Third Person POV
By the time they reached the café, everyone was tired—but happy.
Bags were piled near chairs, drinks were ordered in bulk, and the long table barely fit all of them. Laughter filled the space easily, the kind that comes after a successful day.
Keifer sat beside Jay, watching the group settle.
That's when he noticed it.
Keigan.
Keigan sat across from Eces, pretending to focus on the menu, but his eyes kept lifting—quick glances, careful ones. Not staring. Not obvious. Just… checking. Like he was making sure she was okay. Like her presence mattered more than the food.
Jay noticed too.
She leaned slightly toward Keifer and murmured, "Do you see that?"
Keifer nodded subtly. "Yeah."
Keigan laughed at something Felix said, but his gaze drifted back to Eces again, soft and unguarded for half a second before he caught himself and looked away.
Jay didn't comment.
She just stored it away.
Food arrived, conversations overlapped, Section E doing what they did best—turning a quiet place loud. Percy complained about lighting. Rory teased Felix. Freya laughed quietly beside Edrix. Everything felt… normal.
Eces sat calmly, eating slowly, listening more than speaking.
Then—
A chair scraped sharply against the floor behind her.
The sound was sudden. Harsh. Too loud.
Eces froze.
It was immediate.
Her shoulders stiffened. Her fork paused mid-air. Her eyes shifted—too fast, too alert—scanning the room. The noise from the café seemed to fade as her breathing changed, shallow, controlled.
No one had noticed yet.
Except Keifer.
Jay followed his gaze and saw it too—the tightness in Eces's jaw, the way her fingers curled slightly against the table.
Someone laughed loudly nearby. A tray clattered.
Eces flinched.
Her hand moved instantly to her pocket.
Not rushed.
Not panicked.
Practiced.
She slipped a pill from a small strip and swallowed it dry, her movements discreet, almost invisible. Then she placed both hands flat on her lap, grounding herself.
But it wasn't gone.
Her eyes kept moving—doors, people, sounds. Every muscle in her body looked ready to react, like she was bracing for something that wasn't there.
Now others noticed.
Felix frowned. "Hey… is she okay?"
Keigan was already halfway out of his seat before he stopped himself, hands clenched, helpless.
Jay's chest tightened.
She watched Eces force herself to take slow breaths, one after another. In. Out. In. Out. Her face stayed calm—but the fight was obvious now.
This wasn't drama.
This was survival.
Keifer felt it hit him all at once—the realization.
This is what she does every day.
The awareness.
The control.
The constant monitoring of every sound, every movement, every person.
Eces lifted her glass, hands trembling just enough to notice, and took a sip. Slowly. Deliberately. She nodded once to herself.
"I'm okay," she said quietly when Keigan finally looked at her, worry written all over his face.
Section E fell silent—not awkward, just respectful.
Jay reached out and gently placed her hand over Eces's wrist. "Take your time."
Eces nodded again, not trusting her voice.
everyone at that table understood it at the same time:
This wasn't about outbursts.
This was about restraint.
About strength.
About how hard Eces worked just to be normal.
The café noise slowly returned.
But nothing about her went unnoticed anymore.
Eces had just settled back into her seat, fingers slowly unclenching, when Ci-n noticed the empty strip in her hand.
He didn't raise his voice. Didn't make it a spectacle.
Ci-n leaned forward slightly, voice low. "What medicine do you take?"
Eces didn't look up. "Replinode."
Ci-n nodded once. "I thought so."
Jay's heart thudded. "What's going on?"
Ci-n answered gently, choosing his words carefully. "It's taken when an episode is about to start. Not after. Before. It helps when the body reacts too strongly to a trigger."
Jay looked at Eces, realization settling in. "So you felt it coming."
Eces nodded once. "Yes."
"And you took it immediately," Keifer said quietly.
"Yes."
Ci-n added softly, "That means she recognized the trigger in time."
Silence settled over the table—not awkward, just heavy with understanding.
Felix exhaled slowly. "So this…" he gestured vaguely, "…this control?"
"It's not easy," Ci-n said. "It's constant."
Eces lifted her glass with steady hands and took a small sip. Her breathing evened out, slowly returning to normal.
"I'm okay," she said, calm but honest.
Keifer's POV
It was already past nine when we got home.
The house was quieter than usual—tired quiet, the kind that follows an emotionally heavy day. Keiren headed straight to his room, still humming to himself. Eces followed a moment later, murmuring a soft good night before disappearing behind her door.
Keigan was halfway up the stairs when Jay stopped him.
"Keigan."
He turned, confused.
"Sit," Jay said, patting the couch.
He hesitated, then came back and sat across from us. I stayed quiet, watching him. He wasn't nervous exactly—just… careful.
Jay leaned forward. "I'm going to ask you something, and I want an honest answer."
Keigan nodded. "Okay."
"Do you like Eces?"
The question landed heavy in the room.
Keigan blinked, then looked down at his hands. For a second, I thought he might deny it out of instinct—but he didn't.
"I don't know," he said slowly. "At least… not like that. Not yet."
Jay tilted her head. "But?"
"But I care," he admitted. "More than I expected to."
I leaned back slightly, arms crossed, listening.
"She's quiet, but she's always aware of everyone else," Keigan continued. "She notices things people miss. And after today…" He swallowed. "Seeing how hard she works just to stay calm—yeah. It got to me."
Jay softened. "You watch her."
Keigan let out a small breath. "I do. I don't mean to. I just… want to make sure she's okay."
I spoke then, keeping my voice level. "That doesn't mean you're in love."
"I know," he said quickly. "And I'm not planning anything. I wouldn't cross any line. She's already dealing with enough."
That mattered to me.
I nodded once. "Good."
Jay smiled faintly. "Liking someone doesn't mean acting on it."
Keigan looked up. "I don't want to be another problem in her life."
For the first time that night, I felt my shoulders relax.
"Then you're doing fine," I said. "Just… be respectful. Be patient. And if your feelings change—be honest. With yourself first."
Keigan nodded. "I will."
Jay stood and squeezed his shoulder. "Good night."
"Good night," he replied, heading upstairs.
When his door closed, Jay leaned back against me.
"So," she murmured, "you saw it too."
"Yeah," I said quietly. "But he's not reckless."
She nodded. "That's all I needed to know."
I wrapped an arm around her as the house settled again.
Whatever was growing there—
It would take time.
And for once, that felt like the right thing.
Eces's POV
Morning always comes before I'm ready for it.
The light slips through the curtains quietly, like it's afraid to wake me. I lie still for a few seconds, listening—footsteps, doors, voices. The house is calm. No sharp sounds. No sudden movements.
Good.
I sit up slowly and breathe the way I've taught myself to. In through the nose. Out through the mouth. Counted. Measured. Controlled.
Downstairs, thoughts brush against mine before voices do.
Keiren—Sunday… maybe games later.
Keigan—Did she sleep okay? Don't be obvious.
Jay—I should check on her before breakfast.
Keifer—Too quiet. I don't like quiet.
I close my eyes and gently push the noise away.
I don't read minds because I want to.
I do it because my body learned long ago that knowing first hurts less.
I change quickly, choosing soft clothes—nothing tight, nothing that restricts movement. I check my wrist out of habit. The bandage is still there. Hidden. Good.
When I step into the hallway, the house smells like coffee and something warm. Normal. Safe.
Jay looks up the moment she sees me. Her smile is gentle, careful—like she's asking without asking.
"I'm okay," I say before she can speak.
Her shoulders loosen just a bit.
Breakfast passes quietly. Laughter here and there. Percy's voice is loud somewhere in the background, complaining about lighting again. I smile when expected. I answer when spoken to. I blend.
But inside—
I'm thinking.
Yesterday changed something.
Section E knows now. Not everything—but enough. They saw the medicine. The pause. The control. The effort.
Felix's thoughts were loud—She's stronger than she looks.
Ci-n's were sharper—She's managing this alone. Too young for that.
Keifer's… steady. Protective. Suspicious, but not unkind.
And Keigan—
I don't look at him, but I feel it. His awareness. The way his thoughts circle and stop short, like he's afraid to step somewhere he doesn't have permission to be.
I finish breakfast and stand. "I'll be in my room."
Jay nods. "Call me if you need anything."
I nod back.
In my room, I sit by the window and let the quiet wrap around me. This is the safest place—the pause between moments.
They think they know me now.
They think I'm fragile because they saw the struggle.
They think I'm strong because I didn't break.
Both are wrong.
I touch the silver bracelet on my wrist—the one from yesterday. Proof that I was seen. That I was chosen.
I don't know how long I'm allowed to stay like this—safe, surrounded, almost honest.
But for now, I'll let myself breathe.
Because whatever they think they know—
They don't know everything.
And some secrets are still mine.
+++++++++++
Spoilers for next chapters
~ Jay finding the letter ( chapter 38 )
~ Pamamanhikan ( chapter 39 and 40 )
~ Pre-wedding rituals ( chapter 41 )