Jay's Pov
Tita Serina invited us for dinner again.
"Us" meaning me, Jare, and apparently the entire Section E squad because somehow Felix, Ci-n, and Yuri had invited themselves.
"I've never been to Keifer's house!" Ci-n had said. "I need to see where my ship was born!"
"It wasn't BORN there," I argued.
"The KISS happened there! The garden! The wall! The mat!"
"CI-N."
"This is RESEARCH."
So now I was standing in the Watson mansion living room with approximately fifteen chaotic humans, watching Keifer's expression shift from annoyed to resigned to "I need stronger coffee."
Mia grabbed my arm. "This is going to be AMAZING."
"This is going to be a DISASTER."
"Same thing!"
"IT IS NOT THE SAME THING!"
Dinner was chaos, as usual.
Keiren immediately attached himself to me. "JAY! JAY! You're here! You're wearing kuya's jacket!"
I looked down. I hadn't even realized. I'd just grabbed it this morning without thinking.
"It's... comfortable."
"KUYA'S JACKET IS COMFORTABLE! THAT'S SO ROMANTIC!"
Keigan, the 14-year-old, smirked from across the table. "You never let anyone borrow your stuff, kuya."
Keifer's ears went pink. "Shut up."
"Your ears are red."
"Because it's hot."
"The AC is on."
"Then I'm allergic."
"To what?"
Keifer looked at me. "Herself."
I choked on my food. "EXCUSE ME?"
"Just observing."
"You're OBSESSING."
"Same thing."
Ci-n gasped loudly. "THEY'RE DOING IT! THE THING WHERE THEY FIGHT BUT IT'S FLIRTING!"
"We're NOT flirting!"
"Your face is RED!"
"Because it's HOT!"
"THE AC—"
"CI-N, I WILL KICK YOU."
Felix was already crying. Happy tears. Again. "This is beautiful. My husband-wife radar is at MAXIMUM CAPACITY."
Victor, Keifer's stepdad, was watching everything with pure entertainment. "So, Jay. How's school been this week?"
"Eventful."
"I heard. The whole school heard, actually."
My face burned. "You heard about...?"
"The kiss. Yes. Multiple kisses, apparently."
Tita Serina leaned forward, eyes sparkling. "TELL US EVERYTHING."
"MOM," Keifer groaned.
"Don't 'Mom' me! This is the most exciting thing that's happened in years!"
Keiren raised his hand. "I want to hear about the kiss! Was it like the movies?! With the music and the slow motion?!"
"There was no music," I said.
"But there was tongue!" Ci-n offered helpfully.
"CI-N!"
"What?! There WAS!"
Keifer buried his face in his hands. "I need new friends."
"No you don't," Yuri said, grinning. "We're the best."
"The worst. You're the worst."
After dinner, we moved to the living room.
Someone—probably Felix—had the brilliant idea to play Truth or Dare.
"This will be fun!" Felix announced.
"This will be a WAR CRIME," I corrected.
"Same thing!"
"STOP SAYING THAT."
The living room was packed.
Me, Mia, Jare, Keifer, Yuri, Felix, Ci-n, Keigan, Keiren, Victor, and Tita Serina.
Even Victor and Tita Serina were playing. Which was either amazing or terrifying.
"Okay!" Felix rubbed his hands together. "Rules: Everyone plays. No backing out. Dares must be completed within five minutes. Truths must be answered honestly."
"What if someone refuses?" Keigan asked.
"Then they have to kiss the person on their left."
Keifer immediately looked at me.
I was on his left.
"THIS RULE IS RIGGED," I said.
"New rule," Felix amended. "If you refuse AND you're on Keifer's left, you have to kiss him anyway."
"THAT'S THE SAME RULE!"
"Exactly!"
Ci-n was bouncing. "START! START!"
Round 1: Ci-n
Felix spun the bottle. It landed on Ci-n.
"Truth or dare?" Felix asked.
"DARE!" Ci-n was always going to pick dare.
"I dare you to call Rakki and tell her you love her in a dramatic voice."
Ci-n's face went red. "BUT—BUT—"
"No backing out!"
Ci-n grabbed his phone. Called Rakki. Put it on speaker.
"Hello?" Rakki's voice.
"RAKKI!" Ci-n's voice went weirdly deep. "I... I LOVE YOU. LIKE THE STARS LOVE THE MOON. LIKE THE OCEAN LOVES THE SHORE. LIKE—"
"Ci-n, are you okay?"
"YES! I'M JUST EXPRESSING MY FEELINGS!"
"...Did you lose a bet?"
"...Maybe."
Rakki laughed. Actual laughter. "You're so weird. I love you too, weirdo. Now go back to your game."
She hung up.
Ci-n stared at the phone. "SHE SAID SHE LOVES ME."
"She said she loves you as a WEIRDO," Felix corrected.
"SAME THING!"
The room erupted.
Round 2: Keigan
The bottle landed on Keigan.
"Truth," he said immediately, trying to look cool.
"Okay..." Felix thought. "Who's your celebrity crush?"
Keigan's cool facade CRACKED. "I—that's—I don't have one!"
"Truth means HONEST!"
"...Anne Curtis."
The room EXPLODED.
"ANNE CURTIS?!" Mia screamed. "SHE'S LIKE 40!"
"She's AGELESS!"
Victor was laughing so hard he had tears. "That's my boy!"
Keigan hid his face. "I hate all of you."
"No you don't."
Round 3: Victor
The bottle spun and landed on... Victor.
Victor grinned. "Dare. I'm not afraid."
Felix's eyes lit up with evil. "I dare you to do your best impression of Keifer."
Victor stood up immediately. Crossed his arms. Made his face serious.
"I'm Keifer. I'm tall. I'm mysterious. I stare at Jay a lot. My ears turn red when she talks. I gave her my jacket because I'm SOFT INSIDE."
Keifer's face went BRIGHT red. "THAT'S NOT—I DON'T—"
"You literally do all those things," Yuri said.
"SHUT UP."
Victor sat down, bowing to applause. Tita Serina was wiping tears from laughing so hard.
Round 4: Tita Serina
"Truth or dare, Mom?" Felix asked.
"Dare," she said fearlessly.
"I dare you to tell an embarrassing story about Keifer from when he was little."
Keifer sat up straight. "NO. MOM, NO."
Tita Serina's eyes sparkled. "Oh, honey. I have SO many."
"Please don't—"
"When Keifer was five, he had a blankie. A little blue blanket he carried everywhere. He named it Mr. Cuddles."
Keifer made a sound like a dying animal.
"ONE TIME, he lost Mr. Cuddles at the mall. He cried for THREE HOURS. Security had to help find it. They announced over the loudspeaker: 'Would the owner of Mr. Cuddles please come to customer service.'"
The room was DYING.
Keigan was on the floor. Keiren was screaming with laughter. Even Jare was cracking up.
Keifer looked at me. "If you laugh, I'll never recover."
I bit my lip so hard it bled.
"Jay. Your face is twitching."
"I'm NOT laughing."
"You're ABOUT to laugh."
"I would NEVER."
"You literally have tears in your eyes."
"Those are... allergy tears."
"To WHAT?"
"EMOTION."
He stared at me. Then his lips twitched.
Then we both laughed.
Round 5: Mia
The bottle landed on Mia.
"Truth or dare?" Felix asked.
Mia glanced at Jare. "Truth."
"Ooh! Okay..." Felix grinned evilly. "Who in this room do you have a crush on?"
Mia's face went PINK.
Jare suddenly became very interested in the ceiling.
"I—that's—I don't—"
"TRUTH MEANS HONEST!"
Mia looked at Jare. Then looked away. Then mumbled something.
"What was that?!"
"I said... JARE."
The room went WILD.
Jare's face was now the same color as Keifer's ears.
Jare and Mia. JARE AND MIA.
Ci-n was SCREAMING. "TWO SHIPS! TWO SHIPS IN ONE NIGHT!"
Felix was crying again. "My radar! It's OVERLOADING!"
Keifer looked at Jare. "You good?"
Jare nodded, unable to speak.
Keifer looked at me. "Your brother is malfunctioning."
"He'll recover."
"Will he?"
"Probably not."
Round 6: Jare
The bottle landed on Jare.
He was still red from the Mia reveal.
"Dare," he said quickly, probably to avoid more embarrassment.
Big mistake.
Felix's grin was EVIL. "I dare you to serenade Mia. With a song. In front of everyone."
Jare's soul left his body.
"I can't sing."
"Doesn't matter."
"I don't know any songs."
"Figure it out."
"I'll pay you money."
"Not interested."
Jare looked at me with pleading eyes. Twin telepathy: Save me.
I shrugged. You're on your own.
He stood up slowly. Walked to the center of the room. Looked at Mia.
Then he started singing.
"I wanna be your everything..." His voice was actually not terrible. "Think I can love you more..."
Mia's face was BRIGHT red. But she was smiling. The biggest smile.
When he finished, the room APPLAUDED.
Mia threw a pillow at him. "You're so embarrassing!"
"You're the one who said my name for truth!"
"Because I PANICKED!"
"Same!"
They stared at each other.
Then they both laughed.
Keifer leaned toward me. "Your brother is down bad."
"Your sister is down worse."
"Fair point."
Round 7: Yuri
The bottle spun and landed on Yuri.
"Truth," he said calmly.
"Okay..." Felix thought. "What's the most embarrassing thing Keifer has ever done in front of you?"
Yuri's smile was IMMEDIATE. "Oh, this is gold."
Keifer tensed. "Yuri. Don't."
"Remember last year? During basketball tryouts?"
"YURI."
"He tripped. Over nothing. Just... fell. In front of EVERYONE. And when he stood up, his shorts had a tear. Right in the back. So everyone saw his—"
"YURI I WILL END YOU."
"—his Spiderman underwear."
The room LOST IT.
"SPIDERMAN?!" Ci-n screamed. "KEIFER WEARS SPIDERMAN UNDERWEAR?!"
"They were a GIFT!"
"From WHO?!"
"...My mom."
Tita Serina nodded proudly. "I bought him a pack. They had Spiderman, Batman, AND Superman."
"MOM."
"You're welcome, honey."
Keifer looked at me. "Say nothing."
"I'm saying NOTHING."
"Your face is saying everything."
"MY FACE IS NEUTRAL."
"Your face is NEVER neutral."
Round 8: Keiren
The bottle landed on Keiren.
"DARE!" he yelled immediately.
Felix considered. "I dare you to ask Jay the most personal question you can think of."
Keiren's little face scrunched in thought. Then he turned to me with intense focus.
"Jay. Do you love my kuya?"
The room went SILENT.
I choked. "KEIREN—"
"It's a PERSONAL question! That's personal!"
"I—that's—we're not—"
"Your face is red! That means YES!"
"It means I'm HOT!"
"The AC—"
"KEIREN."
Keifer was watching me. His ears were pink. His expression was... waiting.
I looked at him. Then back at Keiren.
"I... I don't know yet."
Keiren tilted his head. "But you LIKE him, right?"
"...Maybe."
"MAYBE means YES in girl language!"
"How do YOU know girl language?!"
"I'm SEVEN. I know EVERYTHING."
Round 9: Keifer
Finally, the bottle landed on Keifer.
Everyone leaned forward.
"Truth or dare?" Felix asked.
Keifer looked at me. "Dare."
Felix's grin was TERRIFYING. "I dare you to tell Jay one thing you've never told anyone before. Something REAL."
Keifer was quiet for a moment.
Then he looked at me.
"I've never told anyone this," he said quietly. "But... when I first saw you, that first day at the Section E door, I knew you were going to change everything."
My heart stopped.
"I didn't know how. I didn't know why. But I knew." His voice was soft. "And I was right."
The room was completely silent.
Even Ci-n wasn't moving.
"You've changed everything, Jay," Keifer continued. "The way I think. The way I feel. The way I... want to be better. For you."
I couldn't breathe.
"Before you, I was just going through the motions. School. Basketball. Family. It was all fine. But it wasn't... alive. And then you showed up, yelling at me, calling me Gagong Baliw, throwing things at my face—"
"You threw FIRST."
"And I'm glad I did. Because if I hadn't, if I hadn't been an idiot that day, would you even be here? Would we be here?"
I didn't know what to say.
"I don't know what this is," he said. "I don't know where it's going. But I know I don't want it to stop."
Silence.
Then Keiren whispered loudly, "That was SO ROMANTIC."
Keigan nodded. "Smooth, kuya. Really smooth."
Ci-n was BAWLING. "MY SHIP! MY SHIP IS REAL!"
Felix was also crying. "Husband and wife. HUSBAND AND WIFE."
Even Victor looked emotional. Tita Serina was clutching her heart.
Mia grabbed Jare's arm. "This is the best night of my life."
Jare nodded. "Same."
I looked at Keifer.
Really looked.
"I don't know what to say," I whispered.
"Then don't say anything." He reached out and took my hand. "Just... stay. Here. With me."
I squeezed his hand.
"Okay."
The Chaos Continues
The game continued, but it was different now.
Softer.
Keifer didn't let go of my hand.
Ci-n noticed. "THEY'RE HOLDING HANDS!"
"CI-N."
"THIS IS HISTORIC!"
Felix was already planning the wedding. "I'll be the best man. Ci-n can be the ring bearer."
"I want to be flower girl!" Keiren yelled.
"You're a boy."
"I can be a FLOWER BOY!"
"That's not a thing."
"IT IS NOW."
Keigan was on his phone. "I'm documenting this for future blackmail."
"KEIGAN."
"What? It's valuable."
Yuri leaned over. "So... you and Keifer, huh?"
"I don't know what me and Keifer are."
"You're holding hands."
"That doesn't mean anything."
"Your face is red."
"It's ALWAYS red."
"Because of HIM."
I threw a pillow at Yuri. He caught it. Smirked.
"You're as bad as him."
"Worse. Much worse."
The game eventually ended, but no one wanted to leave.
We sat around the living room, talking, laughing, being chaos.
Keiren fell asleep on my lap. Keigan pretended to be cool but kept smiling. Victor and Tita Serina cuddled on the couch, watching us with happy eyes.
Mia and Jare were talking quietly, their faces pink.
And Keifer?
Keifer was still holding my hand. Thumb tracing circles on my skin.
"You okay?" he asked quietly.
"Yeah. You?"
"Yeah."
"This is weird, right?"
"Very weird."
"But not bad weird?"
"Not bad weird at all."
I leaned my head on his shoulder. He stiffened for a second, then relaxed.
"This is nice," I whispered.
"Yeah."
"Don't get used to it."
"Too late. Already used to it."
I smiled.
Stupid Keifer and his stupid lines.
Later, on the way home...
Mia texted me.
MIA: You and Keifer are OFFICIAL now, right?
ME: We're not OFFICIAL.
MIA: You held hands all night.
ME: That doesn't mean anything.
MIA: He confessed in front of everyone.
ME: That was a dare.
MIA: He MEANT it.
ME: I know.
MIA: So?
ME: So what?
MIA: JAY.
ME: MIA.
MIA: TELL ME.
ME: I don't know what we are. But I know I don't want it to stop.
MIA: THAT'S LITERALLY WHAT HE SAID.
ME: I KNOW.
MIA: YOU TWO ARE PERFECT FOR EACH OTHER.
ME: We're DISASTERS for each other.
MIA: Same thing.
ME: STOP SAYING THAT.
MIA: ❤️
I put my phone away.
Looked at Jare, who was also on his phone, smiling.
"Mia?" I asked.
"Mia," he confirmed.
"We're both doomed."
"Completely."
"At least we're doomed together."
"Always."
We walked home in comfortable silence.
And for the first time in a long time, everything felt exactly right.