𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐃𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭.

𝑿𝑰𝑿

"It's Muh-lani." He sounded out in annoyance at the fact he already said what her name was, and him and Amerie spelled it the way they did to make the pronunciation simple.

The woman nodded, typing the name into the computer until she seen his name on the pickup list. "You can go right on in, they're just finishing up." She instructed to Syre who let Xyden go first.

They went over by where the other parents were, most of them consisting of mothers bringing Syre to stand over in a corner with Xyden in front of him. He stared through the window until his eyes spotted Malani who was the smallest one in her advanced group, but her size definitely didn't reflect her skill level because from what Syre could see, she was really good.

"When ya AAU tournament? And where so we can fly down, maybe bring Lani and ya cousins." He spoke down to his son who occupied himself on his phone.

"In October the week before Halloween, and it's in Las Vegas." He glanced up towards his dad who nodded with his eyes still looking through the big window to his daughter. He watched Malani dance around looking so focused, resembling him scarily in that moment.

He adjusted his hat before putting his focus back down on Xyden. "You tryna spend Halloween out there, or y'all do the trick or treating thing?" He asked his son, fixing the diamond chain around the boys neck.

"I want to go trick or treating, but we can do it out there ion care." He shrugged.

Nodding, Syre only wrapped his arm around the front of his son to pull him back so he stood closer to him. He didn't feel comfortable in the space they had to stand in because they were surrounded by people he didn't know and never seen before.

"So are you Malani's father?" A light skinned woman leant over to speak to Syre, whose head snapped in her direction. He stared at her blankly for a minute, allowing his eyes to scan along her face slowly to make note of who exactly he was speaking to.

She was tall, maybe 3-4 inches shorter than him. Her straightened hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, showing off her strong facial structure. She was pretty, but not someone he'd go for. Especially because he wasn't interested in going for anyone new right about now.

"Mhmm." He hummed dismissively, hoping she got the hint he didn't want to talk but she didn't, much to his dismay.

"Wow, I always see Amerie here thinking she looked like her mom. But she resembles you so much, she's good friends with my daughter." The woman pointed out her daughter who danced next to Malani, despite Syre not asking once.

But with the longer he looked to the little girl that the woman pointed at, he could feel his face hardening even more. She resembled Leon scarily, and she looked to be older than Malani by at least a year or two which would add things up perfectly.

His eyes blinked back over to the woman who he was starting to recognize. He never forgot faces, and he vividly remembered seeing her the one time he sat in the car after dropping Leon to see his daughter one time. She didn't see him because his windows were tinted, but he knew he seen her step out on the porch to greet his old friend that one time. 

His mind began to turn with all types of different theories circling through his head. His lips sealed shut to assist his mind that moved in its lonesome, allowing for him to just think until the voice of his daughter brought him back down to reality.

"Brudda!" She greeted Xyden first with her arms extended wide. Syre watched his kids hug each other, before Malani put her attention on him. "Dada!" She jumped excitedly, straight into his arms for him to lift her to hold.

"Hey mama, you had fun today?" He smiled, as if he hadn't had anything else on his mind. "Go head Xy." He nodded in the direction they came originally for his son to lead them out.