"I just… want to make sure you meant it."
We stopped outside Eman's restaurant, warm light spilling from the windows and
glowing against the fading afternoon. A moment later we were inside, sitting by the
glass with two cups of hot chocolate between us, fog curling at the rims.
"Of course I meant it," I said eventually, tracing circles on my cup. "It just feels… new.
Weird. Scary, even."
"Scary?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You know what I mean. You're… you. And I'm just this walking ball of getting-into-
trouble."
Keifer's voice softened. "Jay Jay, I don't care about any of that. I like you because
you're you. Even the chaotic parts."
That made me look up. He was watching me in that way again—like he wasn't just
seeing my face, but everything behind it. His eyes were steady, familiar, so full of
warmth that I had to look away.
"Don't look at me like that," I whispered.
"Like what?"
"Like you're about to—"
Before I could finish, he leaned across the table and kissed me—slower this time, not
teasing, not impatient. The world outside the window blurred, and for a second it felt
like the whole restaurant went quiet.
When I finally opened my eyes, I glanced past him and froze. Near the counter, I
spotted Eman and two girls who looked a bit like him, the same features rearranged in
softer, prettier versions. They both wore aprons, dark hair pulled back, and looked a
little younger than me, though I couldn't see their name tags from here.
Jay Jay's POV
I was about to wave when Eman beat me to it, walking over to our table.
"Hi," he said.
"Hi, Eman," Keifer answered.
"Hello, how are you?" I added.
"Good," he replied.
"You weren't at school," I said.
"Yeah. My cousins ,Isha and Aaizah,just traveled from Japan to the Philippines to study, and they asked
for a job here."
"Oh, were they the girls you were talking to?" I asked.
"They're older than you," he said casually.
"What?" I almost choked.
"Yeah," Keifer added, way too amused. "Eman's cousins have visited five times before."
"You know them?" I turned to him, narrowing my eyes.
"Yeah, but—"
"But what?"
Eman glanced down at his phone, thumb flying over the screen, probably checking
the group chat. "Wait," he said suddenly, "are you two official?"
"Yeah," Keifer said, sliding an arm around my waist and pulling me closer.
"I know she's yours," Eman said, rolling his eyes. "No need to show me proof."
"But I can't take my hand off her," Keifer replied.
Eman snorted. "Aww. Love birds. So cute."
"Uhh, what the—" I started, because something in my vision felt off.