Jay's POV
I woke up slowly.
Not the peaceful kind of wake up.
The careful kind.
The room felt… different.
My head was heavy, but not aching. My body felt tired like I had run miles in my sleep.
Then I noticed it.
Aries.
Curled awkwardly in the chair beside my bed.
His arms crossed. His head tilted slightly to one side. He looked uncomfortable. And very much asleep.
My eyes softened.
He stayed.
I shifted slightly and felt something tug at my hand.
Bandage.
I stared at my finger.
Wrapped neatly.
Memory flickered faintly.
Crying.
Water.
Aries' voice.
I swallowed.
Inner thought:
Did I really…?
I slowly sat up. The chair creaked and Aries stirred but didn't wake.
I leaned forward and lightly poked his shoulder.
"Horoscope."
No response.
I poked harder.
"Hey. Astrology disaster."
He groaned. "Go back to sleep."
"Wake up."
He opened one eye and looked at me.
"You're alive," he muttered.
"Obviously."
He sat up, rubbing his face. "You punched me."
My eyes widened. "What?"
He turned his cheek slightly. "Right here. Solid hit. For someone 'weak.'"
I blinked. "I punched you?"
"Yes. And before that, you almost broke my ribs."
"I did not."
He pointed at himself dramatically. "You clung to me like a koala."
Inner thought:
Did I really do that?
He stood up and stretched. "Also, you're heavy."
I gasped. "Excuse me?"
"When I carried you, I thought I was lifting a sack of rice."
"You're lying."
He smirked. "Foodie. All those snacks finally showing."
I threw a pillow at him.
He dodged easily. "Careful. Patient."
"I am not heavy!"
"You are emotionally heavy."
"That makes no sense!"
He grinned lazily. "Still counts."
I rolled my eyes and got off the bed.
"I'm going to the washroom."
As I walked toward the door, I passed the entrance—
Then froze.
I stepped back.
Looked again.
There was no door.
Just… empty frame.
And my actual door was lying flat on the floor outside.
I blinked twice.
"Aries."
He hummed.
"Why is my door on the ground?"
He shrugged casually. "You weren't opening it."
"So you broke it?"
"You weren't responding."
"That doesn't mean you remove my entire door!"
"You're welcome."
"For what?!"
"For saving your life."
I stared at him.
Inner thought:
He really broke my door.
"Horoscope, you're unbelievable."
"You're dramatic."
I huffed and went to shower.
After I finished, I stepped out into the hallway and almost collided with Aries again.
He was freshly dressed, hair still damp.
He took one step down the stairs.
And that's when an idea formed.
Before he could react, I jumped onto his back.
He stumbled forward. "JAY!"
"Drive me downstairs," I ordered.
"Get down!"
"No."
He tried to shake me off slightly.
"I'm injured," I said quickly.
"You're manipulating."
"I'm fragile."
"You're annoying."
"I missed you."
He paused.
Just for half a second.
Then he sighed dramatically. "You were at university for months, not war."
"I still missed you."
He adjusted his grip and walked carefully down the stairs with me clinging to his back.
"You're heavy," he muttered again.
"Say that one more time."
"Foodie."
"Horoscope."
"You don't even know what my sign is."
"I don't care. You act like Mercury is in retrograde permanently."
He snorted.
When we reached the dining area, Mom and Aunty Gemma were already seated.
They burst into laughter the moment they saw us.
"Look at you two," Aunty Gemma said, wiping tears of laughter. "Grown adults."
Angelo looked at us over his cup calmly.
That look.
The silent act your age look.
Aries immediately bent forward so I could slide down.
I landed on my feet smoothly.
"See?" he said. "Childish."
"You loved it."
"I tolerated it."
We sat down to eat.
Breakfast smelled warm and comforting.
Mom smiled at me. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine," I said quickly.
Aries glanced at me.
I ignored him.
We started talking about normal things.
University.
Classes.
Friends.
I told them about campus life.
About Chantelle's complaints.
About Ciel's weird jokes.
About lectures.
About sneaking snacks into study halls.
I laughed as I described small harmless stories.
But I skipped certain parts.
I didn't mention Sienna.
I didn't mention the tension.
I didn't mention the threat.
Inner thought:
If I tell them… Aries will go nuclear.
And I don't want war in this house again.
Angelo nodded thoughtfully. "Sounds like you handled yourself well."
"I did," I said confidently.
Aries raised an eyebrow but didn't comment.
Mom smiled warmly. "We're proud of you."
That word hit differently.
Proud.
I glanced at Aries.
He was eating quietly.
But his eyes kept drifting to my bandaged finger.
Inner thought:
He knows I'm not saying everything.
And I know he knows.
But for now…
This moment is peaceful.
And I want to keep it that way.
End of Chapter.