JAY JAY POV
Aries' room was pretty impressive—sleek, modern, and filled with the kind of tech that immediately captured Jare's attention.
"So, I heard you guys are hanging out at Keifer's over the holidays," Aries said, breaking the silence. He leaned back against his desk, watching us with a casual but observant gaze.
I nodded, shifting slightly in my seat. "Yeah. Mom and Dad called to say they couldn't make it to the Philippines earlier than expected, and they wanted us to stay here instead of flying back to London. So, we're officially spending the break at Tita Serina's."
Aries hummed, looking thoughtful. "Christmas is tomorrow. What are you guys actually planning for the big day?"
"The usual chaos, I assume," I said with a small smile. Suddenly remembering the shopping bag I'd brought along, I sat up straighter. "Oh! Speaking of which, I brought an early Christmas present for you."
I reached into my bag and pulled out a neatly wrapped box, handing it over to him. Aries looked genuinely surprised, his brows lifting as he took it from me.
"You didn't have to do that, Jay-Jay," he said, though I could see a hint of a smile tugging at his lips.
"Just open it," I nudged.
He carefully tore away the paper to reveal a high-end, limited-edition set of noise-canceling headphones—the kind specifically designed for long hours of coding or gaming. Jare let out a low whistle of envy from the corner of the room.
"Whoa," Aries breathed, running a hand over the sleek casing. "These are the ones with the spatial audio integration. How did you even find these? They're sold out everywhere."
"I have my ways," I said, leaning back with a satisfied smirk. "Call it a 'thank you' for being one of the only people in this country who hasn't tried to give me a migraine yet."
Aries laughed, a real, relaxed sound that made the tension from the hallway downstairs feel like it belonged to a different day. "Thanks, Jay. I'll definitely be using these to tune out the world."
"Speaking of which, since we won't be seeing each other tomorrow, I bought you two a present as well," Aries said, reaching into his desk drawer.
"Really? That's not really necessary though," I said, surprised. I hadn't expected a reciprocal gift-giving session, especially with the weird energy downstairs.
"Nah, I wanted to give you guys something," Aries insisted. He handed a medium-sized wrapped box to Jare and a smaller, velvet-lined box to me.
Jare tore into his like a kid on sugar, revealing a high-capacity, sleek power bank—perfect for someone who constantly drained his battery playing RPGs. "Sweet! No more dying mid-boss fight," Jare cheered.
I carefully opened mine. Inside was a delicate, rose-gold necklace with a small, shimmering pendant in the shape of a compass.
"Wow, I love it," I whispered, tracing the cool metal of the necklace with my fingertip. It was beautiful—simple, elegant, and surprisingly thoughtful.
"I thought it fit," Aries said, his voice dropping into that quiet, sincere register. "Since you're always trying to find your way between London and here. A little something to keep you on the right track."
"Thank you, Aries. Seriously," I said, feeling a genuine wave of warmth that had nothing to do with the stifling turtleneck I was wearing.
I carefully took the necklace out of the box. The rose-gold chain was delicate, catching the light as I fumbled with the clasp at the back of my neck. Aries stepped forward, his fingers steady as he helped me click it into place. The cool weight of the compass pendant settled right against my collarbone.
"This is the best Christmas present," I said, looking at my reflection in his computer monitor. I turned around and gave him a tight, impulsive hug.
Aries let out a soft huff of surprise before wrapping his arms around me, returning the hug with a protective kind of firmness. It felt safe—a different kind of safety than the electric, dangerous pull I felt with Keifer.
Jare, apparently moved by the gift of his new power bank and the general holiday spirit, stepped in too. He practically tackled Aries into a bro-hug, slapping him on the back so hard I heard the air leave Aries' lungs.
"I didn't like you before, but now you're my favorite!" Jare declared, grinning like an idiot.
Aries laughed, shaking his head as he shoved Jare off. "Value is a fickle thing with you"
"Hey, a high-capacity power bank is a love language!" Jare countered, clutching his new toy like it was made of solid gold.
I checked my phone and felt a jolt of panic. "I think we should get going," I said
"Yeah, we've been here for two hours," Jare added, finally pushing himself up from the chair.
Aries stood up, his relaxed demeanor shifting back into that guarded, protective stance as he walked us toward the door. His eyes lingered for an extra second on the rose-gold compass resting against my collarbone, a flicker of something—maybe pride, maybe worry—crossing his face.
"Yeah, bye guys," Aries said softly.
"Bye, Aries! Thanks again for the headphones! You're officially the goat!" Jare called out, already clutching his power bank like a trophy.
I offered Aries a small, grateful smile. "Happy Christmas, Aries. I'll see you soon."
He nodded, leaning against the doorframe as he watched us step out onto the porch. "Stay on the right track, Jay-Jay," he added, his voice barely audible over the sound of the afternoon traffic.
We started to head back down the path toward the gate. The transition from the quiet, slightly mysterious atmosphere of Aries' house to the bright, humid reality of the street felt like a slap in the face.
Jare was humming to himself, probably already planning which boss he was going to destroy, but I was a nervous wreck.
"Is that Keifer's car?" Jare asked, squinting through the sun.
I looked at it, the dark tint making it look like a void on wheels. "Yep. It's that asshole's."
I turned to Jare, needing him out of the line of fire for whatever explosion was coming. "I'll drive back with him. You go—didn't you say you had somewhere else to be?"
Jare's eyes lit up; he clearly had a date with a couch and his new power bank somewhere else. He nodded quickly. "Thank you! Good luck with the animal!" He didn't need to be told twice, disappearing down the street before Keifer could even roll down a window.
I took a deep breath, adjusted my high collar one last time, and climbed into the passenger seat. The atmosphere inside was suffocating, thick with Keifer's silent, simmering rage.
"Why couldn't you wait?" I snapped, trying to sound braver than I felt. "We were just finishing up."
Keifer didn't say a word. His jaw was set so tight I thought his teeth might crack. He slammed the car into gear and peeled away from the curb, his driving aggressive and precise. He didn't head back toward the mansion, though. Instead, he took a series of sharp turns until we pulled into a deserted, quiet parking lot shaded by overgrown trees.
The second the engine cut, the silence was deafening.
Without a word of warning, he lunged across the console and kissed me.
"Keifer," I gasped into his mouth, the sound vibrating between us.
Why doesn't this get old? I've kissed a few guys back in London—it was always just... fine. Forgettable. But this? This was different. There was always a part of me, a deep, traitorous part, that wanted more of this. More of the heat, more of the friction, and more of the way he seemed to consume my entire world the second his lips touched mine.
My hands, which had been ready to push him away, ended up tangling in the hair at the nape of his neck, pulling him closer. The high-necked sweater I was wearing felt like it was suffocating me, but I didn't care.
Keifer pulled back just a fraction of an inch, his forehead resting against mine. His breathing was heavy, ragged
"Jay-Jay... I missed you," he murmured against my lips, his voice a low, rough vibration that sent a shiver straight down my spine.
It had only been three hours. Three hours since we were in the foyer of the mansion, and he was acting like I'd been gone for a decade. It was possessive and borderline insane—everything I should have been running away from—but hearing him say it made my heart do a triple backflip.
"I was only gone for a little while, you jerk," I breathed, my eyes still closed as I felt his thumb trace the line of my jaw. The leather of the car seats and the scent of his cologne felt like they were closing in on me, but in a way that made my pulse race instead of making me want to run.
"Too long," Keifer rasped, his voice dropping an octave.
He didn't give me time to process the sheer possessiveness in his tone before he crashed his lips onto mine again. It was a searing, demanding kiss that felt like he was trying to re-etch his name into my soul.
"Profanity," he murmured against my mouth when I let out a particularly colorful London-style muffled curse.
I rolled my eyes, even as my hands tightened in his hair. "Standard vocabulary for the situation, Keifer. You're being a lunatic."
He pulled back just enough to look at me, his eyes dark and dilated, his chest heaving. He looked completely undone—a far cry from the composed President of Section E who ran the school with an iron fist. Seeing him like this, knowing I was the only one who could make him lose his cool, was the most addictive feeling in the world.
"Why are we here?" I asked, finally finding my voice as I looked around the quiet, shaded parking lot. "This isn't exactly on the way back to the mansion. And I'm pretty sure Tita Serina is expecting us for an early dinner."
Keifer didn't answer immediately. He shifted, his hand moving from my jaw to the back of my neck, his fingers tangling in the hair at my nape. He leaned in, his nose brushing against mine.
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Hey lovies 🤍✨
Is it just me, or has Ashdres been giving us a lot of hints these days? Like… the energy, the timing, the posts — everything is starting to feel a little too perfect 😭💗 Are they going public soon? Because honestly, I really hope they do. My heart is READY for this soft‑launch to finally become official 😭🌿✨