ALL MINE 2

twenty-two

[2 more chapters left — enjoy beautiful people 🩷]

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The internship ended sooner than Grant expected. He went to the firm to meet with Laila. The conversation went well...until it didn't. Grant wasn't comfortable with the situation she was putting him in. The intense stares, subtle flirting, and slight movements that would catch any man's attention. He couldn't do it, and he made sure to let her know.

"Are you sure that's the decision you're willing to make?" Laila questioned him with her brows hiked. She was startled by his decision and didn't think he would resign so quickly.

"I'll figure it out." Grant rasped with a slight nod, looking uninterested.

"Tell me," Laila began. "What did I do wrong?"

Grant paused momentarily, not saying anything. He was not in the best mood to put up with foolishness. He didn't want to deal with Laila, whom he assumed was only trying to give him an internship for some type of popularity gain and probably sexual offers.

She was aware of him being in a relationship with Solana, but that didn't stop her from flirting and giving him lustful looks. Grant knew it would be wise not to put himself in such a position where he would have to deal with Laila, so he didn't bother to explain or go into detail.

Grant was financially stable. However, he was no longer receiving money from his dad. Dominick cut him off financially after realizing he was not going to pursue a basketball career.

That didn't seem to bother Grant. He wasn't broke since he still had a deal with Revive. They paid him well to travel around the United States and promote their products. The young man managed to balance his savings even after leaving the print shop. He wasn't struggling financially, but mentally.

It bothered Grant that Solana kept such a huge secret from him. He knew she was trying to be loyal to Dominique, but he felt the situation was too serious for her to keep to herself. Nique almost died, and it stressed his parents out. They were trying their best to find out who was in the car with his sister, but failed to get that information. What angered him was that she knew the entire time and didn't bother to speak up.

Breaking up wasn't an option for him. He didn't want to end things with Solana. However, he felt the need to distance himself from the girl. He needed time to think and breathe. With her around, he wouldn't be able to do that. It would only put a strain on their relationship.

Later that day, Grant met up with Josh and headed to the track to run some laps. He wanted to keep himself in shape and work on strengthening his leg. The duo hit the track and began their run. They sprinted around a few times, pushing their limits until they decided to stop for a quick water break.

Grant gulped his water down as he tried to catch his breath. He moved around, trying to push away the pain from his injured leg. A grimace etched across his face as he gnashed his teeth.

"You sure it's a good idea for you to be on that leg?" Josh questioned his friend, concerned.

Josh was right. Grant was pushing his limit with his injury. He had no business trying to run laps, knowing he was still recovering. His leg still ached and bothered him, resulting in the young man having to take pain medication.

"I'm good." Grant voiced after shaking it off.

"Really?" Josh threw out the assurance, wanting to make sure.

"Yeah, man..." Grant trailed off. "I need this exercise. My leg is getting weak."

Josh only nodded as he leaned against the wall, sipping on his water. After quenching his thirst, he said, "How's Nique?"