JAY-JAY POV
Yep.
It was Aries.
My brother.
Of course it had to be him.
Because why not?
Why not show up at the exact moment I was basically glued to Keifer's lap like some disaster magnet?
Like, seriously—congrats Jay, you've officially ruined your life.
Aries stood there, arms crossed, looking like he was about to drag me out by my ear. Meanwhile, Keifer was grinning like an idiot, which made it ten times worse.
"Jay‑jay, if you don't get out of his lap right now, I'll tell Kuya," Aries snapped.
Yeah, that was enough for me to jump off Keifer like the car seat was on fire.
I got out, pretending everything was normal, but Keifer followed me out, still smirking.
"Hi, Aries," I said, trying to smile like I wasn't dying inside.
Nope. Didn't work. He was fuming harder.
"What the hell were you two doing?" he demanded.
Really? What do you think I was doing?
"I was just sitting in his lap because…" I threw my hands up. "Obviously the chairs in this car are broken, Aries. What else do you think I was doing? Practicing my circus act?"
Keifer snorted, which only made Aries glare harder.
"You," Aries pointed at Keifer, "get out before I call Kuya Angelo."
"Bye, brother‑in‑law," Keifer said, smirking like he had a death wish.
Seriously? He just wants to die.
Aries' glare could've burned a hole through him. "I'M NOT YOUR BROTHER‑IN‑LAW!" he yelled, his voice echoing down the street as Keifer drove off like it was totally normal.
"Unbelievable," Aries muttered. "Brother‑in‑law? Seriously? Brother‑in‑law my foot!"
I bit my lip, trying not to laugh, because he looked like he was about to combust right there.
Then he looked at me—no glaring this time, which was even scarier.
"Don't look at me! He's the one with the death wish, not me!" I said quickly.
Aries narrowed his eyes. "Jay… are you two official?"
"Well…" I dragged it out. "Maybe."
"Oh hell to the no," he snapped. "There are plenty of guys out there, but you had to pick the ego‑driven, possessive one?"
I crossed my arms. "Wow, thanks for the support, Aries. Really appreciate the pep talk."
"Jay," he said quieter now, almost serious. "Just… be careful, okay?"
I blinked. "Wait, what? No lecture? No threats? No calling Kuya?"
Aries sighed. "I'm still mad. But I don't want to see you get hurt."
"Don't tell Kuya, please," I whispered.
He studied me for a long moment, like he was trying to read my entire soul.
Finally, he sighed. "You know I should. You know I should tell him."
I forced a shaky smile. "But you won't… right?"
"Fine," he muttered. "I won't tell—for now. But Keifer better meet me in the backyard tomorrow at lunch. And you're coming too."
I groaned. "Seriously? A backyard showdown? What is this, a gangster movie?"
Aries didn't even flinch.
Dead serious.
Great.
Perfect.
Tomorrow was officially going to be chaos.
"Anyways, where the hell were you?" Aries demanded.
"What do you mean?" I asked, trying to sound casual.
"School ended at 2:45, but you and Keifer didn't show up until 6." His voice was sharp, almost accusing.
Shit.
How am I supposed to explain Drew's house?
If Aries finds out, he'll definitely kill me with his horoscopic lectures
"Obviously with Keifer," I said quickly, praying he'd buy it.
He gave me a look—unreadable—but didn't press further. Thank God. Safe for now.
"What were you doing for almost four hours?" he asked again, suspicion lingering.
I forced a grin. "Oh, I'm getting hungry. Let's go."
"When are you not hungry?" Aries muttered.
"Never," I shot back.
"That's the problem," he said, half‑annoyed, half‑amused.
We kept talking nonsense until we finally reached the house.
I was about to step inside when that roster showed up.
"Aries, go. I want to talk to that roster," I said, waving him off.
"Roster?" Aries repeated, confused.
"Your best friend," I teased.
"What the fuck, Jay? He is not my best friend," Aries snapped.
I bit back a laugh. Got him riled up again.
"Fine, hurry up," Aries said, disappearing inside.
"Jay, hey—sorry I left you at Drew's. Something important came up," the roster said, jogging toward me.
"You couldn't just tell me, Yuri? But you didn't," I snapped.
"Sorry… I'll make sure not to repeat that again," he muttered, guilt flickering in his eyes.
"Fine. This is your last warning," I said firmly.
He nodded, stepping closer, arms opening like he wanted to hug me.
Instinctively, I backed away.
No.
Not after the Hitlist.
Not after what I found.
I can't let him get that close.
"Sorry," he said quietly.
I just nodded and stepped inside. He followed, footsteps heavy behind me.
Why did Kuya Angelo even tell him he could live with us?
The thought gnawed at me, twisting my stomach.
Nothing about this felt right.
Inside, the devil in the form of Angel was waiting, arms crossed.
"Where were you, Jay?" Devil asked.
"Kuya, I was with—" I started, fumbling.
"She went to Ci‑n's house, Kuya," Aries cut in smoothly.
Thank God.
This horoscope is actually useful.
I will remember this.
"Fine," Tita said, waving us off. "You two go upstairs and get cleaned up. Dinner is almost ready. You too, Yuri."
We started up the stairs, and I leaned closer to Aries. "Why did you save me?"
He smirked. "Because you also have to cover me when it's my time."
I groaned. "So basically, you didn't save me out of love—you saved me out of insurance policy."
Aries shrugged, smug as ever. "Exactly."
"Horoscope brothers… the worst kind of investment," I muttered.
"What did you call me?" Aries asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Nothing," I said quickly.
Yuri chuckled behind us, clearly enjoying the show.
"Anyhow, Jay… how did you come back?" Yuri asked, tone too casual.
Son of a bitch.
Aries' head snapped toward him. "What does he mean?"
"Nothing," I said fast. "I was with Keifer."
"Yeah, yeah… I forgot," Yuri muttered, voice dropping, sounding almost sad.
I exhaled, relief flooding me.
Crisis averted—for now.
But one of these days, Yuri's loose tongue is going to get me killed.
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🌹✨ Author's Note ✨🌹
So… how was the chapter? 👀💥
Drop your thoughts in the comment section—I'm reading everything and loving your reactions 💭💙.
Also… I need your help 👇
I'm cooking up ways to bring Raffy (Jay's younger brother) into the chaos 🔥
By the way, Raffy is 14 years old—the same age as Keigan and Ci-N 👀🔥.
So expect him to bring just as much chaos when he shows up
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How was my writing ?
Bad - I need more emotions 😭😭😭
Okay - It's fine but you could improve 😅😅😅
Good - It's good just as I expect from you 😊😊😊