The morning after the Section E invasion, the Fernandez house was eerily quiet.
Too quiet.
Jay woke slowly, warm and comfortable, tangled in sheets that smelled like Keifer. She reached for him instinctively—
Empty.
She blinked, sitting up.
The bed beside her was cold. He'd been gone for a while.
A note on the pillow:
Went downstairs. Your dad found something. Come down when you're ready. — K
Jay smiled softly, pressing the note to her chest for a moment before getting up.
She found them in the living room.
All of them.
Keifer. Jasfer. Serina. Percy. Aries. Ella. Angelo. Tita Gema. Jay's grandma.
And in the center of the room—
A stack of photo albums.
Old ones. Worn. Loved.
Jasfer looked up with the biggest grin Jay had ever seen. "Good morning, anak! We're doing something IMPORTANT."
Jay raised an eyebrow. "What kind of important?"
Percy spun dramatically. "We're documenting JAYFER THROUGH THE YEARS."
Jay froze. "Absolutely not."
"ABSOLUTELY YES."
Keifer patted the couch beside him, smirking. "Come sit. It's already started."
Jay didn't move. "Keifer. Stop them."
"I can't. I'm enjoying this."
"TRAITOR."
Serina patted the spot on her other side. "Anak, it's fine. They're cute photos."
Jay's grandma cackled. "THERE'S ONE OF YOU WITH FOOD ON YOUR FACE."
Jay marched to the couch and sat between Keifer and Serina, ready to defend her dignity.
The first album opened.
Photo 1: Age 5
A little girl with messy hair and a missing front tooth stood beside a little boy with chubby cheeks and a confused expression. They were holding hands. The girl was grinning at the camera. The boy was staring at her like she was an alien.
Jasfer: "This was their first meeting! Jay dragged Keifer around the party all night. He just… let her."
Serina: "He came home and asked when he could see 'the noisy girl' again."
Keifer: "I was FIVE."
Percy: "And already whipped."
Jay laughed. "Look at your face! You look so confused!"
Keifer: "I was confused. You talked nonstop for three hours."
Jay: "I was CHARMING."
Keifer: "You were LOUD."
Jay: "Same thing."
Photo 2: Age 7
The same two children, now slightly older. Jay was mid-laugh, head thrown back. Keifer was looking at her with the softest expression a seven-year-old could manage.
Serina sighed dreamily. "This one. This is when I knew."
Jasfer nodded. "Same. Look at his face. He's already gone."
Percy: "Gone for the noisy girl. Tragic."
Keifer: "I was SEVEN. I didn't know what love was."
Jay's grandma: "Boy, I knew what love was at seven. Don't lie."
Keifer: "Lola, please."
Jay: "Lola, don't encourage him."
Lola: "I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE."
Photo 3: Age 10
A birthday party. Jay was wearing a party hat slightly too big for her head. Keifer stood beside her, also in a hat, looking thoroughly unimpressed by everyone except her.
Tita Gema: "This was Jay's birthday. Keifer gave her a handmade card."
Jay's eyes widened. "You still have that?"
Keifer: "She kept it."
Jay: "You kept it?"
Keifer shrugged. "You gave it to me first."
Jay: "I gave you a rock."
Keifer: "It was a NICE rock."
Percy: "THEY'VE BEEN GIVING EACH OTHER GIFTS SINCE CHILDHOOD. I CAN'T."
Aries: "This is actually kind of sweet."
Ella: "Kind of? This is the most romantic thing I've ever seen."
Aries: "Don't encourage them."
Ella: "I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE."
Photo 4: Age 12
The awkward phase. Jay with braces, Keifer with a terrible haircut. They were standing awkwardly apart, looking anywhere but at each other.
Jasfer: "The awkward years."
Serina: "They refused to hold hands for a whole year."
Jay: "I had BRACES. I was insecure."
Keifer: "You were still beautiful."
Jay: "Don't be smooth."
Keifer: "I'm not being smooth. I'm being honest."
Percy fake-gagged. "GET A ROOM. Wait, you already share one."
Jay threw a pillow at him.
Photo 5: Age 14
The first school dance. Jay in a simple dress, Keifer in an ill-fitting suit. They were dancing—badly. Both laughing.
Serina's voice softened. "This was the first time he told me he loved her."
Keifer's ears turned red. "Mom."
Serina: "What? It's true. He came home and said, 'Mom, I think I'm going to marry Jay someday.'"
Jay stared at him. "You said that at FOURTEEN?"
Keifer: "I was dramatic."
Percy: "You were IN LOVE."
Keifer: "Same thing."
Photo 6: Age 16
Prom. Jay in a beautiful blue gown. Keifer in a tux, looking at her like she'd hung the moon.
Jasfer: "THIS ONE. This is my favorite."
Serina: "Mine too."
Percy: "Look at his FACE. He's literally STARING at her."
Aries: "He's not even looking at the camera."
Keifer: "Why would I look at the camera when she was right there?"
The room went silent.
Then—
Ella: "THAT'S THE MOST ROMANTIC THING I'VE EVER HEARD."
Mica: (via phone call, on speaker) "DID HE JUST SAY THAT?"
Rakki: (also on speaker) "I'M CRYING."
Ci-n: (also also on speaker) "KEIFER IS A POET AND HE DOESN'T KNOW IT."
Jay's face was bright red.
Keifer just smiled at her. "It's true."
Jay hid her face in his shoulder.
Percy: "JAYFER IS REAL AND IT'S BEAUTIFUL."
Photo 7: Age 17
A casual day at school. Jay was studying, hair falling over her face. Keifer was beside her, not studying—just watching her with that soft expression that had become his trademark.
Tita Gema: "This was taken by a classmate. They didn't know."
Serina: "You can see it so clearly. The way he looks at her."
Jasfer: "The way she leans into him without realizing."
Jay's grandma nodded approvingly. "That's real love. The kind you don't perform. The kind that just IS."
Keifer squeezed Jay's hand.
She squeezed back.
Photo 8: Age 18
The last photo before everything fell apart.
They were at a family gathering, both smiling, arms around each other. Happy. Carefree. Unaware of the storm coming.
Serina's voice was quiet. "This was taken a month before…"
She didn't finish.
Jay swallowed hard. "Before everything changed."
Keifer's jaw tightened.
The room's energy shifted—softer, sadder, heavier.
Percy broke the silence. "Okay, no. We're not doing sad. Look at them. They survived. They're HERE. Together. That's not a tragedy—that's a VICTORY."
Jasfer nodded firmly. "Percy's right. They went through hell and came out the other side. Together."
Serina smiled, eyes glistening. "Together."
Jay looked at Keifer.
He looked at her.
And in that look was everything—the pain, the loss, the years apart, the fighting, the longing, the hope, the love.
All of it.
"I love you," she whispered.
He kissed her forehead. "I love you too. Always have. Always will."
Photo 9: Present Day (Unofficial)
Percy held up his phone. On it was a photo he'd taken just last night—Jay and Keifer on the couch, surrounded by family, Jay laughing at something Ci-n had said, Keifer watching her with that same soft expression he'd had since they were children.
"This one," Percy said quietly. "This is my favorite."
Everyone leaned in.
Jay was mid-laugh, eyes bright, face open and happy. Keifer was looking at her like she was the only person in the world—because to him, she was.
Behind them, the chaos of Section E blurred into warmth and light.
Jasfer: "That's it. That's the one."
Serina: "Jayfer forever."
Jay's grandma: "Frame it. Now."
Tita Gema: "I'll get a frame."
Aries: "I'll pretend I'm not emotional."
Ella: "You're definitely emotional."
Aries: "I'm NOT."
Ella: "Your eyes are wet."
Aries: "Allergies."
Ella: "It's December."
Aries: "Winter allergies."
Ella kissed his cheek. "Sure, babe."
Percy stood dramatically. "Ladies and gentlemen, we have witnessed something incredible today. We have seen the journey of two souls destined for each other. We have seen awkward phases, bad haircuts, braces, prom disasters, and the most lovesick fourteen-year-old in history. We have seen loss, pain, separation—and we have seen them FIND THEIR WAY BACK."
He pointed at Jay and Keifer.
"THESE TWO. THESE IDIOTS. They are the reason I believe in love. And I'm the most cynical person here."
Felix (on phone): "You're really not cynical."
Percy: "I'm DRAMATICALLY cynical. There's a difference."
Jay laughed, wiping her eyes.
Keifer pulled her closer.
Serina reached over and squeezed Jay's hand. "Welcome to the family, anak. Officially. Even though you've always been family."
Jay's voice cracked. "Mom…"
Serina smiled. "I know. I feel it too."
Jasfer wrapped an arm around both of them. "Group hug. NOW."
They piled on—Jasfer, Serina, Percy, Aries (reluctantly), Ella, Angelo (even more reluctantly), Tita Gema, and Jay's grandma, who used her cane to pull everyone closer.
In the middle of it all, Jay and Keifer held onto each other.
Surrounded by love.
Surrounded by family.
Finally, fully, completely home.
Later that night, when everyone had finally gone to bed, Jay and Keifer sat on the balcony, wrapped in the same blanket, watching the stars.
Jay leaned her head on his shoulder. "Today was…"
"Emotional?"
"Perfect."
Keifer smiled against her hair. "You keep saying that."
"Because it keeps being true."
He kissed the top of her head.
She tilted her face up. "Keifer?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm glad you were confused by me at five."
He laughed softly. "I'm glad you were loud."
"I'm glad you kept looking at me like that."
"Like what?"
"Like I was the only person in the world."
He cupped her face gently. "Because you are."
Jay's heart soared.
He kissed her—slow, sweet, full of years of love and longing and hope.
When they pulled apart, foreheads resting together, Jay whispered:
"Jayfer forever?"
Keifer smiled—the smile that was just for her.
"Jayfer forever."