"From This Day Forward (Part 3 to One Night Stand)"

"What is Love?"

Summer hardly slept at all. She didn't stay up thinking about Jay. Instead she was thinking about love & how Grandma & Jack loved each other. She thought about all that she knew about love. What did love really mean to her?

She only truly loved a handful of men in her life, her dad, Greg, Dylan & Jay. They were all at different times in her life & all a different types of love. She evaluated her relationships & why she dated the guys she dated.  All 3 men were very different. Each had different family backgrounds & had different personalities.

Greg came from a well-to-do family. She met Greg at her private school playground in elementary. They were friends at first, but once they got to middle school were teased a lot by friends & classmates to date. She wasn't sure if the teasing got to them or if they actually did have real feelings for each other because in their sophomore year of high school, they finally dated. Their relationship was on & off & lasted all throughout high school & even into their freshmen year in college. Summer realized that Greg was controlling & was only using her for sex, but she was too afraid to leave the relationship because she felt that she invested so much into it. Greg & Summer finally broke up when she found out that Greg was seeing & dating her former best friend.

After their break up, Summer bounced back & had an inner strength which allowed her to focus on college & she even graduated without having a boyfriend in her life. Summer was never the type of girl to feel like she needed a boyfriend & she was right. She didn't need one to get through college. She partied a little during her sorority days, but didn't meet anyone she considered to be dating material.

She met Dylan on a dating app only a few months after she graduated college. Their relationship only last several months, but he was good to her. He made her happy in more ways than one. Although Dylan's mistake caused them to break up, they ended up mending the issue & are still friends to this day. Dylan says that even if he & Summer aren't together anymore that he will always love her & that she will still hold a special place in his heart & life.

Summer knew Jay since she was 16. She met him one summer while visiting her dad in Virginia. They had a lot in common. They both grew up in single-parent homes raised by their dads. And they were both military brats. Summer was on a break from her relationship with Greg & when she met Jay, there was an instant physical attraction between the two of them. Greg was buzzed from his father's memorial service & was feeling lonely. Summer was there & filled in that empty void in his life. That night was filled with exploration & sexual excitement between Summer & Jay. Although Summer had moved on, Jay did not. Summer thought Jay was special since they had experienced a lot together. Jay even had Summer's dad's stamp of approval. She realized how they had eventually grown apart & were fighting for something that was never going to last. She knew she had to let go of the idea of her & Jay.

Summer got up early that morning since she could barely even sleep. She decided to go on a jog around the wood area in Jack's neighborhood. "The fresh air will do me good," she thought. After about a mile or so, her mind was cleared of all the thoughts that filled it. She was still hurt, but realized maybe she & Jay just weren't meant to be. She didn't wear her engagement ring & placed it into her vanity drawer. She wondered what she did wrong & what caused Jay to cheat on her. She wondered why all her former loves cheated. "Am I the problem?", she pondered.

As she was running, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She flinched, turned around & whoever was behind her she maneuvered to the floor. Dennis knelt down with Summer twisting his arm. Summer quickly let him go & took off her earbuds. Dennis stood back up & shook his arm out. Both Summer & Dennis were catching their breath.

Dennis: Wow, you have really good reflexes.
Summer: I'm sorry, Dennis... I didn't know it was you.
Dennis: Well, at least you know how to take care of yourself. Where'd you learn how to do that?
Summer: My dad was in the marines. Why'd you tap me?
Dennis: I was just glad to see you. I'm not familiar with the trails & I got lost so when I saw you, I was calling out your name, but you didn't heard me. So I tried hard to catch up to you to tap your shoulder. You're really hard to keep up with.
Summer: Come on, let's head back.
Dennis: Yeah...
Summer: Sorry again.
Dennis: Hey, maybe you can cook me breakfast & we'll call it even.
Summer: I'm not much of a cook, but I'll try.
Dennis: I'm not picky. I'll eat anything.

Summer laughed.

Dennis: What's so funny?
Summer: I really don't cook. Do you cook?

Dennis snickered.

Dennis: I can cook one thing - eggs.
Summer: I think I saw frozen waffles in the freezer at Jack's.
Dennis: Perfect!

Summer & Dennis got washed up & then started on breakfast. Summer still had her hair in a messy bun with some strands of hair in her face & some flowing to her neck & shoulders. Dennis watched as she moved around the kitchen. He joined her & the two prepared breakfast together. Dennis juggled eggs to impress Summer until he dropped them. Even if they were cooking a simple breakfast, they sure made a mess in the kitchen.

Dennis: I'm so sorry...
Summer: No, let me help you.

Dennis was down on his knees picking up the broken egg shells & eggs with a paper towel while Summer grabbed some cleaning towels to wipe & spray down the floor. They bumped into each other's heads & started laughing at the silliness of it all. They both were enjoying themselves & Summer caught herself smiling a lot in Dennis's presence.

After cooking & cleaning up, they finally got to sit down on the back patio. The view of downtown Seattle was breathtaking. Summer sipped her coffee & was looking out into the distance. Dennis couldn't take his eyes off of her. Summer looked up from her cup of coffee & noticed he was looking. She smiled & then he smiled back.

Summer: Dennis, thanks for cooking...
Dennis: Oh! You too.
Summer: I don't know if I'd call this cooking. I mean, I know how to work a toaster.
Dennis: Hey, that's an important skill.

They shared a moment of laughter as they finished up with breakfast.

Summer: This was nice.
Dennis: Yeah, it was. I'm glad I found you... out there. I think I'd still be lost if I didn't see you.
Summer: Yeah, good thing. Anyways, um... I better go get ready for our girls day. Wish me luck!
Dennis: Oh! Wish ME luck... I'm meeting with my cousin to go over today's schedule. I just feel at a disadvantage since I'm not from here.
Summer: You'll be fine. I've recommended a ton of places to you.
Dennis: Thanks for all your help...
Summer: Glad we can work on this together.
Dennis: Me too.

Summer & Dennis got ready for the day & parted ways after Dennis dropped Summer off at Grandma's house.