The beginning of the past

Elise's POV

I was broken really, how my granddaughter sniffed and sobbed into her pillow as I sat there clueless of what to do next. Something in my gut earlier had told me that this would only be a boy problem and glad that my doubts were confirmed, I pulled her into my arms.

"Hush... hush... hush," I sang, my hands running through her hair.

"I never cheated or did..."

"Hush sweetie..."

She held on tightly to my arms, her huge hair bobbing up and down as she sobbed.

"Have I ever told you a story?"

She stopped crying for a second to look at me and flushed a pearly grin. "You've told me a lot of stories granma."

"Now this one is special," I smiled kindly and shifted my position to sit comfortably. "It is... complicated but I'm sure you'll love it."

She sniffed. "I wanna hear it."

"Sure. Why don't you wipe those tears off for me, will you?"

I watched her as she dried off her tears, it was an agonizing scene if you ask me but life is what it is.

"I'm all good now," she announced.

I let out a long breath before I started.

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27/04/2017

"Elise!"

Mum called out from the kitchen. "Would you come here please!"

I quickly rushed out of my room abandoning my latest novel I was working on. I found my mother browsing through one of her favourite cook books and I guessed it was one of those special days she was in a good mood and on such days she prepared a blast of a meal one to never forget.

"Are we cooking again?"

She chuckled, "We always cook, dear. Now I need you to rush to the mall and get me everything on this list."

She handed me a list of groceries that seemed too much for a meal of four but I just shrugged and got ready to head out for the mall.

"Get an uber please! Don't walk all the way there and save on money."

My mother? She knew me too well.

"I don't do that!" I called back, grinning wildly as I headed out. I worried about not giving myself time to at least put some foundation on my face which was probably going to peel off from the cool weather out there.

It didn't take me long enough to get to the mall which was busier than ever. My mum loved shopping but going to the mall was her worst nightmare. So when she realised I was old enough to move around on my own, she would send me on errands on her behalf whenever she got the chance and when she didn't get the chance, she would pry on my only older brother to do it. He was the aggressive type so he would rarely do it and would only do it when he really needed to get something for himself. So to cut on expenses, my mother would always choose me. The perfect daughter, right? I know I know that's what you're saying **evil grin**

"3:12 okayyy... I need to get back home before 4. So what do we have here broccoli- check, feta cheese- check, raw organic honey... Raw organic honey? There's such a thing?"

"Matter of fact there is."

I turn in shock to see where the exotic male voice came from and I'm stunned in silence to see what I saw. This gorgeous being heard me talking to myself. Was I that loud? Did he hear everything I said. Did I sound perky? Oh my God!!

I stand there unable to move an inch as my mind tries to run through all the weird things I possibly might have said in his presence.

How long has he been here?

"Hi," he waves, finally breaking the silence.

I try to find my voice as one of my hands hold even more tightly to the trolley handle it might break while the other holds the grocery list shakily.

He hangs on like he has all the time in the world, he's eyes never leaving mine. I swear if he continued looking at me like that I would melt right in front of him and it would be embarrassing. But he never stopped, it's like he could read my mind but wouldn't cooperate.

"Excuse me young lady," an old lady spoke from the other side, her voice phlegmy but lovely and from her looks you could tell she had aged with grace. Her long sleek hair was purely white and tied back in a ponytail, a few wrinkles on her face made her look adorable when she smiled. I could tell she was a really pretty lady when she was younger and for a split second I forgot about my problems and I forgot that I was blocking her way as I continued studying her, for whom had gotten my attention quite well.

I could include her in my current book, I thought to myself.

The strange boy quickly pushed my trolley out of the way for me and the old lady couldn't stop thanking him as she walked away. She probably thought I was crazy or something. I felt stupid.

"Do you easily get awe-struck?" the strange boy spoke, bringing me back to reality.

What??

I didn't know whether to feel insulted or take that as a compliment but I was ready to cut the crap out of him if the former was the case but when I looked at him, his beauty dissolved all my anger. He was studying me with intense curiosity and I wondered if he ever understood what he was absorbing or was he?

I decided this moment to pull myself together before I did anything worse than this. I needed to get out of here, I needed to go somewhere he wouldn't impose whatever it was he was imposing on me that I couldn't decipher, where he wasn't the alpha.

So I gently pulled my trolley from his grasp and turned to walk away. I wanted to turn back and say "thank you", I wanted to look at him one last time or probably try to be kinder and return his greeting but I couldn't get my body to. My body was ready to get out of here. So I did what my body needed me to do. I quickly pushed my trolley to the checkpoint where I waited in line while looking nervously back and fourth hoping not to find him behind me. My watch was saying 3:16. Damn all that happened in less than five minutes and it felt like I was trapped for an hour . To everything was paused.

My brain was already sending me mixed signals when I got out of the mall. I was disappointed to not find him waiting for me grinning wildly like a goon as some pesky boys do in movies. I wanted to see him again so here I was already regretting what had happened earlier and wishing I was more cooperative enough for him to ask for my number.

I sunk in regret in my uber on my way home looking desperately at my phone every now and then and hoping that maybe he would somehow magically text me? But how? I didn't even get his name. Sigh-sigh-sigh.

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14/07/2081

Priscilla was giggling uncontrollably every now and then and I was glad that she was enjoying the story.

"What are you laughing at?" I ask, pretending to be offended. "I mean I was really upset that day, you should have seen me," I laughed back at the memory.

"How did a boy, granma manage to get you dumbfounded on your first encounter?"

I shrugged. "Well, that's how it goes I guess," I said brushing my hair to the side.

"And the beautiful old lady, did you include her in your book?"

I looked away trying so hard to remember but my memory was too hazy. Some effects of aging that were scaring the hell out of me.

"I'm sorry I can't remember, sweetie But if I ever did, it was probably something good I wrote about her. 'Cause that day, she took my breath away," I giggled at the moment and leaned back in my chair in satisfaction.

Monica came in immediately ruining our perfect moment.

"I see you two are bonding," she said before giving me a curt nod and a death stare at her daughter.

"It's important that we do," I agreed smilingly in Priscilla's direction.

Priscilla just nodded at her mother who was standing in the doorway ignorantly swinging a kitchen towel and you could tell from her expression that her mood had lightened up a little.

"Anyway, dinner's ready," Monica finished and then walked out of the room.

Priscilla turned back to me. "Granma, can you tell me the rest of the story after dinner?"

I chuckled, quite surprised that she was still interested. "Sure. But there is still more to the story than you'd anticipate, you need to hang on and it's up to you to decide whether you'll need tissues on the way or not but the moral is for you to learn. "

"I really want to know whether you met the guy again," she pleaded with those huge adorable eyes that Monica had failed to get from me but her daughter decided to.

"No sweetie," as I chuckled whole heartedly in an old lady-like manner. "That's a story for another day," I managed to say. She gave out a disappointed sigh. "Let's go have dinner before it gets cold, you know how Monica gets when people go to the table late." I reminded her and she quickly arose, cursing under her breath. I ignored that.

My family was the most dramatic and really flawed but it was the tiny moments that made it perfect and dinner time was such a moment.