JAY- JAY POV
NEXT DAY
Today was Saturday, which meant one thing: Tita Gemma's house.
Halfway through the drive, my phone started ringing.
Ben.
I sighed, pressed the speaker button — because the last thing I needed was to crash into a tree because of him.
"Hey," I said.
"Hey, Jay. You free?" he asked, sounding way too casual for this early in the morning.
"No," I said immediately. "I'm going to Tita's house. She wanted to see me."
There was a pause.
A weird one.
"Oh," Ben said. "So… you're busy."
"Obviously," I replied, switching lanes.
Another pause.
"Is Keifer with you?" he asked suddenly.
My grip on the steering wheel tightened.
Why is he asking that.
"No," I said slowly. "Why?"
Ben exhaled, like he'd been holding his breath.
"Nothing. Just asking."
There was another pause.
A heavy one.
"So that's it? That's what you want from me?" I asked, eyes still on the road.
He hesitated. "Well… I heard you got into a fight with Section A. How are you?"
"I'm fine," I said. "Lucky Aries and Keifer came and saved me."
Silence.
Ben finally spoke, voice tighter than before. "Keifer saved you."
"Both of them," I corrected.
Another pause.
"Jay… why didn't you call me?" he asked quietly.
I blinked. "Ben, it happened fast. And Aries and Keifer were already there."
"Okay… you're not hurt, right?" he asked.
"My arm is a bit sore, but I think I'll be fine," I said, switching lanes.
"Okay then."
A pause.
"Jay, what about tomorrow?"
I groaned internally.
Because I suddenly remembered that the King of Assholes told me to meet him at a café.
Didn't ask.
Didn't check.
Just said — and I quote — "Come to the café."
I rolled my eyes so hard I almost saw my brain.
"So, are you busy or not?" Ben asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.
"I'm a bit busy tomorrow. You can tell me on Monday at school," I said.
Ben went quiet for a second.
He sounded disappointed when he finally spoke.
"Yeah… sure. Bye. Drive safe to your Tita."
"Bye," I said, hanging up.
The car went silent.
And I let out a long breath.
That asshole.
Why is he on my brain.
Why is he living there rent‑free.
Why is he breathing in my mental space like he pays bills.
Please.
Somebody.
Get him out of my mind.
My phone rang again.
I glanced at the screen.
Hubby 💖💖🥵🫦
I almost swerved the car.
HUBBY???
HEARTS???
THE LIPS???
THE THIRSTY EMOJI???
I don't think I'm married.
I'm pretty sure I'm not married.
So I did the only thing my panicking brain could think of.
I answered the call.
"Hello po, who is this?" I asked sweetly, like a polite stranger and not a woman losing her mind on the highway.
"Wifey, you forgot me?" that voice said.
I nearly swallowed my tongue.
"Asshole, when did you change the name?" I snapped.
"Yesterday. When I got your phone," Keifer said, sounding way too proud of himself.
I stared at the road like it personally offended me.
"You're really crazy," I yelled into the speaker.
"Good morning to you too, wifey," he said, sounding like he was sipping coffee and smiling at the chaos he caused.
Before I could curse him out properly, he continued—
"Wifey, I've been thinking… instead of you meeting me at a café tomorrow, I think we should meet at your house after you meet with your Tita."
I almost slammed the brakes.
"My HOUSE?" I repeated, voice going up an octave.
He hummed like this was the most normal request in the world. "Yeah. It's more private."
PRIVATE????
I gripped the steering wheel so hard it squeaked.
"Keifer, what part of your brain thinks that's a good idea?" I demanded.
"The part that wants to see you," he said simply.
I rolled my eyes so hard I almost saw my brain. "Percy will be there."
"Actually," he said, sounding way too casual, "Percy said he's going somewhere."
I blinked. "Why would we even meet? I mean—what is there to do?"
He didn't even hesitate.
"The song we have to pick. We literally have two days to prepare," he said. "And I'll also help with your tennis practice. You know I'm really good at tennis."
"Fine," I said, giving in — because he wasn't wrong. We did still have work to do.
And especially tennis…
Annoyingly, painfully, unfortunately… he is good at tennis.
"So tomorrow," I said.
"Actually, today afternoon," he corrected, like this was a business meeting he scheduled without my consent.
I groaned. "Fine."
"Bye," I said, already exhausted.
"Bye, wifey. I love you until scientists find the end of the universe," he said.
I froze.
My brain short‑circuited.
My soul left my body, took a vacation, and refused to come back.
"KEIFER—" I started, but he had already hung up.
Perfect.
Now I had to walk into Tita Gemma's house with my brain still melting from that "I love you until scientists find the end of the universe" nonsense.
I parked, got out, and knocked on the door.
Aries opened it with the biggest, most annoying grin.
"Wow, look who's here. Finally the monkey decided to come."
I glared at him so hard his ancestors felt it.
"I hope you and Taurus get along," I said sweetly.
Aries blinked, confused for exactly one second.
Then the realization hit him.
He glared at me like I'd personally offended his entire zodiac sign.
"You little fatty monkey!" he yelled.
I gasped so loudly Tita Gemma probably heard it from the kitchen.
"FATTY?!" I pointed at myself. "ME?!"
Aries crossed his arms. "Yes, YOU. Fatty. Monkey. Combination package."
I stomped my foot. "Aries, I swear to God—"
He smirked. "What? You gonna climb a tree and throw bananas at me?"
My jaw dropped. "I WILL THROW SOMETHING AT YOU BUT IT WON'T BE A BANANA."
Tita Gemma appeared behind him, wooden spoon in hand like a weapon.
"What is happening here?"
Aries pointed at me. "She called me Taurus."
I pointed at him. "He called me a fatty monkey!"
Tita sighed like she regretted giving birth to both of us.
"Lord, give me patience."
Then she looked at me properly, her expression softening instantly.
"Jay, finally you decided to come home," she said.
I smiled and hugged her, melting a little into the warmth I didn't know I needed.
But Tita Gemma being Tita Gemma, she immediately grabbed my shoulders, spun me around like I was a rotisserie chicken, and inspected me from head to toe.
"Jay, have you been eating well?" she asked, squinting at my waist. "You look so skinny."
Before I could even respond, Kuya Angelo's voice echoed from the stairs.
"Ma, I think there is something wrong with your eyes. Look at her—she can complete the fridge in less than one hour."
I gasped so loudly the windows shook.
"Angelo," Tita said in that warning‑mom tone that could silence a whole barangay.
Kuya Angelo didn't even flinch.
He just shrugged, completely unbothered, walking down the stairs like he didn't just commit emotional damage in 4K.
"It's true," he added casually. "Last time she visited, half the groceries disappeared."
I gasped so dramatically I could've won an award.
"Angelo, look at your cousin, she looks so skinny," Tita said, still holding my arm like she was checking if I'd evaporate.
Kuya looked at me like he was examining a museum artifact.
Finally, he straightened up and said, dead serious:
"…Ma, are we looking at the same person?"
"Angelo, one more word about your sister and you will be the hungry one," Tita said, pointing a finger at him like she was about to summon thunder.
Kuya Angelo immediately shut up and walked to the living room, pretending he wasn't terrified.
"You sit down, Jay. I will cook extra for you," Tita said, already marching to the kitchen like a general preparing for war.
I sat down on the couch, still glaring at Aries, who was standing right next to me with that annoying little smirk.
Then—
DING.
My phone lit up with a notification.
I didn't even take it out — because I already knew what name would show up, and I refused to let Aries or Kuya see it.
Suddenly, I stood up from my seat.
"What?" Kuya Angelo asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I want to go to my room to see if there's… any chance," I said, already speed‑walking toward the stairs.
"Any chance of what?" he called after me.
"NOTHING," I yelled back, taking the steps two at a time.
The moment I reached my room, I shut the door, locked it, and finally pulled out my phone.
Hubby 💖💖🥵🫦
Absolutely not.
No way.
Over my dead body.
I opened the contact and changed it immediately.
King of Assholes 💖💖
I stared at it.
Then stared harder.
Why did I put hearts.
WHY DID I PUT HEARTS.
I don't know. But… it made me smile.
I opened the messages and of course it was him — reminding me about practice and casually saying he'd pick me up like he was my personal chauffeur.
Absolutely not.
I called him immediately.
He picked up in two seconds.
"Miss my voice, wifey?" he said.
"Gago, I have a car and I can drive to my own house," I snapped.
"But I can't wait that long to see your face," he said, voice soft and stupid and dangerous.
My heart did a somersault and I hated it.
"I can drive, so we will meet at my apartment. Understood?" I said, trying to sound firm.
"Yes, ma'am," he said immediately.
I rolled my eyes so hard I saw my past lives.
Then I hung up before he could say anything else that would make my heart misbehave.
I went downstairs, pretending to be normal, pretending my heart wasn't doing gymnastics, pretending I wasn't one stupid sentence away from combusting.
I sat on the couch again.
The horoscope menace — was right next to me, texting his girlfriend like he was in some cheesy teleserye.
He kept smiling at his phone.
I was right he only smiled with that Ella
Kuya Angelo looked over from the couch.
"How are your studies going?"
"Good, Kuya," I said, sitting down like a normal
He nodded. "Are you participating in any events for Spring Festive next week?"
"Yeah," I said. "I'm gonna be playing tennis and singing."
Aries' head snapped up so fast he almost broke his neck.
"You will be singing?"
I nodded proudly.
Aries immediately turned to Kuya like he was reporting a crime.
"Kuya, she is planning to kill me with that voice."
I threw a pillow at him. "SHUT UP."
Kuya just sighed — the long, exhausted, I‑regret‑knowing‑both‑of‑you sigh.
Then Tita Gemma came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel.
"Food is ready," she said.
I smiled instantly — because if there's one thing that can fix my entire life, it's Tita Gemma's cooking. I went straight to the dining table and started eating like I hadn't been fed in three days.
Aries slid into the seat next to me, already complaining.
"Leave some for us, you monkey," he said, grabbing his plate.
I didn't even look up. "Come faster then."
Aries scoffed. "Fatty."
"Monkey ," I shot back, stuffing another spoonful into my mouth.
Kuya Angelo sat down across from us, shaking his head like he was watching two toddlers fight over crayons.
Tita Gemma placed another dish on the table. "Jay, eat more. You need strength."
Aries muttered, "She already has too much strength. She almost killed me earlier."
I kicked him under the table.
He yelped. "SEE?!"
Kuya didn't even look up from his food. "Both of you behave or I'm switching off the Wi‑Fi."
We froze.
Instant silence.
Tita Gemma laughed. "Ay, finally some peace."
We all started eating, and honestly? Her cooking tasted like heaven.
Which is exactly why I started stealing food from Aries' plate.
At first, he didn't notice.
I took one piece of chicken.
Nothing.
I took a spoonful of rice.
Still nothing.
I took a lumpia.
He blinked.
I took another lumpia.
He frowned at his plate.
I took his last piece of pork.
He froze.
Then slowly… slowly… he turned to look at me.
"Jay," he said, voice low, suspicious. "Why is my food disappearing?"
I shrugged, chewing innocently. "Maybe you're eating too fast."
Aries stared at me. Then at his plate. Then at me again.
"Jay," he repeated, "I know how much food I put on my plate."
I widened my eyes. "Maybe it's a ghost."
He gasped. "MA! JAY IS STEALING MY FOOD!"
I kicked him under the table.
He yelped. "SEE?! SHE'S VIOLENT!"
Kuya Angelo didn't even look up. "Aries, if you don't want your food stolen, eat faster."
Tita Gemma shook her head. "Ay naku, you two are like children."
Aries glared at me. "Monkey."
I smirked. "Empty plate."
Aries looked down at his plate, then at me, betrayal in his eyes like I'd stolen his firstborn child.
Before he could even open his mouth, I stood up from my seat.
"Bye, Tita, I have to go somewhere," I said quickly.
"Jay—" Tita started, but I swooped in and hugged her tight.
"I'll try to come soon," I said, kissing her cheek.
She laughed, patting my back. "Ay, anak, you're always in a hurry."
Behind me, Aries scoffed. "You're really leaving? It's too soon."
I turned to him. "Actually, I have to practice tennis and singing."
"Try to come often," Kuya said. "And drive safe."
I nodded, grabbed my bag, and headed out the door before Aries could throw another insult or steal back the food I stole from him.
I got into my car, closed the door, and finally—finally—breathed.
Silence.
I started the engine and drove straight toward my apartment, the familiar route calming me down a little.