Forever

twenty.

Flashback • Two Weeks Before His Death
Hakeem's House

Aurora slammed her car door shut as she ran to jump into Hakeem's awaiting arms. It had been quite some time since she'd last seen her brother and she couldn't contain her excitement.

"Hey, lil sis! Look at you getting taller than me!" Hakeem laughed, spinning his sister. Aurora laughed at his obvious attempt at clowning her because she was nowhere near as tall as him.

"I hate a brother who talks shit all day." she said, slapping his back. Hakeem let her down before making a face at her cursing.

"I know you ain't cursing in front of me." he teased. Aurora rolled her eyes and stepped past him into his house and headed straight to the kitchen.

"Where's Darebear?" she asked, grabbing his family size bag of Cheetos from his pantry.

"He should be here soon. I had him stop for some beers after he got off work. You always eating like you never got fed as a child." he said, scrunching up his face at her.

"All I do is eat at home but it tastes so much better coming from your place." she laughed.

Hakeem walked around the counter to stand next to her and draped his arm across his shoulder. Aurora paid him no mind as she ate her chips and scrolled on her phone.

"Mom and Pops said they'd be here any minute. It's just me and you until D gets here. Tell me what you been up to since you ain't seen me in years." he scoffed.

"That's not true! I've been working, you know I just got promoted. I spend more time at the stadium than my own damn apartment. I haven't even seen Mom and Dad in weeks." she sighed.

Aurora had been so busy working that she barely found time to see her family and her bestfriend. She loved what she did but with the season being in full swing, she was needed for injury reports more than she thought.

"And I'm proud of you, Ro. We need to figure out what game you can get off for so we can make it a weekend trip. D got jealous we went without him last time so he wanna come."

"He's always tryna cut into our time together. I'm finna find him a girlfriend." she exclaimed, rolling her eyes. Hakeem shook his head at her not wanting Darius to come. She hadn't acted like this in years about it though.

"Don't do my boy like that. You know he don't mess with other people like that. He only got us and Mena. It'll be fun." he assured her but she simply ignored him.

The two hung out by themselves before their parents got there which was a memory that would end up being one of the lasting memories they had of Hakeem.

"Pops, what's going on?! You bulking?!" Hakeem shouted as his parents walked through his front door. Aurora laughed at her brother and father as they embraced like they hadn't seen each other in 15 years.

"Boy, look at you with all these tattoos. Spend more time at a parlor than with ya own family." Deon joked, bringing his son in for another hug.

"Hey, Mommy. I missed you." Aurora said into her mom's shoulder. The two girls squeezed each other like they had been reunited after years apart.