--: Jay-Jay's POV: --
The transition from the peaceful, sun-drenched shores of the island to the humid, bustling heat of the Philippines was like a cold bucket of water to the face. One minute I was listening to the rhythmic lullaby of the waves, and the next, I was surrounded by the familiar scent of diesel, street food, and the relentless hum of the city.
The boat ride back was... well, it was exactly what you'd expect when you trap Section E on a vessel for several hours. How can you expect anything less than pure, unadulterated chaos when they are involved? Between Ci-N and Blaster trying to see who could jump the highest off the stern—until Kuya Angelo threatened to toss them both in without a life vest—and Josh staring mournfully at the horizon because he couldn't smuggle a tropical bird back for his cat, Edy, there wasn't a single second of silence.
By the time we stepped off the boat and transitioned into the private cars, my ears were ringing. But as the familiar skyline of the city came into view, the reality of our lives started to settle back in. The "Blackout" was officially over, but the memories were burned into my skin.
--: Keifer's POV: --
The city felt smaller after the openness of the island. More crowded. More dangerous. My eyes were already scanning the traffic, my mind shifting back into that defensive, protective mode that was my default setting whenever Jay-Jay was within five miles of a potential threat.
We all went to Eman's restaurant for one final meal before F4, Gorya and Kaning go their separate ways and Angelo wasn't able to join as he has some work, he directly went to Fernandez mansion after stepping out the boat.
The long table was packed, the smell of home-cooked Filipino food filling the air—a stark contrast to the seafood diet of the last few days.
"I can't believe it's over," Felix groaned, face-planting into a bowl of rice. "I want to go back. I want to be a beach bum forever. I was meant for the island life!"
"You already are a bum, Felix. The location doesn't change your nature," Rory deadpanned, not even looking up from his soup, making the entire table howl with laughter.
--: Jay-Jay's POV: --
As the meal wound down, a sudden hush fell over the F4. Thyme, Ren, Kavin, and MJ exchanged a look—the kind of look that usually meant something big was about to happen.
Gorya and Kaning, who were sitting with them, were smiling secretly into their drinks.
"Listen up, everyone," Thyme said, standing up and crossing his arms. He tried to look serious, but the smug, triumphant grin on his face gave him away. "We have to go back to Thailand tonight. We've got business to settle and families to deal with."
"Aww, man!" Calix shouted, sounding genuinely disappointed. "Who's gonna help us prank the other now? You guys were just getting good at it!"
"Wait, let him finish," Kavin interrupted, waving a hand to silence the table. "Before we head to the airport, we have a little surprise. We didn't want to say anything until the paperwork was 100% finished."
MJ leaned forward, his eyes sparking with that signature mischief. "We realized that Thailand is a bit too far from where the real fun is. So... So we applied for a transfer. We all got our admissions confirmed this morning. We're going to LSE for college."
The restaurant exploded. Mayo and Denzel were literally standing on their chairs, cheering and high-fiving the air. The rest of Section E started whistling and chanting. It was total mayhem.
"You're kidding!" I yelled over the noise, looking at Gorya.
"They're dead serious," Gorya laughed, shaking her head, at the reaction. "They've already scouted the best spots near the campus to cause trouble. We'll be seeing a lot of each other very soon."
--: Keifer's POV: --
I looked at Thyme and the rest of the F4. Having them at LSE was going to be a nightmare for the administration and probably a headache for me, but it was a massive win for our side. More eyes, more muscle, and more loyalty in a place where we needed it most.
After a round of intense goodbyes, bone-crushing hugs, and promises of a "hellish" first week of college, the F4, Gorya, and Kaning finally headed for the airport. The rest of the squad dispersed, heading to their own homes to recover from the "vacation."
I took Jay-Jay's hand, leading her toward my car. "Ready to go home?"
"Home," she whispered, leaning her head on my shoulder. "Yeah. Let's go."
--: Jay-Jay's POV: --
When we entered the Watson mansion, the silence was immediately shattered. Keiran and Keigan—came sprinting down the grand staircase like they'd been launched from a cannon.
"JAY-JAY! KUYA!" They shouted in unison, slamming into us with giant, breathless hugs.
"Did you bring us anything? Did you see any sharks?" Keigan asked, pulling back to look at our bags.
"Did you guys have fun? What did you do the whole time?" Keiran added, his eyes wide and full of that innocent curiosity that always made me feel a little guilty that we didn't take them.
I smiled, patting Keiran's head. "It was really peaceful, guys. We just walked, ate, and—"
"We enjoyed it a lot," Keifer interrupted, his voice dropping into that teasing, low, gravelly vibration that I knew meant trouble. He looked at me with a wicked, possessive glint in his eyes. "We did many things we've never done before. Things that were... very new to us. Right, Jay?"
I choked on the air I was breathing, a violent blush exploding across my face and down my neck. "Keifer!" I wheezed, my eyes widening in warning.
--: Keifer's POV: --
The way she turned bright red was worth every second of the flight back. I loved how easy it was to fluster her, especially when I could hide the truth behind a double meaning that my brothers were too young to catch.
"What did you do for the first time, Kuya?" Keiran asked, looking back and forth between us with genuine, wide-eyed confusion.
Before I could open my mouth to say something even more scandalous that would probably result in Jay-Jay actually fainting, she practically lunged forward, her voice an octave higher than usual.
"ACTIVITIES! We did... extreme island activities!" she chirped frantically, her hands gesturing wildly. "Like... snorkeling! And... rock climbing! And... deep-sea exploring! Things we never had the chance to do in the city! Right, Keifer? Right?"
She glared at me, her eyes screaming that I was going to be sleeping on the floor if I said one more word. I just smirked and shrugged, pulling her closer to my side. "If that's what you want to call it, baby."
--: Jay-Jay's POV: --
The next few days were a blur of recovery. We spent most of our time at the Watson mansion, catching up on the sleep we had definitely sacrificed during the trip and having fun time with Keiran and Keigan especially when Keifer was doing office work.
It was a quiet Tuesday afternoon, and the rainy season was finally starting to show its face. The sound of a light, steady drizzle tapped against the window of Keifer's bedroom. Inside, the AC was humming a low tune, and the room was blissfully dark, the heavy curtains blocking out the world.
Keifer and I were completely buried under a mountain of plush blankets. To save space—and mostly because he flat-out refused to let me wear anything else—we were both crammed into one of his oversized, black hoodies. It was so massive that we were basically a two-headed monster; my head was popping out of the neck hole right alongside his, our bodies tangled together in a mess of limbs under the thick, warm fabric.
It was the most comfortable I had been in years. I was drifting in that perfect, heavy, dreamless sleep, my nose pressed against the warm skin of his neck.
Ring... Ring... Ring...
I groaned, trying to bury my face deeper into the hoodie, but the vibration was relentless. It wasn't just a sound; it was a rhythmic rattling coming from the wooden surface of the nightstand right next to my head.
--: Keifer's POV: --
The phone was buzzing against the marble top of the nightstand, the sound amplified in the quiet, dark room. I didn't want to move. Jay-Jay was warm, the hoodie was soft, and for the first time in a week, my brain was actually quiet. But the caller was persistent.
I squinted one eye open, my arm reluctantly snaking out from the warmth of the shared hoodie. My fingers fumbled across the nightstand until they closed around the cold metal of the device. I brought it closer, the screen's brightness making me wince.
When I saw the name flashing on the screen, a slow, predatory, and deeply mischievous smile crept across my face.
Aries.
He was probably calling to complain about something again, but the fact that he was calling now, while Jay was practically fused to my side and still half-conscious, gave me a brilliant, wicked idea.
Jay-Jay stirred, her long eyelashes fluttering as she heard the ringing stop and the muffled silence of the connection. "Mm... who is it?" she mumbled, her voice thick and husky with sleep.
"It's your favorite idiot,"
"Huhh??"
"Your horoscope" I whispered, tilting the phone so she could see the glowing screen in my hand.
She let out a long, sleepy sigh, reaching out a shaky hand from the oversized sleeve to slide the green icon. "Hello?" she croaked, her voice barely a whisper.
"Jayy are you sleeping?? Actually.." Aries' voice blared through the speaker, loud, frantic, and completely oblivious to the atmosphere on our end.
I didn't let him finish. I leaned down and bit gently on the junction of Jay's neck and shoulder, a sharp nip that made her let out a sudden, involuntary, and very suggestive gasp directly into the microphone.
"Ahh.."
"What was that Jayy?" Aries asked with confusion.
I watched the mischief dance in my own reflection in the darkened window. This was going to be a very interesting phone call.