ALL MINE 2

three

[a much needed update. enjoy.]

A wave of stupefaction hit Grant without warning. He wasn't expecting to see Summer walk into his room. He hadn't heard from the woman in a while. Their last encounter ended with her shutting down the relationship he was trying to build with her. Grant remembered the entire scene vividly. He showed up at her dorm with chocolates and flowers, hoping to bloom a newfound connection. Unfortunately, Summer wasn't on the same page as him.

Initially, he was a little disappointed and upset with her. Grant didn't understand why she was being so difficult. He felt she wasn't being reasonable. Grant assumed Summer was invalidating his feelings. This resulted in him growing a bitter wedge between them. He planned to stay away from her permanently but couldn't erase her existence out of his mind. So many things reminded him of Summer and her beautiful allurement. The colors yellow and orange, the sun, flowers—sunflowers specifically, and anything dealing with the sweet aroma of vanilla. He wasn't sure what brand she wore, but Summer always smelled like vanilla mixed with a hint of Tide from her clothing. He loved it. She always smelled so good.

Grant's inability to forget about Summer permanently resulted in him putting himself in her shoes. Over the days, He realized she was only trying to help him. Summer was right. He wasn't one hundred percent over Annika and their eight-year relationship. Grant had so much to unpack. He spent all of his teenage years in a committed relationship. He wasn't used to being single. It felt weird to be independent with no one to reach out to and confide in. He no longer had to run his plans to Annika for the holidays and didn't have to hear about her whereabouts.

Summer was right. Grant said to himself.

He planned to take advantage of his freedom. He wanted to reflect on his goals and values for his future relationships. Grant was also in the mood for something new. Law would always be his career choice. However, he wanted to do something different, such as finding a new hobby to keep him occupied.

Grant silently cursed himself for trying to jump into a relationship with Summer. He was sure she was trying to heal and find herself. He figured he would do the same.

He sat at the foot of his bed with his phone in his hand. Grant was busy on Instagram. He was doing something he'd never imagined doing in a long time. Texting another woman. It felt weird, and he couldn't help but feel some guilt.

You're single, man. You can do whatever you want. Grant kept telling himself.

Finding a woman on Instagram wasn't hard. Grant was the son of a retired professional basketball player. Women flocked to him by default. He posted a few pictures on his Instagram Story, and a well-known influencer liked them, which caught his attention. He reached out to her, and they started texting back and forth. Grant discovered she was older than him, possibly 28. He also noticed she was a mom of one.

The influencer went by the name of Max. Judging from her photos, she was short and had a caramel complexion. She had a large following on social media. She posted a lot of videos on TikTok, revealing her bubbly personality.  Overall, she was cool, but Grant felt there was still a void. Something was missing.

Being entertained by Max was okay, but he couldn't get Summer out of his mind—out of his system. Grant told himself several times it wasn't okay to be captivated by her. He was starting to believe something was wrong with him.

❁❁❁

"It's nice to see you again, Summer." Miriam voiced while carrying an empty bin. She was preparing to take down the décor. The usual and ordinary ornamentation was laid out. However, Diane planned to get the holiday decorations up soon. The decorators would be making an appearance soon. Everyone in the house dreaded for the staff to come. The mansion would be occupied by consultant designers carrying around garlands, wreaths, stockings, and much more. It was such a draining day.