Jay's POV]
The dining hall of the Watson mansion felt much larger and quieter now that the Squad had finally cleared out. Without the chaos of the friends, it was just the core family—the inner circle of the Watson empire. But even without the Squad's teasing, the air was thick with the aftermath of Keiran's "discovery."
I sat there, my face burning a shade of red that probably matched the vintage Italian wine we'd had in Ravello. Keifer—my Hubby—sat beside me, his hand resting on the table, his knuckles white as he stared at his coffee with an intensity that could have set it on fire.
The Question of the Century
Keiran was still looking at me, his eyes wide and full of genuine concern.
"Ate Jay?" he repeated, his voice echoing in the quiet room. "Why were you screaming like 'Oh god, Keifer!'? And you kept saying 'Harder, Hubby!' and 'I want it so bad!' I thought you were hurt when I walked past your door to get water. But then the water was all gone, so I had to come down to the kitchen, and I could still hear you from the stairs! Is the mansion not strong enough to hold your voice?"
The Parental Reaction
The silence that followed was deafening. I felt like the "Glow" was about to short-circuit my entire brain. I looked down at my plate, wishing the truffle eggs would open up and swallow me whole.
Pappa Keizer let out a sudden, sharp bark of a laugh, hiding it behind his napkin. His eyes moved to Keifer, a look of pure, paternal amusement dancing in them. "It seems the 'soundproofing' in the West Wing is no match for the... enthusiasm of a Watson honeymoon return."
Mamma Serina, ever the elegant diplomat, didn't miss a beat. She reached over and gently patted Keiran's hand with a knowing smile. "Oh, Keiran, darling. You see, when a CEO and an Empress return from a trip, the 'Data Integration' can be very... strenuous. They were just recalibrating the internal sensors. It requires a lot of vocal coordination to make sure the connection is strong."
Pappa Keizer laughed harder then, his shoulders shaking. "A very strong connection indeed, Serina. 100% signal strength, I'd wager."
The Keigan Logic
Keiran still looked confused, his brow furrowed. "But why 'Harder'? If the furniture is heavy, shouldn't they push it slower so they don't break the floor?"
Keigan finally sighed, leaning over to his younger brother with the weary, 'done-with-everything' patience that only a middle brother possesses.
"Keiran, listen," Keigan said, his voice flat but effective. "Kuya Keifer was just helping Jay with her System Stress Tests. You know how your computer makes a really loud fan noise when it's trying to run a huge game and it starts to overheat? That's all it was. Jay's 'fan' was just running at maximum speed because Keifer was... updating her software. It takes a massive amount of power to get the 'Hard Drive' to sync properly after being away for so long."
Keiran's face cleared instantly. A look of total realization dawned on him. "Oh! Like when my tablet gets hot! You were just overheating because Kuya was giving you too much data at once. You should probably use a cooling pad next time, Ate Jay. It sounds very loud when you're being updated."
The Final Word
"I'll take that under advisement, Keiran," Keifer said, his voice finally returning, sounding like it had been dragged through gravel. He didn't look up, but he reached over under the table and gripped my hand, his palm hot and possessive.
He leaned in slightly toward me, his lips barely moving as he whispered, "It seems the 'Software Update' was a bit too successful, Wiefy. Next time, I'll ensure the 'System' is completely offline... and the door is double-shielded."
I kicked him gently under the table, but the embarrassment was finally being replaced by that familiar, warm hum. The Squad was gone, the family was laughing, and Keiran was satisfied with his 'Software' theory. The Watsons were back, and life was 100% back to normal—whatever that meant.