by Solveig Yrsa
Spencer clammed up when there was a knock on the door and Layla walked through smiling. “I’m so sorry I took so long, I can go down to the cafeteria and try to get you something else.”
Spencer looked at his mother’s face and decided to drop the subject, he gave Layla a smile and took the food and clothes. “No, this is fine, thank you, Layla.”
She smiled and walked over to Catherine. “How are you?” she asked as Catherine smiled. “Oh, I’m just fine, I could go home now, but they are just being overly cautious.” Spencer snorted as he took off his shirt to put the new one on. Layla couldn’t help but blush as she looked at his firm muscles relax and contract as he grabbed his fresh shirt.
“Okay Mom, sure.” He looked over and his eyes met with Layla’s, causing her to squeak and look away. He smirked, knowing he’d caught her looking. “I think I’ll go into the bathroom and change. Get away from prying eyes and all.”
“I wasn’t looking,” Layla defended, which caused Spencer to laugh as he walked away as she just glared at the wall, blushing.
“So,” Catherine smiled, and motioned for Layla to sit down. “Everything going okay at the house? Was Samantha back yet? I know she was having to run home to check on her father since Liam was cramming for finals.”
Layla shook her head. “No, she wasn’t back yet, Landon was there though. I told him you were here.” She shifted uncomfortably as she thought back to what Landon had asked her earlier. What was she going to do? Should she say yes? She had never been on a date before. What if it went bad and then it was awkward afterwards? She sighed and looked at Catherine.
“Landon asked me out on a date.” The sound of a door slamming shut made her jump. The women looked at Spencer standing there, lips snarled.
“He what?” Spencer growled.
“He asked me on a date,” Layla repeated softly.
“And what did you say?”
“I didn’t answer him, he told me to think about it and let him know.” She turned her attention back to Catherine. “I’ve never been on a date before, I don’t know what happens, how to dress, how to act. What if it goes bad? What if I mess it up? It would be so awkward living with someone after that, right?”
Catherine looked at Spencer with an I told you so look. “Well Layla, you could always tell him you aren’t ready for anything romantic, but if he wanted to go out as just friends, you’d like that. That way you get to have sort of a practice date, without all the pressure of romance.”
“No, I don’t like that.” Spencer shook his head as he stood by the foot of the bed. “I got a better idea. Landon can piss off back to London and never come back here again.”
Catherine rolled her eyes and Layla looked at him, confused. “Why do you dislike him so much? Landon has been nothing but nice to me. You would think as my friend, you would want me to be with someone nice.”
Spencer looked dumbfounded. “I…I… Landon is not a nice guy! It’s an act! Mom! Back me up here!”
Catherine sighed and looked at Layla. “Look, Landon is very charming, and he’s had a lot of experience with relationships.”
Spencer scoffed. “That’s a pleasant way of saying he will poke anything in a skirt.”
“Language!” Catherine scolded. “Now, Landon is a nice young man, but he is not someone who is known for serious relationships. So just keep that in mind.”
Layla nodded and looked at the steaming man in front of her. “Spencer, can I talk to you for a moment?” Smiling at Catherine, she stood up and walked out of the room. Spencer looked at his mother, who mouthed out, “Be supportive,” before he followed her out.
Once they were inside the elevators and the doors closed, Layla looked at Spencer and huffed, “Is this how it’s going to be now? Any time I mention a guy, you’re going to act like a jerk?”
He shrugged, “I mean, probably.”
She wanted to be mad, but his pissed off expression made her bust out laughing. The elevator doors opened and Spencer looked confused as Layla continued to laugh and walk out of the hospital. “Are you broken?” he asked cautiously as they walked outside to the dark parking lot.
She chuckled and shook her head. “Your mean look is funny.”
He raised a brow. “You would be the first person ever to say that.”
She pointed at the coffee shop across the street from them. “You want to go across to the coffee shop? I’ll buy.” She grinned while holding his wallet.
Laughing, he snatched it from her. “Yeah, you’re real cute, come on let’s go.”
Once inside, Layla sat down at a table while Spencer went to order. She looked at him smiling at the girl across the counter, watching as he shook his head and then pointed at Layla before walking over.
Once he sat down, Layla looked at him. “Why were you pointing at me?”
Spencer shrugged as he sat his phone on the table. “She asked me if I was single and I said I was here with my girlfriend.”
She blushed. “I don’t know if I should be insulted or honored. I was your wife at the hospital.”
He chuckled, “Yeah sorry about that, they are usually a little more understanding when non relatives are with Mom, but honestly I’ve never met that doctor before and apparently you rubbed him the wrong way.”
“Yeah, well, he needed to understand that his focus needed to be Catherine.”
Smiling, he patted her hand across the table. “Layla, thank you for helping her the way you did. It means everything to me. There are very few people that I can trust to act the way you did today.”
Layla thanked the girl as she brought out two cookies and two iced coffees. She took a sip of her drink before speaking. “I love your mom, Spencer. I know I haven’t known her very long, and I guess I don’t really know what love feels like… but the way I feel with her, I feel welcomed, understood, I feel safe and happy, so I want to make her feel the same in return.”
Spencer nodded. “I’m no expert, but that sounds like love to me. I feel the same way for her.”
She was quiet for a moment before she looked at him and spoke again. “Does that mean I love you too?”
He choked on the coffee he was drinking. He coughed a couple times before he looked at her, eyes wide. “W…what?”
“Well, I mean… you make me feel welcomed… most of the time, and safe, and you don’t… usually… make fun of me, you protected me from Jackson, you saved me from Old Man Marcus, you spent nights with me because I was too afraid to sleep on my own… you make me happy, so I guess if that’s what it means to love someone, I love you as well.”
Spencer opened his mouth, but nothing came out. His mother was the only person in his life to tell him they loved him. Not one other person. Should he say it back? He looked at her sitting there, waiting for him to speak. His mind was blank, all he could do was stare. What was wrong with him? Say something, you idiot!
“So I should probably go back to the house, I wanted to clean up Catherine’s room, Samantha should be there soon and my tutor Ms. Becker will be at the house in the morning.”
He slumped his shoulders slightly. He, once again, blew his opportunity. “Let me drive you home,” he offered as he stood up and walked her back across the street to the hospital parking lot.
The ride home was relatively quiet. Spencer continued to beat himself up for not opening up to her, and Layla was sitting in her seat looking out the window. They pulled up to the house and she turned to him and smiled, “Are you going to come in?”
He was about to say no, but something about the way she asked made him feel like she wanted him to. “Umm… sure for a minute.” He turned off the ignition and got out of the car. They walked up the stairs to the front door and went inside.
Spencer noticed the enormous smile on Layla’s face. “What are you grinning about?”
She giggled and pulled him towards the steps. “I want to show you my room! I got something really cool for it.” She continued to hold his hand as they walked up the stairs. He
couldn’t stop staring at her tiny hand in his large one. She led him to the room and, much to his dismay, let go of his hand to open her door. She turned on the light and pushed him in the room.
Spencer looked at the room and raised a brow. Nothing was different except she had a small desk and chair in there. “Oh, you got a desk?”
Layla laughed. “No! Okay, watch.” She turned off the light and turned on a projector that lit up the ceiling with stars. He looked up and chuckled. He noticed how excited she was. “Isn’t it beautiful!” she squealed.
“Yeah, it is.” He couldn’t stop looking at her. The dim light of the projector made her pale skin glow and her blue eyes sparkle.
She noticed that he was staring at her and she smiled shyly. “Spencer, why aren’t you looking at the pretty stars?” She blushed as she tucked a fallen strand of hair behind her ear.
“Because you are the only pretty thing I want to look at.” The words just came out and made him instantly want to disappear. He hadn’t meant to say that out loud. He looked at Layla, her eyes were as wide as his.
She couldn’t speak. Did he really say that? Her heart was pounding in her chest. “Spencer,” she whispered. “I… what are you saying?”
What was he saying? He couldn’t lie, he couldn’t run away, he had to keep going. As he took a breath, he closed the distance between them. He looked down at her and placed a hand behind her neck, pulling her to him until their lips were almost touching. Spencer could feel Layla’s rapid breathing on his chin. He looked her in the eyes for another second and went all in. He closed the small distance left as his lips met hers. Feeling her stiff, shocked body loosen and relax into him. Her shaky hands ran up his arms and gripped his shoulders. Spencer placed one hand on the small of her back and moved the one that was on her neck to her jaw. He never wanted to move, her soft, sweet lips against his, her hands holding onto him. The feeling he felt right now, it was unlike anything he had ever felt before.
Layla couldn’t think. Was this actually happening? God, his lips felt amazing. Him nibbling on her bottom lip made her knees weak. She was so nervous she was going to do the wrong thing, but she didn’t want to break apart either. Suddenly there was a loud bang downstairs followed by a frantic sounding Samantha.
“LAYLA! AUNT CAT!”
Layla jumped away from Spencer and stared at him, wide-eyed and panting. “I…I have to go,” she blurted, and ran out of her room and down the stairs, shortly followed by Spencer, to find a pale face Samantha crumpled on the ground, tears pouring from her eyes. “Oh my god, Sam, what happened?” Layla ran to the girl and hugged her.
“My… my dad,” she choked between sobs. “He’s dead.”
***
Spencer’s heart broke for his cousin as he kneeled down next to Layla and rubbed her back. “Come on, let’s get you comfortable and get you something to drink. Where’s Liam?”
Samantha tried to compose herself. “He… Liam is at school, he has his final in the morning so he was there studying and has his phone off.”
Spencer sighed and ran his hands over his face. He looked at Layla, who was holding Samantha to her chest and rubbing her back. “Okay, Lay, you stay her with Sam, alright? I’m going back to the hospital to check on Mom and update her, then either myself or Jensen will go get Liam after his final in the morning. This is horrible what has happened, but I’m not letting him miss his final. If he wants to hate me for it later, so be it.” He placed a hand on Layla’s arm. “Are you going to be alright here?”
She nodded. “I’m fine, come on, Sam, let’s get changed, and we’ll go to the couch.”
Spencer stood in the entryway as he watched the two girls head to the living room. He shook his head. This was not what Samantha needed. The poor girl had taken on the mother role for Liam and their father years ago, he knew that she was blaming herself because she was here this last week instead of home with David.
“Fucking asshole,” he growled as he went to the kitchen. He grabbed a couple bags of chips and some drinks, and met the girls back in the lounge room with them. “Here, in case you guys want anything.” He laid the drinks and snacks on the large square ottoman that sat in the center of the charcoal gray L-shaped sofa.
Samantha rested her head on Layla’s chest again and tried to hold back a sob. “I went there after work to check on him… he had… had been there… for two days.” She sobbed into the small girl's shoulder as Layla laid back on the couch and wrapped her arms around her tall friend.
“Sammy.” Spencer wanted to say something to help his little cousin, it was so hard seeing her, the strongest person he knew, so broken down. She was always Mama Sam, always able to handle any situation, she was the one they would look to for advice, seeing her so lost and heartbroken, it crushed him. “Listen, you try to rest. I’ll handle everything.” He bent down and kissed the top of Samantha’s head before leaving the room and grabbing his phone.
Jensen groaned as his phone rang. He looked at it and picked it up. “Some of us have to work at six in the morning, asshole,” he muttered.
“Jen, Liam and Sam’s dad died.”
Jensen sat up in his bed. “Oh shit, how… how are they?”
He heard Spencer sigh. “Well, Sammy is here, she’s broken, dude. She’s sobbing and hugging Layla and won't let go. As for Liam, he doesn’t know yet.”
“What? Why not?”
“His final is in the morning, he’s probably cramming for the test right now. If I go to the university, he’s going to leave and skip the final, because he will feel like he needs to be with Sam. I just, I can’t let him do that. He’s so close to his residency, I can’t let him stop now. I’m sure he could work with his professors and get a makeup, but that’s added stress, and he’s been cramming for weeks for this.”
Jensen sighed and rubbed his face. “He’s going to freak out. He’s probably going to punch you at the school.”
“Yeah… that’s why I called you.”
Jensen was quiet for a moment before realization hit him. “Oh, come on, Spence! Don’t make me deliver this news to him.”
“Look, if it comes from you, he might actually listen. If he hears it from me, he’s going to be pissed off because I shouldn’t be making decisions for him.”
Jensen growled. “Fine. But just know I’m not happy about this, and any anger he takes out on me, I’m passing right on to you.”
There was silence for a moment before Spencer spoke, “Okay, I can handle that. Now, I’ve got to make sure the girls are okay, go back to the hospital, check on Mom and update her, then I guess I need to call Matthew, and I should probably start trying to figure out what I need to do for arrangements.”
Jensen sighed. “Okay, when you put it like that, I guess I could tell Liam. If you need help with anything else, let me know.”
“Thanks, Jen.” Spencer hung up the phone and walked back into the room where he found Samantha asleep on top of Layla, who was half watching the television and half falling asleep. She looked up at Spencer and gave him a small wave. Walking over to the couch, he looked down at her. “Are you going to be okay?” he asked, gesturing to the auburn-haired girl that was holding onto Layla for dear life.
Layla nodded. “I don’t really know what I’m doing, but I’ll be whatever she needs me to be,” Layla whispered softly.
Spencer nodded and sighed. “Lay, about what happened earlier…”
She held up her hand to stop him. “I don’t think right now is the best time to talk about that, Spencer.” She looked away and blushed.
He wanted to continue on the subject, but didn’t want to pressure her, so he let it go. “Listen, I’m probably going to be really busy tomorrow. But, I’m going to try to stop by the phone store and get you a cellphone so we can be in contact, until then, Sammy should have hers somewhere, and I’ll send John here in the morning to check on you guys.”
She nodded. “Okay, we’ll be fine.” He patted her hand before turning to leave the room.
> Once gone, Layla let out a breath that she didn’t realize she was holding, laid her head on the armrest and stared at the ceiling. What was she going to do? She didn’t want to talk to Spencer about the kiss because either way it went; it scared her. He either liked it and wanted to be with her, or he hated it and wants nothing to do with her. She bit her lip nervously and looked down at her sleeping friend. She had never seen someone so heartbroken. She thought about when she found her mother dead. She didn’t recall crying much, though her mother was cold and abusive, so it wasn’t as though she truly lost anything precious; then of course there was her father, though she was so young at the time that she really didn’t remember it. She thought about earlier in the morning, when Catherine collapsed and hit her head, and how scared she was that she wouldn’t wake up. Her heart hurt just thinking about it. Is that what Samantha was feeling? She sighed and rubbed Samantha’s back.
***
Layla groaned as she opened an eye and peered at the television that was serving as the only light in the otherwise dark room. She looked on the couch and saw Samantha sitting there eating a donut and watching television. Sam looked at Layla. “Sorry Lay, did the TV wake you?” Layla noticed how raw Sam’s voice sounded from all the crying and screaming.
“No, it’s fine, what are you doing up? It's still dark out.”
Sam shook her head. “It’s actually 8am, it’s just storming really bad outside.” Layla nodded and sat up, stretching, her small body was very stiff from having Samantha on her all night. “You want a donut? Landon picked some up this morning and got us some iced coffee.”
“That was nice of him.” Layla yawned while rubbing her eye and scooting closer to Samantha to grab a donut.
“Yeah, he actually was doing it for you, he didn’t even know about my dad. So he gave me his coffee. So… what did I miss?”
Layla blushed. “It’s not important,” she muttered as she grabbed a donut and took a bite.
“Oh yes it is! Come on, Lay, I need this right now. Give me some kind of temporary distraction.”
Groaning, Layla rolled her head. “Okay okay, so yesterday I came back here to change because I was covered in blood, and Spencer needed some clothes, so while getting ready to leave again, Landon comes up to me and asks me out on a date.”