My Ex Next Door

Morning.

Novie got out of the passenger seat after Ken opened the car door for her. She had a denim dress paired with cream flat shoes while her long hair was ponied up. In the other side, Ken wore a blue polo shirt and jeans. She needed to tell him to wear thinner clothes because of the hot weather but, Ken's was too stubborn to listen.

They were about to enter the villa when the door opened followed by the triplets figure running towards them with a big smile on their faces.

Leo and Ethan both had a short-pants reaching their knees and a black shirt while their short hair was neatly combed and gelled.

Leo was holding a tablet and, Ethan had a backpack which was almost the same size as him.

Novie gulped while her heart thumped as she tried to imagine what is the stuff inside of Ethan's bag.

She shook her head to remove the thought and shifted her sight to Alexa who's in Ken's arm.

Alexa was wearing a pink floppy skirt and a white shirt while on her shoulder was a white sling bag with diamonds on the straps. Her hair was braided in two with butterfly pin coated in glitters and, some strand of hair was covering her forehead.

Novie nibbled on her lips by Alexa's cuteness, she wanted to reach to her chubby and blushing cheeks but, afraid that the little girl might cry.

She rose an eyebrow when she saw the sweetness of two, unlike before Alexa was looking at her uncle with her green eyes and a sweet smile was on her lips.

The triplets greeted them cheerfully and looked towards the door. Novie followed their eyes and saw the triplets parent walking to their direction.

The bitter smile she remembered on Daniella's face had disappeared, instead, she had a radiant smile on her face showing her deep dimples.

As the couple reached them, Daniella and Evan greeted them.

"I was planning to come but, we have a prenatal check-up-" Novie was shocked to hear Daniella's words. So shocked that she interrupted her by slapping her arm.

"Ouch!" Daniella grunted.

Novie covered a hand on her lips and apologized, "I am sorry, I was surprised? you're pregnant? How? Since when?" her question came one after another while excitement rushed in her body.

Daniella shrugged a shoulder before replying.

"I figured something was wrong with my brain when I got jealous of you and later of my daughter. Tsk, It turns out the problem was my stomach. So, we will visit Claire to check on the baby and hope it's only one. I can't have another triplet. I am only 29 to have seven children!" Daniella was like a mad woman exaggerating every word she spoke.

Out of nowhere, Ken pokes a finger on Daniella's forehead.

"Stop faking your age Shorty, you're thirty. Is it fine for you to get pregnant? You almost died the last time Claire sliced your body." Ken spoke while his finger repeatedly flipped her forehead.

Daniella slapped his hand away and glared at him, "Yes and my killer hormones are on so brother you better stay from me" Daniella replied to her brother and, handed him a bunch of business card.

Novie giggled and went closer to embraced Daniella, she was delighted to hear the news.

"Congratulation Daniella, remember that I am here and I will help you if ever you need a babysitter" she gladly offered.

Daniella nodded as a response and looked at her daughter. Novie widened her eyes and secretly looked at Ken when Daniella waved the hair on Alexa's forehead.

Daniella placed a small kiss on her daughter's forehead and stared at Alexa deeply.

"Honey, mommy can't afford to pay any damages in the zoo. So, if you don't want to live in a small house and share a room with your brothers, sell all your dress and, eat three times a day I suggest you behave ok?" hearing those words, the little girl nodded obediently. When Alexa shifted her sight to her uncle, the small smile on her lips disappeared.

"You can laugh Uncle Ken, mommy said I have a big forehead because my brain is big. What about you, uncle? have you tried measuring your forehead" when Alexa asked the question, she rested a hand on Ken's forehead and tried measuring it, after realizing that it's bigger than her palm, her lips pressed together in embarrassment?

"I guess you have a big brain just like me" she blurted and asked Ken to lower her down,

After the triplets bid their goodbye to their parents, Novie waved a hand at them to bid her goodbye.

As they drove their way out of the villa, the triplets went down to their business. Novie looked at the rearview mirror and saw Leo drawing something in his table while Ethan put a headset on and rested his head on the car seat.

"Uncle Ken, can you turn on the Bluetooth of your car?" Alexa asked.

Without question, Ken turned it on and, shortly after an upbeat song started playing. Novie didn't wonder how Alexa did it. She had known them long enough to understand that their brain functions more than an average human just like their mother.

As they drive, Novie thought how did Daniella handle her previous pregnancy. She turned to Alexa and asked her.

"Alexa" she called her name, the little girl was slowly dancing in her chair, enjoying the song.

"What is it, Aunt Novie?" Alexa shouted. Both Ken and Novie twitched their lips by her shout. It's too loud that it exceeded the loud music.

Ken immediately lowered the music and signaled her to continue.

Novie rotated her body to her right side to get a good look of Alexa.

"How's your mommy? Is she all right?" she has been wondering how the triplets took the news.

Alexa pouted her lips while her eyes looked at the ceiling of the car.

"Mommy's all right" she eventually replied.

Novie was startled when Alexa's leg stretched to reach the stereo volume but, because of her small leg, she wasn't able to do it.

Ken flipped a finger to Alexa's leg which made the girl squeaked in pain.

"Uncle Ken that's painful" Alexa complained.

Ken shook his head and ignored her but, he adjusted the volume and let Alexa sing again.

The little girl took her comb out of her sling bag and used it as a microphone while her hand and body dancing.

(I wake up every day like, "Hello, beautiful")

('Cause this world is so crazy and it can bring you down)

(You're 'too short', 'too fat', 'too skinny')

(Hey, well excuse me if I think that I'm pretty)

Novie covered a hand on her lips when she saw Alexa performing, the little girl's hand sway in the air and repeatedly hit her siblings but, the two boys didn't mind it.

They stayed in the traffic for almost thirty minutes and Alexa sang the same song on repeat. At first, Novie was enjoying her melodic voice but, after the song played for almost ten times, her head started to get a migraine.

She looked at Ken only to find him whistling while his fingers were drumming on the steering wheel as if he was enjoying the song and Alexa's voice singing out loud.

Because of the song repeatedly playing, she figured that the title was, 'Girl in my mirror'

It's an upbeat song and had a part where someone was rapping, and when that moment came. Novie slouched her body on the chair and discreetly massages her head.

The little concert went on for two hours until they reached the zoo, the one and a half hour drive turned three hours because of the traffic and Alexa's non-stop request to stop at the gasoline station to pee.

Since then, Novie understand why Ethan and Leo were both wearing their headset on, they must have known about the mini concert in the car and she finds it unfair that no one warned her, not even Ken.

When they finally arrived, Alexa went to her uncle and held his hand while the two boys ran to her side.

"Don't you want to go to your uncle Ken?" she asked the two boys in confusion. They both shook their head and Ethan parted his lips to speak.

"Alexa already forgave Uncle Ken so she's back to her old self. She will never let him out of her sight"

Ethan words somehow made her skin to crawl, she pressed her lips together and held each of their hands.

Ken and Alexa went to the cashier to pay for their entrance while Novie and the two boys walked to the entrance

"Five tickets please" Ken spoke and handed the card to the cashier through the small hole at the glass wall.

The young woman accepted his card and gave him a wide smile, Ken rose an eyebrow and hesitated whether to change the cashier or not.

"Your daughter is so cute mister" the cashier seductively said.

Ken twitched his lips, unsure how to the response.

"Really?" Alexa suddenly spoke in a tiny voice.

At that moment, Ken felt that something is about to happen.

"yes, you are so cute" the cashier spoke excitedly while her hand went through the small hole to pinch Alexa's cheeks.

Ken could feel Alexa's body hardened but, to his surprise, the girl smiled and slowly removed the cashier's hand from pinching her cheeks.

"Well. Can we have a discount?" Alexa asked.

The cashier was astounded, but as soon as Alexa blinked her round eyes and smiled, the woman shrieked.

"Of course! We have a policy for kids under 3 years old, they won't need to pay. Are there other kids aside from her?" the cashier asked Ken with enthusiasm

Ken was speechless. He can afford to pay but, Alexa was pinching his back with her little fingers sending him a message he could not comprehend.

"I have three more siblings. There" saying that Alexa pointed a finger at their right direction.

Since the cashier was inside the booth, she could not see where Alexa was pointing.

In the other side, Ken wanted to burst, instead of pointing at Novie's direction which was next to the gate, Alexa was pointing at the bench where three old men were sitting and reading newspapers.

(You are really Daniella's kid) he blurted inside in amusement.

He looked back at the cashier when he heard Alexa's voice.

"But, we are not three years old. We are five" Alexa whispered. The cashier widened her eyes at Alexa and handed them the five tickets indiscreet.

"I know but, we only give the free tickets to three-year-old kids. Now, go before my manager will see you here" the woman said and flirtatiously smiled at Ken.

"By the way, mister, do you have a wife?" the woman suddenly grabbed Ken's arm, stopping him from leaving. After Alexa took the tickets, she smiled at the cashier and answered her question.

"My uncle is getting married soon don't worry I will ask my Aunt to give you an invitation" saying that Ken and Alexa left while the cashier's face flushed in distress.

"You're too young to fool people Lexi, so don't do that again" he lectured her but, in a soft tone.

The little girl pouted to quarrel, "Uncle Ken, mommy told us to always asked for a discount. Are you not happy that I save you some money" the girl spoke in a hurtful tone?

Ken shook his head and decided to shut his lips. He knows that if he continues with this conversation, they will have to spend the whole day discussing it.

He blows a sighed as they walked closer to the gate, "Fine, thank you. We can use that money to buy you an ice cream" as he said those words, the girl squealed and rain his face with small kisses.