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JALEN HELD A STACK OF mixed job applications and advertisements for apartments in his left hand as he came home through the garage door.
It might be a little rude but he figured that if he helped Leilani on her way, she would get out of Jalen's way and he could get on with figuring out a way to properly propose to his girlfriend.
From the living room, Jalen could hear Noelani and Leilani laughing about something and the sound of the tv on a medium volume.
Jalen dropped the tied together shoes that were hanging off of his shoulder onto the ceramic tiled kitchen floor, creating a thumping sound that caused both women to turn around.
"Hey," Noelani grinned at him, her grip on a tv remote, "We were just watching The Office. You wanna join us?"
But then her eyes dropped to the papers in his hand, "What's that?"
"Just some job applications and apartment stuff," Jalen admitted and held them up, "I had the assistant for the team get some for me."
Noelani's left eye twitched, letting him know that she wasn't amused and Leilani scoffed at the gesture, "Can't wait to get rid of me already, can he?"
"He's just trying to help." Noelani defended Jalen in a sheepish tone before she shot him a glare.
"Yeah. Right." Leilani pushed aside her collarbone length wavy black hair and shot Jalen a nasty look when Noelani looked away.
Jalen tried not to roll his eyes because he knew that that would piss off Noelani even more.
Alani began to fuss a little from where she was standing up in her playpen.
Noelani sighed and rose from the couch, "She's gonna need a diaper change. If I leave you two here for five minutes, can you manage not to kill each other?"
Leilani and Jalen were quiet as he put the papers on the counter and Noelani glanced between them, "Hello? I'm talking to you guys."
"Yeah. Got it." Jalen stated from his place in the kitchen.
"Mhmm," Leilani stood as well as Noelani went up the stairs to tend to their daughter.
Jalen watched as Leilani crossed into the kitchen, beelining straight to the fridge.
He sat at the kitchen table and began to pop off his shoes, when Leilani closed the fridge, a dark red apple now in her hand.
"You know," Leilani took a bite of her apple and began to chew, "It wouldn't hurt for you to be a bit nicer to me. After all, we're about to be family right?"
Jalen stopped in his movements for a moment and then restarted to loosen the laces on his shoe, "Don't know what you're talking about."
"I found the ring," Leilani said after taking another bite, "You didn't hide it very well."
"That's really none of your business, Leilani." Jalen replied as he leaned back in his chair to examine her warily.
"You're right. It's not. What is my business is how you managed to turn my favorite cousin into a housewife with no ring." Leilani said in a casual tone.
Jalen bit his tongue.
Hard.
"What the fuck are you talking about?" Jalen asked, his irritation barely contained.
"Just exactly what I said," Leilani continued in an easygoing tone, "She might not be able to see it but I-."
"You're getting on my nerves," Jalen stood, walked to the counter that Leilani was leaning against and pushed the papers in her direction.
"I'm not your biggest fan either," Leilani admitted as Jalen began to walk up the stairs towards his bedroom.
Noelani was in the nursery and Alani was clutching onto the strap of her sports bra for good measure.
Neither of them had realized that he had entered the room as Noelani was facing the window to the backyard.
"You see that right there? That's the sky." Noelani was explaining to her, pointing out certain things.
Jalen silently crept out of the room and tiptoed down the hall.
Once he was in his closet, Jalen closed the door and then picked up the sneaker that should've held the engagement ring he had bought.
Jalen let out a breathe of relief when the velvet box slid into the palm of his hand then thumbed it open.
The ring was still there in all of its glory, catching the light from the walk in closet and reflecting an iridescent glow back.
"Thank god," Jalen breathed as he shoved the now closed ring box back under the toe box of a low top Nike Dunk.
Jalen had just closed the door when Noelani entered the bedroom without Alani, "Hey, do you know if Alani's stuffed tiger from the zoo is in there? I can't seem to find it."
"Um. It's not in there," Jalen was willing to say anything that would keep Noelani from coming inside his closet.
"You didn't even check," Noelani released a bewildered chuckle, "You know she loves to crawl in there with it."
"It's not in there." Jalen repeated.
"Let me check," Noelani said, coming forward in an attempt to walk past him.
"No!" Jalen exclaimed.
Noelani jumped back in surprise and then tilted her head, "Are you alright? Why are you so like... Jumpy and shit? It's not like you."
"It's not there. Just check the nursery again." Jalen said.
Noelani blinked and then let out a sigh, "Okay. I'll check the nursery again. You, in the meantime, should take a Xanax or something."
Jalen was only able to breathe when Noelani had moved a couple of feet away from the closet door and once she had exited the room, Jalen rubbed his forehead with his index and middle finger.
