Jay's Pov
"Jay," he said quietly.
"We need to talk."
My stomach tightened.
I nodded, fingers twisting into the blanket.
"…okay."
He pulled a chair closer but didn't sit.
He crouched instead — right in front of me, face level with mine.
"Why?" he whispered.
His voice cracked.
"Why did you hide all of this from me?"
The wounds.
The threat.
The danger.
The nights I cried alone.
The days I pretended to be fine.
All of it.
My throat tightened instantly.
"I wasn't… hiding it," I murmured, staring at my hands. "I just… didn't want you to worry."
He let out a breath that sounded like someone ripping open a fracture.
"Jay."
His voice was softer now, but trembling.
"Worrying about you is not something you get to choose for me."
My eyes stung.
He reached up and took my hand — gently, like it was fragile glass.
"You were hurting," he whispered.
"And you didn't come to me."
A tear slipped from his cheek before mine did.
"I would've carried you," he said.
"I would've fought for you. I would've protected you. I would've held you when you cried. I would've—"
His voice broke completely.
"God, Jay… I would've done everything."
I swallowed hard.
"I know," I whispered.
"I know you would've. And that's exactly why… I didn't tell you."
He blinked, confused and pained.
I lifted my hand and cupped his cheek — the way he always did to me.
"You already carry so much," I said softly.
"You already fight so much. You already protect everyone. And I didn't want to be… another weight. Another problem you had to solve."
He closed his eyes, pressing into my palm.
"Baby," he breathed, shaking his head.
"You're not a weight. You're not a problem. You're—"
He opened his eyes, raw emotion spilling out.
"You're the person I'd choose to carry every single time."
My chest tightened so hard it hurt.
"And when you fell," he whispered, voice breaking again,
"When you didn't wake up… I— I thought I failed you before I even knew—"
I leaned forward, placing my forehead against his.
His breath hitched.
"I didn't tell you," I whispered, "because I was scared."
"Of me?" he asked, hurt slipping into his tone.
"No," I shook my head immediately.
"Of losing you."
His eyes widened.
"I thought if you realized how messy my life was… how dangerous everything around me is… you'd step back. You'd leave before you got hurt."
He laughed — broken, breathless.
"Jay… I get hurt without you even telling me anything."
A watery laugh escaped me.
He took both my hands now, squeezing them tight.
"You didn't lose me," he said softly.
"You never will."
My chest shook.
"I'm sorry…" I whispered.
"I didn't mean to push you away."
He leaned closer.
"You didn't push me away."
He brushed his nose against mine in the softest, almost-kiss.
"You just forgot that I'd walk through hell for you."
I choked on a breath.
"Keifer…"
He pulled me into his arms, holding me so carefully, like he didn't trust the world not to break me again.
His voice was a whisper against my hair.
"No more hiding," he murmured.
"No more carrying things alone. You don't have to be strong all the time."
His grip tightened slightly.
"Let me be strong for you too."
I held onto him.
Hard.
"…okay," I whispered into his chest.
"Just… don't leave."
He pulled back just enough to look at me — eyes shining, mouth softening into that small, heart-shattering smile.
"I'm not going anywhere," he said.
"Not now. Not ever."
He leaned in and pressed a trembling kiss to my forehead.
And for the first time in a long, terrifying, exhausting week—
I believed him.
THE NEXT DAY —
Back to School, Back to… Him
I was adjusting my bag in the mirror when a car horn sounded outside.
Not just any horn.
His.
My heart did that stupid flutter thing again.
Angelo yelled from the living room,
"Jay! Your… person is here!"
Aries added, deadpan,
"He's leaning on the car like he's in a movie."
I rolled my eyes and stepped outside — slowly, carefully, still getting used to moving without people hovering over me.
And there he was.
Keifer.
Leaned against the black car, hands in pockets, hair messy in the perfect way that shouldn't even be legal. His eyes softened the second he saw me.
Not just "soft."
Soft like he'd been waiting his whole life to see me walk out that door.
He pushed off the car instantly.
"Hey," he said quietly.
"Hey," I breathed back.
He scanned me — gently, worriedly — like making sure I wasn't pushing myself.
"You okay?" he murmured.
I lifted a brow.
"I'm fine, Keifer. You saw me take a hundred physio steps yesterday."
He didn't smile.
Instead, he took my backpack right out of my hand like it weighed a ton.
"I meant… here," he said, tapping his chest.
"Are you okay?"
My stomach did a somersault.
Before I could answer, Angelo appeared behind me with big-brother glare mode activated.
"You bring her back home early if she looks even slightly tired—"
"I will," Keifer said before he could finish.
"And she shouldn't carry anything heav—"
"She won't."
"And no stressing her out an—"
"Angelo," Keifer said with a sigh.
"I've got her."
Angelo narrowed his eyes.
"Good. I'm watching you."
"Get in the house," I muttered, pushing him lightly.
Angelo grumbled but went back inside.
Keifer opened the passenger door for me, hand hovering near my back in case I needed support — but not touching unless I chose it.
And I did.
I slipped my fingers into his.
His eyes warmed instantly.
Once I sat inside, he fastened my seatbelt for me, his face so close I could feel his breath.
"You don't have to," I whispered.
"I want to," he murmured.
"Let me take care of you… just a little."
My cheeks flushed.
He shut the door, went around to the driver's side, slid in, and for a moment — didn't drive.
He just stared at me.
Not scary. Not intense.
Just… grateful.
Like I was something he almost lost and was still relearning how to hold.
"You ready for school?" he asked quietly.
"Not even a little," I admitted.
He smiled — that slow, heart-melting one.
"Then we'll face it together."
And with that,
Keifer started the car.
Hand finding mine.
Thumb brushing my knuckles.
And for the first time since the darkness,
I felt like life was starting again.With him beside me.
The car rolled into the parking lot, early morning sunlight brushing over the quiet campus. No Section E. No brothers. No chaos.
Just Keifer and Jay.
He parked, switched off the engine, and for a moment… neither moved.
Jay unbuckled her seatbelt, reaching for the door—
But Keifer's hand shot out, stopping her gently.
He leaned across, opened her door for her… and before she could even breathe—
His hand slid to her jaw.
He pulled her in.
And kissed her.
Slow. Warm. Deliberate.
The kind of kiss that said you're mine to protect and I missed you every second you were gone all at once.
Jay's breath hitched. Her fingers curled into his hoodie.
When he finally pulled back, his forehead rested against hers, lips brushing as he whispered with a playful smirk:
"Service tax."
Jay blinked. "…service tax?? For what exactly?"
"For letting you miss school for a week," he murmured, thumb dragging over her lower lip. "And for giving me a heart attack every day of it."
She rolled her eyes, cheeks burning.
"That's not how taxes work, Kei—"
"Oh?" he leaned closer again. "Then I'll charge interest."
Her breath caught as he kissed her again—soft this time, lingering, like he never wanted to stop.
When he pulled away, he whispered,
"Welcome back, Jay."
Her heart nearly melted.
She smiled, small but real.
"I'm home, Keifer."
He kissed her forehead, climbed out of the car, then offered his hand to help her out.
She took it.
School suddenly didn't feel so scary anymore.
Not when he was right there, fingers intertwined with hers, refusing to let go...
JAY'S POV — SECTION E'S "WELCOME BACK"
The hallway felt different.
Brighter. Louder. Alive.
Or maybe that was just me — finally back on my feet after what felt like forever.
Keifer walked beside me, his hand brushing mine every few seconds like he was making sure I was still there. I didn't mind. At all.
He opened the door to the Section E room for me.
I stepped inside—
And stopped.
Everything… froze.
The room was covered.
Balloons everywhere.
Silver, blue, white — some tied to chairs, some floating at the ceiling, one shaped like a star that said "DON'T SCARE US AGAIN" in aggressive marker handwriting.
On the board, in big letters:
WELCOME BACK JAY JAY
Underneath:
a chaotic mix of doodles, hearts, stick figures that were definitely supposed to be me, and a very dramatic drawing of me waking up like Sleeping Beauty.
And on the tables?
Food.
So much food.
My favorite snacks, drinks, even a whole box labeled:
"FOR JAY ONLY — TOUCH AND YOU DIE."
I blinked.
Slow.
Then slower.
"…what… is all this…"
Cin popped up from behind a stack of chips, hands on his hips like he'd been waiting hours.
"What does it look like? A welcome back party, duh."
Yuri, pretending he wasn't smiling, added,
"You didn't think we'd just let you walk back in like it was a normal Monday, did you?"
David nodded. "We went for minimal. The original plan had confetti cannons."
"Cin said no," Yuri muttered.
"Because you nearly blinded me with the tester!" Cin snapped.
I laughed.
Actually laughed.
It felt… weird.
Warm.
Good.
"Guys… you didn't have to do all this…"
"Yeah," Cin cut in. "But we wanted to."
Yuri crossed his arms.
"And next time you think about sacrificing yourself— don't."
Edrix pointed a finger at me.
"Because we will file a complaint. With life. With god. With whoever's in charge."
I shook my head, smiling like an idiot.
My heart felt full. Too full.
Behind me, Keifer slipped his hand into mine — quiet, warm, steady.
Cin winked at him.
"Good, you brought her back in one piece."
Keifer smirked.
"Always."
I squeezed his hand.
Section E gathered around me, pulling me into their familiar chaos, their noise, their warmth.
I didn't realize until that moment how much I missed this.
The teasing.
The banter.
The stupid jokes.
The love — loud and messy and real.
I took a breath.
"I missed you guys."
Cin threw his hands up.
"GROUP HUG—"
"NO," Yuri said instantly.
David shrugged. "Reasonable. She's still fragile."
Cin huffed but wrapped his arm around me anyway.
And for the first time since I opened my eyes in that hospital bed…
I felt home.
Truly, completely home.
With my people.
With my section.
With him.
And the welcome back sign above us seemed to glow just a little brighter.
WELCOME BACK JAY JAY
Yeah.
It felt good to be back....
SIR ALVIN ENTERS — RESULTS TIME
Before anyone could drag me into a group hug, the door swung open.
Sir Alvin stepped in, holding a clipboard and a cup of coffee like he'd already dealt with three crises before 9 AM.
His eyes swept over the balloons, the mess, the snacks.
He sighed.
"Section E… of course it's you."
Cin grinned proudly.
"We decorated!"
"Yes," Sir Alvin deadpanned. "I can tell."
Then he cleared his throat.
"Anyway — your exam results are posted outside. Go check them before you destroy the room any further."
The second he said results, everyone scrambled for the door like it was a fire drill.
I walked out with Keifer behind me, steady as always.
The board was crowded — but then I found the lines with our names.
Jasper Jean Mariano — 98.7
My breath caught.
Not bad for someone who nearly died.
Next:
Mark Keifer Watson — 100
Cin whistled.
"Bro's perfect. Literal perfect."
Keifer just shrugged, but I saw the tiny smirk.
One by one, every Section E boy found their score — all above 85, some grinning, some relieved, some pretending they didn't secretly study like crazy.
Sir Alvin came up behind us.
"Congratulations. All of you. And Miss Mariano—"
I looked up.
"You did exceptionally well. Welcome back."
I smiled.
Really smiled.
It felt good.
It felt real.
It felt like I'd finally stepped back into my life again.
And Section E — my loud, chaotic, ridiculous group — cheered like I'd won an award.
Because to them?
I guess I did.....