Chapter-58 Goodmorning

Jay-jay's POV

My whole body hurts. I feel like regretting helping out at Eman's restaurant. But honestly, it's all Freya's fault.

They made things hard for me. Yes... just me! We had already kept Keifer away because Aries seemed to get annoyed at making him go back and forth to their table.

So, I was the only one left to take all the suffering from those animals.

Yuri stopped his car in front of our house. He looked just as exhausted, but at least he wasn't sleepy while driving.

"Thanks, Yuri... Sorry that you had to be the one to take me home," I said.

"It's okay... At least I know you got home safe," he replied with a smile.

"Alright. Good nig—morning, actually."

It was already past 2 AM when the restaurant finally closed because there were so many customers. It's a good thing, though—it helps Eman recover fast and finally hire staff.

"Good morning to you too," Yuri said.

I got out of the car and waited for him to drive away before going inside. The gate was left open since my aunt knew I'd be home late.

Just as I was about to enter, someone grabbed my arm. I was startled, thinking it might be a bad guy, but it was just Kiko.

"Sorry... Did I scare you?" he asked.

"Y-yeah... I thought you were a rapist," I joked and smiled. "Why are you here, anyway?"

"I just wanted to make sure you got home safe. I couldn't text you since I don't have your number. Aries wouldn't give it to me."

"Ahh... Maybe Aries is just being paranoid."

No, not maybe. He really is paranoid.

"Jay... about what I asked you."

"Ahmmm... I haven't really thought about it yet."

"That's okay... I'll wait," he said with a smile.

Was that really the only reason he was here? He just couldn't wait? Too eager?

"What exactly are you waiting for, Kiko?"

We both froze. From behind me, I knew it was Aries. Why was he still awake?

"Why can't you answer?" he asked Kiko again.

Kiko averted his gaze. "Dude, it's just..."

"Since you're already here, let's clear things up right here, right now." Aries stepped closer to Kiko. "Do you really like Jay-jay?"

Kiko took a deep breath before nodding. "Actually, I'm planning to court Jay."

Aries chuckled. "Not gonna happen." He turned to me. "Get inside."

I didn't want to, but Aries was already glaring at me. I glanced at Kiko and forced a smile before stepping inside the gate. However, I didn't go far—I still wanted to hear their conversation.

"There's nothing wrong with me courting her, right?"

"Jay-jay is not allowed to have a boyfriend. End of the story. You can go now." Aries dismissed him.

"You don't get to decide that."

"Yes, I do. Leave!"

"Dude... what's your problem? You know me."

"That's exactly the problem... I know you too well," Aries said before heading inside.

I quickly ran into the house. I wasn't sure if he saw me eavesdropping, but I waited for him inside.

"D-did Kiko leave already?" I asked as soon as he entered.

He arched a brow. "Were you actually planning to let him court you?"

I shook my head. "N-no..."

"Good. You should be ashamed—your ex is still in the hospital, and now you're about to get a new one." He turned and walked away.

I went straight to my room. My whole body felt exhausted. I didn't want to think about anything, but I always felt a heavy weight in my chest whenever Aries mentioned my past.

I collapsed onto my bed without even changing clothes. I just wanted to sleep and rest everything away. Good thing we didn't have classes tomorrow—well, later, actually. I could sleep until noon. After lunch, I'd have to go to the restaurant since we had something to discuss. I closed my eyes and stopped thinking. Exhaustion took over, and I fell asleep instantly.

I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing. I didn't set an alarm, so even though my eyes refused to open, I reached for my phone in my bag.

It was a call, but I couldn't see the caller's name. I answered it anyway.

"Hello?"

["Where are you, Jay?"] Ci-N's voice came through.

"At home..."

["Hurry up. We're all waiting for you."] he said.

I glanced at the wall clock. Oh no! It was already 3 PM! I jumped out of bed and rushed to the bathroom. I completely forgot I was still on the phone. I moved quickly. This was embarrassing! They might even call me a VIP. After dressing up, I didn't even bother combing my hair and sprinted outside.

"Jay-jay! Eat first!" Auntie called out when I passed by her.

As soon as she said that, my stomach growled. Since I was already late, I grabbed four slices of bread and a bottled water from the kitchen.

Then, I ran outside again. When I opened the gate, Keifer's car was right in front of me.

"Do you know how long I've been waiting?!" Keifer snapped, leaning against his car.

"I-I didn't... Sorry."

"Get in," he ordered before getting inside.

I followed him. Honestly, I never asked him to wait or pick me up. So why was he mad? And why was he even doing this?

"Why did you come to pick me up, anyway?" I asked before he started driving.

"I woke up late. Yuri texted me, asking if I could pick you up since he had something else to do and couldn't get you."

Oh, that's why. Yuri really is so kind. He's concerned about me. I started eating during the ride. I was starving.

"Can I have one? I haven't eaten anything yet," Keifer asked.

I felt bad for him, so I handed him one. But instead of taking it, he just opened his mouth. Obviously, he wanted me to feed him.

I tore a piece and fed him. I don't know why, but the moment my fingers touched his lips, I felt something strange.

What was that?

I ignored it and fed him again. He finished one slice, so I finished mine as well and took a sip of water.

"Jay…" he started. "...You don't have any plans to entertain Kiko, right?"

"None… I don't want a boyfriend right now. Good thing my aunt doesn't want me to have one either," I replied.

He didn't say anything after that until we arrived at the restaurant. The others were already there, and it looked like Yuri had just arrived as well.

"Yuri! Good mor—afternoon, I mean!" I greeted, waving at him.

"Good afternoon to you too," he replied with a smile. We all entered the restaurant together. It seemed like they hadn't started yet and had been waiting for us.

"Don't you guys use a comb?" Ci-N said as soon as I walked in.

"I was in a hurry!" I shot back while trying to fix my hair with my fingers.

I sat beside him and grabbed some fries from the table. Looks like Eman had already fed them. Lucky them! That's what I get for being late! Eman's three crew members came out of the kitchen, followed by their boss himself.

"I have good news!" Eman began, making everyone quiet down.

"...My dad is okay now, and he can start working again. I can finally attend classes without any absences!"

We all clapped. Even though we helped out at the restaurant, there were still times when he couldn't go to class. Honestly, we had the same problem—since we went home so late at night, some of us just didn't bother showing up to school.

"...My mom was also able to get a loan," he continued. "...Which means our original crew members will be coming back."

Everyone fell silent, and no one seemed excited about the news.

"So… we won't be working here anymore?" Eren asked, sounding a bit disappointed.

Eman cleared his throat. "Yeah… That's good news, right? I won't have to see your ugly faces anymore."

The room instantly erupted with complaints.

"Wow, that's harsh!"

"How rude!"

"Let's bully him!"

"...Lastly, I just want to thank you all! I don't regret ending up in E…" He smiled. "...As a thank you, I'll cook for you guys!" We all cheered loudly, but I knew there was a catch. "...At school, during lunch!" He added, looking at me, which made the others turn to me too.

"Eman and I already talked about it. You guys seriously need someone to cook for you because you're too lazy to bring food from home. He didn't want to do it at first, but of course, I'm persistent!" I explained.

"Honestly? I feel like you only volunteered to help out here just for that," Eman said.

"At first, no… But after a while, yeah," I admitted with a mischievous grin.

It took forever to convince him. I almost had to get down on my knees and beg. He finally agreed, but he said he needed an assistant. And who else would that be? Me, of course!

"So get ready, guys! We're opening in 40 minutes!" Eman shouted.

Everyone immediately got up, stretching and yawning like they had been waiting there forever.

"Can we eat first?!" Keifer asked.

"You have to pay for it now! I already fed them earlier!" Eman shot back.

"Fine, fine!" Keifer then looked at me. "...Are you eating?"

I nodded right away. Even though I already had a slice, I was still hungry.

"Two orders! Jay-jay's paying!" Keifer announced loudly.

This idiot. I thought he was going to treat me, but instead, he made me pay! Unbelievable!

I shot him a sharp glare. I had money, so I would just pay for it. I couldn't exactly refuse anyway since I still owed Keifer some.

Damn it! I swear I'll never borrow money from this guy again!