Jayjay'sPOV
"Let's go," I said.
But instead of heading for the door, Keifer stepped even closer to me. I looked at him, completely confused, but before I could ask what he was doing, he pulled me into a sudden, bone-crushing hug.
"Are you sure you want to leave me?" he asked, his voice low and dramatic.
I couldn't help but laugh, patting his broad back gently. "I'm not leaving you, dummy. I'm just moving out for a few days."
He slowly pulled away, looking down at me for a quiet moment before leaning in to press a soft, lingering kiss onto my forehead.
"I'll bring you back here soon," he murmured.
I nodded with a warm smile. "Okay."
He finally picked up my suitcase, but immediately stopped and looked at it with a puzzled expression. "It weighs like absolutely nothing. What did you even pack in here, Jay?"
"Nothing extra. Since I'm spending three days a week here anyway, I left most of my clothes in the closet. And I still have plenty of clothes over at Kuya's house since he bought me so much before, so there was no point in carrying everything," I explained.
He gave me a slow nod, satisfied with the logic. "Smart wifey."
As we walked out of the room, my eyes landed on little Keify, who was happily wagging his tail. "Wait, what about Keify?" I asked, stopping to look at the puppy.
"Your choice. If you want to take him with you, that's fine. If not, he can stay here," Keifer replied.
I thought about it for a minute. If I took him to Kuya's house, I'd probably have to drag the poor puppy everywhere with me, and it would be a hassle to move him back and forth every weekend. It was definitely better for him to stay in the spacious mansion.
"Take good care of him. I'm leaving him here with you," I decided.
Keifer nodded, a small smirk playing on his lips. "As you wish, wifey."
I rolled my eyes dramatically at the nickname, but a tiny, unstoppable smile still broke across my face.
We finally walked out of the mansion. Keifer placed my light suitcase into the car trunk, and we both got in. He started the engine and drove off. The drive to Kuya's house was comfortably quiet. The entire time, Keifer drove smoothly with one hand on the steering wheel, while his other hand kept my hand firmly locked in his, his thumb gently rubbing my knuckles.
While we were eating breakfast earlier, he had mentioned that he was going to take Keiran and Keigan with him today to handle some things, so I knew he wouldn't be staying long.
When we finally reached the house, we got out of the car. Keifer grabbed my suitcase from the trunk, and we walked inside together. As soon as we stepped through the front door, we saw Tita Gemma and Kuya Angelo sitting in the living room.
"Good afternoon, Tita," I greeted warmly, walking over to hug her.
"Good afternoon, sweetie," she replied, smiling brightly as she hugged me back.
As we pulled away, I noticed Ate Ion standing nearby. I smiled and gave her a tight hug too, which she happily returned.
"Welcome back, Jayjay," she said.
I chuckled softly. "Thanks, Ate."
When I stepped back, I noticed Kuya Angelo and Keifer staring intensely at each other. Seriously, are they doing some kind of secret eye-contact challenge right now?
"Why doesn't Keifer stay for dinner?" Tita Gemma asked warmly.
I looked out the window and noticed the sun was already starting to set. "Okay, Tita! He can stay," I said with a bright smile.
"Keifer, we need to talk," Kuya Angelo said suddenly, his tone serious.
Keifer gave a calm nod. "Okay."
Then, both of them turned and walked straight toward Aries' room. Wait, why Aries' room of all places? I looked over at Ate Ion, completely puzzled, but she just shrugged her shoulders with a knowing look. What on earth was going on between my brother and my husband?
"Let them just talk. Come on, let's go set up your room," Ate Ion said, wrapping her arm around my shoulders to lead me away.
"Okay," I agreed.
We walked into my bedroom together. My room was exactly how I had left it—maybe a little cleaner, but still the exact same. As we started putting my few clothes into the closet, Ate Ion and I sat down on the bed and immediately started talking.
Thank goodness my sister-in-law is a huge gossip, just like me!
Most of our conversation was about how incredibly similar Kuya Angelo and Keifer actually are. The way they walk, the way they talk, and the way they both glare at someone like their eyes could literally kill.
Ate Ion even laughed as she told me about their younger days. Apparently, back then, Keifer, Yuri, Aries, and Percy were like exact carbon copies of Kuya Angelo. They would go around picking random street fights just because they wanted to fight!
One time, Kuya Angelo was in the middle of a street brawl, and those four immediately jumped in to "help" him, only to get a massive scolding from Kuya afterward.
She also told me about the very first time Aries, Percy, Keifer, and Yuri got into trouble at school. The principal called Kuya Angelo, and when he arrived, he literally shook all four of them like soda cans! I laughed so hard my stomach hurt, picturing those five being absolute, chaotic magnets for trouble.
By the time Ate Ion and I finished gossiping and laughing, the delicious aroma of dinner was drifting all the way up the stairs.
"Dinner is ready," Tita Gemma said as she walked into my room.
Ate Ion and I both nodded.
"Call the boys, I'm heading downstairs," Tita added.
"Okay, Mom," Ate Ion said, and Tita walked out.
"We should go check on the three Angelo boys," Ate Ion giggled. "Before they actually destroy Aries' room."
"Good idea," I laughed.
We walked out of my room and headed toward Aries' door. My hand was just making contact with the doorknob when I heard the low, serious voices of Kuya Angelo, Keifer, and Aries talking inside.
"Ate, I'm not opening it, you do it," I whispered, stepping back.
She chuckled and immediately pushed the door open. The second the door swung wide, their conversation dropped into absolute, pin-drop silence. All three of them snapped their heads toward Ate Ion and me.
"Dinner is ready," Ate Ion announced.
The three boys gave synchronized nods. Kuya Angelo walked out first. Keifer started walking toward me, clearly wanting to say something, but before he could even take two steps, Kuya Angelo grabbed him and literally dragged him toward the stairs—probably terrified Keifer would immediately spill whatever tea they were just discussing.
Ate Ion followed right behind them, chuckling warmly at the sight of Kuya dragging a very reluctant Keifer, who kept looking back over his shoulder at me the entire time.
Once they were completely out of sight, Aries suddenly lunged forward and wrapped his arm tightly around my shoulders, dragging me into a headlock.
"Ah, you came back and didn't even greet me," he complained, tightening his grip on my shoulder.
"You didn't come downstairs! It's not my fault. And then Kuya and Keifer went straight to your room, so how was I supposed to greet you?" I argued, trying to wiggle out of his hold.
He gave a slow nod. "Still, you got your husband now, so you completely forgot about your brother."
I burst out laughing, looking up at him. "Oh, please! You forget about me too when you're with Ella!"
Aries stopped and looked down at me. "That's different."
"It's not! Ella is your girlfriend, and Keifer is my husband. When she comes over, you forget I even exist and treat me like I'm completely invisible! So, I just did exactly what you always do. Now tell me, how does it feel?" I asked mockingly, raising an eyebrow.
He sighed, defeated. "Fine, I won't do it anymore."
"Promise?" I asked.
"I promise on your head," he said, reaching out to place his hand on top of my head.
I immediately batted his hand away. "No, no, no! Absolutely not! What if you forget your promise? What will happen then? I'll die, or my head will literally break!"
Aries and I just stared at each other for a silent second before both of us burst out laughing like absolute idiots.
"Are you two coming down or not?" Kuya Angelo's loud, booming voice called out from the bottom of the stairs.
"Coming!" we both yelled back in perfect unison, immediately sprinting down the stairs to see who would reach the dining table first.
Aries and I practically tumbled into the dining room at the exact same time, breathing heavily and glaring at each other.
"I won," Aries wheezed, pointing a finger at me.
"No way, I reached the carpet first!" I protested, stomping my foot.
"Both of you, sit down and behave," Kuya Angelo commanded, not even looking up as he served some food.
We both shut up instantly and slid into our seats. I ended up sitting right next to Keifer, who was already seated, looking perfectly composed. The moment I sat down, I leaned closer to him.
"What did you guys talk about in Aries' room?" I whispered, leaning in close so only he could hear.
"Random stuff," he whispered back, completely unfazed as he calmly started filling my plate with food.
"If it was random stuff, you guys could have talked right here," I countered. He just looked at me for a second, then went right back to what he was doing. "Answer me!" I whisper-shouted, giving him a look.
"We just talked about you," he said smoothly.
I blinked, looking at him. "Me?"
He nodded.
"What about me?" I pressed.
"You know, it's enough. I can't tell you now," he said, cutting off the conversation.
"What?" he asked when he noticed me staring.
I didn't even bother answering him. Instead, I aggressively started stuffing a spoonful of rice into my mouth to show him I was annoyed. As I chewed, I noticed some veggies on my plate. Without a second thought, I silently poked them with my fork and deposited them right onto Keifer's plate. Where else was I supposed to put them?
Keifer didn't say anything, but he picked up some potatoes and slid them onto my plate. I immediately scooped them right back onto his side. I didn't want them now.
Aries kept glancing back and forth between us since he was sitting on my right side and Keifer was on my left.
"Are you mad at him?" Aries whispered, leaning over slightly.
"No," I answered directly, not even looking at him.
"Doesn't look like it," he muttered.
I rolled my eyes. "Shut up, or I'll tell Ella exactly how you sleep."
Aries stiffened, giving me a look that clearly said, 'Seriously? Do you really need to bring that up right now?' before he quickly nodded and shut his mouth.
Keifer, who had clearly heard my threat to Aries, let out a very low, quiet chuckle. He didn't say a word, but he reached out and smoothly placed a piece of perfectly grilled chicken right on top of my rice.
I glared at the chicken, then glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. He was already looking at me, a tiny, teasing smirk playing on his lips.
"Eat, wifey," he murmured softly under his breath, so low that the rest of the table couldn't hear. "You need your strength if you're going to keep threatening your brothers."
"Don't talk to me," I mumbled, though my stubborn attitude was starting to crack because the chicken looked incredibly good.
Across the table, Tita Gemma was happily talking to Ate Ion about some new recipes, completely missing our little silent war. Kuya Angelo, however, was a different story. He set his fork down with a sharp clink against his plate and narrowed his eyes at Keifer.
"Keifer," Kuya Angelo said, his voice dropping into that deep, authoritative tone. "Give her space while she's here."
Keifer slowly turned his head to face Kuya Angelo. His expression instantly changed from warm to completely blank and bored. He leaned back in his chair, looking entirely relaxed, not showing even a single ounce of fear.
"I am giving her space," Keifer replied smoothly, his tone cool and level. "I'm sitting on her left. The entire right side of the table is empty space."
Aries instantly choked on his water, coughing into his napkin, while Ate Ion quickly bit her lip to hide her laugh. Kuya Angelo's brow twitched in pure irritation at Keifer's sarcastic answer.
I couldn't help but hide my face behind my glass of water, trying to stop the massive smile from breaking across my face. Yep, Keifer definitely wasn't afraid of anyone—not even the scary Angelo.
"How do you handle this guy?" Kuya Angelo asked me, a slight twitch in his lips showing he was also trying hard not to laugh.
"He handles me, I don't handle him. After all, he's a grown man, he can handle himself," I said simply.
That was it. The moment those words left my mouth, everyone at the dining table burst out laughing. Even Kuya Angelo had to shake his head with a small chuckle.
"Keifer, you should stay the night here since Keiran and Keigan are already asleep upstairs. Otherwise, you'll be all alone in that huge mansion," Tita Gemma suggested warmly.
Well, I was still pretty mad at this guy for not telling me earlier.
"Thanks, but sorry, Tita. I need to get some work done tonight," Keifer replied politely.
Before Tita Gemma or Ate Ion could even try to convince him to stay, I quickly spoke up.
"Yep! Just let him go, Tita. He's not alone in the mansion anyway—there are plenty of servants there," I said, flashing an incredibly sweet, innocent smile.
Kuya Angelo and Aries both looked at me, biting their lips to keep from laughing out loud at my petty revenge. On the other side of the table, Tita Gemma and Ate Ion just stared at me as if they were waiting for me to say I was joking. But at this point, I was fully on team Kuya and Aries.
Keifer slowly turned his head to look at me, raising a single eyebrow. I just kept my innocent smile locked in place, refusing to back down.
After we finished dinner, Keifer finally stood up to head home. Once he left, I excused myself and walked upstairs straight to my room.
I dropped in my bed and my phone buzzed, I checked and it was keifer.
From: King Bingi.
Wifey, please don't be mad at me 🥺.
I choose to ignore his message and went to sleep.
The End 🌸.
Target 🎯:
25+ Comments.