by Solveig Yrsa
This lie was getting deeper and deeper. He should’ve just stayed at Jensen’s, stayed in his car, ignored the television, told Layla he was going to his own bed; any of those options would’ve kept him from lying to her. No, he didn’t see her like his mother or like Sam. He didn’t see her like Rachel either. Layla was in her own category. He had no way to describe how he felt about her. He just knew that he always wanted to be close to her. He gave her a reassuring smile, “Of course, Layla, I see you as my family.” Just keep digging yourself deeper, after all, when has lying ever backfired?
Layla smiled, wrapping her small arms around his neck and hugged him. “Thank you for everything,” she whispered.
He patted her back and broke the hug. “You’re welcome, now let’s go to sleep, and you are staying in the bed, no arguments.” She smiled and laid down in the bed as Spencer got up to turn off the light.
“Goodnight, Layla.”
“Goodnight, Spencer.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Layla sat cross-legged in the black leather chair while watching Spencer look at all the jewelry in the high-end store. They had been shopping for several hours and she was getting bored. Spencer told her that morning that he had still needed to pick out a gift for Rachel for her birthday, tomorrow.
Layla rolled her head back and stared at the ceiling. “Spencer, I’m hungry,” she whined. Spencer had promised to take her to get a smoothie after shopping, so she’d had nothing to eat. She was now regretting not eating beforehand.
Spencer sighed, looking at all the unique rings. He had to pick the right one or Rachel would freak out and make a scene. He looked over at the bored girl and chuckled. Only she could be that bored in a designer jewelry store.
“Excuse me one second,” Spencer said as he smiled at the saleswoman, before turning and walking over to Layla. He kneeled in front of her. “Do you see anything you like here? I’ll buy it for you, it’s the least I could do since you’ve been stuck here all day.”
She stared at him with a frown on her face. She wasn’t in a good mood today, her head hurt, she was exhausted, irritated, and she wanted to go to sleep, after getting her promised smoothie of course. She looked at the salespeople who had spent most of their time looking at her and whispering or snickering. She knew she looked out of place. Spencer didn’t tell her that her oversized gray hoodie, leggings, and flip-flops were not okay to wear, she had also tried to put her hair in a bun this morning and she was sure that looked a disaster.
“Do they sell smoothies here?” she asked, causing one salesperson to giggle.
Spencer shot them a dirty look before looking back at Layla and giving her a soft smile. “No, Lay, they don’t.”
She looked at the snickering girls behind Spencer and suddenly felt like she was on the street again. “I wish you had told me we were going somewhere nice, I would’ve had your mom help me get ready,” she whispered, looking away as her cheeks heated up.
He raised a brow. He thought she looked cute, sure she didn’t look like all the other women in here, but what did that matter if she was comfortable. He noticed that Layla kept glancing at the two saleswomen behind him and sighed. He knew he was going to get an ass chewing later from Rachel.
“Alright, let’s go.” Spencer smiled, standing up and giving Layla his hand to pull her up.
The two saleswomen came to attention and looked over at Spencer with a smile plastered on their faces. “Did you decide which one, Mr. Williams?”
Spencer smiled at the ladies. “Yes, I’ve decided to go to a different store, one that doesn’t make my company feel so unwelcomed.” The women gasped, and in one swift motion a man in an expensive suit came rushing over.
“Mr. Williams!” The tanned man said flashy a huge smile. “What is this I hear? Surely there must be some mistake, you and your family have been one of our most valued customers for years.”
Spencer looked at the man. He was in his mid-fifties, his salt and pepper hair was gelled back and he reeked of cologne. “Well, George, we were but I’m sorry, if my friend here feels unwelcomed by your staff, then I’ll just take her and my wallet somewhere that is more welcoming.” Spencer grabbed Layla’s hand and pulled her out of the store.
“Spencer, you didn’t have to do that,” Layla said while walking with him to his car. “What about Rachel’s gift? Seriously, I’m used to people staring at me, I just got upset because I’m hungry. I could just wait in the car if you want to go back in.”
Spencer stopped when they reached his mustang, and he turned to look at her. “No, Layla, it’s not okay. You didn’t deserve the stares or the rude comments back then, and you don’t deserve them now. You need to learn to stand up for yourself. No one should talk down to you, no one should make you feel like you are less than them.”
She felt a lump growing in her throat and her eyes stung. “I just, I don’t want you to feel embarrassed when you’re are out with me. I don’t know how to dress or do my hair, and if I’d known that we were going somewhere that nice I would’ve asked Catherine.”
Tears started to roll down her cheeks and Spencer sighed, his heart instantly hurt. He placed a hand on her cheek and wiped away the tears. Layla’s breath caught in her throat and her heart skipped a beat. He was touching her face, he was so close to her.
“Layla, I’m not in any way embarrassed by you,” he breathed, his hand still on her now blushing cheek. “I’m embarrassed by them, I bring you into a place that has always treated me well and that’s how they treat you, it’s not acceptable, I’m sorry.” Spencer looked at her and he suddenly felt an urge. He quickly removed his hand as if her cheek burned him and took a step back. “Let’s go get you a smoothie,” he said quickly while going around to the driver’s side.
Holy Shit, I almost kissed her! What is wrong with me!
Layla stood there for a moment, stunned. What had just happened? Her heart was still pounding. She sighed and got in the car as they drove off.
After getting Layla a peanut butter smoothie, which she happily sipped on, the couple walked into the mall to try a different jewelry store. While walking by the display in the window, Layla stopped as something caught her eye. She stared at the jewelry display bust that had a white gold necklace on it. The delicate chain held a beautiful small pendant that was in the shape of a starburst. The pendant was covered in glittery white diamonds except for the center diamond which was a beautiful, round cut pink diamond.
Spencer looked behind him and noticed that Layla was nowhere to be found. He walked back out the door and saw her standing at the window, staring at something while mindlessly drinking her smoothie.
“Hey, what are you doing?” he asked, walking over.
Layla jumped and looked at him. “Sorry, I was looking at this.” She pointed to the necklace. “Isn’t it pretty?”
He looked at the small necklace and smiled. “Yeah, it is.”
“You should get that for Rachel.”
Spencer raised a brow and looked at the girl. “It’s a little small for Rachel’s taste. She likes big and flashy.”
Layla’s face fell. “Oh, okay.” She looked back at the piece and sighed. “Well, I think it’s nice. Oh well, you know her, I don’t, let’s go in.”
He looked at the necklace for another moment. It was beautiful, but the pendant was barely an inch long, and besides, he didn’t want Rachel wearing it. Layla liked it and thought it was pretty. How could he buy it for Rachel, knowing Layla liked it?
He walked inside the jewelry store and met back up with Layla, who was looking at the rings. She saw him and gave him a small wave; he motioned he would be there in a minute before finding a salesperson.
Layla looked at all the different rings. Sure, they were all pretty, but she didn’t understand why people spent so much on them. She thought about what Spencer said when she showed him the necklace she liked. “She likes big and flashy.” Layla frowned, that made no sense. Shouldn’t she be happy with anything she got from Spencer? Wh
y did it have to be the biggest?
She jumped when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She saw Spencer standing there with a shopping bag. “I found what I’m going to give her. You ready to go?”
She raised a brow and looked from where he came from. “What did you get her? Those are all watches over there.”
Spencer nodded. “I got her a Rolex. She wanted a ring but I see nothing she will like, so we’ll go with the watch.” Layla nodded and followed him out, and they headed back towards the car.
Once in the car, Layla groaned and shifted uncomfortably. “What’s wrong?” Spencer asked as they drove off.
She shook her head. “Nothing, just a weird pain in my back,” she muttered, though she got nervous. She had this pain before, she didn’t have it often, but when she did, she was in pain and would start bleeding. She’d had it once before her mother died, and her mother had said they had too much to worry about to deal with that. She rubbed her head and groaned again as a cramp hit her.
“Seriously, you’re concerning me,” Spencer said as they turned up the street towards the house.
“Then maybe drive faster so I can get to bed,” she snapped. She didn’t want to talk about it, she didn’t want him to know she had yet another issue. It was embarrassing, and she wanted to go lay down.
“Look, Layla, I’m just trying to help.” Spencer parked the car in the garage and looked at her. “If something is hurting you, tell me, I might be able to fix it.”
“Fine! I’m bleeding alright!” Layla snapped and blushed. Why did he have to be so damn nosy?
Spencer looked around, bleeding? “Did you cut yourself? Where are you bleeding?”
She looked at his eyes and then glared at the ground. Her cheeks were bright red and her small arms were wrapped around her abdomen.
“Wait… oh… no, I am not handling this one.” Spencer shook his head as his cheeks turned pink.
“Yeah, my mom said the same thing. I don’t know why I do this, alright? I’m sorry.”
Spencer looked back at her like she had two heads. “Layla, what? No, this… this is normal, girls… ummm… let’s go talk to my mom.” He dragged her inside, and he found Catherine sitting at the table eating a snack with Landon. Spencer looked at his cousin. “Beat it,” he barked.
Catherine gasped, “Spencer Matthew! What on earth has gotten into you?”
He motioned to the, now teary-eyed, red-faced brunette behind him. Catherine turned to her nephew, “Landon if you could excuse us.” Landon stood up and left the room, glaring at his cousin the entire way.
Once gone, Spencer looked at his mother. “She’s on her period, this seems like a ‘you’ thing,” Spencer said, getting red in the face before turning and walking out of the room. Layla stood there, eyes still misty, looking at the flawless woman before her.
“Darling,” Catherine started while standing up and wrapping her arms around the girl. “Do you not know what your period is?” Layla started sobbing against Catherine’s chest and shook her head. “It’s okay, come on, let’s have a talk.”
***
Spencer closed his eyes as he sat in a lounge chair on the balcony that was connected to his room and took a drink from his bottle of beer. Opening his eyes, he looked at the green box that held Rachel’s watch and sighed. There was no way this would end well. Rachel wanted a ring, and he knew that when she said she wanted him to buy her a ring, she meant an engagement ring. He couldn’t do it though. Even while looking at rings, he kept looking at ones that wouldn’t be considered engagement rings. He didn’t love Rachel, and he couldn’t ask her that question tomorrow. He sighed again as he opened another beer.
He heard a tap on the sliding door and looked over to see Layla standing there in an orange t-shirt, and baggy, gray sweatpants. He tensed up slightly as he thought about their previous conversation. It wasn’t that it grossed him out; he knew it was natural; he had a mother, a female cousin, and a long list of previous girlfriends, it just, it wasn’t something he felt comfortable talking about. Usually, they handled it, and he wouldn’t think about it. He had never met an adult woman that didn’t know what her period was. He suddenly felt bad for her. That must be terrifying, to suddenly start bleeding and have no one to help her.
Layla wouldn’t look at Spencer, her cheeks were red, and she had a little wrinkle in her forehead from scrunching her eyebrows together. “Spencer, I just wanted to say—”
“Don’t,” Spencer interrupted and took a swig of his beer before continuing. “Look, what happens to you, down there, is not my business. It’s completely natural and nothing to be ashamed of, but it is something that you should only talk about with your female friends. I’m not trying to be a dick, I’m really sorry that you haven’t had people to help you with… that, but I need to be left out of this one, please.”
She nodded. “Okay, but please, let me apologize for earlier. This entire day has been a mess and I’m really sorry for it. I know I’ve probably embarrassed you on more than one occasion today, I wouldn’t expect you to want to take me out anymore.”
She went to leave, but he grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards him. “I already told you…” His tone was strong and luring. He stared down at her, looking deeply into her bright blue eyes that were nearly clear in the setting sun. “I am not embarrassed by you. I love taking you out with me. And despite the car mishap that we will never speak of again, I actually had a lot of fun today. Being with you, it made that chore I was absolutely dreading to do, enjoyable.”
“You… were dreading getting your girlfriend her birthday present?” She raised a brow. She didn’t get it. If he disliked so many things about Rachel, why was he with her?
He blinked, realizing he may have said something that he shouldn’t. “Well, it’s just, I’m a guy, and I hate picking out jewelry.” He laughed and backed away from her.
She was skeptical but shrugged it off. She watched as Spencer finished his beer and threw it in the trashcan. “Why do you drink so much?”
He shrugged. “Stress reliever, I guess.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I hate the smell of it. It reminds me of everyone at the nest.”
He looked at the can of empty beer bottles, and then back at her. “Would you, like it if I quit?”
She shrugged. “It’s your life, Spencer, what does it matter if I would like it or not? You should do whatever makes you happy.”
He thought for a moment. Whatever makes him happy? He hadn’t done that in a long time. He looked at Layla while she stared at the pink skies and watched the setting sun. He knew what would make him happy, but what he wanted, it wasn’t realistic. He looked at the bag from the jewelry store that had Rachel’s watch in it, then back at the girl. He couldn’t help but smile. Her skin glowed in the evening sunlight.
“Hey, Layla…” Was he really about to do this? This could end horribly. No, Layla was right, he needed to do whatever made him happy for once.
Layla looked at him and smiled. “Yeah?”
He felt a lump in his throat as he looked at the bag again. Why was he so nervous? He opened his mouth to speak, but he heard a loud truck horn from in front of the house.
Layla jumped. “What was that?”
Spencer was quiet for a minute, and then it hit him. “Rachel,” he sighed. “She’s here with the crew to decorate for her party tomorrow.”
Layla nodded. “Well, then I should probably let you go help her.”
No, he didn’t want to go. Good God, that was the last thing he wanted to do.
Just fucking open your mouth.
Why was he such a coward? He nodded reluctantly, then followed Layla out of his room and down the stairs, where he was met by the blonde girl who was already in the middle of ordering the workers around.
Rachel looked up from her phone to Spencer and grinned. “Hi baby! Did you get my special gift yet?”
He gulped and gave an awkward smile. “Y… yeah, I got your present this afternoon.”
She
beamed with excitement. “Yay! I’m going first thing tomorrow to get my nails done so they look perfect for photos!” She leaned over and gave Spencer a kiss on his lips.
Layla stood there awkwardly. She felt like this was something she shouldn’t be witnessing. She was about to walk away when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist. She let out a small squeak. “What the?! Landon!” She couldn’t help but laugh as he hoisted her onto his shoulder like a sack of concrete.
“Sorry for the interruption, the game is about to start, and I need my girl.”
Spencer clenched his jaw and rolled his eyes as Layla cheered.
Rachel looked at Landon and smirked. “Landon, you’re looking very handsome today.” Spencer did a double take. Was she really flirting with Landon, in front of him?
“Rachel, you’re looking… rather hungry today.” He winked and then carried off the cheering Layla.
“How rude,” Rachel muttered.
“No, rude is flirting with him in front of your boyfriend.”
Rachel looked over at her irritated boyfriend and grinned. “Awww… is someone jealous?” She kissed the tip of his nose. “Now, let’s get started, we have a lot of work to do.”
Spencer groaned as he thought back to Layla and him on the balcony. Yeah, he could never do what would make him happy.
***
“YES! GOAL!” Layla cheered while jumping up and down. She plopped on the couch and playfully hit Landon on the arm. “I knew he would make it! Now pay up!”
Landon laughed and playfully rolled his eyes. “Alright, alright, damn, a one in a million shot. Okay, tomorrow, I will take you to get your shirt.”
Layla hugged him. “Yay! I’m so excited! My own Manchester shirt!”
Landon laughed and hugged her back. He held her for a moment before pulling back slightly. He looked into her eyes. “Do you have any idea how breathtaking you are?” he asked softly while placing a hand on her cheek. Layla blushed, her heart rate sped up as he brought her face closer to his. What was he doing?
“Hey Layla, did you want…” Spencer walked into the room and stood there, mouth wide open. Layla screamed and jumped back, her face turned almost purple as she ran out of the room.