Jay woke slowly.
Not her usual style—normally she jolted awake, mind already racing through surgical schedules and patient charts. But this morning was different.
This morning, she was warm.
This morning, she was wrapped in Keifer's arms, his chest pressed against her back, his breath soft against her hair.
This morning, she was exactly where she wanted to be.
She smiled, not opening her eyes yet. Just... feeling. The weight of his arm around her waist. The steady rhythm of his heartbeat against her back. The gentle rise and fall of his breathing.
Perfect.
"You're awake," he murmured, his voice rough with sleep.
"How do you know?"
"Your breathing changed. About thirty seconds ago."
"You pay attention to my breathing?"
"I pay attention to everything about you."
She turned in his arms, facing him. His eyes were still closed, but there was a small smile on his lips.
"Open your eyes," she whispered.
He did.
Dark. Warm. Full of love.
"Good morning, fiancée."
"Good morning, fiancé."
He kissed her forehead. "Sleep well?"
"Mm. You?"
"Best sleep of my life." He pulled her closer. "You're very comfortable."
"I'm a surgeon. I'm built for endurance, not comfort."
"You're both." His hand traced her spine. "You're everything."
Jay's heart fluttered. "That's cheesy."
"That's true."
"Same thing with you?"
"Always."
She laughed softly, burying her face in his chest. "I love you."
"I know."
"I really, really love you."
"I know that too." He kissed her hair. "I love you too. More than I knew it was possible."
They lay there for a long moment, just breathing together.
Then Jay's phone buzzed.
And buzzed.
And buzzed.
She groaned. "Ignore it."
"It's Percy. It's always Percy."
"It's 7am on a Sunday. What could he possibly—"
Another buzz. Then another.
Keifer reached for the phone, glanced at the screen. "He's sent forty-seven messages."
"Forty-seven?"
"And seventeen photos."
"Of what?"
"The party. Us. The ring. A close-up of the ring. A close-up of you looking at the ring. A photo of Bato next to the ring."
Jay groaned louder. "I'm blocking him."
"You won't."
"No. But I'll threaten to."
Another buzz.
Percy: WAKE UP YOU TWO
Percy: MOM WANTS BREAKFAST PHOTOS
Percy: SHE SAYS SHE NEEDS TO SEE YOUR HAPPY FACES
Percy: ARIES SAYS THAT'S WEIRD
Percy: MOM SAYS ARIES IS WEIRD
Percy: KEIFER'S MOM SENT FLOWER EMOJIS
Percy: KEIREN SENT A DRAWING OF YOU TWO GETTING MARRIED
Percy: IT'S JUST TWO STICK FIGURES WITH RINGS
Percy: BATO IS THE FLOWER GIRL
Jay laughed despite herself.
"Read me the Keiren one," Keifer murmured.
She showed him the drawing.
Two stick figures. One with a tie (Keifer). One with a stethoscope (Jay). A dinosaur with a flower crown (Bato). Rings drawn with glitter pen.
Keifer's expression softened. "We have to keep that forever."
"It's going in the wedding album."
"Absolutely."
They finally got up at 8am.
Jay wore Keifer's shirt—oversized, soft, smelling like him. Keifer wore sweats and a smile.
They made coffee together. Movement in perfect sync. Him reaching for mugs. Her adding cream. Him kissing her neck while she stirred.
"Keifer."
"Mm?"
"It's 8am."
"And?"
"We haven't even had coffee yet."
"Coffee can wait." He turned her around, kissed her properly. "You can't."
She melted into him. "You're impossible."
"Your impossible."
They drank coffee. Made breakfast. Sat on the balcony, watching the city wake up.
Jay's phone buzzed continuously. She ignored it.
Keifer's phone buzzed too. He ignored it as well.
The world could wait.
At 10am, Jay finally checked her messages.
The family group chat had exploded.
Percy: THEY'RE IGNORING US
Percy: THIS IS PROOF THEY'RE DOING ROMANTIC THINGS
Percy: ARIES COVER YOUR EYES
Aries: I left this chat three times. It keeps pulling me back.
Mom (Reycee): Let them have their morning, anak. They're engaged.
Dad (Jasfer): Engaged people need privacy. We'll bother them later.
Keizer: My son is finally happy. I'm emotional.
*Serina: Keizer, you're sending cry-laugh emojis. It's 8am.*
Keizer: EMOTIONAL.
Keigan: I posted the engagement photos. 10k likes already.
Keiren: BATO WANTS TO KNOW WHEN THE WEDDING IS
Keiren: BATO IS VERY EXCITED
Keiren: BATO PRACTICED THROWING FLOWERS
Keiren: HE USED ACTUAL FLOWERS
Keiren: MOM WAS NOT HAPPY
Serina: Keiren threw flowers at the cat. The cat is fine. The flowers are not.
Jay laughed until she cried.
Keifer read over her shoulder, chuckling. "Your family is chaos."
"Our family. Yours too."
"Our chaos family."
"The best kind."
They spent the morning doing nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
No schedules. No meetings. No surgeries. No CEO duties.
Just them.
Reading. Talking. Kissing. Laughing at Percy's relentless messages.
At noon, Jay fell asleep on the couch, head in Keifer's lap.
He watched her for a long time.
The way her lips parted slightly. The way her fingers curled against his thigh. The way she looked peaceful—really peaceful—for the first time in years.
He ran his fingers through her hair. Gently. So gently.
"I love you, Jay Mariano," he whispered. "Forever."
She smiled in her sleep.
Like she heard him.
Like she knew.
When she woke, the sun had shifted.
"Keifer?"
"Here."
"How long did I sleep?"
"Two hours."
"You let me sleep for two hours?"
"You needed it."
"I have work—"
"It's Sunday. You're off." He kissed her forehead. "And even if you weren't, you needed rest. You've been running on empty for years. Let me fill you."
Jay's eyes burned.
"You're going to make me cry."
"Good. You need to."
"I really hate you."
"You really love me."
"Yeah." She sat up, cupped his face. "I really do."
She kissed him.
Slow. Sweet. Thankful.
When they broke apart, she whispered, "Thank you."
"For what?"
"For today. For yesterday. For everything. For loving me when I'm impossible."
"You're not impossible. You're Jay." He smiled. "And you're exactly who I want."
"Forever?"
"Forever."
That evening, they finally responded to the family group chat.
Jay: We're alive. We're happy. Stop messaging.
Percy: THEY'RE ALIVE
Percy: EVERYONE BREATHE
Aries: I was breathing.
Percy: YOU WERE WORRIED
Aries: I was not.
Percy: YOU WERE
Aries: Percy.
Percy: ARIES.
Mom: My babies. Both of you. I love you.
Dad: When are we doing wedding planning? Your mother already has a binder.
Jay: A binder?
Mom: Three binders. Different color schemes.
Keizer: Serina has two binders. They're coordinating.
Serina: We're very organized.
Keigan: I made a spreadsheet.
Keiren: BATO MADE A FLOWER CROWN
Keiren: IT'S FOR JAY
Keiren: HE WANTS TO GIVE IT AT THE WEDDING
Jay: Bato can absolutely give me a flower crown at the wedding.
Keiren: BATO IS CRYING HAPPY TEARS
Jay set her phone aside.
Curled into Keifer's side.
"Today was perfect," she murmured.
"Every day with you is perfect."
"That's cheesy."
"That's true."
"Same thing?"
"Always."
She smiled.
Closed her eyes.
And slept, safe in his arms.
Engaged.
Loved.
Home.