It was another chaotic afternoon at the Fernandez house.
Section E had arrived in full force, as they always did. The living room was a mess of people, snacks, and the usual chaos.
Ci-n was attempting to build a tower out of snack boxes. It was going poorly. Rakki was "supervising" from a safe distance. Mica and Calix were curled up together, watching the disaster unfold. Mayo and Kit were critiquing everyone's outfits—which was bold, considering most people were wearing sweatpants.
Rory and Edrix were on their laptops, as always, arguing about something only they understood. Freya sat nearby, "not watching" them, but definitely watching.
Drew was taking bets on how long the snack tower would last. David was asleep already. Eren was trying to figure out what was happening. Josh radiated calm from his corner.
Baster was humming a chaotic melody that matched the energy perfectly.
Denzel had Grazel Jay on his lap, both watching Ci-n's tower with interest.
Grazel Jay: "It fall?"
Denzel: "Probably."
Grazel Jay: "I catch?"
Denzel: "You're two, baby."
Grazel Jay: "I FAST."
Grace: "She's not wrong."
Keigan and Keiren were "helping" Ci-n, which mostly meant they were making it worse.
Tita Gema was in the kitchen with Eman, preparing snacks. Jasfer was "helping" (being yelled at). Serina sat elegantly in an armchair, watching the chaos with quiet amusement. Jay's grandma was in her rocking chair, occasionally shouting encouragement.
Percy was documenting everything, as usual.
And in the middle of it all—
Jay and Keifer sat on the main couch, close as always. Jay was in the middle of a very detailed story about something that had happened at J&S that morning, gesturing wildly, talking a mile a minute.
"—and then the supplier said the shipment would be delayed, which is FINE, except they didn't tell us until the last minute, so I had to call three different warehouses and—"
Keifer listened, as always, with that soft expression.
Then—
The doorbell rang.
Angelo, stationed near the entrance, checked the monitor. "Woman. Early twenties. Never seen her before."
Jay paused mid-sentence. "Who is it?"
Angelo: "She's not on the list."
Percy: "A MYSTERY WOMAN? ON TODAY'S EPISODE OF AS THE FERNANDEZ HOUSE TURNS?"
Tita Gema: "LET HER IN! COULD BE FOOD!"
Angelo opened the door.
A woman walked in.
She was stunning—long dark hair, perfect makeup, dressed in an elegant business casual outfit that looked expensive. She carried a small gift bag and smiled brightly as she entered.
Her eyes scanned the room and landed immediately on Keifer.
"Keifer!"
Jay's hand, which had been gesturing wildly moments ago, froze mid-air.
Keifer stood, looking surprised. "Honey?"
The room went silent.
Jay's brain: Honey? HONEY? Who is HONEY?
The woman—Honey—crossed the room and hugged Keifer. Not a brief hug. A hug hug. The kind that lasted a few seconds too long.
Jay's eye twitched.
Honey pulled back, still holding Keifer's arms. "I can't believe I finally found you! I've been looking everywhere!"
Keifer: "Honey, what are you doing here?"
Honey: "I wanted to surprise you! It's been so long since we've seen each other. I missed you."
Jay's grip on the couch cushion tightened.
Mica noticed. She leaned toward Rakki. "Uh oh."
Rakki: "What?"
Mica: "Look at Jay's face."
Rakki looked. "Oh. OH."
Ci-n, oblivious: "WHO IS THIS WOMAN? IS SHE A FRIEND? A COUSIN? A SECRET SISTER? I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS!"
Rakki: "Ci-n, shh."
Ci-n: "WHY SHH? THIS IS EXCITING!"
Keifer finally seemed to remember where he was. He gently extracted himself from Honey's grip and turned toward Jay.
"Everyone, this is Honey. She's my—"
Honey cut in, smiling at Jay. "Oh! You must be the famous Jay I've heard about. Keifer's told me so much about you."
Jay's smile was tight. "Has he."
Honey: "All good things, I promise." She looked around the room. "Wow, this is quite the setup. Keifer always did love having people around him."
Jay: "He lives here."
Honey blinked. "Here? With all these people?"
Jay: "Yes."
Honey: "Oh. How… cozy."
The word "cozy" was delivered with a slight wrinkle of her nose.
Jay's jaw tightened.
Keifer finally managed to speak. "Honey is my secretary. Well, former secretary. From when I was helping with some business stuff a while back."
Jay: "Secretary."
Honey: "Executive assistant, actually. But Keifer and I worked very closely." She smiled at him. "Very closely."
Jay's eye twitched again.
Percy, recording: "OH, THIS IS GOLD. PURE GOLD."
Mica: "Percy, read the room."
Percy: "I AM. AND IT'S GLORIOUS."
Keifer seemed to realize what was happening. A small smirk played at the corner of his mouth.
Oh no.
Jay saw that smirk.
He's enjoying this.
Honey continued, oblivious to the tension. "Keifer, you didn't tell me you were living in such a… lively place. These are all your friends?"
Keifer: "Family. Friends. Same thing."
Honey: "How nice." Her eyes swept the room again. This time, they landed on Percy.
Percy was mid-recording, phone raised, looking dramatically handsome as always.
Honey's expression changed.
"Well, hello there."
Percy lowered his phone. "Uh. Hi?"
Honey stepped closer, smile widening. "Who is this handsome blue-eyed guy?"
The room went dead silent.
Percy: "Me?"
Honey: "You. Definitely you." She looked him up and down—slowly. "I'm Honey."
Percy: "I… gathered that."
Honey: "You look single."
Percy: "I—what?"
Honey: "Are you single? You look single." She stepped closer. "And ready to mingle?"
Percy took a step back. "I—I mean—I'm—"
Honey: "Because I'm single. Very single. And very interested."
Percy's usual bravado completely evaporated. "I—that's—wow—I—"
Honey: "Cat got your tongue? That's cute."
Percy: "I'm not—I don't—"
Felix, watching with wide eyes: "Is Percy… flustered?"
Aries: "Percy is never flustered."
Ella: "Percy is DEFINITELY flustered."
Percy: "I'M NOT FLUSTERED. I'm just—processing. Strategically."
Honey: "Process faster. I don't have all day." She winked.
Percy made a sound that wasn't quite a word.
The room ERUPTED.
Ci-n: "PERCY IS BEING HIT ON! BY A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN! AND HE'S LOSING!"
Rakki: "This is the best day of my life."
Mica: "Someone record this—oh wait, Percy already was."
Calix: "He forgot he was recording. Look—" He pointed. Percy's phone was pointed at the floor.
Mayo: "The flirt has broken him."
Kit: "Completely shattered."
Rory: "I didn't know Percy could be broken."
Edrix: "Neither did I."
Freya: "This is fascinating."
Drew: "New bet! How long until Percy recovers?"
David, somehow awake: "Never. 1000."
Drew: "Bold. I like it."
Eren: "Wait, what's happening? Who's the girl? Why is everyone screaming?"
Josh, silently, smiled.
Denzel covered Grazel Jay's eyes. "Too young for this."
Grazel Jay: "I WANNA SEE!"
Grace: "No, baby. Save it for your telenovelas."
Tita Gema: "FINALLY! SOMEONE TO MATCH PERCY'S ENERGY!"
Jasfer: "I'm crying. This is beautiful."
Serina: "I'm taking notes. This is excellent."
Jay's grandma: "THE BLUE-EYED BOY IS FINALLY GETTING WHAT HE DESERVES!"
Percy: "I'M BEING ATTACKED! EMOTIONALLY!"
Honey: "You're being appreciated. There's a difference."
Percy: "IS THERE?"
Honey laughed—a genuine, warm sound. "You're adorable."
Percy: "I'm TERRIFYING. Ask anyone."
Honey: "Terrifyingly cute."
Percy: "That's not—I don't—"
Honey: "Shh. Let me enjoy this."
Percy shut up.
The room lost it.
But in the midst of all the chaos, Jay was still staring at Keifer.
Her expression was carefully controlled, but her eyes—
Her eyes were burning.
Keifer noticed. His smirk widened slightly.
He's definitely enjoying this.
Jay: "Keifer."
Keifer: "Yes?"
Jay: "Your secretary is here."
Keifer: "Former secretary."
Jay: "She hugged you."
Keifer: "She's friendly."
Jay: "For five seconds."
Keifer: "I didn't count."
Jay: "I did."
Keifer's smirk grew. "Tss."
Jay's eye twitched. "Don't 'tss' me."
Keifer: "Why not? You love it."
Jay: "I love YOU. There's a difference. And right now I'm reconsidering."
Keifer: "You're jealous."
Jay: "I'm NOT jealous."
Keifer: "You're literally shaking."
Jay: "I'm cold."
Keifer: "It's 80 degrees in here."
Jay: "I have a condition."
Keifer: "The condition of being jealous?"
Jay: "KEIFER."
Honey, who had been focused on Percy, finally noticed the tension. "Oh! Are you two…?"
Jay's arm snaked around Keifer's waist possessively. "He's mine."
Honey blinked. Then laughed. "Oh, I know. Keifer told me all about you. He's been obsessed since forever."
Jay paused. "What?"
Honey: "When he worked with me, he talked about you constantly. 'Jay this, Jay that, Jay's smile, Jay's laugh, Jay's weird obsession with food.'" She rolled her eyes fondly. "It was exhausting. Cute, but exhausting."
Jay's grip loosened slightly. "He… talked about me?"
Honey: "Non-stop. I could probably recite your entire life story at this point."
Jay looked at Keifer.
He shrugged. "She's not wrong."
Jay: "But—the hug—the 'I missed you'—"
Honey: "I missed him as a FRIEND. A very married-to-someone-else friend." She paused. "Well, not married yet. But clearly spoken for." She gestured at Jay's arm around his waist.
Jay: "Oh."
Honey: "Also, I'm way more interested in—" She turned back to Percy. "—the blue-eyed disaster over there."
Percy: "I'm not a disaster. I'm a masterpiece."
Honey: "Masterpieces need appreciation. I'm volunteering."
Percy took another step back.
Honey stepped forward.
Percy: "Someone help me."
Felix: "No. You deserve this."
Percy: "TRAITOR."
Honey: "He's right. You do deserve this."
Percy: "DESERVE WHAT?"
Honey: "Me."
Percy: "I—you—we just met!"
Honey: "And? I know what I want."
Percy: "WHAT DO YOU WANT?"
Honey: "Dinner. With you. Tonight."
Percy: "I—I have plans."
Honey: "Cancel them."
Percy: "I—they're important plans."
Honey: "More important than me?"
Percy: "I don't even KNOW you!"
Honey: "Then get to know me. Over dinner."
Percy: "I—"
Honey: "It's not a question. I'll pick you up at 7."
Percy: "I DIDN'T AGREE TO THIS!"
Honey: "Your eyes agreed."
Percy: "MY EYES DON'T HAVE A VOTE!"
The room was in absolute shambles. People were crying with laughter. Drew was collecting bets. Ci-n was cheering. Even Josh was openly smiling.
And Jay—
Jay was looking at Keifer with a mix of embarrassment and realization.
"I overreacted."
Keifer: "A little."
Jay: "I was jealous."
Keifer: "A lot."
Jay: "Shut up."
Keifer: "Tss."
Jay: "Stop."
Keifer: "Tss."
Jay: "KEIFER."
Keifer laughed, pulling her close. "You're cute when you're jealous."
Jay: "I'm not cute. I'm terrifying."
Keifer: "Terrifyingly cute."
Jay: "That's what Honey said to Percy."
Keifer: "Great minds think alike."
Jay buried her face in his chest. "I'm never living this down."
Keifer: "Never."
Jay: "The whole family saw."
Keifer: "And documented."
Jay: "Percy definitely recorded it."
Keifer: "Before Honey broke him, yes."
Jay groaned.
Keifer kissed her hair. "Hey."
Jay: "What?"
Keifer: "I love you. Only you. Always you. Honey's great, but she's not you."
Jay peeked up at him. "Really?"
Keifer: "Really. Also, she's terrifying. Have you seen her with Percy?"
They both looked at Honey, who had cornered Percy near the kitchen and was talking animatedly while Percy looked like a deer in headlights.
Jay: "She is terrifying."
Keifer: "Tss. Childish, not cute."
Jay blinked. "Did you just—"
Keifer: "That one wasn't for you. That was for Percy."
Jay: "Oh."
Keifer: "He's panicking. It's adorable."
Jay: "You're enjoying this."
Keifer: "Immensely."
Jay laughed, finally relaxing against him.
The chaos continued around them—Honey pursuing Percy, Section E losing their minds, Grazel Jay throwing imaginary flowers at everyone, Tita Gema yelling about food, Jasfer crying with laughter, Serina taking elegant notes.
And in the middle of it all—
Jay and Keifer.
Together.
Always.