JAY POV — THE DAY THE PAST SMILED BACK
Back at the villa, the noise of the world faded into something distant.
Keifer didn't let go of my hand even once—not when the elevator doors closed, not when we crossed the quiet living room, not when we sat down together on the couch like two people afraid the moment might blink and disappear.
I leaned into him, my head resting against his shoulder. His arm tightened instinctively, thumb brushing over my knuckles—over the ring—again and again.
Like he was reassuring himself it was real.
"I feel… floaty," I murmured.
He smiled against my hair. "Good. Means you're not running."
I tilted my head up to look at him. "Neither are you."
We stayed like that for a long moment, breathing each other in, before the reality of everyone else slowly crept back in.
"My parents," I said softly. "We should call them."
Keifer nodded. "I was hoping you'd say that."
We moved to the bed, sitting cross-legged facing each other, knees touching. My phone rested between us as the video call connected.
The screen lit up.
Percy answered first.
My dad's face filled the screen—calm, familiar, grounding. His eyes immediately dropped to my hand.
He froze.
"…Jay," he said slowly. "What am I looking at?"
I lifted my hand, the ring catching the light.
His expression broke.
Not loudly. Not dramatically.
Just… quietly.
A smile pulled at his lips, eyes softening like a man watching a long-held wish finally come true.
"So," he said gently, looking straight at Keifer, "you finally stopped wasting time."
Keifer laughed under his breath. "Yes, sir."
Reycee appeared next, nearly knocking Percy out of frame.
"WAIT—WAIT—LET ME SEE—"
She gasped so loudly the speaker crackled.
"Oh my GOD," she cried. "MY BABY. MY BABY IS ENGAGED."
I laughed, tears already forming. "Mom—"
She pressed a hand to her chest. "I knew it. I felt it. I told your father something cosmic was coming."
Jashfer joined in then, calm but smiling, eyes warm with pride.
"Congratulations, anak," he said. "You look… at peace."
I swallowed hard. "I am."
There was a pause. Not awkward. Just full.
Then Percy spoke again, voice thoughtful. "Have you thought about a date?"
Keifer and I looked at each other.
Neither of us answered immediately.
Instead, memory rose quietly between us.
"July 14," I said without realizing it.
Keifer's breath hitched.
My mom blinked. "That's very soon."
"It's not," I said softly. "It's… right."
Keifer nodded, eyes never leaving mine.
"July 14 was the first day we met," he said. "HVIS. Six years ago."
The room went still.
I smiled at the memory—two strangers, sharp edges, accidental glances, a beginning neither of us recognized at the time.
"It's the day everything started," I added. "Even if we didn't know it yet."
Percy leaned back, thoughtful. "So you want to end the waiting where it began."
"Yes," Keifer said firmly.
Jashfer smiled. "That sounds like destiny finally getting tired of delaying."
Reycee wiped at her eyes. "July 14 it is. I'll start planning immediately."
I laughed through tears. "Mom—"
"No arguing," she said. "You waited six years. The universe owes you efficiency."
When the call ended, Keifer reached for my hands, pressing a kiss to my knuckles.
"July 14," he murmured. "You and me."
"You and me," I echoed.
---
THE ANNOUNCEMENT
By the time we reached the rooftop restaurant, the energy was already buzzing.
Everyone was there.
Section E sprawled across tables like they owned the place. The Fernandez family sat together, warm and familiar. Cole and Celeste were laughing over something already chaotic.
The second we walked in, cheers erupted.
"ENGAGED PEOPLE HAVE ARRIVED," Felix announced dramatically.
I groaned. Keifer just laughed.
We sat down, fingers still intertwined, hearts still catching up.
Plates filled. Conversations overlapped. Teasing flew freely.
"So," Cin leaned forward, grinning, "how long before you legally trap her, Watson?"
Keifer didn't miss a beat. "Two weeks."
The table exploded.
"WHAT."
"EXCUSE ME."
"YOU CAN'T JUST DROP THAT."
I laughed, cheeks burning. "We're getting married July 14."
Felix blinked. "THE DAY YOU MET?"
"Yes," I said proudly.
Rory leaned back. "That's either incredibly romantic or deeply unhinged."
"Both," Yuri said calmly.
Cole raised his glass. "To people who finally stopped being idiots."
Celeste nodded. "And to love that survived its own worst timing."
We clinked glasses.
Keifer squeezed my hand under the table, leaning close. "See? No running."
I smiled at him, heart steady, full.
"No running," I whispered back.
Just forward.
Together--
Lunch eventually thinned into laughter-softened goodbyes.
Chairs scraped back. Plates were cleared. Section E spilled out in clusters—still teasing, still loud, still calling Keifer husband like it was their new favorite sport.
Angelo and Ion hugged me once more, gentle and grounding. Aries squeezed my shoulder with a smile that said we're good now. Tita Gema still a bit teary...
Cole and Celeste blew exaggerated kisses from the doorway, shouting reminders about visits and boundaries and don't forget us when you're married.
And then—
The door closed.
Silence.
The kind that settles, not the kind that leaves.
Keifer and I stayed where we were for a moment, hands still linked, breathing in the aftertaste of joy. Confetti clung stubbornly to his hair. I reached up and plucked a piece free, laughing.
"You've got evidence," I teased.
He tilted his head toward me. "I want all of it."
We moved through the villa slowly, like there was no need to rush anymore. Afternoon light spilled across the floor. Somewhere, a curtain shifted with the breeze. The world felt gentler—like it had finally agreed to stop testing us.
He stopped near the window, pulling me into him, forehead resting against mine.
"So," he said softly, "do you want to bring your things tonight… or tomorrow?"
I smiled, heart doing that warm, fluttery thing again. "Tonight."
His breath hitched—just a little. "Okay."
I slid my hand into his pocket, finding the familiar edge of the ring box he kept touching like a reassurance. "You nervous?"
He laughed quietly. "Terrified."
I kissed him anyway. Slow. Certain. The kind of kiss that said we already chose each other.
Later, we sat on the floor of the bedroom, my suitcase open between us. He folded with surprising care. I handed him a stack of sweaters; he stole one and pressed it to his face.
"Keeping this," he declared.
"You already have half my clothes," I pointed out.
"Good," he said easily. "I'm building a future wardrobe."
I watched him—this man who once held everything so tightly, now letting himself imagine something ordinary and beautiful. My chest ached in the best way.
As dusk settled, we lay side by side on the bed, shoes kicked off, city lights blinking awake outside. He traced lazy circles on my palm.
"July 14," he murmured again.
I turned toward him. "The day we met. The day we marry."
"The day the universe finally apologized," he said, smiling.
I laughed, then sobered. "Promise me something."
"Anything."
"When it gets hard—because it will—we talk. No disappearing. No carrying it alone."
He met my gaze, serious and steady. "I promise. We stay."
We stayed.
Wrapped in the quiet. Wrapped in each other. Two people who had learned the long way around that love isn't about grand rescues—it's about choosing, again and again, to come home.
And tonight—
Home was right here.💗