(Jay's POV)
(Note for my dear readers: Read carefully and thank me later 🤭)
The morning sun filtered through the sheer curtains of Keifer's estate, but for the first time in weeks, there was no sound of sirens, no breaking glass, and no Ci-n screaming about alien frequencies.It was finally quiet.
The chaos had dispersed like smoke. Earlier that morning, I watched from the balcony as the "Baby Prep Team"—Angelo and Ion—practically skipped to the car. Angelo was armed with a color-coded spreadsheet of organic onesies, while Ion looked like he was preparing for a tactical mission, except the mission was finding the perfect crib.
Then there were the newly engaged couple. Aries and Ella had climbed into their convertible, whispering to each other in that weird, soft tone they thought was "too deep for mortals to understand."
Seriously they have more tantrums than me and keifer , when we were engaged!
"They really think they invented romance, don't they?" Keifer had whispered into my ear, his breath sending a shiver down my spine as we watched them drive off.
Lola and Tita had left shortly after, grumbling about "polishing the silver" for some distant relatives. And just like that, the fortress was empty.
It was just me and Keifer. I turned away from the window, feeling a bit shy now that the house was silent. I was still wearing one of Keifer's oversized black hoodies and some leggings, my hair a messy bird's nest. I felt anything but "effortlessly beautiful."
"Why are you staring at me like that?" I asked, leaning against the doorframe of our bedroom.
Keifer was leaning against the dresser, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, looking like he'd stepped out of a luxury watch commercial. He smirked, that slow, devastating curve of his lips that always made my heart do a backflip.
"I'm just wondering how much longer you're going to stay three meters away from me, Jay," he said, his voice dropping an octave. "The house is empty. No brothers to protect your honor. No Lola to heckle me. Just us."
"I'm dangerous when I'm bored, Keifer," I teased, stepping closer. "You should be careful."
He didn't move. He just waited until I was inches away. "Oh, I'm terrified."
Before I could reply, he reached out, caught me by the waist, and hoisted me up onto the dresser. I let out a tiny gasp, my hands instinctively landing on his broad shoulders. He stepped between my knees, trapping me in his space.
"You look beautiful today," he murmured, his eyes locked on mine."I haven't even brushed my teeth yet, Keifer! And my hair—"
"Is perfect," he interrupted, his thumb grazing my lower lip. "Everything about this is perfect. No brawls, no ties to fix for Aries. Just my girl and a whole lot of time to kill."
He started to lean in, his nose brushing against mine. I could smell his cologne—sandalwood and something uniquely him. My heart was hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird.
"Wait!" I whispered, my face heating up.He paused, a playful glint in his eyes.
"What? Are you alright jay?Do you need some special treatment from your handsome fiancé ", he smirked proudly.
"No," I giggled, pushing against his chest lightly. "I'm hungry. A gentleman would feed his lady before he... you know... teases her to death."
Keifer chuckled, the vibration rumbling under my palms. He leaned forward and kissed my forehead softly. "Your wish is my command. But don't think this gets you out of the teasing, Jay. I've been holding back for days."
The kitchen was our playground. Keifer insisted on making pancakes, but he refused to let me help.
"Sit on the counter," he commanded, pointing to the marble surface. "And look pretty. That's your only job."
"That's sexist," I joked, though I climbed up anyway. "It's not sexist, it's Keifer-ist," he countered, flipping a pancake with practiced ease. "I spent years learning how to be a 'perfect gentleman' in those boring finishing schools. Let me use my expensive education to flip a blueberry pancake for you."
As he cooked, he kept finding excuses to move into my space. He'd reach for the syrup right next to my hip, his arm brushing mine. He'd "accidentally" drop a strawberry and make me lean down to catch it, just so he could admire the view.
"You're doing this on purpose," I accused, pointing a finger at him."Doing what?" he asked innocently, coming over to plate the food.
He set the plate in my lap but didn't back away. He stayed standing between my legs, his hands resting on the counter on either side of me."Hovering," I said, my voice shaking slightly.
"I'm not hovering. I'm supervising your calorie intake," he teased. He picked up a fork, cut a piece of the pancake, and held it to my lips. "Open up, Jay."
I felt like a princess. The way he looked at me—like I was the only thing in the world that mattered—gave me more butterflies than the brawl in Manila ever could.
I took the bite, but as I chewed, a little bit of syrup escaped onto the corner of my mouth.I went to wipe it, but Keifer was faster. He didn't use a napkin. He used his thumb, wiping the drop away slowly, his gaze dropping to my lips. He didn't pull his hand away. Instead, he tilted my chin up.
"You have a little more," he whispered.
"Where?" I breathed.
"Right... here."
Instead of his thumb, he leaned down and kissed the corner of my mouth. It wasn't a quick peck. It was slow, lingering, and sweet. My toes curled inside my socks. When he pulled back, he was grinning like a Cheshire cat.
"Keifer!" I swatted his shoulder, my face crimson. "That was... that was cheating!"
"In the game of love and pancakes, Jay, there are no rules," he laughed, finally giving me some space to eat.
After breakfast, the "gentlemanly moves" didn't stop. He insisted on carrying me to the living room because the floor was "too cold for my delicate feet."
"I have slippers, Keifer!" I protested as he swept me up in his arms."Slippers are for people whose fiancés don't have biceps," he shot back, making me howl with laughter.
We spent the afternoon on the massive velvet sofa. We tried to watch a movie, but we spent most of the time talking—really talking.
We talked about a future where we didn't have to hide, about how many kids we'd have (I said two, he said five so we could have our own basketball team), and how we'd definitely never let Aries babysit.
At one point, I fell asleep against his chest. When I woke up, the sun was setting, painting the room in orange and gold. Keifer was still there, his chin resting on top of my head, one hand gently stroking my arm.
"You're awake," he murmured, his voice husky from the silence.I shifted, looking up at him. "How long was I out?"
"Long enough for me to realize I never want to be anywhere else," he said. The humor was gone, replaced by a raw, intense sincerity that made my breath hitch.
He sat up, pulling me into his lap so I was straddling him. The playful teasing from the morning had evolved into something deeper, something electric. He tucked a stray lock of hair behind my ear, his touch light as a feather.
"Jay," he whispered. "You know I'd do anything for you, right? I'd fight a thousand brawls, I'd deal with a million 'witch' comments from your brother, just for a day like this."
I wrapped my arms around his neck, burying my face in the crook of his shoulder. "I know. And I'd choose this chaos over a boring life any day, as long as it's with you."
He pulled back just enough to look into my eyes. "Good. Because I'm not letting you go. Ever." He leaned in, and this time, there was no teasing. It was a kiss that tasted like promises and forever. It was the kind of kiss that made the rest of the world vanish—the baby shopping, the "couple goals" car rides, the arriving guests—it all faded away.
Just as the moment reached its peak of romantic perfection, my phone buzzed loudly on the coffee table.
I tried to ignore it, but it buzzed again. And again.
"If that's Ci-n, I'm throwing that phone into the pool," Keifer growled against my lips.
I reached out and grabbed it, peeking at the screen. It was a photo from Angelo. It was a picture of Ion wearing a fuzzy bear hat, holding a tiny pair of baby sneakers, with the caption: WE FOUND THE ONES. ANGELO IS CRYING. SEND HELP.
I burst out laughing, the romantic tension breaking into a shower of giggles. I showed the screen to Keifer. He sighed, leaning his forehead against mine, a reluctant smile forming on his face.
"Well, so much for the 'gentlemanly' evening. I guess the chaos is back."
"It never really left, did it?" I said, hugging him tight.
"No," he whispered, kissing my nose. "But at least I have you to share it with."We sat there in the quiet of the fading light, knowing that soon the doors would burst open, Aries would start complaining about his hair, and the "beautiful disaster" of our lives would resume. But for now, in the golden hour of our secret estate, we were just Jay and Keifer. And that was more than enough.
The sun had dipped below the horizon, leaving the room bathed in a soft, lilac twilight. My phone chirped on the velvet cushion, breaking the silence.I pulled back from Keifer's neck just enough to see the screen.
It was a flurry of messages.
Aries: "Change of plans. The vibe here is too 'us.' We're staying at the hotel until the day after tomorrow. Don't miss me too much, witch."
Ella: "Ignore him. We just want another day of peace! Love you guys!"
Then, a ping from the family group chat.
Angelo: "Ion and I are heading straight to the main house. Tita needs help with the guest catering and Lola is currently arguing with a silver platter. We'll stay there tonight to assist. Enjoy the silence!"
I looked up at Keifer, a playful smile tugging at my lips. "Well… looks like the house isn't just empty for the afternoon. It's empty for the night."
Keifer's entire aura changed in a heartbeat. The "gentlemanly host" vanished, replaced by that dangerous, flirty persona that always made my knees weak. He snatched the phone from my hand and, without even looking, tossed it across the room. It landed with a soft thud on the armchair.
"Finally," he rasped, his voice thick with a hunger he'd been suppressing all day. "I don't think I can control myself for one more second, Jay."
I didn't pull away. Instead, I shifted, sitting fully on his lap and wrapping my legs firmly around his waist. I saw his pupils dilate, his hands sliding from the sofa to grip my hips with a possessive strength.
"Then don't," I whispered.
He didn't need to be told twice. Keifer stood up in one fluid motion, hoisting me up like a baby. I felt small and protected in his arms, my arms locked around his neck as he claimed my lips in a kiss that wasn't sweet or hesitant—it was harsh, needy, and full of the fire we'd been dousing for weeks.
He carried me up the grand staircase, never once breaking the kiss. We stumbled into the master suite, the door clicking shut behind us, kicking off a night that was just for us.
He gently laid me back onto the sprawling king-sized bed. I watched, breathless, as he stood at the foot of the bed. He pulled his shirt over his head in one go, tossing it into the shadows. Then came the pants, leaving him only in his boxers.The sight of him was a reminder of why he was so captivating, his presence filling the room with an intensity that was hard to ignore.
He moved back toward the bed, his gaze never leaving mine, as he slowly helped me remove my hoodie. We stayed there, held in the quiet intimacy of the room, lost in a flurry of kisses and the warmth of being close. Every touch was a silent promise, a way of making up for all the time spent apart or surrounded by others.
Despite the heat of the moment, a shared understanding remained between us.Keifer paused, his hands resting gently on my shoulders, his breathing ragged but his eyes clear.
"I meant what I said about waiting, Jay. I want everything to be perfect for us, when the time is right. I want to wait till our wedding . But tonight, I just need to be near you." A sense of peace washed over me, knowing we were on the same page. "I want that too, Keifer. Just this is enough."
We knew we didn't cross the line. We layed just as understanding fiancé and honestly this was the only moment I craved for my life.
We spent the night talking in low voices, sharing the kind of quiet moments that only happen in the middle of the night when the rest of the world feels far away. Eventually, the exhaustion of the day caught up with us, and we drifted off to sleep, wrapped in each other's arms, content in the knowledge that we had all the time in the world.