Chapter 13.02

I took a look at the ring. It was yellow with a small white stone. I liked it more than most others, but it didn’t compare to Jenny’s.

“Don’t expect a date yet,” Brian said. “Mayoko’s parents want a long engagement, and we’ll announce it next week at my future father-in-law’s birthday party.”

“You’ll let us know,” Jenny said, unpacking the drinks.

“Now it’s your turn,” Mayoko joked, making Jenny busy herself opening cabinets. Brian and I watched quietly.

“We’re fine as we are,” she said calmly, returning to the living room a few seconds later with a box of cookies from the first cabinet.

“Yeah, that was clear when my friend opened the door today,” Brian laughed, easing Jenny’s embarrassment.

“I’ll put a clock in the bedroom,” I chuckled.

Brian and I started playing foosball at the table while Jenny and Mayoko chatted in Japanese on the couch.

“Do you understand them?” I asked between spins.

“Not if I focus on something else,” Brian said. “Your girlfriend talks fast.”

“Are they talking about us?” I asked.

“No,” Brian said after a pause. “They’re talking about that guy who—” He stopped short.

“Who?” I raised an eyebrow.

“Mayoko has a classmate,” he finished quickly.

“Are you sure?” I asked.

“Positive,” Brian said. “Relax. Both of our girlfriends love us.”

Paul and Susy’s arrival interrupted our conversation—they brought Akiko. Jenny quickly grabbed a thick blanket and placed it behind the couch with a bowl of water. Once the dog settled in, she petted its head.

When everyone arrived on time, Brian stood up from the couch and waited for silence.

“Everyone,” he announced, “my girlfriend no longer has to jump for a bouquet.” Those who understood laughed. Mayoko held up her ring and recounted the previous night. Everyone congratulated them.

“Jane,” Jessica said, “when the time comes, please help Aaron too.”

“Jess, we’ve talked about this,” Aaron said.

“I know, I’m just saying it theoretically,” Jessica replied.

“If the time comes, he knows where to find me,” Jenny smiled.

“Alright,” I said. “As you can see, here’s today’s game.” I gestured to the foosball table.

“Are we playing in pairs?” Paul asked.

“Yes and no,” Jenny said. “I’m tired of always being paired with pretty boy.” She laughed, ruffling my hair.

“Here are the girls’ names,” she showed a small box filled with folded papers. “You guys will draw one, but if you get your own partner, you’ll redraw. That way, everyone gets a new teammate for today. Pretty boy,” she turned to me, “as the host, you go first.”

“Jessica,” I said after unfolding my paper.

Paul drew Jenny, Brian got Diane, Aaron picked Susy, and Daryl got Mayoko. I moved to sit next to Jessica, and the others followed suit.

“Now that everyone’s met their partner,” my love smiled, “I should mention that today, the winners don’t get a prize—the losing pair will cook for everyone next time. Sound good?”

“Of course, we’ll all pitch in for the cost,” she added after everyone nodded.

“Can we choose the dish?” Diane asked.

“Each pair will suggest one now. The losers will pick two from the list to prepare,” Jenny explained. “Messyhair, write down scrambled eggs.” She teased.

“Jessica will cook,” I countered, making Aaron burst into laughter.

“Actually, write down scrambled eggs,” he said, dodging Jessica’s playful smack.

We wrote down scrambled eggs, and the others added their choices before tossing them into the box.

“Does this work for everyone?” my love asked, and I admired her decisiveness.

Once everyone agreed, we started playing—each pair against the others, up to five goals.

Paul and Jenny, when not playing, started chatting quietly, but I trusted them. Whenever Jenny noticed me watching, she smiled and touched her nose. I sent her a kiss without using my hands.

“Well, Diane,” Brian laughed after the last match, “that’s how it’s done.” Diane high-fived him.

“We won,” Diane announced loudly. “Too bad we weren’t rewarding the winners.”

“You’re right,” Paul agreed. “You two actually won. Does anyone care about the rankings, or should I just announce the last place?”

“Just tell me if the little girl was better than us,” I asked, smiling at Jenny.

“Yes, we were,” Paul laughed. “You barely avoided cooking.”

“That would’ve been a punishment for us,” Jenny teased, stepping closer to ruffle my hair. I wrapped my arm around her and kissed her. The others barely noticed.

“Aaron, Susy, the kitchen is yours next month,” I heard before Jenny’s lips shut out the world.

“You lost on purpose, didn’t you?” Jessica nearly shouted. “Just so you could cook together.” She was mocking.

Jenny let go of me and started watching silently.

“What?” Aaron asked.

“I saw how well you two were chatting,” Jessica said, clearly upset.

My girlfriend disappeared into the bedroom and returned wearing a thin sweater.

“Jess,” Susy said quietly, “I’m sorry if I did anything that upset you.”

“Jessica,” Jenny spoke calmly but firmly, “please come with me to the store.” She headed for the door and put on her shoes. Jessica hesitated for a moment before following.

“If I look at someone, this happens,” Aaron sighed after the door closed. “It’s getting harder to deal with. Hey,” he turned to me, “how do you handle it?”

“Handle what?” I asked.

“Your girlfriend’s jealousy,” Aaron said, making all the guys burst into laughter.