffed and pushed myself off the bed.
"Fine. I'll entertain myself."
I walked downstairs, dragging my feet slightly, and dropped onto the couch.
After scrolling for a bit, I gave up and turned on a movie.
The screen lit up the room.
The house was still quiet.
But not as heavy as before.
I curled up slightly, one hand still resting on my stomach.
"…At least you're here," I murmured.
That made the silence feel a little less empty.
"Tada!"
I looked up.
C.in came rushing in.
"C-in!"
I ran to him, and we both jumped, hugging each other like nothing had changed.
"Jay, you're pregnant—don't do that!"
David's voice cut in immediately.
I turned—
—and froze.
An ice cream tub.
Big.
"Is that—"
"Ice cream!" C-in and I screamed at the same time.
David held it up like he knew exactly what he was doing.
"You said you were bored," he said casually. "So I brought your comfort food."
He handed it to me.
"You're always the best," I said, hugging him.
"Jay."
I turned.
Eman stood there, holding a container.
I didn't even need to open it.
"…Adobo," I said instantly.
He smiled. "You're really a genius when it comes to food."
I narrowed my eyes. "You mean I'm not smart?"
He just smiled wider.
Rude.
Before I could argue—
More people walked in.
Edrix stepped in first.
Behind him, Rory lifted a box proudly.
"Fried chicken."
My eyes lit up.
"Why is everyone bringing something?" I asked, already suspicious.
Then—
More entered.
Kit. Mayo. Eran.
All carrying bags.
"What is happening?" I laughed.
"Because you said you were bored," Felix said, walking in behind them. "How could we miss the chance to annoy you?"
"Spend time with you," someone corrected.
"Same thing." Felix shrugged.
I blinked.
…This was getting out of control.
"I feel like more people are coming," I muttered.
Right on cue—
"We're not late, right?" Denzel said, stepping in.
Grace was with him.
"Grace!" I ran to hug her.
"Finally," she laughed, hugging me back. "Geazel gets another playmate."
I rolled my eyes.
"Don't start."
"Jay-jay!"
I turned again.
Calix and Mica walked in with snacks.
Mica hugged me tightly.
"Missed you," she said.
"I just met two days ago," I laughed.
"Still counts."
Then—
Drew and Josh Blaster entered, carrying more bags.
"Why is everyone bringing only food?" I asked.
"No idea," Blaster said. "Just felt right."
More footsteps.
I turned—
"Hey, Sakura!"
Yuri walked in with her.
I hugged Sakura warmly.
"Jay," Yuri said, handing me a box.
"Sushi."
My eyes widened.
"You remembered?"
He nodded, patting my head lightly.
That… made me smile.
At this point—
The table was full.
Completely full.
Food everywhere.
"Okay… now I'm convinced," I said, looking around. "This is not normal."
We all started arranging everything on the table, laughing and talking over each other.
The house felt alive.
Loud.
Warm.
After a while—
More familiar faces entered.
Aries.
Percy.
Mia.
Jare.
Ella.
Fraya
Kiran and Kigen came running down, drawn by the noise.
Soon—
Everyone was sitting around the dining table.
Everyone…
Except—
Kiefer.
I frowned slightly.
That idiot completely forgot about home.
"Jay, what happened?" Mia asked, noticing my expression.
"Nothing," I said quickly.
Then I looked around again.
"…Wait," I said. "Why did everyone bring food? we alredy have a lot "
Blaster leaned back in his chair.
"Because you only love food," he said.Then smirked. "Kiefer's important… but let's be honest—food came first."
Laughter erupted instantly.
I grabbed a spoon and threw it at him.
"Hey!"
"Violence!" he protested.
"Deserved," Rory said.
Kit looked at the table, impressed.
"Jay… you have a lot of food."
"She's probably thinking about what to eat first," Rory added.
I stared at the table.
Then at everyone.
Then back at the food.
"…They're not wrong."
More laughter filled the room.
And just like that—
The boredom was gone.
Completely.
And somehow—
Laughter filled the house.
Loud.
Unfiltered.
Alive.
For the first time all day, I wasn't bored.
I was sitting between Mia and Grace, arguing over whether I should start with sushi or fried chicken—
When the front door opened.
I didn't notice at first.
No one did.
Until—
"…What is this?"
The voice wasn't loud.
But it cut through everything.
Clean.
Familiar.
The room stilled.
Just slightly.
I turned.
Kiefer stood at the entrance.
Still in his work clothes.
Tie slightly loosened.
Eyes scanning the room.
The table.
The people.
The chaos.
Then—
Me.
And something in his expression shifted.
Not anger.
Not exactly.
Something quieter.
Something sharper.
"What is this?" he repeated, walking in slowly.
"Party," Blaster said immediately.
"Intervention," Felix added.
"For boredom," Rory finished.
I blinked.
"Traitors."
Kiefer's gaze didn't leave me.
"You said you were bored," Mia said casually, shrugging. "So we fixed it."
He exhaled slowly.
Then looked around again.
Everyone.
Everywhere.
His house.
Full.
Loud.
Alive.
Then his eyes landed back on me.
"You couldn't call me?" he asked.
Simple.
But it landed.
"I didn't want to disturb you," I said softly.
His jaw tightened slightly.
"I was already disturbed," he replied.
That made my chest tighten.
He walked closer.
Slow.
Measured.
Until he was right in front of me.
Up close—
I could see it clearly now.
Not anger.
Jealousy.
Not loud.
Not obvious.
Just… there.
Quiet.
Possessive.
"You look happy," he said.
I blinked.
"I am."
A pause.
Then—
His hand lifted.
Rested gently on my head.
"…Good," he said.
Soft.
But his thumb brushed lightly against my hair.
Lingering.
Like he needed to reassure himself.
I was here.
With him.
Not lost again.
"Sit," I said, pulling a chair slightly. "Eat."
He glanced at the chair.
Occupied.
Of course it was.
Before I could say anything—
"Stand up," he said quietly.
I blinked. "What—"
"Just stand."
Confused, I stood up.
And the next second—
He pulled me down onto his lap.
"Hey!" I yelped, hitting his shoulder lightly.
The entire room went—
"OHHHHHH!"
Heat rushed to my face instantly.
"Kiefer!"
"What?" he said calmly, like nothing happened. "We're husband and wife."
"That doesn't mean—" I started.
"It means I can sit wherever I want,and its our house" he cut in smoothly.
"And right now, I want this seat."
I stared at him.
Unbelievable.
Around us—
Whistles.
Laughter.
"Control yourself," Blaster said dramatically.
"Family environment," Felix added.
I buried my face in my hand.
"I hate all of you."
Kiefer didn't react to them.
Not even a little.
His arm settled securely around my waist.
Steady.
Possessive.
Like this was the most natural thing in the world.
Then, like nothing happened—
"Did you eat?" he asked quietly, his voice dropping just for me.
I shook my head.
"Waiting."
That was enough.
He reached forward, grabbed a spoon, and pulled a plate closer.
"Then eat," he said.
I hesitated.
"…Like this?"
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
I glared at him.
He didn't move.
Didn't loosen his hold.
Not even a little.
"…You're impossible," I muttered.
"And you're hungry," he replied calmly.
Around us, the teasing didn't stop—
But somehow—
It didn't feel embarrassing anymore.
Just…
Warm.
We shared the same plate, the same spoon—
just like the first time we sat together in that classroom.
Quiet.
Close.
Like nothing else mattered.
Blaster leaned toward Felix and whispered—loud enough for everyone to hear,
"He's jealous."
"I can hear you," Kiefer said calmly.
"I want you to," Blaster replied.
I kicked Blaster under the table.
"Shut up."
More laughter followed.
Kiefer didn't react.
But his hand shifted slightly—
now resting over mine.
Warm.
Steady.
Grounding.
"You should've texted me atlest," he murmured, just for me.
"I'm here now," I said softly.
He glanced at me.
Then at the table.
Then back at me.
"…Next time," he said,"be bored with me."
My lips curved into a small smile.
"…Okay."
And just like that—
he relaxed.
Just a little.
Still watching.
Still aware.
But softer.
After that—
the night turned easy.
Someone started playing music.
Then someone else started singing.
Soon, all of us joined in—
loud, off-key, laughing between lyrics.
At some point, the movie I had turned on earlier actually started playing.
No one really watched it.
We just sat there—
talking, teasing, stealing food from each other's plates.
Time passed without anyone noticing.
Slowly…
one by one…
everyone started leaving.
"Don't eat everything alone," Rory added.
"Too late," I shot back.
More laughter.
More goodbyes.
The house, little by little, grew quieter again.
Until—
it was just us.
But this time…
the silence didn't feel empty anymore.
It felt full.
Like something had settled.
Like everything—
was finally in the right place.