The Dom Twins
980 Words
Chapter 5
Asha was on the verge of a migraine.
Because of her twin.
Again.
Jayson had been changing outfits nonstop for the past thirty minutes, even though they were going to school tomorrow. In uniforms.
"School ang punta natin bukas, at school uniform ang suot!" Asha snapped, standing up and heading for the door.
"Figure it out yourself! I'm going to sleep."
But just as she was about to step out, she heard his voice-soft, unsure.
"Tomorrow... what? There... scared..."
She froze.
Slowly, she turned back, dragging a hand down her face.
Her brother rarely spoke. And when he did, his words came out like half-loaded downloads on weak internet. It took every drop of patience she had not to scream.
"Yes, it's scary," she replied with a groan.
"But that's what we do at school. Learn. That's why we're going. Because... school."
Jayson shook his head, lips trembling slightly. He looked completely lost.
"I... I her... school... tomorrow... do... Ashaaa..." he whimpered, voice cracking.
His eyes shimmered. Tears threatened to spill.
There it is, Asha thought.
His signature move. Weaponized puppy eyes.
"Anu daw?" she muttered, rubbing her temples.
This was her twin? Really? Sometimes she wondered if he got all the brooding looks and emotional depth, while she was left with all the brain cells.
"Jayson, seriously," she snapped, arms flailing dramatically.
"Learn how to talk first! CO. MU. NI. CA. TION! Yan ang una mong ayusin! That's your main problem!"
She glared at him like a frustrated stage mom.
"Walang-wala ka sa communication! At FYI-yan yung meron yung ex niya!"
The words flew out before she could stop them.
Jayson's eyes widened in betrayal.
Too late.
Asha didn't wait to see the full reaction. She slammed the door behind her and stormed into her room, face-first into a pillow.
"Ugh. Dragon problems," she muttered.
Being Jayson's twin was exhausting. She wasn't just his sister-she was his emotional translator, therapist, and unofficial PR manager all rolled into one.
The Dom twins-Asha and Jayson-weren't just known in their prestigious academy. Their names echoed far beyond school halls, recognized not just across the country, but across the world.
Born to brilliance and pressure, they carried the legacy of a family that reshaped a nation.
Their father, President Ashel Dom, was a living legend. A leader who made allies, not enemies. He ushered in an age of prosperity, building underground shelters in every city-funded fully without taking a single cent from the taxpayers. It sounded impossible. Yet Ashel Dom made the impossible happen.
Their mother, a world-renowned pharmacist, was no less of a marvel. She owned Shux Pharmaceuticals, now distributing free medicine to the public. The people adored her not just for her grace, but for her relentless commitment to health.
No one could accuse the First Family of corruption. Not when every project was self-funded. Even before politics, the Dom family was already rich-industries, properties, assets local and international.
It was no surprise that Asha and Jayson were hailed as the most eligible pair in high society. Politicians, tycoons, aristocrats-they all wanted to marry into the Dom family. Sons were groomed to win Asha's heart. Daughters raised to please Jayson.
But the twins couldn't care less.
Asha, confidently queer, dated girls with zero regard for public expectation. She lived loudly, eccentrically, always on her own terms.
Jayson, on the other hand, was a walking mystery.
Silent. Reserved. Possessive.
His tragic communication skills left nearly every girl assigned to him in tears. His introversion was legendary-his eyes could silence a room, but not a single romantic sentence made it past his lips.
Except when it came to her.
Ofreigha.
He'd only ever had eyes for her. Ever since they were little.
And nothing-not duty, not fear, not even his own flaws-was going to stop him from being close to her.
After Asha stormed out, Jayson sat alone in the quiet. It didn't bother him. He liked silence-no distractions, no one to misread him.
His room reflected his mind: clean, calculated, quietly obsessive. Shelves lined with salvaged tech, hand-built gadgets, robot prototypes standing like sentries. Wires coiled across his desk like vines. Half-finished code blinked on a monitor. A high-end DSLR rested nearby, one of the few things he handled more carefully than his tools.
But the real heart of the room was the wall across his bed.
A collage.
A timeline of stolen moments, captured through his lens-every one of them centered on one girl.
Ofreigha.
Blurry grade school photos. Clearer ones from recent years-laughing in the rain, reading under a tree, smiling in the sun. One shot caught her looking straight into the lens, startled-like she'd seen through him.
And now, he was adding another.
Ofreigha in a floral dress, suitcase in hand. Exhausted. Beautiful.
He had taken it at the airport, from a distance. She hadn't seen him. He hadn't dared come closer.
He'd been there when she arrived. Hoodie sleeves clenched in sweaty palms. Heart pounding.
But he couldn't face her.
So he did what he always did-he hid.
Then begged Asha.
Begged her to bring Ofreigha to the mansion.
To let her stay.
To give him a chance to be near her, even if it meant staying invisible.
He had planned to ask her out.
Had rehearsed it a hundred times.
Written scripts. Programmed a chatbot to test responses.
But when the moment came...
He skipped every plan, every line of logic.
And blurted out:
"Let's get married in 2030."
He winced, burying his face in his hands.
Why couldn't he talk like a normal person?
Why couldn't he just say I like you or Do you want to go out sometime?
But no. He had to go full disaster.
Still...
She didn't slap him.
A small smile tugged at his lips.
His fingers traced the edge of the photo.
That had to count for something.
- Writer
