HER

12.

"Jaelen, somebody at the door" Ximora said sleepily.

Someone had been knocking on his door for 5 minutes.

"Mmm you get it" he said fixing the cover over himself.

"It's your house" she said.

He groaned "Let them go away then-"

He was cut off by the knocking getting louder and turning to banging.

"They gon wake KJ up" he said shaking his head and getting up.

After grabbing his gun, he slid on his house shoes and walked to the front.

Ximora eventually got up and nosily followed behind him.

"Mama, whatchu doing? It's 6 in the morning and it's Saturday" Jaelen said as Sadé pushed past him.

"I definitely need a key to your house, I'll have a copy made" she said going into the kitchen.

He scrunched up his face "Nah you good"

"What you doing tho?" He repeated.

"I know that girl ain gon make nothing for breakfast, cause I know she's here just using you, so I came to make you some" she told him.

He shook his head "Ma.. you don't gotta do that. I'm straight"

She set her stuff on his kitchen island.

"Now you're gonna treat me like this for her?"

By this point Ximora had came into Sade's view.

"Mora go back in the room for me" Jaelen said.

"Oh so y'all shacking up? Do you pay any bills Zora?"

"Mama can you-"

"I don't, I already told you that my sister and I don't live here" Ximora answered.

"And my name is Ximora" she said.

"Ma this my house, you can't dictate what I got going on. And being disrespectful to Ximora isn't gonna make me leave her alone and not wanna be with her" Jaelen told Sadé.

Sadé shook her head "I'm just gonna go"

"Ma you don't gotta leave I just want you-"

"Nope you've chosen this girl over me, it's fine" she said walking out.

Once the door slammed shut, Jaelen sat down and blew out a breath.

"You good?" He asked Ximora.

She nodded and grabbed his hand "Mhm, let's just go back to sleep"

___________

"Girl I been cut my mama off, I don't know why Jaelen hasn't..." Jade said shaking her head.

"Like when I was younger, it always seemed like she wanted to sabotage anything good in my life." Jade continued.

Ximora was doing Jade's hair and listening to what Sadé had told Jade about their encounter earlier.

"I don't wanna be rude or disrespectful, because that's y'all mom. But I think something is going on mentally" Ximora said.

Jade shook her head "I know something going on mentally. I told Jaelen and he just wanna deny it, cause that's his mama or whatever he said."

Ximora just nodded in an attempt to stay on a neutral side.

"I love this" Jade said looking in the mirror.

"Thank you for coming!" Ximora smiled seeing Jade's payment come through on her cash app.

"Ouuu so my friend is in a shop, they have an extra booth. Would you like her number?" Jade said grabbing her purse.

Ximora nodded "I would love that, thank you for telling me"

"Of course, I gotta go get Maliyah from her daddy. But I just sent you the number"

Once she finished cleaning up, the door opened revealing Jaelen and KJ with food.

"Wassup" he said kissing her.

"Ewwww" KJ gagged sitting on the couch.

He smirked "You a hater?"

"My boyfriend tried to kiss me once, but I told him no cause Mora said boys have germs. So you shouldn't kiss her" KJ said.

Jaelen scrunched up his face "What boyfriend? Youn gotta boyfriend"

"Okay...." KJ hummed turning her tablet on and eating.

Ximora laughed and grabbed the bag with her food.

"Kamari don't play wimme" Jaelen said mugging her.

She looked up and mugged him back.

"What you did today?" He asked Ximora.

"Umm I did four heads," she said.

"You could retwist me next week? And line me up?" He asked pulling her legs into his lap.

She nodded as he started massaging her legs causing her whole body to relax.

"Your sister sent me the number for this shop, I'm gonna call them in the morning to get more information" she told him.

"That's good, ion really like you having people in out of your suite" he said.

"I don't either" she agreed.

She never really like having people in her and KJ's space, but that's how she made her money.

______________

"Ximora..." Jaelen called.

After Ximora finished her homework they decided to spend the night at Jaelen's house.

KJ was asleep in the other room, while they laid on the couch.

"Hmm?" She sounded sleepily.

"I was wondering if you wanted to move back in.. it don't make sense to be paying for a hotel. You could save your money" he told her.

She thought about it, then thought about his mom and what she'd been saying.

"Umm.. I'm actually looking at this apartment, do you wanna come with me to look at it in person? I go on Friday" she said.

He nodded "Fasho"

She smiled and laid her head back on his chest.