Grandpa

[9:30 AM]

Grandpa
Hello gorgeous! Writing to tell
you that your grandma, mom, and
I all miss you. Any idea of when
you can pop over for a visit?

[10:45 AM]

Rina
Hi grandpa! I'm not really
sure, sorry . Work is ramping
up and I don't know when I'll
be free next☹️. .
.
Please tell everyone that I miss
them! Sending love and praying
for a better Richmond season!

I PLACED MY PHONE DOWN on the coffee table in front of me. I adored my grandfather more than anyone in the world and lying to him felt like a gut punch. However, I couldn't go home. Not even for a visit. I had just gotten comfortable in Richmond, and going back home would undo all of my progress I've made towards feeling normal here.

I also didn't fail to notice Grandpa's text didn't include anything about my brother, Liam, missing me. He and I had a harder relationship then most. Our dad died when I was 14 and he was 12, and both of us handled it in completely different ways. Liam shut out the whole world, cutting off friends and sulking in his room. I looked forward because somebody in our family had to. If we let ourselves get drown in the grief, like my grandparents, mom, and brother were, we would never come back from it.

We'd always been rocky, but we were still kind of close. That changed once I got into Kings College, which happened to be 3,500 miles away.

I pushed the thoughts of my family out of my head and refocused myself in the moment. I was in my apartment in Richmond. I had a job working with the reporter I'd idolized pretty much all my life. I have two great roommates and best friends.

"Sab?" Lily's voice brought me back to Earth. "You still there?"

Jess placed a plate in front of both of us before I could respond. The plates each had two waffles with strawberries and honey on top on them. I looked from the plate and gave her a look.

"What? I can make waffles," Jess defended.

"You said the same thing before you burnt the cookies you tried to make last week," I said.

Lily poked her plate with her fork before she lit up. She suddenly exclaimed, "Oh! Also! I have an invitation for one of you."

"I'm not doing another four hour shoot for you, Lils," I said. Lily was a photographer and often times enlisted one of us to be her model for photos.

"It's not a shoot. Not for you guys at least," Lily reassured. Jess sat down on one of the arm chairs next to our couch. "It's an invite to the AFC Richmond charity fundraiser. I got hired to take photos during the event and was given a plus one. It's this Sunday."

AFC Richmond had done a charity fundraiser every year for as long as anyone could remember. Typically they would auction off players to the crowd, which I found a little weird. My unsureness did not stop me from always having wanted to go.

"I can't," Jess smiled slightly. "Chloe and I are going out Sunday."

"Chloe?" I asked. "What happened to Bar Girl?"

"Chloe is Bar Girl," Lily explained, mouth full of waffles. "Jesus, Jess. This is fucking good!"

Jess smiled but said nothing. I pushed my waffle plate away, still untouched. Even if they were as amazing as Lily claimed, my conversation with my grandpa had left me stuffed on my own guilt. "I can go with you, Lily," I said. "It'll be fun."

"Even if Jamie Tartt is there?" Lily gave me a look.

I rolled my eyes, not needing the reminder of the guy. "Even if Jamie Tartt is there. Which he will be, since he is on the team."

"You never know, maybe he'll be busy having some other girl throw a drink on him," Jess teased.

"Even though I think Jamie is the biggest douche to ever walk the Earth, I don't think he would slip a charity event," I said, ignoring Jess' comment. "Especially since the event will have free photos taken of him."

☕︎︎☕︎︎☕︎

THE NEXT DAY, I WAS doing my normal morning coffee run. I fought against my body to keep my eyes open as my mind thought about the day ahead of me. Work was going to be slow again today, but hopefully James would stay at his desk to keep me company. After work, I had dress shopping with Lily for the event. It was my day to make dinner. What should I make? Did we have any noodles left? Maybe I'd make spaghetti and meatballs...

Next to me, someone's wallet fell. I looked up to see who had dropped it, but they were already walking away. I picked up the black, leather wallet and called after him.

"Uh, sir!" I jogged up to him since he was walking with purpose and speed. "You dropped your-"

The man turned and I was looking right at Colin Hughes. Again. Great.

Colin sighed slightly when he saw me. He obviously had not been expecting to see anyone he knew (or knew of, in my case). "I really can't to talk to press today, even though I'm sure you're right nice Drink Girl. I had a long, bad night- Oh shit, don't print that, yeah? Don't need people knowing all that 'bout me-"

I held up his wallet. "You dropped your wallet." I held back a laugh at his now slightly shocked and very embarrassed face. "I'm off the clock, by the way. So no writing or printing. I mean, 'Colin Hughes Buys a Coffee' isn't all that interesting anyway." He seemed grateful for the reassurance so I chose to not add that my brain was constantly looking for the story in anything. If i wanted to write a story about Colins drink choice, I would've figured out a way to.

"Tea," he corrected, taking his wallet. I raised my eyebrows as if to say 'of course.' Though I was American, I appreciated a good tea. "Er... sorry for assuming earlier.

"It's alright," I shrugged. "I probably would, too."

My name was called at the counter and I grabbed my two coffees. When I turned back, Colin was gone (this time with his wallet).

"Now that's an interesting guy," I thought to myself.