Jay's POV
The night air felt cool against my skin as the car slowly stopped in front of my house. The date had finally ended, yet my heart was still racing as if it had only just begun.
The city lights flickered outside the window during the ride home, but honestly, I barely noticed them. My mind was too busy replaying every moment of the evening.
Beside me, Keifer rested one hand casually on the steering wheel while the other drummed lightly against it. When the engine turned off, the silence between us suddenly felt loud.
He turned to look at me.
The soft glow from the streetlight outside illuminated his face, making his dark eyes look even deeper.
"You looked very beautiful tonight," he said softly.
For a second, I forgot how to breathe.
My cheeks warmed immediately and I looked away shyly.
"Thank you," I replied, trying to sound calm even though my heart was doing somersaults.
But then that shameless idiot suddenly smirked.
"But," he added teasingly, leaning a little closer, "you would look even better without that dress."
My jaw dropped.
"Keifer!"
"You are such a shameless jerk!" I snapped, lightly hitting his arm.
I opened my mouth to continue yelling at him—
"Upp—"
But before I could finish my sentence, he quickly placed his finger gently against my lips.
"Language," he said with a playful smile. "Remember the no-profanity rule."
I narrowed my eyes at him.
"You started it!"
He only laughed softly, clearly enjoying teasing me.
Before I could argue any further, he suddenly pulled me closer.
And then he kissed me.
It wasn't a quick goodbye kiss.
It was deep and affectionate, the kind that made the rest of the world disappear completely. My mind went blank the moment our lips met. His hand gently held the side of my face while I instinctively held onto his jacket.
The moment felt endless.
My heart pounded so loudly I could almost hear it.
When we finally pulled apart, both of us were slightly breathless.
Keifer rested his forehead against mine, his voice softer than usual.
"I'm going to miss you tonight," he murmured.
I smiled.
"You'll survive."
"Barely."
I laughed softly before opening the car door.
"Good night, idiot."
"Good night, my beautiful idiot," he replied.
I stepped out of the car and walked toward the gate, but before entering, I turned back.
Keifer was still there, watching me.
When he noticed me looking, he gave me a small smile before finally driving away.
I watched the car disappear down the street before going inside.
The moment I entered the house, I froze.
Standing in the hallway was Kuya Angelo.
My heart dropped straight to my stomach.
Kuya Angelo had always been strict. Not the shouting kind—but the calm, serious kind that somehow felt even scarier.
He looked at me quietly for a moment.
"Jay."
My throat went dry.
"Yes… Kuya?"
"Come to my room."
Oh no.
My mind instantly started panicking. He definitely saw us.
Slowly, I followed him to his room, each step feeling heavier than the last.
When I entered, he closed the door and turned toward me.
He crossed his arms and looked straight at me.
"Jay," he said calmly, "are you and Keifer in a relationship?"
My heart started racing.
He saw us.
I stayed silent for a few seconds, trying to think of something to say.
But lying to Angelo was impossible. He always knew.
Finally, I took a deep breath.
"Yes… Kuya," I admitted quietly. "We are official."
He didn't get angry.
Instead, he simply looked at me thoughtfully.
Then he asked something that shocked me.
"Do you want to live with Keifer?"
My eyes widened.
"What?"
"I'm asking," he repeated calmly, "do you want to be in a live-in relationship with him?"
I blinked in disbelief.
Out of curiosity, I asked the question that had been bothering me.
"But Kuya… you always told me to stay away from Keifer."
He sighed and sat down.
"I never had a problem with Keifer," he explained. "You two were simply too young before. Dating could have distracted you from your studies."
I nodded slowly.
"And at that time," he continued, "Keifer had not settled matters with his family. He also had too many enemies."
My chest tightened hearing that.
"And because of that," Angelo continued gently, "you were in danger."
He wasn't wrong.
I had been kidnapped multiple times just because I was Keifer's girlfriend.
"However," Angelo continued, "things