Jay-jay's POV
"Why is this stove like this? It's blackened," Eman pointed out the stove I had burned.
"That's a design. Just ignore it," I said, shrugging, and he just accepted it before starting to cook.
That's the trend for fancy stoves now. I turned away and left him to his work. Denzel was with him, helping out. Looks like he was planning to follow in Eman's footsteps.
I went straight to the terrace where the others were hanging out. They had planned to swim in the sea, but their hunger made them change their minds.
"We really didn't know you'd bring Jay-jay here. I expected you'd just stay at your mansion," Edrix said to Kei—kwanan.
"And you stayed here for days," Rory added.
"You're in trouble with Aries. He went to our house looking for Jay-jay, but my idiot brother wasn't there either," Felix said, and I suddenly imagined Aries' face.
He was probably already casting a curse. If I didn't go back soon, I'd have two people punishing me. Maybe I shouldn't go back.
I should just stay here on this island. I'd probably survive. I'd build a signal and internet tower and live off online shopping, paying with coconuts. I'd teach the fish how to use the internet.
Sigh... Sometimes, I amaze myself with my brilliance.
I noticed the exchanged glances between David, Yuri, and Kei—right. It was obvious they knew something we didn't.
Whatever it was, I'd wait for them to tell me today. If they didn't, I'd bury them alive in the sand.
"Coconut!" Eren's shout grabbed our attention.
"Buko!" the mischievous kid shouted.
We watched as the group approached. Blaster, Josh, Mayo, and Kit followed, each carrying something.
"What are you arguing about?" I asked.
"He doesn't believe me that this is called 'buko,'" Eren said, placing the coconut on the terrace railing.
"Is there even a difference?" Ci asked, irritated before turning to me. "Isn't this a niyog?"
"Knock on it. If it sounds crisp, it's niyog. If there's nothing to knock on, it's buko," I explained, and they did just that.
Josh, however, did something different—he knocked on Blaster's head. Blaster immediately raised his fist to punch him, making Josh back away with a grin.
"So that's how it is," Yuri said, shaking the coconut in his hand. "I can hear the juice inside."
"Let's open it and drink," Kei—kwanan said, then looked at me. "There, you don't have to climb a tree anymore."
Snake.
"Who climbed a tree?" Yuri asked, looking at me.
"She tried to climb one to pick a coconut," said the shameless King of Snakes with a teasing tone.
"What?! You climbed a coconut tree?" Mayo asked, laughing, making me glare at him.
"So unladylike!" Felix chimed in, and they all started teasing.
"That's so cool!" Eren laughed loudly.
"You should've taken a photo," David added.
Traitor!
"You're all a bunch of jerks!" I cursed at them, making them go silent immediately.
"Oh, she cursed," Ci commented.
They kept glancing between me and Kei—kwanan. I crossed my arms, raised an eyebrow, and smirked at them.
"Nothing's going to happen, no matter how long you wait," I said and let out a fake laugh.
"Such a diva," Eren muttered. I quickly grabbed the nearest coconut and pretended to throw it at him. The troublemakers scattered, laughing loudly.
"Let's just open these before the coconuts end up killing us," Drew said, taking the one from my hand.
Everyone grabbed their own coconuts and headed to the back with Keifer to crack them open, leaving me, Yuri, and David on the terrace, watching the fools walk away.
"So, no more no-profanity rule?" Yuri asked, leaning against the terrace post.
"That's right. Don't let them get the upper hand," David added.
"Only here. He lifted the rule in exchange for his longer life on this earth," I joked, making them laugh.
We fell into a comfortable silence until David excused himself to help Eman inside.
"How are you?" I immediately asked Yuri.
He forced a smile. "I'm okay now that I've seen you."
I playfully kicked him, but he dodged and laughed. I preferred his real laugh—none of that forced stuff just to say he was fine.
"I'm serious," he said, making me serious too. "When I'm with you, I don't need to pretend I'm okay."
I smiled at him. "No matter what your problem is, remember I'm always here. Not just for family, but for sports, too." I mimicked an old commercial. He laughed out loud, recognizing the line.
"I was actually planning to visit you this weekend, if I hadn't ended up on this island," I said. That was my original plan. I wanted to check if someone was taking care of him at home. Judging by his appearance lately, it was clear no one was.
"Too bad. I had a barbecue last Saturday," he teased.
"Barbecue? That's weak. I had salmon stik," I bragged.
"Stik? You mean steak?"
I pouted. "When you're rich, it's steak. When you're a reckless pauper, it's stik. Fried food is already a luxury."
He laughed even harder. I laughed too. At least I could make him smile and lighten whatever heavy burden he was carrying.
"You really know a lot of things."
"Of course. I'm beautiful, just like my island," I said proudly.
He froze for a moment. "Your island?"
I nodded. "Yes, a gift from the King of Snakes."
"Wow," he said sarcastically.
My smile faded as our eyes met. What's his problem? He quickly looked away.
"S-sorry. I—"
"He didn't buy me, if that's what you're thinking," I cut him off coldly.
"It's not that. But why did you forgive him so easily?"
"I haven't forgiven him yet," I said, shaking my head before turning my back on him. "You're belittling me."
I walked inside the house, hearing him call my name behind me. Is it so wrong for me to accept his gift? Does that make me a lesser person? Even if I worked my whole life, sold my soul, or borrowed from every moneylender, I would never own my own island.
Besides, knowing that damned Kei—kwanan's personality, as if I could refuse. And if he ever throws it back in my face, I'll shove his island right down his throat.
I headed to the kitchen where Denzel and Eman were. "What can I help with?" I asked.
"Perfect timing. Clean these fish," Eman said. Memories of yesterday quickly flashed back—frozen fish, a blazing pan… and a burned kitchen.
"I wanna help too," Yuri suddenly appeared beside me. I ignored him and approached the sink where the fish were. He followed me closely. I picked up a knife, and he did the same, clearly just copying my actions.
"I'm really sorry, Jay," he whispered as he grabbed a fish.
"It's fine. I understand," I answered lifelessly.
"I thought you forgave him because of the island."
"We talked before he even mentioned the island."
"If you've already talked, why haven't you forgiven him?"
I glared at him. "Is that even a question? You know what I went through."
He nodded slowly. "True. But aren't you kind of soft-hearted?"
He knows me too well. I heard Denzel and Eman's quiet snickers. They were clearly listening in.
"And what makes you say that?"
"You forgave us quickly."
I rolled my eyes. "Maybe I'm just a genuinely good person."
"More like gullible," Eman teased, making me turn to him.
"He means 'cook-cook,'" Denzel added, grinning mischievously.
"I swear I'm going to slap you both with a fish," I threatened, making them burst out laughing. I just focused on what I was doing. We mostly prepped everything for Eman—chopping, cleaning, gathering ingredients, and all the things he usually did.
When the food was finally ready, the whole gang gathered like it was a feeding program. But since the kitchen couldn't fit us all, they carried the food to the terrace.
I froze when I saw the low table lined with banana leaves. The group arranged the food in neat rows and sat on the floor to be level with the table. I did the same, sitting next to Yuri and Ci-N, with Kei—kwanan right across from me.
Before we started, the gang decided to pray and give thanks. It made me smile—they actually knew how to do that.
"Let's eat!" we shouted, and the feast began. Everyone grabbed food and ate eagerly. All of Eman's hard work disappeared in minutes, chased down with refreshing coconut juice. A perfect vacation.
After a short rest, we cleaned up and got ready for a swim. The gang was like a bunch of kids excited for the beach.
"Put on some sunblock!" I snapped at Ci. He kept complaining about the sun burning his skin, but he kept running back into the heat.
"Put some on my back! Hurry!" he ordered. I grimaced but did it anyway, slathering on a thick layer so he wouldn't complain.
"Me too! Put some on me too!" Eren butted in as Ci walked away.
I bonked him on the head with the sunblock bottle. "Ow! What was that for?"
"You should've brought your many girlfriends and asked them to do it!" I huffed.
"They wouldn't fit on Keifer's yacht," he said sheepishly.
"Just do it for now." He turned his back to me and bent slightly. I sighed and spread the lotion just to get rid of him.
I thought that was the end of it—until I blinked and saw a line had already formed. Oh, for crying out loud…
U Jerks..
"What's this?"
"Put some on me too," Rory said with a wide grin.
Even though I wanted to knock their heads together, I still did what they asked just to get it over with. Good thing some of them had their own sunblock, so Yuri's supply, which I used for Ci and Eren, wasn't completely used up.
The Snakes quickly ran off to the sea, except for Kei—who couldn't run because of his injury. At least he could walk properly now, though he still limped occasionally. But he still managed to carry me.
He faced me once the others were gone. "Would you like me to put sunblock on your back?"
"Would you like me to punch your face?" I mimicked him.
"I'm not even planning to take my shirt off." His mischievous laugh came out again—but it disappeared just as quickly, which made me wonder. "So, what did you and Yuri talk about? You two looked pretty happy." He asked.
I couldn't tell if he was jealous or worried I might have found out something serious. I raised an eyebrow at him.
"Just random stuff. What's it to you?" He coughed slightly. "He should've told you."
So they really did plan to let me know what they knew. I thought they were going to keep secrets from me again. I didn't know why, but I suddenly felt excited and waited for what he was going to say.
"T-told me what?"
"The reason why Angelo wants me to hide you," he said, looking straight into my eyes.
"Your Dad is back."
The bottle of sunblock lotion slipped from my hand. I kept my eyes on him, and my tears started falling on their own.
Dad's back? He's finally back from abroad. I'll get to see him again.
"We need to go home," I said absentmindedly and started walking, but Kei—quickly stopped me.
"Calm yourself. We need to find out first why they are not letting you to see him," he explained, but my eyes stayed on the sea, already thinking of ways to get home.
"I'm going home—"
"Jay-jay!" he shouted right in my face while holding both my arms.
"Dad's back. Maybe I can—" I was almost pleading with him.
"Angelo will never allow you. Please listen to me!"
"Why?!"
"I don't know...yet. But I will find out soon, and then we'll think of a plan for you to meet your Dad without them knowing. For now, you need to calm yourself and follow my plan." He cupped my face with both hands. "Trust me, please?"
He was right.
My brother kept me away for a reason. From that alone, it was obvious he didn't want us to meet. What if I insisted more? My brother might get even stricter and stop us from seeing each other completely.
Even though I didn't want to trust the King of the Snakes, it seemed I had no choice but to rely on him to meet my Dad.
How many times has he done this for me? How many times has he helped me find and see my Dad? He always found a way. I shouldn't doubt him anymore because I truly believed he could do it.
"T-thank you." He smiled at me and hugged me. "For your happiness."
I bit my lip. He seemed so far from the old Kei—kwanan who always bickered with me. Maybe he really did do everything to change himself and make sure he wouldn't do to me what his father did.
When we let go of the hug, he quickly kissed my forehead. I suddenly remembered the Snakes and worried they might see us. I lightly punched his stomach.
"Ow," he groaned softly. "They might see us."
"So?"
"We're not even together yet, and I haven't fully forgiven you."
His expression quickly turned sad. I felt guilty, but I had to stay firm. I didn't want everything to be easy just because he explained himself. There were still things I didn't understand.
"I get it," he said, forcing a smile. I just nodded before turning away from him and walking toward the crazy Snakes who were clearly having the time of their lives in the water.
Ci-N was floating on a banana-shaped inflatable, and Eren had a donut-shaped one. They both got them from the villa's storage room earlier. Meanwhile, David was lying on a beach mat, enjoying the sun—but he looked more like he was asleep. Josh, on the other hand, had been destroying the sandcastle Blaster and Drew were building. Eman was cutting up a starfish, and Felix smacked him on the head for being so brutal. Kit and Mayo were walking along the shore, holding hands. So flirty. Almost everyone was in the water, swimming.
Even Yuri was waving at me happily from the sea. "Come on, Jay!" he called.
I quickened my pace to join them.
"Keifer! Come swim!" they shouted toward the villa. I looked back and saw them waving at Kei—who had been following me.
He waved back at his fellow Snakes before taking off his shirt and walking toward me. I screamed when he suddenly picked me up and carried me toward the water.
"W-wait! Hey!" I protested, but he was already waist-deep in the water and suddenly let me go. The others burst out laughing. Good thing the water wasn't too deep where he dropped me.
I quickly stood up and splashed water at him.
"Is that all you got?" he teased—and the water fight began, with the Snakes eagerly joining in.
Everyone splashed water at whoever was nearby. Even those relaxing on the sand joined in. Then they decided to mess with the sleeping David. Rory and Calix crept up on him, grabbed his arms and legs, and carried him toward the sea. "What the hell!!" he screamed as they swung him back and forth before tossing him into the water.
We laughed until they started more mischief—racing while obviously cheating, holding their breath contests, and swimming lessons. Ci-N climbed onto David's shoulders, and Eren did the same with Josh.
They pushed at each other, trying to knock their opponent into the water. "Ci-N! Ci-N! Ci-N!" we chanted. Eren fell, but the fight wasn't over. Kit and Mayo stepped up next, with Kit riding on Mayo's shoulders.
But the feisty kid didn't back down—Kit fell too. Then Blaster climbed onto Drew's shoulders, but Blas was too heavy, and they both collapsed into the water after one push.
As I was busy laughing, someone suddenly slipped between my legs and lifted me onto their shoulders. I screamed, making everyone turn to look at me. What now? When I looked down, Yuri's red hair greeted me.
"It's our turn!" he said—and I smacked him on the head.
"Give me a warning next time!" I yelled, but he was already heading toward Ci.
"My bet's on Jay-jay!"
"Take her down, Jay!"
"Grab her, Ci!"
"You're disgusting!"
"In the face!" they teased, laughing. As soon as I faced Ci, he grinned wickedly and wiggled her eyebrows. He looked like he was up to no good.
"FIGHT!" someone shouted, and the match began. We grabbed each other's hands and pushed with all our strength. It was clear he wasn't going down without a fight. Yuri charged forward to add power to my push—but Ci tricked me.
Just when I thought I had won, he pushed back hard, and I fell straight into the water. As my back hit the water, my eyes closed—but a blurry image started to appear.
"RUN! DON'T STOP! DON'T LET ANYONE HURT YOU!"
Mom? I knew it was Mom's voice. But I couldn't understand what she was saying—or why her voice suddenly echoed in my head.
I quickly surfaced, gasping for air. I wiped my face and eyes, trying to see clearly.
"Hey! Are you okay?" Kei—asked, his concern drawing the others' attention.
"Are you okay, Jay?" Yuri asked, moving closer.
I nodded. "Y-yeah. Just out of breath."
Yuri nodded, though he clearly didn't believe me. Meanwhile, the King of the Snakes stared at me intently. The others went back to having fun—but I stayed still, confused and shaken.
Was that voice from my past?