Grant
You can call me Grant since that’s my name.
Before I could respond, I saw the three dots indicating he was typing again.
Grant
What do you want to know?
How could I play it cool while also telling him I wanted to know absolutely everything? I also didn't want to play twenty questions back and forth because that always felt too forced.
Me
Tell me about your passions.
Grant
Straight to the deep stuff, huh? Not even going to ask my favorite color?
I couldn’t help the loud laugh that escaped. I crossed my legs on the couch, swaying my shoulders back and forth happily.
“I’ll leave you to it,” Emma said, standing up from the couch. “Tell me everything later, okay?”
I glanced up at her and nodded enthusiastically.
Me
Small talk is overrated. But you can tell me your favorite color if you’re itching for me to know.
Grant
I can agree that small talk is overrated. My favorite color AND scent is lavender. But hmmm, I’m passionate about my health and fitness. And not in a “gym bro” way, but mostly for my mental health. I feel better mentally when I take care of myself physically. I’m also pretty passionate about helping people; I volunteer every weekend. What about you?
Me
Ooh, I LOVE lavender. Also, how admirable to volunteer every weekend! Even though you didn’t ask, my favorite colors are yellow and magenta. My passion includes reading in bed every weekend… But in all seriousness, my only passion right now is opening my own bookstore.
Grant
I’ll happily be your first customer.
I placed my hand over my mouth to hide the biggest grin spreading across my face. I enjoyed talking to him. One question crept into the back of my mind. Why was he initially drawn to me, especially since he saw me as asad girl?
Me
I appreciate that! But a kind of serious question I have is, what made you ask for my number? Do I really seem sad?
I stared at my screen as seconds turned into minutes.
Maybe I was too forward in my approach when we had been talking casually.Did he only want to hook up, and I sounded too serious?
I set my phone on the coffee table and headed to the kitchen to distract my anxious thoughts by making dinner. I made panko-coated air-fried chicken tenders and a baked potato. I had been on a potato kick—I don’t know if life was worth living without potatoes. As I sat down to eat dinner, I grabbed my laptop to ensure I had everything for my classes starting next week.
I enrolled in one business class and one accounting class because I didn’t know the first thing about owning a business. What I loved most about the bookstore where I currently worked was the amazing clubs and kids' activities, but I wanted something that was mine. I would design my store to cater to smaller and independent authors.
I was so distracted that I almost forgot I was waiting for a message from Grant. When I picked up my phone, I saw three unread texts from him.
Grant
