There was something about the rain that Summer loved. Maybe it was the sound, the soft pattering of raindrops against the roof of her apartment, or the cozy atmosphere it created inside the dimly-lit living room. Perhaps it was because she could curl up on the couch with a book or binge a tv show in peace, the gentle crack of thunder in the distance.
Tonight was no exception. Though it was light in comparison to some of the regular storms that rolled through, it was calming. The blonde found no other comfort quite as appealing as snuggling into the nest of blankets on her couch, clicking through her list of 'Currently Watching' on Netflix. Selecting the next episode to her favorite sitcom, she set the remote down and reached for her mug of tea on the table beside her.
The lights were dimmed, the light of the screen throwing shadows behind her. The starting intro came on, and she leaned her head on the couch armrest.
For a Saturday, tonight wasn't that bad. She'd received a few requests for her services the day before, already having set appointments with the clients. Just as Law had predicted, with her graduation drawing near, she was getting a lot more business. Maybe word-of-mouth was doing its job or perhaps it was simply the time of the year producing more opportunities. Either way, Summer was happy.
She'd have her degree in less than two weeks. While most of the graduating students this year were planning parties and arranging trips with friends, Summer was still hoping that her degree would make a big difference in her photography career, as Law had promised it would. She was positive about it, but as graduation drew closer, she was stressing about it more and more.
She also wondered who'd go to her graduation to see her. Hitomi had promised long ago that her and Soma would both attend, even offering to have her Uncle Shanks and Aunt Makino accompany them as well, which touched Summer's heart. She had no family but the kind-hearted Hitomi was more than willing to share her own.
Corazon, ever the enthusiastic man he was, said he'd reserve the whole bar for her graduation party free of charge, if she wanted. Summer grinned at the memory, remembering Law nearby rolling his eyes in exasperation, hearing his boss recount all the cool things they could do to celebrate.
Law. Hmm. She wondered if the taciturn man would consider attending her graduation, if Summer extended the offer. He hadn't really brought the issue up at all. She had been embarrassed to ask, though always wondered why that was so. It wasn't like inviting him would ever imply something else. He was her friend, at least, she considered him to be. Well, perhaps a little more, considering recent events, she thought with a blush. She wanted to share this special moment with everyone she knew.
Especially him, Summer concluded, smiling to herself. Especially Law.
Hitomi sighed, sifting through client files lazily. The manilla envelopes contained personal information as well as the evidence found at crime scenes, mugshots, and all other manner of information she needed to prosecute them. But the information staring her in the face made her frown. Out of the three files, two of the investigations had been botched by local police, and the other one had decided to play the insanity card when she damn well knew that the woman who'd attempted to hire a hitman to kill her husband was sound of mind, forcing Hitomi to appeal for a cognitive psychological test of the defendant. All it did was waste time and prolong the already lengthy process of the justice system.
Running a hand through her silvery locks, the lawyer set down her pen and notebook, leaning back and stretching in the chair. Down the hall, Soma's door opened, revealing the pajama-wearing boy yawning as he walked into the kitchen.
"Big Sis? Could I get a snack?" He asked, seeing all the papers on the kitchen table as she hunched back over in her seat. She nodded tiredly.
"Sure, just something small though, like an apple." He moved to the fridge, opening the door and digging in the drawer for fruit, pulling a green apple from the bin before closing it and heading back towards bed. Then, he stopped, looking back over to her.
"When Uncle Shanks came over, he said you were going on a date. Did you have fun? Was he nice?" He asked curiously, eyes taking in the many papers spread out on the table.
Carefully hiding the pink that colored her cheeks at the mention of her date a few days ago, Hitomi cleared her throat. The night had been enjoyable, to say the least. Once Zoro had had a few drinks, he was much more willing to converse without his obvious discomfort. And it seemed like he had begun to enjoy their talk as well, supplying stories and jokes of his own. Hitomi knew that the owner had kept a careful eye on them all night. It almost felt like some chaperoned date between two pre-teens. But after her second mimosa, thoughts of the blonde, grinning man had stopped completely, instead focused on trying to figure out what made the green-haired man tick.
She'd been pleasantly surprised when he asked for her number, so they could talk more without her having to drive all the way down to the bar. Though, she suspected he could feel the owner's gaze on him as well. And if there was one thing Zoro didn't like most of all, it was displaying emotion in front of other people, especially of a romantic nature. He was quite the charmer when he wanted to be, and Hitomi looked forward to seeing him again.
Composing herself, she grinned, turning to her little brother to respond to his question.
"Yes, I did. And, yes, he was. Why do you ask?" She couldn't help but find his overly serious expression amusing. For one so young he had his moments of maturity that sometimes even Hitomi couldn't explain. Well, perhaps her work or normal disposition was rubbing off on him a little too much.
"Summer said I had to make sure you don't date any bad guys, so I have to know that he's going to treat you right."
"Well, how noble. That was awfully sweet of her." She chuckled. "And what are you going to do once you meet him?"
He crossed his arms, nose upturned. "I'm gonna tell him that you'll never love anyone more than me, so he'll just have to get used to it. Oh, and Uncle Shanks said he can't smell like cheetos and hand lotion." He added in with a confused look. "What does that mean?"
She deadpanned, vowing that the next time she saw their laid-back and carefree uncle, she was going to have a serious talk about the kind of ideas he should be putting into Soma's head.
"It means he wants them to have a stable job and their own living space." She explained carefully, and he eventually nodded. That thoughtful look didn't go away, and he sauntered back into the hallway towards his room.
"I'm gonna make a list of questions to ask him. He's gotta pass my test."
And before she could respond, Soma shut his door as he went to bed. Hitomi grinned, then returned back to her work.
Somehow Summer had fallen asleep on her couch during the night, thankfully in between episodes of her show, so she hadn't missed anything crucial. Her phone buzzed on the table beside her, her daily alarm blaring. She swiped the screen, ending the alarm and yawning tiredly. Stretching out her arms with several pops, she sat up, the mountain of blankets falling onto the floor in the process.
For a moment the blonde panicked, thinking that she was late for class, then remembered that it was a Sunday and therefore she had no reason to be alarmed. She didn't have class until tomorrow.
It was only 8, but she didn't feel like going back to sleep. It felt like such a waste of the day. With a deep sigh, she pulled herself from the couch and walked to the kitchen. Max had somehow found his way onto the counter, and was sniffing the breadbox.
"Max, what are you going up there?" She cooed, picking up the tiny cat gently. He meowed in her arms, and she rubbed the top of his affectionately as she perused the counters, making sure he hadn't gotten into anything he shouldn't have. Nothing looked out of place or gnawed on, so she returned to the living room and placed the tiny animal onto the couch cushions, creating a sort of nest with the blankets around him.
He meowed again and perused this new place, sniffing the blankets as Summer returned to the kitchen to make herself breakfast. Opening the fridge, she sighed. Once again she'd forgotten to go grocery shopping, leaving her fridge unnervingly empty. Inside was a few vegetables, some oranges, a quarter gallon of milk, and a handful of other assorted foods that wouldn't be very tasty combined as a breakfast.
A quick glance in her pantry confirmed that it was in the same sorry state. Old cans of vegetables and beans, and other nonperishable foods that didn't look very appetizing at the moment. Closing the small door, she took another look at the clock. It was still pretty early, and she usually didn't go shopping until midday, but she was feeling spontaneous that day. Perhaps an impromptu trip to the grocery store was in order. Sometimes going out of habit could be a good thing, right?
Smiling at her decision, Summer returned to her bedroom to put on some more appropriate clothing for leaving the house. She giggled at the mental image of her walking through the market in her Wonder Woman sleep shorts and mismatched baseball t-shirt she was currently wearing.
The constant beeping of Law's alarm is what finally woke him up. He groaned, rolling over in bed. Light streamed from between the curtains of his window. The sun slanted across his face and he shifted once again to avoid it. In his moving around, the dark blue comforter was also shifted, exposing one of his legs to the open, and much chillier, air of his bedroom.
Sighing loudly, Law sat up and ran his hands down his face. He didn't open his eyes quite yet, not ready to truly wake up for the day. His shirtless torso no longer beneath the warm confines of the comforter, the breeze from the air conditioner drifted over his body, and he shivered.
The difference in temperature was already beginning to pull the sleepiness from his body, much to his dismay. He wanted to lay in bed a bit longer, but alas, there were things he needed to do today. It was Sunday, after all.
Reluctantly rising from his bed, clad only in his boxers, his bare feet padded across his carpet to his dresser, throwing open the top for a clean t-shirt. Then, picking out a pair of jeans, he headed straight to the shower to freshen up.
Summer pushed the metal shopping cart out in front of her, bypassing fellow customers as she scanned the aisles of the market, looking for anything she could think of to make dinners for the rest of the week.
Not really one to create a true shopping list, the blonde simply stopped at random when things caught her eye. She always got the basics, of course; milk, eggs, cheese, bread, and some lunch meat. But anything else was bought purely out of impulse.
Slowly her cart was filled with packages of tv dinners and some canned goods. Simple things that didn't take long to make were her favorite. She didn't cook much, despite knowing how to. Unlike Hitomi, she didn't find much passion in cooking herself an extensive meal every night. Her self-control to resist eating the food as she cooked was practically nonexistent anyways.
The blonde took her time browsing all of the aisles, piling things into the cart happily, dodging other shoppers pushing their own carts, and finally made her way to the checkout lines. She was surprised to see it so busy on a Sunday morning.
Placing herself into a relatively short line of people at one of the checkout stations, she let her eyes drift around at the market, waiting until it was her turn to pile her stuff on the conveyor belt.
She took in the paper decorations hanging from the ceiling, proclaiming that it was almost graduation time for the high schools near the area, and for the university as well. Cartoonish caps and diplomas swayed gently as the air conditioning from above circulated the air around them. Over in the bakery section, within sight of where she stood, were many cakes set on display matching the graduation theme.
One of the people in front of her left with their bags, and a middle-aged woman in front of her began setting her things on the belt. Summer moved forward, the line behind her doing the same.
Her gaze began to roam again. She narrowed her eyes, feeling a prickly sensation on the back of her neck, and the hair stood up. It was unnerving, this perception of being watched. Cautiously, the blonde glanced around at the faces of those around her, trying to determine if anyone was staring at her.
A quick search revealed nothing. Everyone seemed to be minding their own business. The woman in front of her was busy placing the last of her items onto the conveyor belt. To her left, a father with his young son, no more than 10, looked at the bags of candy on the shelf, deciding if they should get any. Behind her was a tall man, with strange lightning-shaped sideburns, glancing through one of the magazines from the holders and not paying her any attention. She quirked an eyebrow, wondering why he was wearing sunglasses inside the building. Behind him was an elderly man, his body shaking gently as he held onto the cart. She winced with sympathy, turning back to look ahead of her.
"You're just worried about graduation. Calm down." She whispered to herself, shaking her head to stop those weird thoughts. Still, that strange feeling persisted.
Finally the woman in front made her purchase and began loading her bags into her cart, prompting Summer to begin placing her items onto the belt. The uneasy sensation was beginning to worry her. Trying to move quickly without appearing to be in a rush, she went through her purchase, all the while feeling that sick gaze on her.
She left soon after, relaxing once she was outside of the grocery store and heading to the side of the street for the bus stop.
Law slowed his motorcycle to a stop beside the small flower at the corner, turning off the engine and removing the helmet from his head. He propped up the kickstand and soon was walking up the sidewalk to the pink-haired woman behind the counter.
Royal Floral Arrangements, with its abundance of bright colored flowers and plant life, stood in stark contrast to the rest of the street of gray buildings. The bright red awning overhead bore the little shop's name, shielding passersby for a moment from the shining sun. Law approached the counter, waiting for the saleswoman working the register to finish up with her current customer.
The pink-haired woman chattered on for a few more moments with the woman paying, before settling her gaze onto Law. Her eyes lit up, and she smiled widely.
"Ah, Law! As expected, I've got your order right here, just a moment." The bartender smiled, walking directly in front of the register as the woman walked to the back, pulling out three wrapped flowers from within a box.
"Thank you, Rebecca." He accepted the three white roses from her, taking out his wallet from his back pocket to pay. She grinned, pressing buttons on the register as she replied.
"It's no problem at all. I do have to say though, our new sales girl finds your routine a bit strange." The pink-haired woman nodded towards another girl, dressed in a green apron, helping some customer further down. She had short black hair, red glasses framing her face. Law didn't recognize her.
"Tashigi asked why you came every single Sunday to buy the same thing," Rebecca continued, "and I didn't quite know what to say. I know you like your privacy and all. I wasn't sure if it was my place to tell her." Rebecca cocked her head, watching his expression with worry. Law was a strange man sometimes.
He shrugged. "If you like."
While it was true he hated talking about himself to others, it was practically unavoidable with Rebecca. It would have been too much of a hassle to bounce between different flower shops spread all over town just to avoid having to explain why he stuck to such a consistent routine every Sunday. Early on, the pink-haired woman had demanded to know if he was courting three different women at the same time or if he persistently pissed off just one every week without fail. Her assumptions had made him chuckle, to say the least. That was the only reason Rebecca knew in the first place.
Law quickly paid for the flowers before saying his goodbye. Turning back to the bike, he set the three roses into the back pouch, snapping it closed. With another wave towards Rebecca, he put on his helmet and started the engine of his motorcycle. Kicking up the stand, he weaved back into traffic and headed towards the cemetery.
After depositing all of her groceries at home, Summer was once again searching for something to do. Watching tv all day suddenly didn't sound too thrilling. She'd stayed up late the night before doing just that, and another couple hour binge was just too much. Instead, she decided to hit the gym on campus, something she hadn't done for awhile.
Getting on her workout clothes, she filled up a water bottle and made sure to take her iPod with her, taking the bus to the gym and flashing her student ID to the person manning the reception.
For the next hour Summer ran on the treadmill and a few other machines that focused on cardio. Lifting weights wasn't her thing. And most of the more complicated equipment made her self-conscious to use. Even if it was highly unlikely, she still always felt like people were watching her make a fool of herself.
Finishing her workout, she stepped back outside into the heat, though a breeze helped to cool the sweat from her skin. Her aching legs wobbled as she made her way down the sidewalk to the bus stop.
She stood waiting, listening to her iPod, when she felt the rumbling of her stomach. Placing a hand over her chest, she sighed, knowing it was probably lunch time. She cocked her head, staring at the small diner across the road. Caesar's Cafe. The place Law had taken her for their first date.
She smiled, remembering the memory. If she recalled, the menu had some healthier options as well, not just burgers and fries, which would have ruined the whole purpose of her workout. Deciding that she'd earned a bit of a treat, she abandoned the bus stop and began down the sidewalk towards the diner.
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