Chapter: "Rain Doesn't Lie"
Jay's POV
It started raining around 11 PM.
Not the soft kind.
The loud, dramatic, almost cinematic kind.
Of course it had to rain on the exact night Kuya Angelo decided Keifer would be staying here.
Two days.
Just two days.
Because Tita Gemma and Tito Rachel were out of station, and Kuya Angelo, in his infinite wisdom, decided Keifer should "stay over and keep things in order."
As if Keifer wasn't the problem.
I couldn't sleep.
The rain was too loud.
Or maybe my thoughts were.
I stepped out quietly and walked toward the balcony at the end of the hallway. The sliding door was slightly open, letting in cool air mixed with the scent of wet earth.
I stepped outside.
The city lights blurred under the rain. The sky was dark and heavy, thunder rumbling occasionally.
I wrapped my arms around myself.
And then—
"I had a feeling you'd be here."
I didn't turn.
"Don't you ever sleep?" I muttered.
Keifer stepped onto the balcony beside me.
Black t-shirt. Slightly messy hair. Calm expression.
Annoyingly calm.
"You don't," he replied.
"I was here first."
He leaned against the railing, not too close.
"Couldn't sleep?"
"No."
"Because I'm staying?"
I shot him a look. "You wish."
A small smirk.
The rain grew heavier, droplets hitting the metal railing sharply.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
It wasn't awkward.
Just charged.
"Aries is already snoring," he said casually.
"Of course he is. He has no thoughts."
Keifer chuckled softly.
Thunder cracked across the sky, and instinctively, I flinched slightly.
His eyes noticed.
"You don't like storms?" he asked.
"I don't like loud things."
He didn't respond immediately.
Just watched the rain.
"You scream when you see blood," he said quietly.
My chest tightened.
"And you don't like thunder."
"I said I don't like loud things."
"And you pretend you're not scared."
I glared at him. "I'm not scared."
"Then why are your hands cold?"
Before I could react, his fingers brushed mine.
Not grabbing.
Just touching.
He was right.
My hands were freezing.
"It's the rain," I whispered.
"Liar."
His voice wasn't teasing.
It was soft.
The kind of soft that makes it worse.
Lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating his face for a second.
He looked different in that light.
Less guarded.
More… real.
"You don't have to act strong all the time," he said quietly.
"I'm not acting."
"Yes, you are."
I stepped back slightly. "Why do you always do this?"
"Do what?"
"Look at me like you know everything."
He tilted his head. "Maybe I do."
The rain splashed harder against the balcony floor. A few drops hit my arm.
Cold.
Suddenly, a loud thunder crack echoed directly above us.
Without thinking—
I grabbed his arm.
It happened so fast I didn't even process it.
My fingers wrapped around his sleeve tightly.
The silence that followed felt heavier than the storm.
I slowly looked up.
He wasn't smirking.
He wasn't teasing.
He was just… looking at me.
Softly.
"You don't like loud things," he repeated gently.
I let go immediately. "It was reflex."
"Of course."
He didn't move away.
Instead, he stepped slightly closer — not trapping me, not cornering — just close enough that I could feel his warmth against the cold air.
"You don't trust easily," he said.
"That's not your concern."
"It becomes my concern when you're shaking."
"I'm not shaking."
His hand hovered near mine again.
Not touching.
Waiting.
Like he was giving me a choice.
Another thunder rolled through the sky.
This time, I didn't jump.
But I didn't move away either.
"Kuya Angelo trusts me," he said quietly.
"With what?"
"With you and Aries."
I blinked.
"That's dramatic."
"He wouldn't have asked me to stay otherwise."
I looked at him properly now.
"You think this is about responsibility?"
He didn't answer immediately.
"I think," he said slowly, "he knows I won't let anything happen to you."
My heart skipped.
"That's not your job."
"Maybe I want it to be."
The rain softened slightly, turning into a steady rhythm instead of chaos.
I looked away from him.
"You're too confident."
"And you're too defensive."
"I'm not defensive."
"You are right now."
I exhaled slowly.
The cool wind brushed against us again.
"You don't have to stay up," I muttered. "You have a room."
"So do you."
"Then why are you here?"
He stepped closer.
Close enough that the space between us felt intentional.
"Because you are."
My breath betrayed me again.
"This is temporary," I whispered.
"Two days," he agreed.
"And then?"
"And then," he said calmly, "nothing changes."
"That's bold."
He leaned slightly, resting one hand on the railing beside me.
"Jay."
My name sounded different when he said it in that tone.
"You think I'm here because Kuya Angelo ordered me?"
"Yes."
A faint smile appeared.
"I stayed because I wanted to."
My pulse raced.
Thunder rumbled again, softer this time.
"Why?" I asked before I could stop myself.
His eyes didn't leave mine.
"Because when it rains," he said quietly, "you don't like being alone."
The world seemed to pause.
How does he know that?
He stepped even closer, just enough that I could feel his warmth completely now.
"If you're scared," he murmured, "you can just say it."
"I'm not scared."
"Then why are you still holding my sleeve?"
I froze.
My fingers were still lightly gripping the edge of his shirt.
I hadn't even realized.
Slowly, I loosened my hold.
But before I could pull away—
He gently caught my wrist.
Not tight.
Just steady.
"You don't have to push me away every time," he said softly.
"I'm not pushing."
"You are."
The rain hit harder again for a brief second, like it was reacting to the tension.
"Keifer…"
"Yes?"
"If someone sees—"
"No one is awake."
"That's not the point."
"Then what is?"
I didn't answer.
Because the point wasn't the house.
The point wasn't the storm.
The point was how close he was.
And how I wasn't moving away.
His thumb brushed lightly over my wrist.
"Relax," he murmured.
"You're the one making this worse."
"I'm standing still."
"That's the problem."
He laughed quietly under his breath.
Lightning flashed again.
This time, I didn't flinch.
Because he was right there.
And somehow—
The storm didn't feel as loud anymore.
After a long moment, he slowly let go of my wrist.
"Go sleep," he said softly.
"You first."
A small smirk returned.
"Bossy."
"Responsible."
He stepped back finally, giving me space.
But before walking inside, he paused.
"Jay."
"What?"
"If it storms again tomorrow…"
I looked at him.
"I'll be here."
And for the first time that night—
I didn't argue.
Because maybe…
I wanted him to be. 🌧️