Keifer'sPOV
The second movie finally ended, and I let out a heavy yawn, feeling the exhaustion of the crazy night catch up to me. I looked down at Jayjay. She was sleeping so peacefully against my chest, her tiny hands still gripping my shirt tightly. It was as if she was terrified that if she let go, I might disappear, or a ghost would pop out of the screen and take her away.
Thankfully, she had fallen asleep early and didn't actually watch The Exorcist. It contained a lot of blood, and if she had seen all that gore, I was worried it might trigger a panic attack or make her relive past trauma. I made a mental note to talk to Jay later. If she wanted to go see a therapist to help her process everything she's been through, I would take her myself. If she didn't want to, I would never force her. It wasn't because I thought something was deeply wrong with her; I just wanted my Jay to live her life happily and peacefully, without carrying all that heavy weight alone.
Suddenly, she whimpered in her sleep and clung to me even tighter. I wondered what she was dreaming about to make her hold on so desperately.
I needed to move us to a proper bed, but her grip on my shirt was like iron. Slowly and carefully, I managed to loosen her fingers just enough to stand up. I scooped her up into a bridal carry, adjusting her weight gently so I wouldn't wake her.
I walked out of the cinema room and carried her upstairs to my bedroom. No, it wasn't just my room anymore—it was our room, because she was officially my wife now, and everything that belonged to me belonged to her too. I laid her down onto the mattress with extra care and pulled the blanket up to her shoulders.
Stepping around to my side of the bed, I lay down beside her. I didn't want to accidentally wake her up, so I kept my distance at first. But after a few minutes, she naturally rolled over in her sleep and hugged me. I smiled in the dark, wrapping my arms around her and tucking her head safely under my chin. I pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, and before I knew it, I fell fast asleep.
Jayjay'sPOV
When I first opened my eyes, everything was a blur. I tried to stretch my arms, but I found myself completely locked in place. Where on earth did I sleep? Then, reality hit me. Wait... I literally got married yesterday. Keifer and I had run away to his house, watched horror movies, and... oh, I remembered everything now.
I lifted my head slightly to see what was trapping me, and my heart did a little flip. My head was tucked right under Keifer's chin, and his arms were wrapped around me in a super tight hug. But wait, didn't I fall asleep downstairs on the cinema sofa? This idiot must have carried me all the way up here. Why didn't I even wake up or notice being moved? What the hell was happening to my brain?
Maybe I really did need to see a psychologist after everything our group went through. I decided I would talk to Keifer about taking me to one. But he would definitely have to come inside with me; I wasn't going alone. Psychiatrists always seemed so weird and intimidating in movies, so having him there would make me feel safer.
I tried to wiggle out of his grip, but he wouldn't budge. I gave his shoulder a rough shake. "Keifer, wake up."
"Five more minutes," he mumbled in a deep, sleepy voice, pulling me closer.
"Keifer, let me go so I can use the washroom!" I demanded.
He just shook his head against the pillow, his eyes still closed. "If you leave, how am I supposed to go back to sleep?" he groaned.
"Oh, please! You're acting like we've been sleeping together every single night," I scoffed.
I finally managed to wiggle one of my hands free and pointed a finger right at his face. He still hadn't opened his eyes. Looking closely at him, his face looked so soft and peaceful while sleeping that it was actually starting to melt my stubborn attitude. I was just about to give in and grant him those extra five minutes when he suddenly sat straight up in bed. He moved so incredibly fast that the sudden shift almost sent me rolling right off the mattress, but thankfully, I caught my balance.
"Good morning," I said, sitting up cross-legged beside him.
"Good morning," he replied, letting out a massive yawn.
I couldn't help but burst into a soft laugh. With his messy bed hair and sleepy eyes, the fierce Keifer Watson looked exactly like a little kid.
He blinked at me, looking completely confused. "Why are you laughing?"
"Because you look like a baby," I teased, reaching over to poke his cheek. "My baby."
The effect was instant. Right before my eyes, the tips of his ears and his neck started to turn a bright, dark pink. I smirked victoriously. Out of everything in the world, I really, truly enjoyed making the arrogant King of Ulupongs shy, blushing, or beyond jealous.
I left him right there on the mattress, looking exactly like a giant human tomato sitting on the bed. I grabbed a pair of his grey trousers and a oversized white hoodie from his closet before heading straight into the bathroom to take a quick shower. When I walked back out, I was practically swimming in his clothes. I looked so ridiculously tiny in his massive hoodies, the sleeves completely covering my hands.
I grabbed a fresh towel and the blow-dryer from the dresser drawer.
"Keifer," I called out.
He looked up at me, and I simply held up the towel and the dryer in his direction. He understood the assignment instantly. He slid off the bed, walked over to me, and took the towel from my hands. He did the exact same routine as last night—carefully drying my hair with the towel first, then switching to the blow-dryer, and finally combing out the strands.
"Done," he announced as he gathered my hair into a high, neat ponytail.
I turned around to face him and smiled brightly. "Thanks."
I was just about to walk past him to go downstairs when he suddenly reached out, caught my arm, and pulled me right back toward him.
"What?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Where is my reward?" he asked, a smug grin on his face as he tapped his own cheek with his index finger.
I rolled my eyes but leaned in anyway. I was just about to press a quick kiss against his cheek when a loud, sudden knock echoed on the bedroom door.
"Come in!" Keifer shouted, his tone sounding so incredibly angry at the interruption that I couldn't help but giggle at his frustrated expression.
The door opened, and Keiran walked into the room, fully dressed in his school uniform and holding his backpack.
"You have to drop me to school," Keiran stated.
"So?" Keifer asked coldly.
"So, drop me," Keiran repeated, completely unfazed by his older brother's glaring.
"The driver will drop you today. I'll just call and tell him," Keifer snapped. Keiran nodded casually, but then he turned his head completely toward me. I braced myself, fully expecting him to say something mean or sarcastic like he usually did.
Instead, a bright smile broke across his face. "Hi, Ate!"
I nearly jumped out of my skin in pure shock at how he was behaving. First, he actually greeted me nicely, and second, he literally just called me Ate! It was so weird and unexpected.
"Hi," I managed to say, forcing a smile back at him because it would be rude not to.
"Your breakfast is already on the table downstairs," Keiran added before turning around and walking out of the room.
The door clicked shut, and I immediately turned back to Keifer, pushing him by the shoulders toward the bathroom. "Go change."
Once he went inside, I flopped right back onto the mattress, lying upside down with my stomach pressed against the bed while I scrolled through my social media feed. After a while, the bathroom door opened and Keifer walked out, dressed in fresh clothes but with his damp hair sticking up in every direction.
I put my phone down, marched right over to him, and firmly pushed his shoulders down until he sank into the vanity chair.
"What are you doing?" he asked, looking up at me through the mirror.
"Returning the favor," I declared.
I grabbed the blow-dryer and started drying his hair for him. He didn't protest at all; he just sat perfectly still, a soft, content smile spreading across his face. Once his hair was dry, I turned off the machine and set it aside on the counter. I clapped my hands together victoriously. I had intentionally combed his hair completely straight backward, and he looked absolutely ridiculous.
Unable to take him seriously, I burst out laughing and used both of my hands to aggressively mess his hair up into a wild, tangled bird's nest again. Keifer didn't say a single word to stop me. He just sat there quietly, looking at me through the reflection and completely accepting his fate.
He stood up from the chair, and we both started walking toward the bedroom door. But he suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned to look at me with those pleading puppy eyes. I swear, those eyes make it impossible for me to say no, even when I don't even know what he's about to ask for!
"What?" I asked, looking up at him.
He didn't say a single word. He just smirked and tapped his cheek again, reminding me that his reward from earlier had been cut short. I let out a little laugh, stepped closer to him, and gave him a quick, sweet kiss on the cheek.
"My turn," he whispered.
He gently cupped my face with both of his hands, leaned down, and pressed a soft, lingering kiss against my forehead. When he pulled away, he was smiling so warmly, and I couldn't help but smile right back at him.
[A/N: So, my dear readers, I personally like forehead kisses and cheek kisses much more than lip kisses, so I am not adding them to any of my books! Just wanted to let you guys know that plz don't tell me to add lip kisses bcz honestly I didn't feel like writing them, I even changed the others I added in the few chapters before]
Then, he reached down and held my hand tightly, and we both headed downstairs together. When we reached the dining room, we sat right beside each other. Keifer immediately started serving food onto my plate, while I just sat there absentmindedly playing with the fork and knife laid out in front of me.
Once he finished fixing my plate, he placed it right in front of me. But before I could dig in, he reached over and gently took the fork and knife straight out of my hands.
"No sharp things for my baby," he teased with a smirk, swapping them out for a regular spoon before digging into his own breakfast. I just rolled my eyes playfully and started eating mine.
We finished eating, and I started roaming around the house out of pure boredom while Keifer was buried in his laptop. I kept circling around the sofa he was sitting on, watching him check through his emails and type out replies. I have even opened my hair bcz I was getting a headache from the ponytail. Argh, his business is seriously getting on my nerves. I was actually trying to think of ways to help lower his heavy workload when a maid came running toward us, looking completely panicked.
"Sir! Ma'am! Ma'am's brothers are here, and absolutely no one can stop the oldest one!" she gasped out.
Keifer calmly signaled for her to leave, and she quickly scurried away. A second later, Kuya Angelo, Aries, and Percy burst into the living room. It was completely obvious from Percy's dragging feet that the other two had forced him to come along. Keifer immediately stood up from the sofa and stepped right next to me.
"Jayjay, you specifically said you would be back after midnight," Kuya Angelo said, his voice so angry that I instinctively scrambled to hide behind Keifer's broad shoulders.
"Jayjay, come out from behind him right now," Aries demanded. I rapidly shook my head, gripping the back of Keifer's shirt.
"Why can't Jayjay just stay for one night? What's the big deal?" Percy muttered under his breath. Unfortunately for him, the room was quiet enough that we all heard it. All of us. Kuya and Aries instantly snapped their heads toward him with terrifying glares, and Percy quickly raised his hands, flashing them a nervous peace sign.
"Come on, let's go home now," Aries said, turning his attention back to me. I looked up at Keifer pouting, because I really didn't want to go back home just yet.
"Can't I just stay here for a little while longer?" I whined. My two older brothers immediately sent a synchronized death stare in my direction.
"Sure, sure you can!" Percy cheered.
"NO!" Kuya and Aries yelled in perfect unison.
I stomped my foot against the floor stubbornly. "Why no?! I am literally married now! If I stay here, what could possibly happen?"
"Nothing at all. They're just being way too strict," Percy chimed in, only to get a swift, painful smack on the back of his head from Aries.
"Till when are you planning to stay?" Kuya Angelo asked coldly.
Before I could say something that would make them even angrier, Keifer stepped in. "Let's all sit down and talk this through properly."
Kuya and Aries exchanged a look, hesitated for a second, and then finally nodded. They sat down together on the main sofa. Percy and I immediately claimed the other large sofa across from them, while Keifer took the single, oversized armchair right next to us.
"So, what do you want to talk about?" Kuya asked, crossing his arms.
"Just let me finish my proposal first. If you don't like it, then we can decide together what happens next," Keifer said calmly. The two of them nodded, signaling him to go ahead. "Jayjay will live from Monday to Friday at your house, and she will stay here on Saturdays and Sundays."
Kuya Angelo and Aries looked at each other again, basically having a whole conversation with just their eyes. Finally, they both let out a defeated sigh and nodded in agreement.
Seeing that we won, Percy and I immediately traded a quick high-five and started giggling like idiots.
After that, Kuya Angelo and Keifer told me to go back upstairs because they needed to discuss something important. But I'm not dumb. Before heading up, I casually left my phone behind on the side table with the voice recorder running. After waiting upstairs for a while, I peeked down from the top of the staircase and saw my three brothers finally heading out the door. The moment they left, I scrambled down the stairs and wrapped my arms tightly around Keifer from behind, hugging him.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" I chanted repeatedly, completely losing count of how many times I said it.
He chuckled, turning around in my embrace to cup my face with his warm hands. "For what?" he asked, his eyes soft.
"For making them agree to let me stay here on weekends," I beam, hugging him tightly around the waist again.
Keifer rested his chin on my head, hugging me back securely. "I love you, Jay. Until the scientists find the end of the universe... and even if they do, I'll still love you," he whispered, pressing a soft kiss against my hair.
"I love you too," I whispered back against his chest. After a moment, I broke the hug and looked up at him. "What do we do now?"
"Just let me finish up this last bit of business work, and then we'll do whatever you want," he promised.
I nodded, following him right back over to the couch. Instead of wandering off, I sat right beside him, watching intently as his fingers flew across the keyboard. He worked continuously for the next half hour, thoroughly checking and replying to emails. Realizing he must be exhausted, and honestly wanting to see what it felt like to be a CEO, I nudged his shoulder.
"I want to try," I said, pointing at the screen.
He looked at me, a surprised but amused smile breaking across his face. Without a word, he lifted the laptop and placed it right onto my lap. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders, leaning in close to guide me step-by-step through the layout, explaining exactly what to do. I listened carefully and typed out everything just as he instructed.
By the time an hour had passed, we were officially done, and his entire mountain of business work was fully finished.
I let out a big, heavy yawn and rested my head against his shoulder. Keifer rested his head on top of mine, both of his arms wrapped securely around my shoulders. My own arms just hung straight down beside me because I literally didn't have the energy to lift them. His business work was so exhausting; it made me wonder how he managed to handle his school studies and run a company at the same time. He had once told me that even if he did absolutely nothing, every single bit of profit from the Watson Company would come directly to him. If that was true, then why did he still force himself to work this hard?
"Keifer," I called out softly.
"Hmm?" he murmured, keeping his eyes closed, though his embrace remained just as tight as before.
"You once told me that even if you do nothing, you'll still get all the profits from your company. So why are you working so hard?" I asked curiosity finally getting the better of me.
He pulled back slightly, cupping my face with his hands so I would look at him. "Because back then, that's how it worked. But now... things have gotten complicated," he explained gently.
I nodded, choosing not to press any further. He offered me a soft smile, and I smiled right back. I glanced down at his wrist, checking his watch since he was the only one wearing one. It was only 12:30 PM on a Saturday. Suddenly, a thought hit me, making me wonder why on earth his brothers weren't home.
"Why did Keigan and Keiran go to school on a Saturday anyway?" I asked out of pure curiosity.
"Extra classes," he answered simply.
I let out another yawn. "It's still early in the afternoon, so let's just go take a nap."
He nodded in agreement. We both stood up from the couch and walked back toward his bedroom. As we walked, my mind flashed back to my phone downstairs. Oh, right... I still have to listen to that secret recording. I decided I would just wait and listen to it later tonight when everything was quiet.
We finally reached the bedroom, and I immediately flopped onto the comfortable mattress.
"Jayjay, I don't really need a nap right now," Keifer said, looking down at me from the side of the bed. "If you're tired, go ahead and sleep. I'll just go finish up whatever work is left."
I nodded lazily against the pillow. He turned and walked out of the room, leaving me to settle myself into the bed. I pulled the heavy blanket all the way up over my shoulders and lay down.
But the moment I closed my eyes, a sudden burst of energy hit me. All of my physical exhaustion mysteriously vanished, leaving me completely awake, just staring blankly up at the ceiling. After a short while, the door opened and Keifer walked back in, carrying his laptop. He walked over to the couch in the corner of the room and sat down, opening the screen to start working again.
With the room falling into a quiet rhythm, I couldn't stop my mind from wandering back to the dark reality of the hit list. I was just so incredibly worried about Keifer. A chilling thought crossed my mind—what if this entire dangerous situation was actually planned by Yuri's mom? It made perfect sense because she was so ruthlessly manipulative. I knew for a fact that she was the type of person who would do absolutely anything for Yuri's sake, even if it meant ruining other people's lives in the process. That was the one thing I knew with absolute certainty about her.
Lost in these heavy, looping thoughts about the hit list, Yuri, and his dangerous mother, my eyes finally grew heavy, and I drifted off to sleep.
Keifer'sPOV
I was just checking through some extra business files because I didn't feel like sleeping at first. But now, the exhaustion was finally hitting me; my shoulders and neck were aching from sitting in the same position for so long. I looked over at Jayjay and saw how peacefully she was sleeping. A soft smile crept onto my lips. It always happened—whenever I looked at my Jay, a smile just naturally found its way to my face. She truly was the sole reason for my happiness.
I sighed quietly, a heavy thought weighing on my mind. I didn't know how to tell her that I needed to go to London for a few days. She would definitely be upset, but knowing her, she would try her absolute best to hide it. I knew her too well. On top of that, those stupid Hanamichi guys were still lingering in the back of my mind. They were becoming such a massive pain.
On the bright side, I was so relieved that Keigan's condition was finally improving. He had been going to a psychiatrist for a while now, and he honestly looked so much better. Because of that awful man, my brother's life had been completely ruined for a time, but now he was slowly turning back into the Keigan I used to know—the one from back when my mom was still with us.
Speaking of my mom... I didn't know why, but I always saw a reflection of her in Jayjay. She constantly reminded me of my mother. The selfless way she cared for me and the warm way she looked at me was exactly how my mom used to look at me.
I quietly walked over to the bed and lay down beside her, gently wrapping one arm around her waist. The moment I pulled her close, she instinctively moved even nearer, nuzzling her face right into my chest. She mumbled something completely incoherent in her sleep. It was probably something about food.
Her quiet mumbling suddenly reminded me of the puppy. It was still under professional care for now, and I hadn't given it to Jay yet. I decided I would surprise her with it the moment she woke up from her nap. I stayed like that for a long time, just watching her face and gently stroking her hair until I finally drifted off to sleep myself.
When I woke up, my eyes were still closed as I automatically reached out to check the spot beside me. It was empty. I couldn't feel her warmth anywhere.
I sat up instantly, scanning the bedroom from left to right, but Jay was nowhere to be found. Slipping out of bed, I walked over to the window and looked out. The sun was already setting, casting long orange shadows across the grounds. I checked the balcony and then the bathroom, but both were completely empty.
Growing worried, I headed downstairs. She wasn't in the living room either. But just as I reached the bottom of the stairs, the faint sound of chatter and bright laughter echoed from the end of the hall.
Following the sound, I walked toward the kitchen and pushed the door open. My jaw tightened in pure shock. Jayjay was standing there wearing a kitchen apron, happily working side-by-side with Keigan.
Keigan? ---
The same brother who usually locked himself away or acted completely indifferent to the world was now laughing and helping her prep ingredients. This was the exact same person who had literally tried to get me engaged to a woman older than me just to make sure I wouldn't marry Jayjay. And now, here he was, helping her out and laughing.
"Oh, Kuya is here," Keigan said, a genuine smile on his face.
Jayjay turned around to look at me, her face instantly lighting up with a smile the moment our eyes met.
"Kuya, did you know your wife actually knows how to bake?" Keigan asked teasingly, making Jayjay chuckle softly.
"I don't know about baking, but I do know she managed to burn down a stove" I countered.
Jayjay immediately shot me a warning glare, but I just laughed at how incredibly cute she looked when she was being defensive.
"What are you guys doing anyway?" I asked, walking over to the kitchen counter. Spread out across the surface were various baking ingredients.
"Baking a cake," Jayjay replied, turning back to mix the thick batter in the bowl in front of her.
"And cookies too," Keigan added proudly, holding up a separate bowl filled with fresh cookie dough.
I just nodded, scanning the different items cluttering the counter. I recognized some of the ingredients, but definitely not all of them. "Need any help?" I offered.
They both nodded without a second thought.
"Can you mix this for a bit?" Jayjay asked, stepping aside.
I nodded and took over, stirring the batter while she walked over to the oven to start preheating it. I glanced over at Keigan and noticed he was carefully molding the cookie dough into little heart shapes. Wow. This was definitely a new side of him.
Seeing the heart shapes suddenly made my mind flash back to the surprise. Man, I literally forgot about the puppy again. I turned my head toward Jayjay.
"Jay, you remember that puppy I told you about earlier?" I asked.
She paused and looked over at me. "Yeah?"
"Well... when exactly do you want to get it?" I asked.
She pouted slightly, looking a little disappointed. "I thought we were going to go out and buy it together."
"I wanted to do the same thing, but unfortunately, I can't. I'm sorry," I said gently, hinting at my upcoming schedule. She understood, nodding with a sweet smile, and I smiled right back before turning my focus back to the bowl. Seriously, how much more mixing does this thing even need? Suddenly, Jayjay stepped back over and cracked two eggs directly into the bowl. I kept mixing continuously for a few more minutes until she finally motioned for me to stop and pour the smooth batter into the cake pan. I did exactly as she asked. She carefully placed the pan inside the preheated oven, and with the heavy kitchen work finally done, the three of us headed out to the living room.
Keigan headed straight up to his bedroom to give us some space, while I settled onto the large living room sofa. Jayjay immediately lay down beside me, resting her head comfortably right on my lap.
"You okay?" I asked softly, looking down at her.
"Yeah," she murmured, keeping her eyes closed.
"Why did you suddenly decide to bake a cake and cookies today anyway?" I asked, running a hand through her hair.
She opened her eyes and looked up at me. "I was just really craving them, so I decided to make them."
"Why go through all that hard work when we could have just ordered whatever you wanted in the first place?" I reasoned.
She smiled softly at my logic. "Sometimes, homemade things are just so much better than ordering stuff from outside."
I smiled back, a sudden wave of realization hitting me. Jayjay had changed a lot. Before all of this, she was always the loud, chaotic Jayjay who ran around causing trouble. But now, she was speaking so thoughtfully and carrying herself with a new kind of maturity. I just sat there silently staring down at her, completely content, as she rested her head on my lap and held my hand tightly in hers.
Suddenly, my phone buzzed, breaking the quiet atmosphere. I didn't check it right away, but Jayjay did, since she was already holding my hand near where it lay. The moment she looked down at the screen, her eyes widened in pure shock.
"What... happened?" I asked, my instincts instantly kicking in as I noticed her expression change.
She sat straight up on the sofa, her face turning incredibly serious as she stared at the glowing display. "Keifer..." She paused, looking up from the screen to lock her eyes with mine. "Yuri's mom wants to talk to you."
My heart dropped slightly. "What does she want?" I muttered under my breath.
"In person," Jayjay completed, her voice barely above a whisper.
The End 🌸.
EID MUBARAK MY MUSLIM READERS 🥳 🎊 🎉.