Today was Sunday.
The house felt too big and too quiet.
Jay was tucked away in the study, trying to lose herself in her work.
She kept her head down, staring at her laptop screen as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. She had to stay busy.
If she stopped, she'd have to think about Keifer, and she wasn't ready for that yet.
Keifer, on the other hand, couldn't seem to stay away. He kept hovering near the room, stealing glances at her through the half-open door.
He watched the way she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and the way her forehead wrinkled in concentration.
He wanted to go in, to say something—anything—to bridge the gap between them.
But Jay was a wall. Every time he tried to start a conversation, she remained perfectly polite, yet completely distant.
She would answer him with "Yes, Keifer" or "I'm fine, thank you," but she never looked him in the eye.
She was pushing him out of her world, and she was doing it with a kindness that felt sharper than any insult.
The heavy silence was finally broken when the front door burst open with a loud bang.
"I'm here! Did you miss me?" a bright, energetic voice echoed through the hallway.
It was Sophia, Keifer's younger sister. She had been stuck taking her exams and was heartbroken that she'd missed the wedding.
Sophia was bold, loud, and didn't have a shy bone in her body. She was the kind of person who walked into a room and immediately took over.
"Keifer!" she yelled, spotting her brother. She threw her arms around him for a second before pulling back, looking around eagerly. "Forget the 'hello'—where is she? Where is my new sister ? I've been looking at the blurry photos Mom sent for weeks. I need to meet her now!"
Keifer gestured toward the study, feeling a bit overwhelmed by his sister's energy. "She's working, Sophia. Try to be—"
But Sophia was already gone. She marched to the study and pushed the door wide open.
"Alright, let's see the girl who managed to handle my grumpy brother!"
Jay looked up, startled by the sudden noise. She started to put on her "polite hostess" smile, but as soon as her eyes landed on the girl in the doorway, her breath hitched. The smile froze on her face.
Sophia froze, too. Her eyes went wide, and her mouth fell open.
For a second, the talkative girl was completely speechless.
"Jay?" Sophia finally whispered, her voice full of disbelief.
Jay stood up slowly from her chair, her hands trembling slightly. "Sophia? Is that really you?"
Sophia let out a loud, happy shriek that probably echoed through the whole house.
She ran forward and threw her arms around Jay, hugging her so tight they both nearly fell over.
"Oh my god! Jay-jay! I can't believe it's you!" Sophia cried, laughing and crying at the same time.
Keifer walked into the room, looking completely confused. He had never seen Jay look so shocked, or so vulnerable.
"Wait... you two know each other?"
Sophia turned to her brother, still holding onto Jay's hand.
"Know her? Keifer, she was my absolute best friend in high school before we moved! We used to do everything together!"
She looked back at Jay, then back at Keifer, and then back at Jay again. A huge, mischievous grin spread across Sophia's face.
"I can't believe you're my sister-in-law. This is the best day of my life!"
For the first time in a long time, the coldness in the room was gone, replaced by a spark of real joy.
Keifer stood there, watching them, realizing there was a whole side to Jay's life he was only just beginning to discover.
The kitchen was no longer a place of quiet, awkward dinners. That evening, it was a mess of flour, open spice jars, and the loud, overlapping sounds of three people finally acting like a family.
Jay was at the stove with her sleeves rolled up, humming a song she and Sophia used to love back in school.
She was making all of Sophia's favorites—the comfort foods they used to sneak into their rooms years ago.
For the first time in weeks, Jay wasn't overthinking every move. She wasn't worried about the "deal" or the distance she was supposed to keep from Keifer. She was just Jay.
Sophia was leaning against the counter, stealing pieces of chopped vegetables when Jay wasn't looking.
"I'm telling you, Jay-jay, you missed the best years of Keifer being a total dork. You know ? how he used to act like he was too cool for everyone? Well, one time, he spent three hours styling his hair for a school dance, only for me to 'accidentally' spill a whole bowl of fruit punch right on his head."
"Sophia! That was a deliberate hit and you know it!" Keifer shouted from the dining table, though he was leaning in, hanging onto every word.
Jay doubled over, laughing so hard she had to hold onto the counter for support. "Wait, did he cry? Please tell me that he actually cried."
"He didn't cry, he pouted for a week! He wouldn't even come out of his room except to ask for more hair gel," Sophia teased, dodging a dish towel that Keifer threw at her.
Keifer walked over, trying to look stern, but his eyes were soft. He noticed a small smudge of white flour on Jay's cheek.
Without thinking—without the usual hesitation that had defined their marriage lately—he reached out and gently wiped it away with his thumb.
The world seemed to stop for a second. Jay's laughter trailed off. As his warm thumb brushed her skin, she instinctively bit her lower lip, her body froze, her cheeks pink, her heart racing.
The cold wall she had built around herself felt like it was melting under his touch.
Sophia's eyes widened, and a huge, mischievous grin spread across her face. "Ooooh! Look at that! Is the grumpy big brother actually being romantic? And Jay-jay, why are you blushing? I didn't know flour was so provocative!"
"Sophia, be quiet," Keifer muttered, though his own ears were turning red as he pulled his hand back.
"I'm just saying!" Sophia laughed, poking Keifer in the ribs. "If I knew all it took to make you two stop acting like robots was a little baking, I would've come home months ago."
The night went on like that for hours. They sat around the table, and the conversation flowed easily.
Sophia kept the stories coming—telling Jay about how Keifer used to practice his "serious CEO face" in the mirror when he was seventeen, and how he once got lost in their own neighborhood because he was too stubborn to ask for directions.
Keifer would groan and try to defend his dignity, occasionally poking at Sophia by bringing up her own secrets, but mostly, he just watched Jay.
He watched the way her eyes crinkled when she laughed. She had completely forgotten her plan to push him away.
For the first time since their wedding, the house didn't feel like a cage. It felt like a home.
A/n :
Alright buddies 1200+ words complete, now enjoy and do vote and fill comments with your sweet comments ❤️.
Bye my cutie buddies 💞 .