Jay's POV]
If my brain were a computer, it would have been flashing a bright red "SYSTEM OVERHEATING" warning the entire walk down the grand staircase.
I kept my eyes fixed on the plush carpet of the steps, my hand gripping the banister so hard my knuckles were white. Keifer, on the other hand, was the picture of unbothered arrogance. He walked beside me with his hands in his pockets, a faint, lopsided smirk playing on his lips that made me want to either kiss him or kick him.
The moment we rounded the corner into the dining room, the atmosphere changed. The air felt thick with a very specific kind of Watson mischief.
Mamma Serina was already seated, gracefully sipping her tea, while Pappa Keizer was hidden behind the morning financial report. As we took our seats—the same seats where, just days ago, I had been a silent, broken ghost—the silence was deafening.
"Good afternoon, you two," Mamma said, her voice dripping with a sweetness that I knew was a trap. "I trust you're... well-rested? Or perhaps 'well-recovered' is the better term?"
I felt the heat climb from my neck to my ears. I picked up my water glass, trying to look busy. "I'm much better, Mamma. Thank you."
"Oh, I can see that," she replied, glancing at Keifer with a playful glint in her eyes. "The color in your cheeks is much more... vibrant than it was this morning. Though, Keifer, you look like you could use a nap. All that 'thermal regulation' must be exhausting."
I nearly choked on my water.
Keifer, the absolute menace, didn't even flinch. He reached over, and right there in front of his parents, he took my hand under the table, lacing his fingers with mine. "It's a demanding field of study, Mamma. But I'm dedicated to the research."
"Keifer!" I hissed under my breath, but he only squeezed my hand tighter.
Pappa Keizer finally lowered his newspaper. He didn't smile—Pappa rarely did in the traditional sense—but his eyes were crinkled at the corners. He looked at me, then at his son, and then back at the legal documents on the table.
"I received a call from the estate's security team this morning," Pappa said, his voice deep and formal. "They were concerned because the master lock on the Blue Suite hadn't been engaged, yet the internal sensors indicated... significant activity."
I wanted the floor to open up and swallow me whole. I looked down at my empty plate, wishing I could calculate a way to become invisible. "Pappa, I—"
"I told them to ignore it," Pappa interrupted, a rare, dry wit touching his tone. "I informed them that my son was simply conducting a high-stakes 'negotiation' to ensure the Watson-Jay Constant remained stable. It seems the negotiation was successful."
"Very successful," Keifer added, leaning back in his chair, looking far too proud of himself. "The terms of the agreement include 100% loyalty and a lifetime of shared proximity."
Mamma Serina let out a delighted laugh, leaning forward to pat my hand. "Ignore them, Jay, darling. They're just teasing because they're so happy to see the light back in your eyes. Although..." She paused, her smile turning devious. "If you do decide to stay in bed all day tomorrow, do let the chef know. We wouldn't want the hollandaise sauce to go to waste while you're busy... calculating."
The teasing continued throughout the meal, a relentless barrage of "scientific" jokes and "recovery" puns. For the first time, it didn't feel like a burden. Even through my intense embarrassment, I felt a warmth spreading through my chest that had nothing to do with the tea.
I looked at Keifer, who was currently defending our "research" to his father with a straight face, and realized that this was what I had been missing my entire life. I wasn't a "Burdened Mariano" anymore. I was a Watson. And in this house, even the teasing was a form of protection.
I squeezed Keifer's hand back under the table, leaning slightly toward him. I might be blushing at 100% capacity, but for the first time in my life, the equation was perfectly balanced.