Angelo'sPOV
I woke up, stretched my arms, and walked out of my room. Before they left, Tita and Tito stopped me to explain that they had to head out for something incredibly important, meaning it would be just us kids left in the house today. To make things even more interesting, the maids were completely gone too—half of them had requested a day off, and Tita, being the sweet person she is, had generously granted the rest of the staff a holiday as well.
Great, I thought. Looks like I'm on chef duty today since I'm the only one here who actually knows how to survive in a kitchen.
I strolled into the kitchen, only to be greeted by a sight I never, under any circumstances, wanted to see. Ci-n and Felix were hovering over a pot, intensely examining it as if it were a complex mathematical equation. Meanwhile, Percy and Aries were hunched over the counter, their eyes glued to a thin little book.
"Boys, get aside. I'll handle the cooking," I announced, clapping my hands.
The four of them snapped their heads toward me. "Hii, Kuya!" they chorused in perfect unison.
I nodded, stepping up to the stove to start prepping a massive breakfast for the household.
"We'll help you!" Aries offered, and the other three vigorously nodded their heads in agreement.
"Fine by me," I shrugged, turning my focus to frying up some eggs.
The rest of them immediately scrambled to their self-assigned tasks. While I monitored the sizzling skillet, Percy and Aries began mixing ingredients together, still strictly consulting that thin little booklet—which turned out to be a recipe book. A few feet away, Ci-n and Felix were still practically conducting a scientific investigation into a couple of bowls. I decided to just let them be and minded my own business.
Naturally, the peace didn't last for long. After a few minutes, the bickering started.
"Give me that!" Ci-n grunted, trying to snatch a bowl away from Felix. But Felix held on, completely refusing to back down.
"No! I am going to make it!" Felix snapped, aggressively pulling the bowl back toward his chest.
"Hey, I'm the one who actually made that!" Aries's voice suddenly boomed from across the room. I whipped around just in time to see him glaring at Percy.
"But I'm the one who read the entire recipe and told your dumb self exactly what to do!" Percy yelled back. Suddenly, Percy bolted across the kitchen, and a thoroughly enraged Aries began chasing him in circles.
"That's mine!" Ci-n shouted again.
"No, it's not!" Felix barked.
With a brutal yank, Felix managed to rip the bowl out of Ci-n's hands. Ci-n didn't let go at first, but his grip finally slipped at the very last second. The momentum sent the bowl launching high into the air. Time seemed to slow down as it flipped upside down, crashed violently onto the tiled floor, and exploded.
A massive, blinding white cloud erupted into the atmosphere. It was flour. Within seconds, every single one of us was completely coated from head to toe in white powder.
Before we could even process the flour explosion, a spectacular CRASH echoed through the room. I turned my head through the white haze and spotted Aries and Percy lying flat on the floor, tangled up in each other's limbs, completely drenched in chocolate syrup and crushed pancakes.
Suddenly, the frantic sound of footsteps thundering down the stairs echoed through the house. We all froze, locking our eyes onto the kitchen doorway. A second later, Jayjay burst through the frame, breathing heavily and holding a random household object in her hand like a lethal weapon. She let out a sharp cough, her eyes widening as she took in the disaster zone.
"What the... what on earth is going on in here?! I literally thought someone was breaking into the house!" she yelled, taking a step forward.
But the moment her foot hit the powdery, slippery floor, her legs completely swept out from under her. "Whoa—!"
Jayjay went flying through the air and landed flat on her back, straight on top of the already suffering Aries and Percy.
"Ahahaha! Seriously, what is going on?!" she asked, groaning as she scrambled back up to her feet. By now, she was just as heavily covered in flour as the rest of us.
The five of us looked at each other's ghostly, flour-coated faces, looked at the chocolate-covered floor, and instantly burst into roaring, unstoppable laughter.
"Well, my eggs are officially ready," I chuckled, lifting the skillet and placing the platter onto the dining table.
Aries and Percy dragged themselves off the floor, salvaged what was left of the unruined pancakes, and brought them over. Jayjay walked over, still shaking flour out of her hair, and slid into the seat right next to where Tito usually sits.
"Ours is also done," the twins said in unison, slipping into their respective chairs. They had managed to set out a beautiful spread of fresh juice and sliced fruits.
We all dug into the food, the room filled with the sound of chewing, talking, and endless laughing.
"Okay, so how did this absolute nightmare of a mess even start?" Jayjay asked, wiping a smudge of chocolate off her cheek.
I leaned back, pointing a fork at the culprits. "Well, I was peacefully frying eggs when Ci-n and Felix started a WWE wrestling match over a bowl full of flour. The bowl flew into the stratosphere and blasted all of us. Meanwhile, Percy and Aries were fighting over who gets the credits for making the pancakes, which led to them slipping on the floury floor. And then, you walked in and gracefully joined the pile."
We all chuckled at the recap.
"And why exactly were you two fighting over a bowl?" Jayjay asked, turning a questioning gaze toward Ci-n and Felix.
"Because," Ci-n mumbled, casting his eyes downward, "we wanted to make cookies for you so we could get the highest grade in the competition."
The entire table erupted into laughter at their ridiculous explanation.
"And what about you two?" she asked, turning her attention to her older brothers.
"I was planning to bring you breakfast in bed like a legendary brother, but this idiot right here tried to steal my entire spotlight!" Percy complained, gesturing dramatically at Aries. Aries just crossed his arms and childishly stuck his tongue out at him.
I couldn't help but laugh at how these fully grown men were acting like complete toddlers. But honestly, it was the best feeling. We finished up our breakfast in high spirits, talking and teasing each other the entire time. Once we were done, everyone stood up and carried their empty plates over to the counter.
"I'll do the dishes," Percy volunteered, rolling up his sleeves and immediately getting to work at the sink.
Jayjay'sPOV
"Eww, Ci-n! That literally stinks!" I gagged, violently waving my hand in front of my face and pinching my nose shut. We hadn't even moved an inch from the dining table yet, and this absolute idiot had already decided to pollute the air.
"Hoi! There are six people sitting here, why are you automatically blaming me?" he shot back defensively.
"Because you're the only one shameless enough to actually do it out loud!" Felix snapped. Ci-n just rolled his eyes and childishly mimicked Felix's angry facial expressions.
Kuya Angelo stood up, looking at our ghostly, white-powdered appearances with a look of pure exhaustion. "Okay, enough. All of you go upstairs right now and turn back into humans. We look like a bunch of Victorian ghosts."
"Oh, you guys go ahead. I'll take my shower later," I announced lazily, leaning all the way back in my chair and crossing my arms.
Percy walked back over from the sink, wiping his hands on a towel, and looked at us. "I think a shower is a matter of life and death right now," he said. The others vigorously nodded their heads in agreement—except for me, of course.
"I'll go later," I repeated stubbornly.
Kuya Angelo raised an eyebrow, staring daggers at me.
"Kuyaaa! I literally don't have the physical energy to stand up right now," I whined dramatically. When he just let out a heavy, unimpressed sigh, I immediately turned my gaze toward Aries. I locked eyes with him, letting my inner mischief spark, completely signaling what I wanted him to do.
Aries instantly read my mind. "No. No, absolutely not," he said, aggressively shaking his head and stepping back.
I quickly whipped my head toward Percy, giving him the puppy-dog eyes.
"Hey, I just washed a mountain of dishes. Leave me alone," he protested, pointing a finger at his chest. To be fair, he did have a point.
"Wait, what on earth is going on here?" Kuya Angelo asked, looking completely lost.
"She wants one of us to carry her up the stairs," Aries and Percy grumbled in perfect, resentful unison.
Felix shrugged, looking at Aries. "So? Just do it."
"Why don't you do it then?" Aries countered, crossing his arms.
Felix gestured to his own frame. "Look at me, bro. How can I possibly carry her?" He actually had a point—the guy was practically a walking beanpole and definitely skinnier than me.
"Nah, you can totally do it," Ci-n chimed in with a cheeky grin.
Instantly, the entire group's attention snapped onto him. "Then you are more than welcome to do the honors!" Aries, Percy, and Felix shouted in unison.
Ci-n's eyes widened in panic. "Hey! What about me? I'm even skinnier than Felix!"
They all nodded, silently agreeing that the twins were physically useless for the task. Finally, the entire circle of doom turned their gaze right back onto Aries.
"What? No—I'm not—" Aries stuttered, looking down at me. I immediately slapped on my most innocent, angelic face mask, blinking up at him like a harmless little lamb. He let out a massive, defeated sigh, running a hand over his face. "Fine. Get on."
I clapped my hands victoriously and hopped straight onto his back. Aries hoisted me up, trudged up the staircase, and marched all the way to my room. After dumping me unceremoniously onto my bed, he stretched his aching back with a groan and walked out.
I headed straight into the bathroom and took a very, very, very long, relaxing shower to get all the flour out of my hair. Once I was completely clean, I threw on my clothes and headed downstairs.
The moment I reached the bottom of the steps, my jaw dropped. Standing in the living room were my five brothers. Every single one of them was wearing a crisp, pitch-black suit with dark sunglasses.
"Wow... you all look..." I trailed off, completely lost for words.
In perfect sync, all five of them lowered their sunglasses slightly, peering over the frames to look at me.
"Cool," Ci-n supplied confidently.
I just nodded blankly as they all snapped their glasses back up into place.
"Okay, so why are we completely dressed up?" I asked. As I spoke, my gaze automatically drifted down to look at my own outfit. My eyes widened. I was also wearing a completely black top and black shirt-jacket.
The sheer absurdity of the situation hit me, and I burst into roaring laughter, clutching my stomach.
"What's so funny now, Jayjay?" Percy asked, adjusting his cuffs.
"She's also wearing black," Kuya Angelo pointed out, a smirk playing on his lips.
"No, she's laughing because we literally look like a high-budget bodyguard squad," Aries groaned, looking thoroughly embarrassed.
Hearing him say it out loud only made me laugh harder. My stomach was physically aching at this point. "And her... her outfit matches us perfectly! We're looking like her body guards" Felix cackled.
I forced myself to stop laughing, wiping away a tear as I looked at the five men standing in front of me. "Okay, seriously, why are we all ready like we're heading out to a secret mission?"
The five of them exchanged a knowing look, then turned back to me with identical smirks.
"Because we are going somewhere," Aries said mysteriously.
Before I could even open my mouth to ask where, they grabbed me from both sides and practically dragged me out the front door. They shoved me straight into the backseat of the car. Aries slid in right on my right side, Percy packed himself in on my left, and Ci-n squeezed into the seat on Percy's left. Felix claimed the front passenger seat, leaving Kuya Angelo to take the driver's wheel.
"Oww! It is so incredibly congested back here! Can't we literally take another car?" I whined, my shoulders completely pinned between Aries and Percy.
The boys completely ignored me, shaking their heads in unison. Realizing there was absolutely no escape from this human sandwich, I shut my mouth, reached out, and tightly grabbed both Percy and Aries's arms. Kuya Angelo started the engine, and just like that, the drive began—completely packed with loud bickering, endless teasing, and non-stop laughter.
We finally arrived at a massive mall and piled out of the car. We all took a second to fix our clothes and straighten our jackets before heading inside. Kuya Angelo took the lead, walking right in front of us like a captain. Percy and Felix flanked my left side, while Aries and Ci-n covered my right.
We were just walking normally through the crowds when I noticed a group of random boys staring intently at me. I instantly felt uncomfortable and went completely quiet, shifting closer to my brothers.
Almost instantly, the five of them noticed exactly what was making me uncomfortable. Without a single word, they smoothly shifted positions, forming a tight, moving human circle right around me. I was completely safely enclosed in the middle; I couldn't see anyone outside, and absolutely no one could get a glimpse of me. A soft smile spread across my face. They practically guided me blind through the mall until the circle finally opened up.
When I stepped out, I realized they had brought me straight into the massive grocery mart inside the mall.
The second I saw the food aisles, my eyes lit up. I immediately broke into a run, sprinting far away from my brothers to hunt down the best snacks. I grabbed a cart and went completely wild, filling the entire basket to the brim with juices, cold drinks, cakes, and tons of other junk food.
I was standing in a relatively quiet aisle when I suddenly felt a strange presence behind me. I whipped around and my heart dropped. It was a group of strange guys, and they were standing uncomfortably close to me.
I gripped the handle of my cart and tried to navigate my way out of the narrow aisle, but they intentionally shifted, blocking my path completely.
"Excuse me, bro," I deadpanned, trying to keep my cool.
They didn't move an inch. Alright, I thought, my blood starting to boil. Looks like I need to be a bitch now. I put my hands out, forcefully shoved the guy standing in the center, and stormed past them. I was walking away as fast as I could when a hand suddenly shot out and aggressively grabbed my wrist. I whipped my head back around in pure rage. It was the exact same guys.
I yanked my arm, trying to twist my wrist out of his grip, but he held on tight. Losing my patience, I launched my foot forward, kicking him squarely in the chest with maximum force. He stumbled back, and I instantly turned on my heel and bolted down the aisle. I glanced over my shoulder and saw them hot on my heels. Where the heck are my five bodyguards when I actually need them?! I rounded a sharp corner and slammed straight into a broad, solid chest. I winced, stumbling back, and quickly looked up to yell at whoever it was. My jaw dropped.
It was Keifer.
"What happened?" he asked softly, his dark eyes instantly locking onto my panicked expression.
I looked back down the aisle, and Keifer's gaze followed mine. The second I saw the guys catching up, I instinctively scrambled behind Keifer's broad shoulders, hiding from view and tightly clutching the fabric of his black shirt. If these guys were normal-sized, I would have easily skinned them alive myself, but they were literally double my size!
The guys skidded to a halt, glaring at Keifer. "Sir, it's none of your business. Back off," the leader barked.
Keifer didn't even bother answering. His expression turned deadlier than ice. Before the guy could even blink, Keifer's fist flew forward, throwing a devastating punch straight into his jaw. The guy stumbled sideways into a shelf.
"Look, I'm warning you, stay out of this!" another guy yelled, stepping up aggressively.
Again, Keifer didn't waste his breath. He brought his leg up in a lightning-fast, brutal kick straight to the guy's torso, sending him crashing flat onto the hard grocery store floor.
"What is your problem man?! What we do with her is our business!" the third guy shrieked in frustration.
Keifer's eyes flashed with pure fury. He stepped into the space, delivering a savage punch straight into the center of the guy's nose. A sharp crack echoed through the aisle.
Keifer seamlessly reached behind his back, wrapping his fingers securely around my hand and pulling me slightly closer to his side. He glared down at the remaining guys with a terrifying, authoritative aura.
"She's my wife," Keifer stated, his voice dropping into a deep, chilling growl.
The guys froze, their eyes darting from Keifer's deadly expression down to our tightly intertwined hands. Terrified out of their minds, they didn't say another word. They turned on their heels and ran down the grocery aisle like a pack of scared, stray dogs.
Why on earth is my heart hammering so violently against my ribs right now? Bro... he literally just called me his wife... Ehhhhhh! Ugh, Jayjay, get a grip and calm down! I stared up at him, my mind a complete chaotic mess, and he looked right back down at me. But our quiet, intense moment was instantly shattered by the thunderous sound of footsteps. My five brothers came sprinting around the corner, their eyes wide. The second they spotted Keifer standing right next to me, all of their eyebrows knitted together in total confusion.
Realizing we were still holding hands, I immediately yanked my hand back, my cheeks burning a furious shade of crimson.
"What's going on here?" Kuya Angelo asked, looking between the two of us suspiciously.
I looked over at Keifer, completely speechless, but he remained completely unfazed. "Some guys were bothering Jayjay, so I just did what I had to do," he explained calmly, his tone steady. He adjusted his collar, then turned his dark eyes back to me. "I'll head out now. And you..." He stepped closer, reaching out to gently ruffle my hair. "...take care of yourself."
I just nodded dumbly, watching as he turned and walked away into the crowd. The moment he disappeared from sight, I whipped around to face my brothers. Sure enough, every single one of them was wearing a massive, identical grin. I knew exactly what they were about to say, and there was no way I was letting them tease me right now.
"My snacks! Because of those stupid, pathetic idiots, I lost all of my snacks!" I suddenly wailed, faking a tantrum and pretending to cry to throw them off.
"Hoi, shut up! We'll just grab you some more!" Ci-n panicked, waving his hands.
I instantly stopped my fake crying. Before I could even celebrate my victory, Aries and Percy aggressively stepped forward, hands hovering over me as they began thoroughly inspecting me from head to toe.
"What the—"
"Are you hurt anywhere?" Aries cut me off, his voice laced with genuine panic.
"Where the hell are those guys? Point them out right now," Percy demanded, cracking his knuckles with a lethal expression.
"I'm completely fine, I'm not hurt at all," I reassured them quickly, a laugh bubbling up in my chest as I remembered the chaos. "And trust me, after getting an absolute beating from Keifer, they ran away like a bunch of terrified, stray dogs."
"Let's just grab the rest of the snacks and get back home," Felix suggested, and we all vigorously nodded in agreement. This time around, I definitely didn't run away from my five bodyguards. I stayed glued right to their sides, still a little shaken up and afraid those guys might try to target me again. I just let them stay close and protect me.
...
After checking out a mountain of junk food, we finally arrived back home. I eagerly headed straight toward the house's movie room, since we had all collectively agreed to spend the rest of the day watching movies and destroying our large stack of snacks.
I pushed the door open, and my eyes widened to the size of saucers.
The entire floor had been transformed. Six thick mattresses were neatly laid out side-by-side, covered in cozy blankets and plush pillows. I turned back to look at my brothers, and they all flashed me warm, triumphant smiles.
Without a second thought, I sprinted forward, launched myself into the air, and jumped straight onto the front mattress. I collapsed onto the soft pillows with a happy sigh, completely ready to dive into the movie marathon.
I grabbed the remote control from the mattress and started scrolling through the movie catalog. "What should we watch?" I muttered to myself.
"Horror!"
"Comedy!"
"Whatever!"
"Anything!"
"Definitely horror!"
They all shouted at the exact same time, creating a giant wall of noise where I couldn't tell who said what. I looked over my shoulder at their chaotic faces, then turned back to the giant screen.
"I'll just play what I want," I declared, rolling my eyes. I kept scrolling until my eyes locked onto the perfect title. Yes! Oh, yeah, this is the one. I clicked play on How to Train Your Dragon. It wasn't a movie, but a Netflix series, and even though I had already watched it a million times, I loved it with all my heart.
"Too childish, Jayjay," Aries commented, throwing a pillow at his feet.
"No, it's actually really good," Ci-n countered, defending my honor.
"No, it's definitely not," Felix argued.
I whipped my head around to glare at him. "You too, Felix?"
Felix instantly caught the dangerous warning in my eyes and vigorously shook his head. "I mean—it's awesome! Total masterpiece!"
"Just let her play whatever she wants," Kuya Angelo ordered gently, and the rest of the boys immediately shut up. The first episode started rolling, and the six of us fell into a cozy silence, completely focused on the screen while burying our faces in our giant bowls of snacks.
...
After what felt like a million episodes, I glanced over at the window and realized the sky had turned completely pitch black.
"Okay, I admit it, that series was actually awesome," Percy stated, stretching his arms.
I smirked triumphantly. "My taste is always awesome. Just trust me next time."
We all burst out laughing, but my victory lap was cut short when a loud, aggressive growl echoed from my stomach. I looked at my brothers and flashed them a deeply awkward, embarrassed smile. They all roared with laughter, but without a second thought, they immediately stood up.
Kuya Angelo grabbed his car keys, while Percy and Aries fished out their keys. Since Percy and Aries owned two heavy bikes each, Aries tossed his spare set to Ci-n, and Percy handed his second pair to Felix. Understanding the assignment instantly, I snatched up my own bike keys. We all stood in a circle, looking at each other, ready to roll.
"Wait, wait, wait!" I interjected, holding up a hand. They all stopped and looked at me. "We have a total of six bikes parked outside right now."
They all stared at me, completely confused, until Kuya Angelo let out a chuckle.
"I know exactly what you mean, Jayjay. You five can take the bikes. I'll just follow behind you in my car," Kuya Angelo offered.
"YES!" we all cheered loudly.
"Put on your jackets first, it's freezing outside," Percy reminded us.
We all bolted up the stairs to our respective rooms to grab our gear. I marched over to my closet and pulled out Keifer's red leather jacket, slipping it over my shoulders. When I came back downstairs, the five boys were already standing by the door, helmets in hand. Kuya Angelo tossed me my helmet, and we all headed out into the night.
I securely fastened my helmet under my chin and kicked my bike into gear. The engine roared to life with a loud, powerful vroom-vroom sound that vibrated through the crisp night air. I navigated my bike out onto the main road, and my brothers immediately filtered in right behind me, keeping a perfect defensive formation.
We were riding peacefully under the streetlights when a sudden wave of pure freedom hit me. I completely let go of the handlebars, spreading both of my arms wide open into the air while keeping my body perfectly balanced on the moving bike.
"JAYJAY! BE CAREFUL!" Aries yelled over the roaring engines.
I laughed, grabbing the handles again, and twisted the throttle to speed up. They all accelerated to match my pace. I glanced over my shoulder and my jaw dropped through my visor—Kuya Angelo had completely abandoned his car and was now riding a heavy bike right alongside us!
"Wow, Kuya! Changed your mind pretty fast, didn't you?!" I shouted over the wind.
We all laughed, our engines humming in perfect harmony. Suddenly, a random car pulled up next to me, matching my speed. The driver rolled his window down and started openly staring at me. Before I could even get annoyed, another heavy bike aggressively cut right into the space between my bike and the car, completely blocking the driver's view. It was Percy.
I leaned over and childishly stuck my tongue out at the driver through my open visor. Ha! Want to stare? No way, you stupid idiot, I thought to myself, twisting the throttle again to blast ahead.
"Jayjay, slow down!" Felix yelled from behind.
"No way!" I shouted back, feeling the adrenaline rushing through my veins.
"Jasper Jeen Mariano!" Aries's authoritative voice boomed through the wind.
Hearing my full name, I instinctively slowed down a little bit. Aries easily matched my speed, pulling his bike up to ride directly behind mine like a protective shield.
"Jayjay, do whatever you want! Kuya Angelo and I have your back!" Ci-n roared from the left, and with a huge grin under my helmet, I sped up once again.
After a few more minutes of speeding down the empty night roads, we finally pulled up to our favorite local ice cream parlor. I hopped off my bike, unfastened my helmet, and tucked it securely under my arm. My five brothers followed closely behind as we marched inside and bought a huge round of ice cream.
When we walked back out, we all gathered around the parked bikes. Kuya Angelo, Percy, and I leaned back against Kuya's bike, while Aries, Felix, and Ci-n leaned against Aries's bike. We quietly ate our ice cream, our eyes drifting up to look at the bright, beautiful moon shining above us.
"So, Jayjay... who are you actually going to give the highest grade to?" Ci-n asked out of nowhere, breaking the silence.
I looked around at their expectant faces and smiled softly. "No one. You all are completely equal to me, and I love every single one of you exactly the same."
"Yeah, right. But you definitely love Keifer way more than us," Percy muttered with a playful, jealous pout.
"Shut up, Percy!" I laughed, and the rest of them joined in, the heavy tension breaking.
But then, Aries let out a soft sigh, his eyes still fixed on the moon. "Is this... is this the last time the six of us are ever going to enjoy a night like this together?"
Instantly, all of our smiles vanished. A heavy, suffocating sadness washed over us. My chest tightened painfully. The reality of the situation hit me like a train—I didn't want to leave my brothers, but at the same time, I didn't want to cancel my marriage with the love of my life either.
"I don't want to leave you guys," I whispered, my voice cracking as tears instantly blurred my vision.
Seeing my tears, the other three instantly abandoned Aries's bike and walked over to us. Without a single word, they wrapped their arms around me, pulling all six of us into a massive, tight, bone-crushing group hug right there in the middle of the parking lot.
"Then let's just cancel the marriage," Felix suggested softly, tightening his grip around me.
"Yeah, that works for me. Let's cancel it," Kuya Angelo agreed, his voice thick with emotion.
"Yeah, yeah, let's do that!" Ci-n cheered weakly, trying to lighten the mood as we all finally pulled away from the hug.
"No, I don't want to leave you guys, but I also definitely don't want to cancel this marriage," I whimpered, wiping a stray tear from my cheek while they all looked at me helplessly. I sniffled, a sudden idea popping into my head. "Umm... how about we do this? After the marriage, I'll buy a separate house. And every week, from Friday to Sunday, I will literally kick Keifer out of the house so the six of us can hang out and enjoy just like this!"
Despite the heavy sadness, the boys all burst into wet, emotional laughter at my ridiculous solution.
"Or we could all just live together in one giant house like a big joint family," Felix offered, a sad smile on his face.
"No, that's definitely not a good idea," Kuya Angelo chuckled waterily, shaking his head.
Knowing that I was really going to leave these five boys behind next month to start a completely new life made my heart physically ache. The tears welled up in my eyes again, completely overflowing this time. Seeing me break down, the boys pulled me back in, collapsing into another tight group hug.
A quiet sniffing sound echoed through the huddle. I was crying uncontrollably now, but I wasn't the only one. I don't know exactly how long we stood there clinging to each other under the moonlight, but by the time we finally pulled away, all six of us were silently crying our eyes out.
"Look, even Kuya is crying!" Ci-n pointed out through a sob, gesturing to Kuya Angelo's wet cheeks.
We all burst into a chaotic, beautiful mix of laughter and tears, wiping our eyes as we looked at each other.
The End 🌸.