(Jay's POV)
Day three to go to university in London, and I was currently losing a wrestling match with my own consciousness.
The sunlight was streaming through the windows of our home, but my brain was firmly set to "do not disturb."
Then came the voice. That smooth, slightly teasing voice that had been my wake-up call for years.
"Wifey? Come on, time to get up. You have a degree to earn, remember?"I groaned, burying my face deeper into the pillow. I heard the soft thud of a bag being set down and the metallic clink of jewelry.
Keifer. He'd already laid out my outfit, color-coordinated my accessories, and packed my bag with the precision of a Swiss watchmaker. He's a gentleman like that—it's honestly annoying how perfect he is at 7:30 AM.
"Wifey, if you don't open those eyes, I'm eating all the bacon," he threatened.
I peeked out from under the duvet. Keifer was leaning over the bed, his face just inches from mine, grinning like a dork. I didn't move. Instead, I pouted, widening my eyes into the ultimate puppy-face expression.
I held up my arms, signaling the universal code for: I am a tiny baby, please carry me.Keifer let out a low chuckle, shaking his head. "You are spoiled, you know that?"
"And whose fault is that?" I mumbled.
He didn't argue. He just scooped me up effortlessly, lifting me like I weighed nothing, and carried me toward the bathroom. He deposited me there with a quick peck on the forehead.
While I took my bath—alone this time—the heavenly scent of a delicious breakfast started wafting up from downstairs.I got dressed in the outfit he'd prepared, but as I was getting ready, a sharp, stinging pain shot through my breasts.
They felt incredibly heavy and sore, and I could feel the discomfort etched onto my face.I hobbled downstairs, trying to look normal, but Keifer has "Jay-Radar."
He stopped what he was doing and narrowed his eyes at me."What's wrong? You look like you're in pain, Jay."
"Nothing. I'm fine, really," I lied, reaching for a piece of toast, but a small wince escaped my lips.
He walked over, taking the toast out of my hand and looking me dead in the eye with that serious, protective gaze.
"Jay. Look at me. I'm your fiancé. Soon-to-be husband. You can open up to me about anything, no matter what it is. Now, tell me the truth."
I felt my cheeks heat up, looking at my feet. "It's... my bra. My chest just really hurts today. It feels so tight and heavy, it's actually killing me."
I expected him to just suggest a different shirt, but Keifer stepped closer into my personal space. "Remove it for a bit. Give yourself some relief while we eat."
"Keifer! Right now? In the kitchen?" I felt so shy, even if it was just the two of us in our own house."Trust me, wifey," he murmured, his voice soft and reassuring.
He moved behind me, his hands sliding gently and respectfully under my T-shirt. I froze, my heart racing, but his touch was incredibly light.
He found the hook, unclipped it with one hand, and—sweet relief. It was like a physical weight had been lifted. I let out a long, shaky sigh of "thank God," and he just stood there for a second, holding me steady to make sure I was okay.
After we finished the delicious breakfast he made, Keifer went into full "CEO in charge" mode. "Take the day off. I'll stay here, we can watch movies, and I'll take care of you."
"No way, Keifer! It's only our third day at LSE," I argued. We went back and forth for ages—he was being stubborn because he was worried, and I was being stubborn because I didn't want to miss anything. After a lot of back-and-forth, I finally won. I snapped the bra back on (gritting my teeth through the pain), grabbed my bag, and we headed out to his brand-new car—the one we had just gone for a romantic ride in the day before.
When we reached the university, I actually turned into a model student. I sat in the lecture hall, ignored Keifer's occasional winks, and seriously studied.
I was determined to prove I could handle London life. But then, during our free lecture, the "University Gods" decided to throw a curveball.
Our phones buzzed—a message from the teacher. There was a surprise test based on everything we had just learned that morning.
"Are you kidding me?" I whispered, looking at the blank paper in front of me.We both put our heads down and worked through it. I was scribbling like a madwoman, trying to remember every detail. When we finally walked out of the hall, I nudged Keifer's arm.
"Okay, seriously, how did you finish that so fast? When do you even study? You spend the whole time flirting with me or looking at me!"
He laughed, that rich, confident sound that always makes me melt. "Born smart, Jay. It's just natural talent."
"Well, 'Mr. Natural Talent,' I am officially starving. My brain used all its calories. If I don't get food in the next ten minutes, I am going to eat you."
He didn't take the threat lightly. He drove straight to a drive-thru. The order was hilariously lopsided. Keifer, being the minimalist, only ordered a single cold coffee.
Me? I went full hunger-mode. I ordered two burgers, three hotdogs, five doughnuts, and a cold coffee of my own.
When we reached the payment window, Keifer pulled out his card and paid with those total billionaire vibes—completely casual, like he wasn't just buying half the menu for his hungry fiancée.
He started driving again, steering with one hand while sipping his coffee.The smell of the doughnuts was too good to resist. "Want some?"
I asked, feeling a rare surge of food-sharing generosity. "This is a one-in-a-million moment, Keifer. I'm actually offering you a bite."I held out a chocolate-covered doughnut toward his mouth.
He didn't bite it. Instead, he slowed the car down and looked at me with a dark, flickering glint in his eyes.
"I do like sweets, Jay," he said, his voice dropping into that deep, husky tone. "But today? I'm craving a different kind of sweet. I want your lips.
"I turned bright crimson red instantly, the doughnut frozen in my hand. My brain did a total 180, flashing back to that intense scene at the mall.
The memory of his teasing because of lollipop, the heat, and the way he always knows exactly how to fluster me came rushing back in a wave.
I was blushing so hard my ears felt hot as we finally pulled into the driveway of our home.
The second we stepped inside and the heavy oak door clicked shut, I dropped the bags of food on the marble counter with a heavy thud.
The "billionaire CEO" vibe Keifer had at the drive-thru evaporated the moment he saw me wince again.
The relief of being home was great, but the "bra situation" was back to being a Grade-A nightmare.
"Alright, wifey, no more arguments," Keifer said, his voice firm but laced with that gentle sweetness that always melts my heart. He walked over, his eyes scanning my face.
"Hoodie time. Now."
But before I could even head upstairs to change, a sharp, rhythmic bang-bang-bang echoed through the front door.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," I groaned.We both knew that knock. It was Mrs. Higgins, our neighbor who seemingly had a PhD in "Ruining the Moment."
I looked at Keifer—he looked ready to buy the house next door just to evict her. He sighed and opened the door. There she stood, clutching her cardigan like it was a shield against the "youthful hooligans" of London. She didn't even say hello. She just pointed a wrinkly finger at the driveway.
"That... that behemoth of a vehicle!" she shrieked, referring to Keifer's new car. "It's too shiny! It reflects the sun directly into my prize-winning hydrangeas! And don't think I didn't see you two through the window, eating like a pack of starving wolves in the front seat. Hotdogs? In this neighborhood? Have you no shame?"
Keifer leaned against the doorframe, a dangerous, playful smirk playing on his lips. "Mrs. Higgins, the car is parked perfectly. And the hotdogs were gourmet. Would you like a doughnut? They're glazed, just like your stare."
I bit my lip to keep from howling with laughter. Mrs. Higgins turned a shade of purple that matched her hydrangeas. "Don't you 'doughnut' me! I can still smell the blue icing from yesterday's 'Smurf' incident on your porch! You two are a menace to society!"
"We're LSE students, Mrs. Higgins," I piped up from behind Keifer, trying to look serious despite the fact that I was currently holding a half-eaten burger. "We're the future of the economy."
"The future is doomed!" she yelled, turning on her heel and stomping back to her house, muttering something about "ill-mannered billionaires" and "the death of etiquette."
Keifer slammed the door and burst out laughing. "I think she likes us, Jay."
"She definitely wants to join our next bake-off," I giggled, but the laugh turned into a small gasp as the movement pulled on my chest.
Keifer's laughter stopped instantly. The teasing look in his eyes replaced by that intense, fiancé focus. He didn't say a word. He just walked over, scooped me up in his arms—ignoring my protests that I could walk—and carried me straight up the stairs to our bedroom.
He set me down on the edge of the bed and went straight to the closet, pulling out his softest, most oversized grey hoodie. "Put this on. I'm going to go get the rest of the doughnuts and some painkillers. And Jay?"
"Yeah?" I asked, looking up at him as I started to reach for the hem of my shirt.He paused at the door, giving me that same look from the car—the one that reminded me so much of the mall scene.
"Don't put the bra back on. If Mrs. Higgins complains about your 'lack of decorum,' I'll just tell her it's a new architectural choice."
I blushed furiously, throwing a pillow at him as he retreated downstairs, his chuckles echoing through the hallway of our new home. Finally, the "wifey" was free, fed, and exactly where she belonged.
I quickly swapped my restrictive clothes for Keifer's massive grey hoodie. The second that bra came off, I felt like I could actually breathe again.
I crawled under the plush duvet of our king-sized bed, feeling like a cozy marshmallow.A moment later, Keifer kicked the door open with his foot, balancing a tray of hotdogs, doughnuts, and two steaming mugs of cocoa.
He set it down and immediately noticed the way I was huddled into a ball."Still hurting that much?" he asked, his voice dropping into that low, soothing register that always makes my stomach flip.
"It's just... really tight and achy," I mumbled, hiding half my face in the collar of his hoodie. "I think the stress of the surprise test made me tense up."
Keifer didn't say anything. He just climbed onto the bed behind me and gestured for me to sit up. "Turn around, wifey. Sit between my legs."
"What are you doing?" I asked, blushing as I obeyed."Being a good fiancé," he murmured. I felt his large, warm hands settle on my shoulders. "You're stiff as a board, Jay. Relax for me."
He started to massage my shoulders, his thumbs digging into the knots with the perfect amount of pressure. But then, his hands slid lower, tracing the line of my back and the sides of my ribcage where the bra had been digging in all day. I let out a long, shaky breath, leaning my head back against his chest.
"Is this the part where you tell me you're a professional masseuse too?" I teased, though my voice was barely a whisper.
"I'm a quick learner," he chuckled, his breath hot against my ear. His hands moved in slow, rhythmic circles, easing the tension in my chest and back.
It felt so good I almost forgot about the doughnuts. Almost. I reached out and grabbed a hotdog, taking a huge bite while he continued to work on my back.
"You know," I said with my mouth half-full, "if you keep this up, I might actually let you win the next argument."
Keifer's hands paused for a split second, and I felt his chest vibrate against my back as he laughed. "Don't make promises you can't keep, Jay. We both know you're too stubborn for that"
He leaned forward, resting his chin on my shoulder, his face inches from mine. The playful atmosphere suddenly shifted, becoming heavy with that same tension from the drive-thru.
"Besides," he whispered, his eyes dropping to my lips again, "I'm still waiting for that 'sweet' I was promised in the car.
"I swallowed my bite of hotdog, my heart hammering against my ribs—this time for a completely different reason.
"I... I thought the massage was the trade-off?"
"Nice try," he smirked, his hands sliding around my waist to pull me even closer. "But a CEO always collects his debts."
Just as he started to lean in, a loud THUD hit our bedroom window. We both jumped. I looked out just in time to see a stray tennis ball bounce off the glass.
"OI! SMURF-SNIFFERS! GIVE ME MY BALL BACK!" Mrs. Higgins' screech echoed from the garden below.
Keifer closed his eyes, letting out a long, frustrated sigh. "I am going to build a moat around this house, Jay. A moat with alligators."
I burst out laughing, the romantic tension breaking as I grabbed a doughnut and shoved it toward his face.
"Forget the alligators. Just throw her a doughnut, Keifer. It's the only way to silence the beast!"
He groaned but took a bite of the doughnut I offered, pulling me back against him as we watched our grumpy neighbor shake her fist at our window. London was chaotic, painful, and weirdly perfect.
I leaned back against Keifer's chest, feeling the tension in my shoulders melt away under his touch. But while my back felt better, the ache in the front was still there—throbbing and heavy.
I bit my lip, feeling a wave of shyness, but then I remembered what he'd said in the kitchen. I'm your fiancé. Soon-to-be husband.I turned slightly in his arms, looking up at him with big, hesitant eyes.
"Keifer?"
"Hmm?" He stopped his movements, his gaze softening instantly as he looked down at me. "Is the pressure too much?"
"No, it's... it's the opposite," I whispered, my face heating up until I felt like a human radiator. "The pain is really bad in the front. Could you... would you mind massaging there, too? To help the circulation?"
I expected him to tease me or make a joke to make me blush harder, but Keifer didn't skip a beat. His expression shifted from playful to completely devoted.
"Of course, wifey," he said softly, his voice full of that gentlemanly care that made me fall for him in the first place. He didn't make it weird or awkward. He stayed behind me, providing a steady support for my back, and slid his warm, large hands around to the front. He moved them under the oversized hoodie, his palms finding the areas that had been crushed by the bra all day.
I let out a gasp—not of pain, but of pure relief. His touch was incredibly gentle, his fingers moving in slow, rhythmic circles. He was so focused, as if he were handling the most precious porcelain in the world.
"Tell me if I'm hurting you," he murmured near my ear, his thumbs tracing the curves with a light, caressing pressure that started to turn the sharp ache into a dull, warm hum.
"No... it feels... so much better," I breathed, closing my eyes and letting my head fall back onto his shoulder. For a long time, we just stayed like that. There was no "CEO ego" or "teasing Jay" in that moment—just Keifer taking care of me. His hands were steady and warm, easing every bit of discomfort I'd carried through the lectures and that surprise test.
It was so intimate and quiet that even the thought of Mrs. Higgins and her tennis balls felt a million miles away. He leaned down, pressing a lingering, soft kiss to the side of my neck. "You put up with a lot today, Jay. Just relax. I've got you."
I felt so pampered and safe that I actually forgot I was holding a half-eaten doughnut. I reached back blindly, shoving a piece of the sweet dough toward his lips.
"You're a lifesaver, Keifer. Seriously."He took the bite, his eyes dark and full of affection as he watched me finally relax. "Just doing my job, wifey. But don't think this means you're getting out of those hotdogs. I paid billionaire prices for those."
I giggled, the last of the pain fading away into the cozy London evening.
I was finally starting to drift into a state of pure bliss. The pain was gone, Keifer's hands were warm and steady, and the room was filled with the cozy scent of chocolate doughnuts and his expensive cologne. He shifted slightly, pulling me closer until I was tucked firmly against him.
"Better?" he whispered, his lips grazing my earlobe.
"So much better," I sighed, turning around in his arms to face him. The air in the room suddenly felt thick and electric.
Keifer's gaze dropped to my lips, his hand moving from my waist to cup my cheek. This was it—the "one-in-a-million" moment, the sequel to the mall scene I'd been playing back in my head all day.
He started to lean in, his eyes fluttering shut, and I did the same, my heart hammering like a drum—
BRRRRRRRING!
BRRRRRRRING!
BRRRRRRRING!
The silence didn't just break; it shattered. My phone, which was sitting on the nightstand, was vibrating so hard it was practically dancing.
Keifer let out a sound that was half-groan, half-growl, resting his forehead against mine. "If that is Mrs. Higgins calling to complain about the 'vibrations' in the neighborhood, I am moving us to a private island."
I giggled breathlessly and reached for the phone. My heart dropped. "It's worse. It's Angelo."I swiped 'accept' and put it on speaker. Before I could even say hello, my brother's frantic voice exploded through the room.
"JAY! THANK PHILIPPINES YOU PICKED UP! I'm at the airport and the security guard is looking at me like I'm a smuggler! Do you have any idea how hard it is to get twenty-four kilos of premium mangoes through customs?! Ion is crying on FaceTime because she says if she doesn't smell a mango in the next hour, the baby is going to be born looking like a lime!"
Keifer rubbed his temples, looking like he was praying for patience. "Angelo, we are in London. It is the middle of the night. Why are you calling Jay about mangoes?"
"Oh, Keifer! You're there too!" Angelo's voice went from panicked to suspicious in 0.2 seconds. "Wait.Why is it so quiet? I can hear the lack of support in your voice! Keifer, if your hands are anywhere near my sister, I will fly back right now and—"
"Angelo!" I shrieked, my face turning a shade of red that hadn't been invented yet. "I'm fine! The mangoes are fine! Just tell the guard they're for medicinal purposes! Goodbye!"
I hung up and threw the phone across the bed. We sat there in silence for a beat before Keifer let out a dry, short laugh.
"He can 'hear the lack of support' in your voice?" Keifer asked, looking at me with an eyebrow raised. "Your brother is a terrifying human being."
"He's a menace," I groaned, hiding my face in my hands. "The moment is ruined. Completely, utterly ruined."
Keifer reached out, gently pulling my hands away from my face. He pulled me back into his lap, his eyes shimmering with that persistent, CEO-level determination.
"He's in a different time zone, Jay," Keifer murmured, his hands returning to their "gentlemanly" positions to keep me relaxed.
"And last I checked, the door is locked. Now, where were we before the Great Mango Crisis of 2026?"
Keifer didn't give me a chance to answer. He wasn't going to let a mango-obsessed brother or a grumpy neighbor win this round.
With a smooth, deliberate movement, he tilted my chin up, his eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made my breath hitch.
"No more distractions," he whispered, his voice vibrating deep in his chest. He leaned in, and this time, there was no phone call, no tennis ball, and no "Smurf-sniffer" insults.
When his lips finally met mine, it was even better than the mall. It was soft at first, tasting faintly of the cold coffee he'd been sipping, but then it deepened into something warm and hungry. It was the kind of kiss that made me forget we had a 9:00 AM lecture tomorrow—or that I had just eaten three hotdogs.
My hands found their way into his hair, pulling him closer, while his arms wrapped around me like he was shielding me from the rest of the world. It was pure, unadulterated bliss. The "sweet" he'd been craving all day was finally his, and honestly? I was enjoying it just as much as he was.
When we finally pulled apart, both of us slightly breathless, Keifer rested his nose against mine, a triumphant smirk playing on his lips. "Definitely better than a doughnut," he teased.
"Shut up," I whispered, leaning my head onto his shoulder, feeling completely content. The pain in my chest was a distant memory, my stomach was full, and I was exactly where I wanted to.
"You know," I added, looking at the tray of leftover snacks. "We still have three doughnuts left. And I'm pretty sure we need to celebrate surviving day three."
Keifer laughed, pulling the duvet over both of us as we settled in. "Only if I get to pick the movie. And no, we are not watching anything with 'Mango' in the title."
We spent the rest of the night tucked away in our London home, sharing the last of the sweets and ignoring the rest of the world.
Angelo was busy with fruit, Mrs. Higgins was probably polishing her binoculars, but in our room, everything was finally quiet.