JAY-JAY POV
The car ride home was quiet.
Too quiet.
Aries was driving.
Kuya Angelo was scrolling through his phone.
Tita Gema kept talking softly about breakfast.
And me?
I was trying very hard not to think about Keifer.
Because the second I did—
I remembered it again.
His voice.
Cold.
Sharp.
Cruel.
"I used you."
That sentence still hurt.
No matter how much he flirted now.
No matter how much he protected me yesterday.
No matter how soft his eyes became when he looked at me.
I still remembered.
And I hated him for it.
My phone suddenly buzzed.
I looked down slowly.
Keifer:
you reached home?
I stared at the message blankly.
Then locked my phone immediately.
No reply.
A few seconds later—
another message.
Keifer:
still angry?
I scoffed quietly.
Aries glanced at me through the mirror.
"Who keeps texting you?"
"No one important."
Which honestly should've hurt his feelings.
But somehow I knew Keifer would still smile reading that.
Annoying idiot.
My phone buzzed again.
Keifer:
okay yeah you're definitely still angry
Good.
He should know.
He should feel bad.
Because I did.
Every single time I remembered what he said before leaving school.
How easily he acted like my feelings meant nothing.
Like I meant nothing.
The memory made my chest ache again.
So I turned my phone off completely.
HOME
The second I walked inside, I dropped onto the couch dramatically.
"I'm tired."
"You fought people yesterday," Aries replied. "Obviously you're tired."
"I didn't even fight properly."
"That sentence explains exactly why you're dangerous," Kuya Angelo muttered.
Tita Gema laughed softly from the kitchen.
Then suddenly—
someone knocked on the front door.
Aries frowned immediately.
"We're not expecting anyone."
Kuya Angelo opened the door.
And unfortunately—
I already knew who it was before seeing him.
Keifer.
Of course.
Black hoodie.
Messy hair.
Hands in his pockets.
Standing outside looking way too calm for someone I wanted to punch.
The second his eyes found me—
his expression softened slightly.
And somehow that annoyed me even more.
Kuya Angelo looked entertained already.
"Oh. It's the lover boy."
"KUYA."
Keifer ignored him completely and looked directly at me.
"You turned your phone off."
I crossed my arms immediately.
"Good observation."
Aries walked toward the door slowly.
Dangerously slowly.
"What are you doing here?"
Keifer stayed calm.
"I came to talk to Jay-Jay."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
I stood up immediately before Aries actually committed violence.
"Why are you here?"
For the first time all day—
Keifer's teasing smile faded slightly.
And suddenly he looked serious.
"I'm trying to apologize."
Silence.
The room became quieter instantly.
Because we all knew what he meant.
That sentence.
Those words.
"I used you."
My chest tightened immediately.
I looked away first.
Because even hearing the memory hurt.
Keifer noticed.
Of course he noticed.
His jaw tightened slightly.
"I didn't mean it the way it sounded."
I laughed once.
Cold.
"Oh really? Because it sounded pretty clear."
Nobody spoke.
Even Aries stayed silent now.
Keifer looked at me carefully.
"I was trying to push you away."
"That doesn't make it better."
"I know."
His answer came immediately.
No excuses.
No joking.
Just honest.
And honestly?
That somehow hurt worse.
Because Keifer never sounded this serious unless he truly meant something.
I crossed my arms tighter.
"You don't get to hurt me and then flirt your way out of it."
A tiny smile almost appeared on his face.
"Okay… maybe flirting was a bad strategy."
"A horrible strategy."
"Not horrible," Kuya Angelo muttered.
"KUYA."
Tita Gema was trying not to laugh now.
Traitors.
Meanwhile Keifer kept looking directly at me.
Focused.
Soft.
Like nothing else in the room mattered.
"I know you're angry," he said quietly.
"You should know."
"I do."
"Good."
A pause.
Then—
"I'll still keep trying anyway."
My heartbeat betrayed me again.
I hated it.
Actually hated it.
Because even after everything—
even after what he said—
a part of me still reacted whenever he looked at me like that.
And that made me more angry than anything else.
So I looked away quickly.
"I'm not forgiving you."
Keifer nodded once.
"Okay."
No argument.
No teasing.
Just acceptance.
Then he smiled slightly again.
"But I'm still gonna annoy you until you do."
Aries immediately pointed toward the gate.
"Leave."
The entire house burst out laughing.
And somehow—
for the first time since that horrible sentence—
I saw something different in Keifer's eyes.
Not confidence.
Not flirting.
Guilt.
Real guilt.
Like hurting me was the one thing he truly regretted.
And honestly?
That scared me a little.
Because if Keifer really meant his apology…
then eventually…
I might actually forgive him.
END OF CHAPTER 35