4. "small world"

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Grayson Reid Jansen

=== ONE WEEK EARLIER ===

       BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

"Shut. The Fuck. Up," I groan and turn the alarm off on my black iPhone XS Max.

I woke up at the same time I did everyday - 5 AM. Because I had to be on the site at seven, I had enough time to shower and eat breakfast.

Everyday was the same. Boring. I'd been working for this construction company for almost a year, building houses for the most part.

My bare feet hit the carpeted floor and walked me towards the master bathroom as I dug my hand down my boxers.


The shower was brief and hot. I shaved and slapped on some lotion before sitting on the edge of the bed that I wouldn't bother to make, to put on a pair of socks and work attire - jeans, work boots, and a t-shirt, really.

All I had to eat was two slices of toast with jelly and turkey bacon with a glass of OJ.

I burped and used the back of my hairy arm to wipe the orange juice from around my mouth.

At 6:15 AM, I grabbed my keys, wallet, and left the apartment.

======

"Good," the site manager spoke on the phone,"see you Saturday." He ended the call and turned around to see me waiting for him.

"Hot date, boss," I laughed with him.

"That was my daughter," Mr.Santana told me as we started walking towards the parking lot.

"You never mentioned a daughter," my eyebrows furrowed as I talked.

"You never asked," he said which made my face turn up.

"Right, because I'm gonna ask my boss about his daughter," I said and laughed at the end.

We sat on the tailgate of his pickup and ate our lunch.

With a moutful of food, I chewed and swallowed it down with a red Powerade.

"Ahh," I went and then let out a burp.

Chandler and I both looked ahead at the foundation laid out before us.

"It's gonna be nice, Grayson. You know, we're right on schedule, too," he informed me proudly.

I found myself smiling a little bit. "Thanks again for helping me with this," I expressed my gratitude for him. Without Chandler and his team, I doubt I'd be able to accomplish anything.

"Ah, don't mention it. It was a nice chunk of land, be a shame to not build here. You know what you're gonna do with it?"

"Eh, I'll probably just let it be a vacation home for my parents. My mom grew up here, I know she isn't ready to give it up," I started rambling about how the house we were rebuilding was where my mother grew up. Once I went to college, my parents moved and took some time to themselves; traveling and what not.

"It's gonna look great," Chandler prompted, nudging me in the side with his elbow.

"I can't thank you enough-"

He interjected to say,"Grayson, this is all you - the blueprints, everything," and patted my back one hard time. It was nice feeling like my hard work was paying off. I mean, I did do essentially the groundwork for the house but it was a group effort. We'd only been working for almost two months but it was all already coming together.

"You don't wanna move in here, your first house?" Asked Chandler right before he put the bottle of water to his lips.

With my eyes squinted from the sun, I shook my head,"Nah. I don't see a point; I got no girl, no kids. Shit, I don't even have a dog." Chandler and I laughed again. I didn't know if it was funny or pathetic that I was still single with no kids while everyone else I grew up was married and on child number three.

"Don't rush it, either. Not too many can say that at your age, it's crazy. I'm dreading the day my daughter tells me she's... pregnant," Chandler vented.

"How old is she, if you don't mind me asking," I continued the conversation.

"Hmm, 'bout twenty-three now? Yeah, twenty-three, 'round your age," he said unsure.

"Oh, that's why you never mentioned her," I joked about me having a chance with his kid.

He laughed and said,"You, I wouldn't mind. She has this fuckin' asshole boyfriend. Gah, I can't stand that guy! They're supposed to be comin' up this weekend," he told me with no emotion, I didn't think he seemed too excited about it.

"Your daughter," I asked to clarify. In all honesty, I sounded more eager than I should've been.
Chandler gave me the side-eye and slowly said,"Her and her boyfriend, yes." Awkwardly, I looked away and gulped.

There was a minute of silence that passed until Chandler scarfed down the last bite of his turkey sandwich and scratched his throat.
"Alright, back to work. I got a meeting, I'll see you tomorrow. And Gray," he called out my name just as he was walking away.
My eyes widened,"Yeah," I answered questionably.
"Keep up the good work, son," he nodded.
I didn't say anything, only nodded back and let him leave.

Could it be, I thought. Naw. But— Chandler... Santana? Well, maybe it's just a coincidence.

Letting my thoughts get the best of me, I ran after him.

"Woah, hey, Chandler," I shouted and stopped running when he turned around.

"Yeah, son," he called me son for the second time.

I hesitated to say,"Your daughter, you have a picture of her?"

He looked at me sideways. "Of course I have a picture of my only daughter, what're you gettin' at?"

"Right, sorry. Can I see it," I couldn't believe I asked.

Swallowing hard, I waited for the picture but Chandler looked understandably skeptical.

"Look, Grayson, I like you but I told you she has a boyfriend and I'm not about to pimp out my daughter," he told me uneasily, his thick right eyebrow raised.

Minus one point for Grayson, I mentally noted.

I couldn't help but chuckle,"No, sir, it's just that I think I might know her."

"Why didn't you just say that," we both felt equally silly and laughed at the ordeal I made bigger than it was.

Go ahead and give that point back.

Chandler whipped out his phone and showed me a picture of her. Exactly who I thought. Coincidence? Definitely.

"Huh," I sounded,"small world."

"Really is," he said, scratching his head full of fluffy salt and pepper hair.

My next question was,"I wonder why she never mentioned me," I asked it lowly like I was ashamed.

"You dated my daughter," he asked tensely. I knew he liked me but I didn't know if he'd like me enough to know that information.

"No, sir," I answered shortly with half the truth. It wasn't a total lie because we never said what we were. Did we go on dates? Well, she never wanted to admit it but they were dates. She just wasn't the "romantic" type and that's what I liked about her - she didn't have to be wined and dined.

She has a boyfriend, huh? I wonder if it's Kaign, still, I thought in my head, and as badly as I wanted to know, I didn't wanna bother Mr.Santana with more questions.

"Alright, I gotta go, for real. Talk tomorrow," he shook my hand and walked away.

I couldn't believe it had been a year since I last saw Brea. Not once before today, in a whole year, did I think about her and now I can't stop.

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