JAY'S POV — I Should Have Stayed Dead
"WHO?!" Angelo roared.
I shrank. Stella shrieked. The universe paused.
And then—
"KEIFER?!" he shouted so loud the floor vibrated.
I flinched. "Kuya—please—just listen—"
But nope.
He grabbed my wrist (not hurting, just angry and dramatic as hell) and practically marched me out of Stella's house like he was escorting a criminal.
"BYE JAY I'LL PREPARE YOUR GRAVE—" Stella yelled behind me.
"STELLA SHUT UP!" I screamed back as Angelo shoved me—gently but angrily—into the passenger seat of his car.
The door slammed.
Silence.
Then—
"KEIFER WATSON," Angelo hissed, gripping the steering wheel like he wanted to snap it. "You were with KEIFER. The SAME Keifer who—Jay, do you UNDERSTAND how INSANE—"
"Kuya—"
He glared. I shut up.
"I woke up, didn't see you home, didn't see any message—only to find out you were with him? In his CLOTHES? You SLEPT there?!"
"Kuya, I didn't mean to—"
"You didn't MEAN TO?!" he exploded. "WHY WERE YOU IN HIS HOUSE AT ALL?! WHY WERE YOU IN HIS ROOM?! WAIT DID YOU—" he made a strangled noise "SLEEP TOGETHER?!"
I covered my face, dying inside. " NOO Kuya please stop listing things."
"No," he snapped. "I'm not done."
He went on for the entire drive.
And I sat there, shrinking, praying for the car to eject me through the roof.
When he finally parked at home, he exhaled like he'd aged 30 years.
"Go to your room," he muttered. "Before I ground you until you're forty."
I nodded, opened the door, slipped inside the house, and practically sprinted to my room.
Closed the door.
Locked it.
Collapsed face-first onto my bed.
And whispered into my pillow:
"…I'm never opening my mouth again."
JAY'S POV —
If there was one good thing about Angelo nearly murdering me:
He forgot to actually ground me.
Which is why the next morning, I woke up to:
27 missed messages. Half from Stella. Half from Section E's group chat. One from Keifer.
I ignored all except the last.
> Keifer: "Ready by 3."
No explanation. No question mark. Just confidence and audacity.
My heart did a stupid thing. Again.
DAY 1— The Beach Trip
Section E decided—without asking me—that we were going to the beach.
Stella drove. Cin brought snacks. Freya brought attitude. Rakki brought a speaker. Mica and Calix cuddling in the back seat like HELLOO.... David brought sunscreen like she was my mom. Keifer… brought himself.
And everyone screamed when they saw me.
"JAYYY!"
"You survived Angelo??"
"HOW MANY BONES DID HE BREAK—"
"KEIFER DID YOU HIDE HER?!"
"DID YOU TWO—"
Keifer glared once and the entire section shut up.
We swam, played volleyball, took group pictures.
Then at some point someone shoved me and I crashed straight into Keifer's chest.
His hand steadied my waist.
"Tsk. Careful,baby" he murmured.
I pretended my soul didn't leave my body again.
That night we watched the sunset.Keifer sat beside me.
Not touching.
Just close enough to feel.
"Six more days," he said.
"For what?" I asked.
His eyes flickered to me.
"You'll see."
My stomach did somersault.
And as the sun started to disappear the love between us grew more closer...
---
DAY 2— Arcade Chaos
Section E decided to "bond."
Bonding meaning:
Cin screaming at racing games
Felix threatening children
Stella cheating
Calix and Mica fighting over tokens
And me?
Being dragged into a shooting game by Keifer.
"You suck," I said after he shot the ceiling.
"You're mean," he said after I shot everything perfectly.
"Really!?" I leaned in, voice low.
"Want me to teach you?"
"No."
"Yes."
He lost the game and his dignity hehee....
---
DAY 4— Mall Day
Girls' day.
Section E invaded the mall like a cult.
They dragged me into makeup stores.
Grace forced skincare on me.
Freya grabbed outfits I didn't ask for.
Mica and Stella filmed me suffering.
Then Keifer appeared out of nowhere.
Hands in pockets.
Expression flat.
Eyes directly on me.
"Done?" he asked.
The girls stared like they discovered a forbidden romance.
Mica whispered, "Why is he giving main-boyfriend-energy?"
Freya nodded, "Suspicious."
Stella glared at him like she knew too much.
I wanted to melt into the floor.
Keifer carried everyone's shopping bags like it was nothing, and by the end he was full of bags and my face totally flushed by all the you know uhh uhh stolen kisses.... Uh-oh
---
DAY 5— Movie Night
Section E at Keifer's house.
Horror movie.
Everyone screamed.
Cin threw popcorn on David
Felix hid behind a pillow.
Stella used David as a shield uhh what's there!??
Keifer sat beside me, silent.
Halfway through, something loud happened on screen.
I jumped.
My knee hit his.
He didn't move.
Instead he leaned slightly closer and whispered:
"You're still scared of this stuff?"
I didn't answer.
He smiled — barely.
But enough. Screamed again and suddenly he hugged me and made me bury my face in his chest and instead of me pulling away I snuggled.... Huh I did Woah Jay Jay.....
---
DAY 6— Random Drive
Keifer didn't even text.
He just pulled up in front of my house and nodded.
"Get in."
I did.
The windows were down, the night air cold against my skin.
He drove with one hand on the wheel, the other… resting on my thigh like it belonged there.
No talking.
No destination.
Just us.
City lights blinked past the windshield.
His thumb brushed circles into my skin.
Every time the road curved, he leaned a little closer—like gravity pulled him to me.
I turned to look at him once.
He didn't look back.
He smirked.
"Stop staring," he murmured.
"You stop… doing that," I whispered, voice embarrassingly soft.
"Doing what?"
His hand squeezed lightly.
Heat shot through me.
We stopped at an empty overlook—the whole city glowing beneath.
I didn't even have time to breathe before he pulled me across the console, his forehead resting against mine, lips almost touching.
No kiss.
Just… that.
His breath warm, his voice low:
"two days left."
"Until what?" I whispered.
His mouth brushed mine—barely there, just enough to ruin me.
"you'll see."
---
DAY 7— Section E Sleepover
Girls only. Chaos everywhere. Pillows flying. Music blasting. Gossip that could destroy governments.
Stella whispered dramatically:
"So. Jay. Are you and Keifer—"
"STELLA."
"—breathing the same air affectionately?"
"STELLA."
"—sharing knowing looks?"
"STELLA."
"—emotionally undressing each other—"
"STELLA PLEASE."
The girls screamed, teased, hugged me, fed me cake, forced me to talk.
I told them nothing.
They assumed everything.
---
JAY'S POV — 11:50PM
I was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling like it personally owed me money.
Last day before adulthood.
Last day before ACTUAL responsibilities.
Last day before people expected me to suddenly know how taxes work or whatever.
I sighed and rolled onto my side.
And of course my brain, instead of letting me sleep like a normal human, started replaying the entire week like a dramatic movie montage.
Keifer throwing rocks at my window.
Keifer dragging me into his stupid car.
Keifer being soft one moment and infuriating the next.
Keifer looking at me like I was the only person in the room.
Keifer kissing me—
I immediately hid under the blanket as if that could erase it.
11:57 PM.
Okay, maybe adulthood can wait. Maybe I can run away and live in the mountains.
My phone buzzed.
I froze.
Keifer.
Come down.
No emoji. No explanation. No context. Just unbothered, bossy, "I-command-your-soul" Keifer.
My heart did a weird front flip.
I quietly slipped out of bed, tiptoed past Angelo's room like a fugitive, and crept downstairs.
When I stepped outside—
He was there.
Leaning against his car.
Arms crossed.
Hair messy.
Streetlight kissing the edges of his face like it had a crush on him too.
He didn't smile.
But his eyes softened the second they landed on me.
"What are you doing here?" I whispered.
He pushed off the car and walked toward me.
Slow.
Confident.
Ridiculously unfriendly in a way that made my breath hitch.
"Two minutes," he said quietly. "Until your birthday."
"Oh."
"It's your last night before you turn 18" he added, voice low. "Figured you shouldn't spend it alone."
My throat tightened—because that was… sweet?
Soft?
Illegal for someone with his face?
Before I could say anything, he reached out and gently tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.
His fingers lingered.
My breath caught.
"Jay," he murmured, stepping closer, "look at me."
I did.
God help me, I did.
12:00 AM.
The sky didn't explode.
The world didn't shift.
But he leaned in—
And kissed me.
Slow, warm, steady.
Not rushed like before.
Not messy or desperate.
Just… soft.
Careful.
Almost reverent.
Like he wanted to be the first thing to greet me on my birthday.
I kissed him back—because duh, who wouldn't?—my hands gripping the front of his hoodie.
He pulled me closer, forehead resting against mine when we broke apart.
"Happy birthday,Jasper Jean Mariano Watson" he whispered, breath brushing my lips.
My voice barely worked.I chucked.
"Thanks, Mr. Watson"
He smirked the tiniest bit, thumb brushing my cheek.and he hugged me...
Keifer didn't let go of me right away.
He just held me for a moment—solid, warm, like he was grounding me so I didn't float into the moon.
Then he stepped back.
Only a little.
Just enough to reach into his car.
And when he turned around—
I actually blinked.
Hard.
He was holding…
A tiny cake.
A stupidly cute one. White frosting. Strawberries. A single candle on top that was already lit.
"You— you brought a cake?" I squeaked.
He shrugged, eyes flicking away like it was no big deal.
"I didn't know if you'd sneak out. But I figured you would."
My heart turned into mush.
"Keifer…"
"Don't look at me like that," he muttered, ears turning red. "Just—come here."
He sat on the hood of his car, placed the cake between us, and patted the space beside him.
I climbed up next to him, legs dangling off the edge.
The street was quiet. The candle flickered softly. The air smelled like midnight and something new.
He nodded at the candle.
"Make a wish."
I stared at him.
He stared at me.
And suddenly my wish wasn't confusing at all.
Because it was just one thing, actually a person,
"KEIFER"
I closed my eyes, inhaled, and made it.
When I opened them, he was still watching me—like he was memorizing the moment.
I blew out the candle.
He took the tiny knife and cut a small slice, handing it to me.
"Here."
"Thank you," I said, smiling like an idiot.
I fed him a bite without thinking.
He froze.
I froze.
He slowly chewed.
"…You trying to kill me?" he murmured.
"NO— IT'S CALLED BEING NICE," I hissed, smacking his shoulder lightly.
He smirked.
Then the smirk faded into something else.
Something quieter.
Softer.
He reached into his pocket.
My heartbeat? Gone. Dead. Buried.
"Keifer…?" I whispered.
He pulled out a small black velvet box.
My soul left the chat.
He saw my expression and snorted. "Relax. Not that kind of ring."
He opened it.
Inside was a simple silver band.
No diamond. No fancy design. Just clean. Smooth. Beautiful.
And engraved inside, small but clear:
K & J — Always.
My breath caught.
He took the ring, held my hand, and slid it onto my finger.
But he didn't let go.
"Jay," he said quietly.
Serious. Soft. Heart-stopping.
"This isn't a proposal. It's a promise."
I swallowed hard.
"A promise for what?"
His thumb brushed my knuckles, slow and careful.
"That I'm here," he whispered. "For you. For us. For whatever this becomes."
My chest tightened so much it almost hurt.
He continued, voice low:
"That no matter what chaos we get dragged into… I'm staying. I'm not going anywhere."
I stared at him—this boy who pretended to be cold, who glared at everyone, who barely talked to anyone…
But for me?
He made cakes. He brought rings. He stayed.
"Keifer…" I whispered, voice cracking.
He leaned in and kissed my forehead gently.
"Happy birthday, Jay."
I wrapped my arms around him, burying my face in his chest.
"I LOVE YOU KEIFER! "
"I LOVE YOU JAY JAY..!!"
And for the first time in my life—
Turning 18 didn't feel scary at all.
It felt like the beginning.