(Jay's POV)
~ 2 years later ~
The giant hall at the London School of Economics was full of loud music and bright lights. My feet hurt inside my high heels, but I did not care. I looked down at the heavy gold crown in my hands and then at the bright silk sash across my dress. It had "Miss LSE" printed on it in big letters.
"I cannot believe we actually won this!" I yelled over the loud music. I jumped up and down, making my long gown shake. "Keifer, look! We are officially the king and queen of the university!"
Keifer stood next to me. He looked amazingly handsome in his dark suit. He also had a crown on his head and a sash that said "Mr. LSE." But he did not look happy. He had his arms crossed over his chest, and his handsome face was twisted into a pout.
"What is wrong with you?" I asked, laughing at his grumpy face. "We just graduated at the top of our class, we got big awards, and everyone is cheering for us. Why do you look like someone stole your lunch?"
Keifer looked at my sash. Then he looked into my eyes with a very serious face. "The university made a huge mistake, Jay," he said, his voice deep and dramatic. "They gave you a title that says 'Miss.' But you are not a 'Miss.' You belong to me. You are my Mrs. This whole thing is unfair."
I broke out into a loud laugh. I hit his arm gently with my hand. "Keifer! We are not even married yet! We just finished our degrees today!"
"It does not matter," he murmured. He stepped closer to me and wrapped his strong arms around my waist. He pulled me against his chest and kissed the top of my head. "In my heart, and in my mind, you have been my Mrs. since the day I fell for you. The university needs to fix these sashes right now."
He added, " They already know this too well that you are my fiancé. They are messing with me".
I just shook my head and laughed, burying my face in his jacket. His familiar scent of warm wood and sweet vanilla filled my nose. This was exactly how our college life was supposed to end. For the past two years, we had been the most talked-about couple at the university. We studied together, walked together, and ruled the top of the grading charts together.
To understand how we got to this grand night, we have to look back at the last two years. After that crazy night at the hotel two years ago—when Keifer had to carry me upstairs because I ate way too much party food and got my period—our love only grew stronger. Our bond being unbreakable.
We moved to London to study at the London School of Economics, or LSE leaving Section E in Philippines and our families. Everyone told us that university life in London would be stressful and hard. They said the classes would be too difficult and that couples always break up because of the pressure. But they did not know Keifer.
From our very first week of classes, Keifer made sure we were unstoppable. He was a genius. His brain worked like a fast computer. He took the first rank in the whole university during our first exams, and he never let it go. And me? I got the second rank.
"I could never do this without you, Keifer," I told him one night. We were sitting on the floor of our big house There were heavy textbooks scattered all around us, and the clock showed it was three o'clock in the morning. I was so tired that my eyes were blurry. "My brain is melting. I want to throw this economics book out of the window."
Keifer did not look tired at all. He smiled gently, reached over, and pulled the heavy book out of my hands. He closed it and rubbed my tired shoulders with his warm hands."You did not get the second rank because of me, Jay," he whispered in his soft, loving voice. "You got it because you are smart and amazing. But if your brain is melting, then I will be your freezer. Now, open your mouth."
"What?" I asked, looking confused.
Before I could say anything else, he popped a sweet strawberry into my mouth. He had spent the last hour cutting up fruit and making hot tea for me while I was busy reading. If we talk about his study? Well he never needs a revision. Germ killing Alcohol for a reason! He always did things like that. He never let me study without a snack, and he never went to sleep until he knew I was safe and warm.
While we were busy winning the top spots at LSE, our families were going through big changes too. Keifer's and my sweet mother-in-law, Serina, decided it was time for a change of scenery. She packed up her bags and moved all the way to the Philippines to live with keigan and keiren too.
But the biggest surprise was Kiara. She had always loved colors and drawing, so she also moved to the Philippines to follow her big dream. She got accepted into the famous University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts. She wanted to study professional painting.
Every weekend, Keifer and I would sit on our couch and call them on the computer."Look at this canvas, Jay!" Kiara would shout through the screen, showing us a giant painting covered in bright reds and blues. There was paint all over her cheeks and clothes. "The art school here is incredible! The sun is always shining, and the people are so nice! You and Keifer need to visit us soon!"
Bet my glitter robbery made her career! I am pure genius I know!
"We will come as soon as we finish our final exams, Kiara," Keifer would promise his twin, smiling at the screen. Then he would look at his mother. "Mom, are the boys behaving?"
Serina would laugh and show us the kitchen, where Keigan and Keiren were fighting over the last piece of cake. "They are as loud as ever, Keifer. But we are very happy here. We miss you both so much. Make sure you study hard and take care of our Jay!"
"I always take care of her, Mom," Keifer would say. He would look at me with so much love in his eyes that my heart would skip a beat.
And he really did. London was a city full of rain and cold wind. Every single day, before we left our house to drive to the university, Keifer would check the weather report. If there was even a tiny chance of rain, he would carry a large black umbrella.
Whenever we walked down the busy London streets in evening for a walk, he always stood on the side close to the road.
"Why do you always do that?" I asked him one morning as he quickly swapped places with me on the sidewalk.
"Because if a car drives past and hits a puddle of dirty water, I want it to splash me, not you," he said simply, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. He then took my cold hand and slid it into his deep coat pocket so it would stay warm against his skin. He was a true gentleman, through and through.
Who would say that we turned from ENEMIES TO LOVERS !
After months of endless studying, writing long papers, and drinking gallons of coffee, the big day finally arrived. The exam results were posted on the university walls.
A huge crowd of students was gathered around the notice board, shouting and talking. I was too nervous to look. My heart was beating like a drum inside my chest. I hid behind Keifer's broad shoulders, gripping the back of his coat.
"Keifer, please go look," I whimpered. "If I failed , I am going to cry right here on the floor and Angelo would kill me and you too. He wouldn't even put us in a same coffin."
"Stay here, my love," he said softly.He walked through the crowd easily because he was tall and strong. The other students moved out of his way. He looked at the paper for less than five seconds, and then he walked back to me with a completely blank face. My stomach dropped.
"Oh no," I whispered. "Is it bad? Did I really fail?"
Keifer did not say a word. Instead, he scooped me up in his arms and spun me around in a circle right there in the university hallway.
"First rank: Keifer. Second rank: My wifey," he announced proudly, his face breaking into a giant, dazzling smile. "We did it, Jay. We maintained our ranks for the entire two years. We are the top power couple of LSE."
The other students started clapping and cheering for us. I felt like I was floating on a cloud. I hugged his neck tightly. "I told you! It was impossible without you!"
"And I told you, you are a genius," he countered, kissing my cheek.
Because the final exams were over and graduation was finally here, the university planned a massive celebratory party for all the graduating students. It was the most important event of the year, and everyone was expected to dress up in their best formal clothes.
The afternoon of the party was total chaos in our apartment. I had chosen a long, beautiful gown made of dark black silk. It had a long train that trailed behind me like a shadow. It looked gorgeous, but it was incredibly hard to walk in.
I stood in front of the mirror, trying to do my hair, but my hands were shaking from excitement. Suddenly, I felt Keifer's warm hands take the hair pins away from me. He was already dressed in his black suit, looking like a movie star.
"Let me help you," he murmured.
He stood behind me and carefully pinned my hair up. He had practiced doing this for me over the last two years whenever I was too busy studying. Hehe! I really studied!
He was surprisingly good at it. His long fingers were very gentle, and he did not pull a single strand of my hair.
When he was done, he stepped back and looked at me through the mirror. His breath hitched. "You look... absolutely beautiful, Jay. I do not think I can let any other men look at you tonight."
"Don't be silly," I said, blushing bright pink. "You look very handsome too. Now help me with these shoes."
I pointed to my high heels. They were shiny and beautiful, but the straps were complicated. Keifer did not hesitate for a second. He knelt down on the floor in his expensive suit, took my foot in his lap, and carefully fastened the straps of my shoes. He adjusted them to make sure they were not too tight against my skin.
"Are they comfortable?" he asked, looking up from the floor.
"Yes, perfect," I smiled, feeling like a real princess. His princess .
When we arrived at the university hall for the party, everyone stopped talking and looked at us. We could hear people whispering.
"Look, it's the power couple!"
"They look like royalty!"
Keifer held my hand tightly as we walked into the room. He kept his head high, looking very proud to have me by his side. But he was also being extremely careful. Because my gown was so long, I kept stepping on the bottom of the dress.
Every time we had to walk across the room or go up a small step, Keifer would bend down, pick up the heavy fabric of my gown, and hold it up for me. He walked behind me like a true gentleman, making sure I would not trip and fall on my face in front of the entire university.
"Keifer, you do not have to hold my dress all night," I whispered to him while we were getting drinks at the bar. "People are laughing at how protective you are."
"Let them laugh," he said, not caring at all. He took a sip of his drink. "If you fall and get hurt, my heart will break. I would rather carry your dress all night than see you get a single scratch. Plus, it gives me an excuse to stay close to you."
The party was full of fun. We danced, we talked with our professors, and we ate delicious food. Keifer never left my side. Every time a waiter passed by with a tray of snacks, Keifer would pick out the best ones and feed them to me.
Then, the music stopped, and the dean of the university walked up to the microphone on the big stage.
"Good evening, graduates!" the dean announced into the microphone. "Every year at the graduation party, the students and professors vote for two people who represent the best of LSE. This year, the vote was completely unanimous. The awards for Mr. and Miss LSE go to our top two students— Mark Keifer Watson and Jasper Jean Mariano Watson!"
The whole room erupted into loud cheers and wild applause. People were clapping and whistling.
Keifer held my hand as we walked up the steps to the stage. He made sure to hold my gown up high so I could walk safely. The dean smiled warmly and placed a shining gold crown on Keifer's head, and then a beautiful crown on mine. Then, the assistant placed the silk sashes across our chests.The cameras flashed as people took photos of us standing together on the stage. I was smiling so hard that my cheeks hurt.
But as soon as we walked off the stage and moved to a quieter corner of the hall, the funny scene happened. I started jumping up and down like a little girl, holding my crown tightly so it would not fall off.
"We won! We actually won!" I cheered, looking at Keifer. But that was when I noticed his big pout. He looked completely miserable despite the bright crown on his head.
"What is wrong with you?" I asked, laughing. "Why aren't you happy?"
And that was when he said it. That was when he complained about the title "Miss" and insisted that I was his "Mrs."
"Jay, I am going to write a formal complaint letter to the university board tomorrow," Keifer continued, his face still very serious as he held me close to his chest. "They cannot just ignore our relationship status like this. Three years of being at this university, and they still call you 'Miss.' It is a regular insult to my love for you."
"Keifer, you are ridiculous!" I laughed, leaning my head against his shoulder. "It is just a fun title for the party. It does not change anything."
"It changes my peace of mind," he grumbled, but a small smile finally broke on his handsome lips. He bent down and kissed me deeply, right there in the corner of the hall, making a few students nearby cheer and wolf-whistle.
(Next morning)
The next morning was the actual graduation ceremony. The fun party was over, and it was time for the serious part. We dressed in our long black graduation robes and wore the funny flat hats.
The big theater was packed with parents, friends, and professors. Sadly, Mom , Kiara , Keigan and Keiren could not fly all the way from the Philippines because the boys had school exams, but they were watching the whole ceremony live through a video link on Keifer's phone. And same goes with my family. Amara was crying to meet us but this Demon in Angel's body, He got an important meeting . My poor baby Amara!
I also sent live link to Ion so that Baby Amara couldn't feel sad.
When Keifer's name was called, the entire hall went crazy. He walked up to the stage with smooth, confident steps. He received his degree with the first rank honors. He shook the dean's hand and looked into the camera, waving at his , no our family in the Philippines. He looked at me and I clicked his photo.
Then, my name was called. "Jaspher Jean Mariano Watson! Second rank honors!"
I walked up, my heart swelling with pride. I looked down at the crowd and saw Keifer standing at the front. He was clapping harder than anyone else in the room. He had a giant smile on his face, and he looked like he was about to cry tears of joy for me. He also clicked my photos. We had specially brought our digicameras for this moment.
My dad and Percy had also come to attend the event. My dad yelled, " That's my daughter " and patted Keifer as assuring smile came on his face that his daughter was in safe hands.
And Percy! Well do we need to talk about him? Ugh! Fine!
He yelled almost ripping his throat out ," My baby sistah! Look everyone that's my baby sistah! She sister of this handsome face!"
He was probably concerned more of beautiful girls rather than my graduation. No problem , I will report him to Honey.
After the ceremony ended, all the graduates ran outside to the beautiful courtyard. The sun was shining brightly through the grey London clouds. Everyone was shouting, hugging, and laughing.
"On the count of three, throw your hats!" someone shouted.
"One... two... three!"
Hundreds of black graduation hats flew up into the blue sky. It looked like a big flock of birds. I watched my hat fly high, and then I felt Keifer's hand slide into mine.
Our journey at the university had officially come to an end. We had arrived in London as two young high school graduates. (Fiancé too). Now, we were leaving as the top graduates, ready to face the real world together.
Keifer pulled me into a quiet spot near the old brick wall of the university. He reached into his robe pocket and pulled out a small black marker.
"What is that for?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
Without saying a word, Keifer picked up my graduation sash from the night before, which I was carrying in my bag. He laid it flat on a stone bench. Then, he carefully crossed out the letters "M-i-s-s" with the black marker. Above it, in big, neat letters, he wrote "M-r-s."
He picked up the sash and placed it back over my shoulder. It now proudly read: Mrs. LSE.
"There," Keifer said, looking completely satisfied with himself. His eyes were soft and full of endless affection. "Now the world knows the truth. Our university days are over, Jay. But our beautiful journey together is just beginning."
I looked at the modified sash, and then I looked at the man who had loved me, protected me, and carried my heavy dresses for the last so many years. I did not care about the ranks, the crowns, or the degrees. Having Keifer by my side was the biggest prize of all.
I threw my arms around his neck, laughing happily under the London sun. "Goodbye, university. Hello, future with my gentleman. My Keifer!"