Chapter: "Midnight"
Jay's POV
Kuya Angelo's house was quiet.
Too quiet.
Not the safe quiet.
The heavy kind.
Aries slept in the next room.
I told him I was fine.
I lied.
I fell asleep around midnight.
And the dream came fast.
I was back in that old house.
The walls felt smaller.
The air thick.
I heard shouting.
Not clear words.
Just anger.
My mom crying.
I tried to move.
I couldn't.
My feet felt stuck.
I screamed for her.
No sound came out.
Then suddenly—
The scene changed.
It was Keif's house.
But dark.
Empty.
The lights were off.
The doors open.
And I was alone again.
"Keif?" I called in the dream.
No answer.
The hallway stretched longer and longer.
Every door I opened was empty.
Every room cold.
And then I heard it—
"Don't leave me…"
But this time it wasn't me saying it.
It was my own voice echoing back at me.
I woke up gasping.
Sweat.
Tears.
My chest burning.
It took me a few seconds to realize where I was.
Not that house.
Not his house.
Angelo's house.
But it didn't feel real.
The dream clung to me like smoke.
I looked at the clock.
2:17 AM.
I tried breathing slowly.
It didn't work.
The walls felt closer.
My thoughts louder.
What if I lose him too?
What if safety disappears again?
What if I'm always the one left behind?
My hands were shaking.
I grabbed my phone.
No new messages.
I stared at his contact.
I could call.
But what if I wake him?
What if I look clingy?
What if he thinks I'm too much?
The dream replayed again in flashes.
Empty hallway.
Open doors.
No one answering.
My chest tightened painfully.
I stood up suddenly.
I need to see him.
Not text.
Not call.
See.
Before my brain convinces me he's gone.
I didn't wake Aries.
I didn't think clearly.
I just changed into a hoodie, grabbed my phone, and slipped out quietly.
The street was cold.
Silent.
Every step felt impulsive.
But I couldn't stop.
My heart kept saying the same thing:
Go.
Keifer's POV
I don't know why I woke up.
No sound.
No message.
Just instinct.
I checked my phone.
Nothing.
But something felt wrong.
I sat up.
And then—
Doorbell.
At 2:43 AM.
Who—
I rushed downstairs.
Opened the door.
And froze.
Jay.
Standing there.
Barely breathing.
Eyes red.
Hands trembling.
For a second I thought I was dreaming.
"Jay?"
She didn't answer.
She just stepped forward and hugged me.
Hard.
Like she was holding onto life.
I shut the door immediately.
"Hey— hey— what happened? Did something happen?"
She shook her head against my chest.
"I saw you leave."
"What?"
"In my dream… you weren't there… I kept opening doors and you weren't there…"
Her voice was breaking.
"I woke up and it felt real."
I felt anger rise — not at her.
At whatever keeps haunting her.
"You should've called," I said gently.
"I know."
"You shouldn't walk alone at night."
"I know."
"But I couldn't breathe."
That silenced me.
I pulled her fully inside.
Locked the door.
"You're here," I said firmly.
She nodded quickly.
"I needed to see that."
Her fingers were freezing.
I wrapped my arms around her properly.
"You don't have to run to check if I'm still here," I whispered.
"I know."
"But my brain doesn't."
Fair.
I guided her upstairs.
Sat her on the bed.
Kneeling in front of her.
"Look at me."
She did.
"I'm not your mother."
Her eyes filled again.
"I'm not someone who disappears overnight."
"I know."
"I don't leave because of hard things."
Her breathing slowly steadied.
"You're not too much," I added quietly.
She looked startled.
"I didn't say that."
"You were thinking it."
Silence.
Then a whisper.
"I'm scared of being abandoned again."
There it is.
The real fear.
I rested my forehead against hers.
"You don't have to earn my staying."
That line made her cry silently.
Not loud.
Just relief tears.
"I didn't tell Aries," she murmured suddenly.
I pulled back slightly.
"You what?"
"I just came."
I exhaled slowly.
Okay.
This needs fixing.
"You're staying here tonight," I said calmly. "But in the morning we're telling him."
She nodded quickly.
"Okay."
"I don't want him panicking."
"Okay."
I pulled the blanket over her shoulders.
She lay down slowly.
But she didn't let go of my hand.
I stayed sitting beside her.
"You're not going to wake up and disappear, right?" she whispered half asleep.
"No."
"Promise?"
"I promise."
She finally drifted off.
Still holding my hand.
And I stayed awake.
Not because I was scared she'd leave.
But because I realized something important.
She didn't come here because she's weak.
She came because her trauma told her love leaves.
And she needed proof it doesn't.
Tomorrow, we fix the impulsive part.
But tonight?
Tonight I let her sleep.
Safe.