My Summer Love Story | ✔️

ch. 52 ✰ oceanic memories

Getting adjusted to this new life was certainly very difficult for me. Not only do I have to deal with the Costa Rica gang staying here for about a week, but I also have to deal with Ree Ree's, otherwise known as my new store, and the employees Sasha racked up for me. Don't get me wrong, I am super appreciative of everyone who went through their way to do all this for me, but all this shit is just so exhausting to maintain, to be completely honest.

First of all, memorizing all of my employees' names and figuring out what skills they lack or surplus in makes my mind wracking with nerves. Furthermore, advertising my store around the city took a while, and thank god this place is filled with people, otherwise my store sure as hell wouldn't thrive, since it's been about a week since it opened up. Meaning it's been about a week since Akash unveiled his surprise to me.

Akash and I, not gonna lie, have been stuck to each other like glue lately. We've gone on a date at least once a day, and even if we have work, we still manage to meet up with each other at least once. My feelings for him have definitely shot through the roof lately, and my insides bubble with ecstasy every time we meet up, because he's just so ravishing.

Not to mention the extravagant amount of times of sex we've been having lately...

Anyway, it's a bright and early Tuesday morning, and I am currently running around my store, ordering my five different employees to clean up the store from yesterday, get the outfits out and ready to design, and make sure everything is up to date.

Now that I have the materials to design my outfits, I have been sitting by my plush chair, pushing ideas into my mind and spending sleepless nights with a huge mug of coffee beside me. Sometimes, the Costa Rica gang would show up every now and then to give me some company, so I don't black out at 3am while I'm in the midst of creating a new design regarding certain fashion trends.

Speaking of the Costa Rica gang, they are planning to stay here for a week or two, just to hang out with us and tour around New York. Akash and I are their designated tour guides, since we have been living here for years, so going with them to the Empire State Building, the wax museum, or even the Statue of Liberty sure has been a very time-consuming part of our days.

Even with my life getting hectic, I still manage to facetime my parents every night, and Akash even joins in sometimes. They have just now been released from the hospital and Rahul picked them up from there and took them to Maine with them, since they left New York a few days after my shop opened up. So, we facetime them there and it basically makes me feel satisfied, only so I can talk to my parents—my dad's been able to mutter a few words here and there—and my mom can speak full sentences without stammering. Overall, I am super proud of their growth and how far they've come.

I lightly bang my head against the kiosk while one of my employees, Blaire, asks me for the fifth time where she should put the shimmery fabric. "Where do I put it, Ms. Advani?" her high-pitched voice fills the air. "There's no space on the rack next to the cotton fabrics and the sheer fabrics, where we usually put it."

I look up at her and send her the fakest smile I have ever created. "You can put it by the polyester fabrics." She nods her head and skips over to the other side of the racks, carrying the bright blue shimmery fabric in her hand. "Thanks, boss! You're the best!"

"Uh huh," I murmur, looking into the sewing machine and starting on my next round of the stitches. My fingers press onto the half-cut purple sheer fabric as the machine drills into the fabric, creating an intricate pattern alongside the edge of it. In this week itself, I have managed to create twenty outfits, alongside my employees. Thinking of an outfit itself takes hours to fully plan and executing it and doing the actual design itself takes up an excessive amount of time.