After the fiasco of her last visit, Grace limited her correspondence with her sister to letters, as instructed. Gloria's replies were curt, but there was nothing Grace could do about that. If Gloria didn't want to talk to her, Grace would give her the space she needed - even if it hurt.
Grace had never been one to dwell on things, however, and so she plunged herself into her studies.
Storyboarding, cinematography and lighting, then a short lunch break followed by editing, screenwriting and staging; Grace's days brimmed with hours upon hours of knowledge she had always thirsted for.
Jamey was kept equally busy by his course load, so every moment the young couple could spend together was precious.
A different girl may have been put off by a man so enthralled with his academic pursuits that even a romantic picnic at the park turned into a discussion about the finer points of semiotics, but Grace had always admired Jamey's passion and dedication.
Even though it was going to have very little impact on his future career as a novelist, it was Jamey's declared goal to complete his degree in Communications with a perfect GPA.
"When something is worth doing, it's worth doing right," he said and took another bite of his burger.
"I love that about you," Grace smiled. "You're doing so well already, yet you're always striving to grow and improve. It's truly inspiring."
At this, Jamey put down his food and pulled Grace into an embrace. "I do it because you are perfect," he said, "and you deserve only the best."
Needless to say, life was good.
Not all of their efforts were met with success, however.
"You did what?!" Grace was incredulous.
"It's not my fault," Jamey pouted indignantly. "You're the one who said it'd be nice to have another couple to go out with!"
"In retrospect, I suppose he wasn't really in the best shape to make a good impression."
"But you have to admit, Nate and Calista would be the perfect couple to take on double dates... if they were dating."
"So I told him to just go and talk to her."
"How could I know that he'd make a fool of himself?"
"You see, it isn't my fault at all," Jamey finished his account. "If Nate wasn't such a klutz--"
"It's okay," Grace assured him. "I have another idea."
Calista happily accepted Grace's invitation to join her and Jamey at a coffee shop the next day.
She looked considerably less excited when she saw that Nathaniel was there too.
Grace kept up a lively conversation while Jamey cracked witty jokes, but Nathaniel and Calista barely said a word to each other.
Going for a group activity showed no better results
They split up into teams, but the girls were soon forgotten as Jamey and Nathaniel became fiercely competitive about their scores.
They debated the best bowling techniques, trash talked and heckled each other with childish delight.
Grace giggled and rolled her eyes when the game was over. "You guys are such jocks," she teased.
"It's ironic," Jamey protested as he pumped his fist into the air, celebrating his victory.
Not everyone was having a great time, however.
Finally, they decided to call it a day and head back to the dorm.
"I don't know," Calista muttered back in their shared room, "Nathaniel's nice and all, but I guess he's just not my type."
Grace nodded emphatically as she listened to her friend. Calista really seemed to have the worst luck when it came to dating, but Grace was always happy to lend an ear and give a pep talk.
"Jamey on the other hand," Calista sighed wistfully, "now that one's a catch. He's the kind of guy a girl can only dream of. Seriously, Grace, you have no idea how lucky you are."
"Oh, I know," Grace beamed. "But we'll find someone for you too, Calista."
"I wish it was that easy," Calista began, but Grace pulled her into a hug.
"It may not be easy," Grace said brightly, "but the one for you is out there somewhere. You can't give up!"
*
Autumn came and bathed Sim State campus in its golden light.
Having grown up in the perpetually sunny Starlight Shores, watching the seasons change was a new experience for Grace.
She was enchanted by the display of colors all around her.
It was like walking through another world, a dream, far away from any worries.
Grace smiled indulgently as yet another date turned into a study session. Jamey was such a hard worker, always making sure he would ace every single exam. It was what she loved about him.
Calista was right; Grace felt unbelievably lucky to have such an amazing boyfriend.
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Autumn spam! Such a beautiful season for the UL campus <3
I hope you're not tired of this oh-so perfect couple yet (because I sure am). Grace and Jamey are sappy to the max right now, but we need to establish some stuff before things get more interesting, hopefully :)
Jamey actually came into the family with the LTW of getting a perfect GPA. Convenient for gameplay, since I was going to take him along to university anyway, but such an odd lifetime wish to have. We do not learn for life, but for school, eh?
