Bounded Souls

19.

The sleek black car parked in front of the large brown house with two parking spots in the driveway. Out of respect, Kai parked in front of the house. He squinted his eyes and looked at the house before him. Except for the different flowers in front of the house and the new pavement on the driveway, the house was exactly the same from when he was last there. It was evident that Grandma Viv wasn't in big support of change.

Slowly, he made his way up the stairs and rang the doorbell. A few seconds went by before the door was yanked open. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he looked over the older woman that stood in front of him. His mind raced trying to figure out who the lady was in front of him.

Suddenly, his eyes widened with realization.

"Ms. Lina, how are you ?"

It was evident that she had gotten some work done, but she was a beautiful woman nonetheless. Grandma Viv's genes were very strong. Her hair was cut short and placed in a ponytail. Kai was amazed that there was not one fly away in sight.

"Malakai?" She smiled widely. "Come in, come in."

"Thank you."

Lina waved him off. "And, call me Lina. No need for, Ms."

Kai nodded and tucked his hands into his pockets. He looked around the house and smiled lightly. There were some decorations around the house that he remembered being there when he was a teenager. He loved the fact that Vivian kept some of her old decor in the house, but upgraded everything to something more modern.

"Is Solana upstairs?"

"Oh, you're here for Solana?" She said with a stoic expression. "You guys are still friends?"

"Um, yeah. We're gonna grab a bite. Do you mind if I wait for her?"

He had the entire day planned for them, so he was glad that she said no, or everything would have gone to waste.

"Y-yeah, the living room is down that small hall and to the left." She pointed down the hall that was not too far from the kitchen.

Kai made his way down the hall and entered the living room. He sat down on the long plush couch and scrolled through his phone to answer some emails. He planned on making some improvements in the barber shop and even hiring another hairstylist. Preferably someone who did braids.

"Would you like something to drink while you wait?"

"Yes, please. Bottled water is fine." He called out.

Soon, Lina entered the room with a glass of lemonade and water on the other hand. She handed him the bottle and sat across from him on the reclining chair. She crossed her leg over the other and tightened her cardigan around her.

"So, how have you been as of lately?"

"I've been good. I have a barbershop across the street from Solana's bakery, so I've been busy with that. How about-"

"You mean Vivian's shop?" Lina smirked.

"No," Kai shook his head and chuckled. "I meant Sol's. Vivian gave her the shop, so it's in Solana's name."

"I don't know why she didn't just give it to both of the girls. They did grow up together and they had everything that the other had."

Kai understood that the two girls were raised together. From his knowledge they were only a few months apart. But, there was no need for competition. If the girls didn't see their lives as competition, he didn't understand why their family did. They were two different people with different interests. Baking and cooking didn't seem to be Sherrie's interest.