They were standing on Jalen's front porch, about to ring the doorbell so they could enter for the planned dinner between the two families.

"Please don't embarrass me in there. Jalen values his mom's opinion a lot and I need her to like me. So please, please, please don't say or do anything dumb or ignorant." Noelani spoke the last line to her stepmother.

"We won't. It's cold, please ring the doorbell." Alejandro gestured to the circular doorbell and Noelani jammed her finger into it.

She nervously smoothed the oversized black cardigan she was wearing over a long sleeved shirt, jeans and Uggs as the door opened.

Jurnee grinned up at her then hugged her around the waist.

Noelani embraced the girl back with an equally big smile.

"Let them in! You're letting all the cold air in!" Bree said, her voice coming from the kitchen.

The house was comfortably warm with the mixed smell of lemon scented candles and garlicky chicken adobo in the air.

"Hi, Noel! Everyone's already in the dining room." Bree smiled at her.

Alejandro closes the door behind the three and they took their shoes off to leave them by the staircase.

"Do you need some help?" Noelani asked Bree as she followed her to the kitchen.

"Yes, dear. If you could just hold..." Bree trailed off, pointing to an aluminum foil tray that was full of light brown noodles, cut up vegetables and scrambled eggs.

Noelani carefully picked up the tray and followed Bree into the dining room.

Their dining room table was a long, traditional wooden table with carvings on the legs.

Marcus, Jalen's stepdad was sitting at the head of the table while everyone else was filled in on the sides of the table.

Jalen and Erin were sitting on the right side while Jurnee and Alejandro were on the left side and Bree sat at the other end of the table.

"Noel, sit next to me!" Jurnee said, patting the cushion on the chair adjacent to hers.

Noelani eyes the empty chair next to Jalen with slight longing but sits in the chair Jurnee indicated previously.

On the table were several dishes of Filipino food, rolls, steamed spinach and sticky white rice.

After a quick blessing of the food, the plates were passed around so everyone could have a portion of something different.

"So, Noelani do you play any sports?" Marcus asks her.

"I kick box and I was on a swim team at my old high school." Noelani responded.

"And she's amazing on a surf board." Alejandro cut in, "You should see her."

Noelani chuckles wryly at her father boasting of her abilities, "I'm okay. It's been a couple of months, I'm out of practice."

"She's being modest." Alejandro waved away her comment, "She catches sixty foot waves like it's nothing."

There was a soft cascade of something rubbing against Noelani's ankle.

She glanced down to see Jalen's sock covered foot rubbing against her own.

"It must be weird huh? Living in California but not near a beach." Bree sipped her drink with a laugh.

Noelani tried to ignore Jalen, "Yeah. California is not what I thought it was going to be. I thought every stereotype was true."

Jalen kicked her shin and widened his eyes subtly when Noelani glared at him.

"Pay attention to me." Jalen mouthed before resuming to attack the food on his plate.

Noelani's eyebrow rose but she commenced to

playing footsie with him as well.

"Like sunny all the time?" Jurnee asked.

"Yeah, actually. Sunny all the time and a celebrity around every corner."

The adults laughed slightly at her remark.

"What is the relationship between y'all two? As a concerned father." Alejandro asks, a smirk on his face.

"Uh," Noelani and Jalen look at each other.

"We're frie-." Jalen started to respond when Jurnee put a hand up, "They're talking."

"Talking?" Marcus asked.

"Dating but not really. It's a situationship." Jurnee explained.

Jalen shook his head, "Where'd you learn this stuff?"

"Friends from school. They think you're too chicken to ask Noel out and I think so too." Jurnee shrugged.

There were snickers at Jurnee's bluntness and Noelani tried to hide her smile at Jalen being called out.

Noelani secretly felt the same way but she had already asked him to homecoming.

She wasn't about to ask him to be hers.

"Mind your business, Jurnee." Jalen snapped.

The two siblings started arguing for a minute before Bree cleared her throat loudly, "Enough!"

"Kids," Marcus chuckled, "You know? You got siblings?" He directed the question to Noelani.

"No, but I grew up in a house with a lot of my cousins so it kinda feels like they're my siblings." Noelani daintily ate a bit of rice before looking over to Erin.

Nothing on Erin's plate was touched and she was being quiet, her hands on her stomach.

Noelani glanced at Alejandro then rolled her eyes at the clear worry on his face.

"Something wrong, Erin?" Bree asked.

"Uh, yeah. Just uh," Erin glanced at Alejandro then at Noelani, "Just a bit of morning sickness."

Bree clapped excitedly and asked Erin something but Noelani couldn't hear it properly over the blood rushing in her ears.

There was another sharp kick in the shins from Jalen and upon Noelani returning her attention to him, mouthed "Are you okay?"

Jalen knew all about Noelani's complicated relationship with her father and stepmother due to the endless late night phone calls they shared.

"Not now." Noelani mouthed back.

"So I guess you won't be an only child anymore." Marcus said pleasantly.

Noelani forced a smile on her face at the revelation but inside she could feel her stomach drop in sorrow.

It sounded harsh but Noelani didn't want any reason to be linked to Erin.

After dinner, Noelani and Jalen had volunteered to do the dishes so they could get some alone time.

Alejandro and Erin had driven back home and Jalen's family were all upstairs behind closed doors.

"Why would they announce it like that? I just... Did he think that if he told me in public I would be less pissed?"

Noelani was sitting on top of the counter next to the sink, drying the dishes that Jalen was passing to her as she ranted.

"Like wow, congrats! You knocked her up." Noelani continued.

Jalen passed her an amused look, "Are you done?"

Noelani sighed, "Yeah. Yeah, I'm done."

"Just ignore them like you've been doing. She's pregnant and there's nothing you can do about it," Jalen shrugged, "And when the baby comes don't take this out on them. They ain't do nothing to you."

Noelani gave a surprised, wide eyed look at the advice he had given.

"Aight?" Jalen asked, picking his head up from the pot he was watching.

Noelani raised an eyebrow but repeated, "Aight."

"My mom really likes you. Or at least I think she does." Jalen changed the subject.

"I was surprised she wanted me to be here." Noelani responds, twisting her upper body slightly to grab the pot he had just cleaned.

"She does the dinner thing with everyone." Jalen waved her off and Noelani raised an eyebrow.

"Everyone huh? Who else has been here for dinner?" Noelani asked, hopping off the counter and crossing her arms.

"Don't start that jealous stuff." Jalen pulled Noelani into his arms.

"What's your love language? I think yours is touch."

"What makes you say that?"

"You kicked me four times during dinner."

"Oh. Right."

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