recognize / b.simmons

37

the sixers have three back to back games at home, so his family is in town to visit for thanksgiving and see him play. they had more family and friends showing up for thanksgiving, but they'd be here on the 28th. why they left hot australia for winter in philly, we'd all like to know.

ben grabs his mother and sister's bags, carrying them inside his house and putting them at the bottom of the stairs. his sister had the most stuff for someone who was only going to be in philly for a week—but liv was known for doing the most.

"where's my niece?" ben asks, stopping liv in the hallway. ben treated savannah, his niece, like his own. her birth was something that rocked the entire family, so she's something like the golden child.

"with dad—be careful with her, i think she's getting sick," liv instructs. ben gives her a thumbs up before going outside to where his mother and father were playing with the baby.

his dad was tickling savannah while his mom was cooing at her in that baby voice parents use. ben extends his arms for the baby and his dad places savannah in his hands. "hi, baby," ben coos, placing kisses all over savannah's face. he tickles her sides and she lets out a baby laugh and ben smiles at her and walks back inside his house.

"ben, someone's calling you!" liv shouts from the kitchen. ben covers savannah's ears at her loud mothers outburst and rushes into the kitchen. "A with a red heart—whos this?" liv asks, holding the phone up in bens face. he reaches for the phone but liv pulls back, a devious smile on her face.

ben sucks his teeth and looks at her. "give me my phone," he demands, getting more and more antsy as it continues to ring. it was stressing him out that liv of all people had his phone and "knew" now about amari. he hasn't told his family about amari—they haven't asked and him and amari are both trying to keep their relationship under wraps.

"let's answer it," liv says with a smirk, hitting the green button and making ben reach out for his phone. liv quickly moves out of the kitchen and sits at the table as amari comes into view on the camera wearing a syracuse crewneck, sweats, her hair braided, and her glasses that not even ben has seen her in, typing on her computer.

amari looks at the phone in confusion as liv's face takes up the screen. "hi?" amari says, grabbing her phone to get a better look at the stranger on the other line.

"who's this?" liv asks, smirking at amaris confusion. ben watches, rolling his eyes at olivia and sitting down next to her.

"i could ask the same," amari says, raising an eyebrow at liv. she looked like ben in a lace front, to amari—she had to be his sister.

olivia laughs and looks at ben. "i'm liv, bens big sister," she says. amari likes her accent and her voice—it's deep and her accent is thick and the way she pronounced 'sister' sounded like 'sis-tah'.

"i was wondering why you looked like ben with a wig on—i'm amari," amari says, extending her hand for a virtual handshake. liv laughs and returns the virtual handshake.

"so, you're dating my brother?" liv states, rather than asks.

amari smirks to herself, glancing at the phone. "something like that."

"liv, give me my phone back!" ben groans, reaching out and snatching it out of her hands. amari laughs at the siblings and focuses back on the email she was writing. "hey, amari." ben says, sighing as he gets up, savannah still in his arms.

amari smiles and turns to face her phone. "hey ba—pause. whose child is that?" she asks, sitting up straighter and narrowing her eyes at ben.

"chill, this is livs daughter, savannah," ben says and amari visibly relaxes.