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AYOLUWA FOCUSED ON KEEPING HER BALANCE on the rung of a yellow step ladder.
In her hands was a blue and gold frosted ornament, the smell of the evergreen tree deep in her nostrils.
A rendition of This Christmas by Donny Hathaway played from the Alexa that Camille, Ayoluwa's grandmother, kept in her kitchen.
The fireplace kept the bottom floor of the two story house warm while the mixed smell of spicy gingerbread and sweet chocolate chip cookies on the kitchen counter filled the rest of the house.
The interior and exterior of the house were decked out in gold, green and red Christmas decorations.
Ayoluwa was ecstatic to be back home in California.
Especially given the week she had.
New York could be amazing, at certain times, but her hometown of Los Angeles would forever be Ayoluwa's favorite place to be.
Camille passed Ayoluwa another ornament, "I still don't understand why I couldn't stay at my old place."
"It wasn't safe, grandma. Anyone could've gotten to you. You don't like the new place?" Ayoluwa looked around at the significantly larger house she had bought for her grandmother.
"I do and I appreciate you doing this for me, it's just... It's too big for just me," Camille wrung her hands a little, "You're on the other side of the country and Imani has her own place in Echo Park... My nest is empty. I'm not used to that."
Ayoluwa glanced down at her grandmother and opened her mouth to speak when the doorbell rang.
Ayoluwa carefully stepped down from the step ladder as Camille rushed over to the door.
Lauryn and Myles, Imani and Jamal's three year old son, came running through the front door.
"Auntie! Auntie!" Lauryn grinned as she flew into Ayoluwa's waiting arms.
Myles waddled over as well to join the hug, his added force causing Ayoluwa to fall over.
"Ooh," Ayoluwa said as she struggled to keep both kids in her arms.
"Okay. Let's give auntie some space, alright?" Imani said, beaming.
As soon as Ayoluwa was able to stand, she rushed over to her sister to bear hug her.
It was extremely ironic.
You would think that Ayoluwa's success would only make the previous rift between the sisters bigger but in fact it had done the complete opposite.
The birth of a boy had been the key to Imani straightening herself out and convincing Jamal to do it too, somehow.
"You need to come home more often," Imani muttered in Ayoluwa's ear before pulling back, "Where's Josh?"
Ayoluwa grew quiet at the question, "Um, he had some team stuff. The season's starting soon, you know how it is."
She felt horrible lying to her sister but she wasn't ready to admit that Joshua just didn't want to come.
Jamal had a Santa's hat on top of his head and he walked past them to stuff the presents underneath the tree then turned to face the three women, "I don't know about y'all but I'm ready for Camille's eggnog."
Ayoluwa immediately shook her head, "No dairy for me. Gloria would have a stroke if she found out."
"Is Gloria here?" Imani took a dramatic look around the house.
Camille, Jamal and Imani stared Ayoluwa down for her answer until she let out a sigh, "Fine! It's Christmas, why not?"
Soon the adults each had a cup of eggnog and sat around the granite kitchen island.
The kids were sitting on the couch a few feet away, mesmerized by the rerun of How The Grinch Stole Christmas.
Jamal narrowed his eyes, "What happened to your hand?"
He nodded at the bandaid on Ayoluwa's butterfly free hand causing her sister's and grandmother's attention to turn towards it as well.
"Huh? Oh, nothing." Ayoluwa took another sip of her eggnog, the spiced rum inside it making her start to feel a little warm, "Josh just grabbed me too hard one day. It's nothing."
"It's not nothing if you got hurt," Imani grabbed Ayoluwa's hand and ripped off the bandaid causing Ayoluwa to hiss in pain.
Camille grabbed her hand as well to observe the broken skin, "Hmm. I see that I need to make a visit. Leave a pot of hot grits on the stove."
Ayoluwa shot her grandmother a look, "He's not beating me. You need to stop watching so many Tyler Perry movies."
"Hmm." Camille repeated.
"Are you okay?" Jamal asked.
Ayoluwa paused then took another sip of her drink.
"It's just... Is there such thing as a three year itch?" Ayoluwa glanced to where Lauryn was sitting on the tan couch, scarfing down cookies with Myles.
Imani furrowed her brows then turned to Ayoluwa, clearly confused, "'Three year itch'? What do you mean?"
"You know the seven year itch in marriage?" Jamal, Imani and Camille nodded to answer her question.
"Is it a possible for a guy to get sick of his girlfriend in less than three years?" Ayoluwa repeated.
"Did something happen?" Camille asked, "Why are you asking?"
Ayoluwa sighed then leaned back in her high chair, "I don't know. Something is off with Josh. Everything's an argument lately. I can't catch a break."
Imani's face filled with realization, "Is that why he's not here?"
"No, I told you it was because of team stuff." Ayoluwa repeated her lie.
Imani's eye twitched, "Ayo-."
"Can we change the subject please?" Ayoluwa interrupted in a snappy tone.
She didn't mean to be rude to her family on Christmas but the last thing she wanted to do was discuss her failing relationship because that...
That would make that heartbreaking fact real and Ayoluwa wasn't ready to let Joshua go.
