The calm of our "secret" university life was about to be tested by the one person who loved drama more than Kit and Moya combined: my brother, Aries.
He didn't just invite himself to dinner; he showed up at the University cafeteria during the busiest hour of the day, looking like he stepped off a yacht in Monaco
I was sitting at a long wooden table with Mica, Freya, and C in, trying to memorize the components of the human heart for our next lab.
"Jay-jay! There you are!"
The voice boomed across the crowded hall. I looked up and internally screamed. Aries was walking toward us, wearing a sharp suit and a smirk that meant trouble. Behind him, Keifer and the rest of the Section E boys were approaching from the other side, looking like they were ready to tackle him.
"Aries? What are you doing here?" I hissed as he slid into the seat next to me.
"I'm in the neighborhood, and I wanted to take my favorite sister and her... friends... to a proper dinner," Aries said, his eyes flicking to Keifer, who had just arrived.
Keifer's jaw was so tight I thought it might snap. He sat across from us, his eyes burning. "We have plans, Aries."
"Plans can be changed, Kuya Keifer," Aries teased, using the title mockingly. "Unless you're afraid I'll spill some family secrets?"
The High-Stakes Dinner
We ended up at a private room in a five-star Filipino restaurant near the campus. It was me, Keifer, Aries, and the entire Section E crew. Even Keigan and Keiran were there, having been picked up from school early.
"So," Aries said, leaning back as the waiters served Sinigang and Adobo. "How is the 'secret' going? Is it hard pretending the most powerful man in Manila is just your 'study buddy'?"
"Aries, stop," I warned, glancing at the door to make sure no waiters were listening.
"I'm just saying," Aries continued, turning to Moya and Kit. "It's a bit much, isn't it? The secret condos, the private security disguised as janitors... all for a girl who is already a Watson."
"She's not just a Watson," Keifer growled, his hand tightening around his glass. "She's my weify. And if you compromise her safety for a joke, Aries, I'll make sure the Mariano shipping lines stay docked for a month."
The Near-Disaster
The tension was broken by Keigan, who was busy devouring a plate of Pancit. "But Mumma said we have to be careful! If people find out, she can't be a normal doctor!"
Aries froze. He looked at me, then at the two boys. "Wait... did they just call you Mumma?"
"It's a term of endearment!" Kit squeaked, trying to save the situation. "We all call her that! I call her Mumma! Moya calls her Mumma! It's... a Section E thing!"
Aries burst out laughing. "You guys are terrible at this. If a stranger heard that, they'd think Jay had two secret teenagers and a husband."
"She does have a husband," Keifer said, his voice dropping into that dark, possessive tone. He reached across the table, ignoring the "secret" for a moment, and laced his fingers with mine. "And I'm getting tired of hiding it."
Then they all will have dinner and they will leave to their droms