Soulmate

Chapter 29: Planned Love

Grace

    By the time we arrived at my grandmother's house, I was about to murder both my parents. They wouldn't even allow me to listen to my music because they wanted to talk to me about my soulmate. With less than a week ticking down, they became overly attached to me. I think they expected me to meet him and move out immediately, but in reality, I would probably live at home for a few months until we got married. I don't know why they assumed that I was going to leave the day I met him. I would like to get to know him before I made a rash decision.

    As soon as my dad put the car into park, I jumped out, grabbed my bag, and hurried to the front door. I couldn't handle one more second alone with my parents. Before they could even get out of the car, I was knocking on the door, impatiently waiting for my grandmother to open it. I love seeing her, she's always so full of life and so happy to see me.

    But she wasn't the one who opened the door, instead it was my grandpa who gave me a forced smile. I love him just as much as my grandmother, but he's not as warm and we're not as close. "Hi," I squeaked and I quickly gave him a hug to avoid the awkwardness of my voice.

    "Hello, sweetheart," he murmured and he smiled bigger when my mom came running up the steps to hug her dad. They were excitedly chatting as we walked inside. There were too many voices, I couldn't concentrate on what was being said, so I hoped no one was talking to me.

    Grandpa told us that my grandmother was laying in her room which was something new, usually she's outside in the garden or baking cookies. She always has to be doing something because she says sitting still drives her crazy. She can't even sit to watch a movie without getting up to make popcorn or criticizing all of the actors and the plot. Her attention span wouldn't allow her to be still and relax. Maybe that's why I'm so incapable of relaxing, maybe I got it from her.

    It was a short walk to her room; she was just laying there with a tablet in her hands, probably reading a book or looking at her thousands of old pictures. She used to show me all of the pictures she took throughout her life, and she had a story for each of them. "Oh, hello, honey," she croaked as she shut off her tablet and set it next to her on the bed. She tried to smile.

    I smiled and hurried over to gently hug her; she seemed so fragile and not like my grandmother. "We brought you the video from my graduation," I replied, smiling at her as the rest of the family walked into the room. They had been whispering out in the hall.

    My mom came in and kissed my grandma on the forehead. "Hi, Mom, how are you feeling?" she questioned, giving her one of her infamous fake smiles.

    She squeezed my mother's hand and smiled back. "I'm okay," she murmured, but we could all tell that she was lying; her voice always gets higher. "So you brought me the graduation video? Let's watch it before we get any older." She chuckled at her own joke.

    I smiled even though I didn't completely understand at the time, and then I sat in a chair near her bed. My parents found chairs to sit in and my grandpa sat next to Grandma, being extra careful as he sat down on the bed. Mom grabbed her phone and started pressing buttons until the video projected on the flat screen across from us. We silently watched as I received my diploma, my mom edited most of the footage, so it wouldn't be insanely long.

    "Oh, look at Gracie, isn't she so beautiful?" my grandmother gushed as she stared up at my grandpa with eyes that showed how much love she had for him. Someday, I hope I will look at my husband that way, and that I will be able to love him the way she loves my grandpa. I know with the soulmate system, it should be guaranteed, but I still worry. She found this amazing love without any help. How is my planned love going to be?