Bradford.

26. Ball.

Chapter 26: Ball.

I am awoken by the sound of the birds chirping. I squint my eyes to adjust to the brightness of the room.

It's the last day of the year and I don't know how to feel.

We're currently in New York.

And by "we." I mean, me and Amir.

"Babe, are you up?" Amir asks as she walks into the room.

I groan and put the duvet over my head.

"Wake up, sleepy head." Amir says, pulling the duvet off my body.

"Thanks." I say, glaring at him.

"You're cuter when you're mad." He says, ruffling my hair.

Amir and I are officially boyfriend and girlfriend. I accepted his offer yesterday, he was more than happy.

Thrilled.

That's the word.

"Cuter?" I say, feigning hurt. "So, I'm not cute when I'm not mad?" I ask him and he groans.

"I'm not gonna do this with you." He laughs. "Get ready, we're leaving in thirty." He tells me before he walks out of the room.

We're going to pick up Amir's daughter from her mother's house.
Her name is Hazel. I'm really nervous. I mean, I have every right to be. I've only been dating her father for a day.

I better get ready, I don't have time to waste. I lazily trudge towards the bathroom and I take my clothes off and I step into the shower.

***

Amir rings the doorbell and I rub my palms together before I put them in the pocket of my coat.

A black woman with coily hair and glasses opens the door. Her perfectly manicured nails tap the wooden frame as she stares at Amir and then glances my way, paying me no mind.

"Christina, this is Valarie." Amir says introducing me to her.

She gives me a tight-lipped smile.

"Hi." I say, waving at her.

She scoffs before she looks away.

"Hazel, your dad's here." She yells out for her daughter.

I just stand there awkwardly, waiting for Hazel to come out so we can leave. I'm clearly not welcome here and I don't care for Christina's nasty attitude.

"Daddy." Hazel says as she runs up to Amir, hugging his leg.

"There's my girl." He says, picking her up.

I smile as I watch him be a father. It's kind of attractive.

"I need her back home by seven." Ashley says before she slams the door in our face.

What a bitch.

"Daddy, let's go buy cotton candy." Hazel chirps as Amir puts her down. Letting her stand on her own.

"We will get cotton candy later. Right now, there's someone special I want you to meet." He tells her.

"Who?" She says, chuckling.

She's so cute.

Her chubby cheeks are giving me life right now.

"She's over there." Amir says, pointing at me. I smile at her.

She walks towards me, I crouch down, so that we're on the same eye level. She just stares at me.

Is there something on my face?