Soft.

s e v e n

4:23 p.m.

AMIR parked his 2017 Dodge Ram in front of the cupcake shop where he was meeting Naomi. He shuts off the engine before getting out of the vehicle. He'd just come from a run therefore he was dressed in a white wife beater and gray sweat-shorts with a pair of white Adidas running shoes. Many women who were passing by didn't hesitate to look, but he wasn't paying them any attention.

He walked into the cupcake shop, glancing around to find Naomi and Nia. Amir was furious with his little sister, but would try to be reasonable and hear her out. He also didn't want to go off while his niece was here. The shop was just a tad bit busy since it was a Friday afternoon. Kids were with their parents, having googly eyes over the vast amount of cupcake flavors to choose from.

    The cupcakes are tidily placed inside the transparent glass cabinet, lining up and waiting to be selected. There were different types of cupcakes like red velvet, regular vanilla, lemon pie, and many others. Classical music sounded throughout the business, playing a slower version of nursery rhyme.

Amir spotted them sitting near the window in a small booth. Nia had already picked out her cupcake and was slowly devouring the treat. He moved towards them and once he got closer, Naomi's head raises and she sees him. She taps Nia who turns around and smiles big once her eyes lands on Amir.

  "Uncle Mir!" Nia exclaims, gets up and runs towards him. Amir smiled at his niece, scooping her up in his arms and kissing her cheek.

     "Hey baby girl. Enjoying your cupcake?" He asked.

Nia nodded excitedly as he approached the table where Naomi looked at him with a knowingly expression. She knew why he was here and was daring him to yell at her if he wanted to. Amir rolled his eyes, sliding inside the booth then sat Nia in his lap. "Hey Mimi."

    "Hey Amir." She greeted back in a much serious tone. Looking back at Nia, she smiled at her. "Finish your cupcake baby. It's not that much left."

Nia nodded, and busied herself with the rest of the cupcake. That's when Amir decided to speak up. "Why?" He asked, with pleading eyes begging Naomi to explain why she taken the CEO position.

   Naomi sighed, and shook her head. "You could at least pretend like you came to spend time with us, you know? I haven't seen you in a few days so how about asking me how I've or your niece been?"

"You look good to me now answer my question."

       "We're doing really well, Amir. How have you been? How's the wedding planning going with Rayne?" She continued.

Amir flexed his jaw muscles, and shook his own head. "It's cool. Rayne wants to move it up from December to November. But, she's been doing most of the planning. I prefer it that way."

     "I can't believe someone really wants to marry you." Naomi joked.

He playfully rolled his eyes while adjusting Nia in his lap. "Yea, yea. Can you answer my question now?" He looked at her.

     "Amir, you have to learn how to separate personal from business. This was simply a business decision. If you haven't noticed, you're holding a five year old girl in your lap right now. I thought about her. I want to give her the life we didn't have."