Ang Mutya ng Section E (WHAT IF IT ALL WORKED OUT) ENGLISH FANFICTION

CHAPTER 18

Author's POV

The living room was wrapped in a soft, uneasy silence, the kind of silence that settles when everyone is waiting for someone else to say the next shocking thing. The thick velvet curtain cast long shadows across the carpet of the room, signalling that the night was here and the low hum of the grandfather clock in the corner ticked steadily, illuminating the room with sound. Aries was moving around like a caged lion, his hand shoved deep into the pockets of his joggers, posture straight with tension. To be fair he wasn't the only tense one in the room. Angelo sat on the arm of the sofa, his jaw tight from grinding his teeth together so much and tapping one foot on the floor in a steady rhythm like a metronome ticking towards panic. Even Auntie Gemma, who always remained graceful even under pressure, was emanating a tension that although composed still pushed everyone in the room to feel very uncomfortable. Keifer stood solid and still beside Jay-jay, both a little apart of the family like they were on their own team now, even if neither of them had quiet figured out how to be that yet. The silence lingered a minute longer before Auntie Gemma ushered Keifer and Jay-Jay to take a seat, which they gratefully obliged, choosing to sit next to each other on the sofa opposite the one that her and Angelo were sitting on. Some more silence came after that with Keifer receiving death stared from both Angelo and Aries and jay-jay choosing to look anywhere else in the room that at the people in front of her. Finally, Auntie Gemma had had enough and broke the silence

"We need to think practically here," Auntie Gemma said with a calm resolve that only made the tension more palpable. "Jay-Jay, baby, if you're keeping this child, then we all have to be clear about what this means, for you, for your future, for your family. And I say and mean IF because I want you to understand that you have a choice here, this is your choice to make but things will be different depending on what you decide to do"

Jay didn't say anything, but her shoulders drew up slightly, her fingers tightening where they gripped the hem of her hoodie. Her nerves rising with every second that passed on the grandfather clock.

"And Keifer," Auntie Gemma continued, fixing her eyes on him. "You say you're staying. That you're in this. But are you really ready for the responsibility? Are you prepared to commit, fully?"

Keifer didn't flinch. His answer came immediately, not from panic but from something more settled, more certain. Like there was no need to process his answer through all the channels of his brain, his decision was already made.

"Yes," he said simply, his eyes flicking toward Jay-Jay like she was the only one in the room that mattered. Aries could help it, he scoffed under his breath, muttering something bitter that the others couldn't catch. But Auntie Gemma wasn't done with Keifer,

"I mean truly commit. Not just to the baby. I'm talking about Jay-Jay. Her reputation, her safety, her stability. We come from a family that still believes in marriage. So, if you're in this... maybe it's time you made it official."

Jay-Jay's POV

As soon as those words left my Tita's mouth, I felt my lungs tighten in my chest, like someone had wrapped an invisible string around me and was pilling tighter and tighter.

Marriage.

The word rang out in my ears like I was standing next to a church bell that only cried out Marriage when struck, my head began to throb, and I was holding back the impulse to just jump op and run out of this room the fasted I can. I felt Keifer shift next to me, he took a small inhale of breath, sharp and steadying, before delivering the most outrageous sentence I think I'll ever hear from him.

"I'll marry her," he said. Just like that. "If she'll have me, I'll do it. I'll do it tomorrow."

His voice was low, a little less certain and sure, but it carried.

Time slowed as soon as those words left his mouth and just like that, he had managed to flip my world all the way round again, first with the secret revenge plan, then with his baby and now with marriage.

I turned toward him like my head wasn't fully connected to my body. "Keifer..." I tried to reason

His eyes met mine and there wasn't a trace of hesitation in them anymore, like in the five second since those words left his mouth he had made his mind up. "I want to do this right."

I couldn't think and I knew for sure nobody else in this room was thinking straight.

Yes, I know I fucked up but jumping to marriage like it was the most logical option was... it was.... I don't have the word for it. It didn't take long to notice my heart hammering against my ribcage, every nerve screaming. Marriage? Tomorrow?

It wasn't that I didn't want him. Of course I wanted Keifer. It was just that everything was happening at once, like the world had picked up speed and I was the only one falling behind. "I can't..." I choked, suddenly on my feet, arms crossed tight around myself like armour. "I can't do this right now."

I felt everyone's eyes on me once again but this time I couldn't just ignore it, I could shake of their stares.

"I'm sorry. I need to think."

I stopped holding back my impulses and turned and ran, up the stairs two at a time, past framed family photos of Tita, Angelo and Aries and the soft hum of the hallway light, until I reached the safe sanctuary of my bedroom. I closed the door behind me and pressed my back to it, shaking.

A/N

Hiya guys hope you enjoyed today's chapter, I just want to say that I do hear you guys loud and clear about the posting times and so I will start position everyday again, it's going to be hard for me but I will really try so we can get to the end of this story quickly and start a new story soon . So new chapter tomorrow

XOXO

Mauriah