by Megan Smith
He doesn’t even spare me a glance. “See you tomorrow.”
Brian and I walk over to his Dodge Charger with Dumb and Dumber trailing behind us. “I’ll catch up with you guys later after I drop Layla off.” Brian tells his friends as they climb into their car.
We pull out of the parking lot towards the highway. I kick off my shoes trying to get comfortable even if it’s just for a few minutes. My feet are killing me.
Brian reaches forward and turns the radio down. “I wanna take you to dinner. When is your next day off?”
I briefly close my eyes thinking of my schedule. “Sunday.”
“Sunday it is then. I’ll actually be coming home from the city so you think you could meet me at Graziano’s?” His job has been taking him to New York a lot lately on business meetings.
I want to tell him no but I won’t. I’ve got just enough money saved up for all of the bills this month but it’ll leave me flat broke and if I need help I might have to fall back on him. “Yeah, sure.” Do I think it’s weird that he’ll be working on a Saturday, yeah I do. Is it fucked up that he wants to take me to dinner but can’t even pick me up, yeah, I do. I’ll walk though because I’m not wasting money on a cab or the bus.
Brian reaches over and rests his hand on my thigh. I cringe because I try my damndest not to have any kind of sexual relationship with him if I don’t absolutely have to. I do the bare minimum to keep him happy and not take his wrath out on me. I lean my head back against the headrest and close my eyes hoping this is as far as he’ll take this.
Twenty minutes later we are pulling up to my place. Looking up above Jax’s it’s dark and my bed is calling my name. I slip my feet back in my shoes forgoing tying them. I turn to Brian, “Thanks. I’ll talk to you later.”
He reaches up and cups the side of my face. He leans in and kisses me gently on the lips and then again and once more before he slides his tongue into my mouth. He tastes like the Jack he was drinking. I hate Jack. The kiss is unappealing, no emotion, no feeling behind it. I feel nothing for him, nothing at all.
I pull back before it can get out of hand leaving him panting. “I miss you.”
I choke the words out, “I miss you, too,” because I don’t miss him worth a shit. I hate him. You’re doing this for Fallon, Layla. It’s all for Fallon.
I open the door and climb out needing to get the hell away from him. He pulls away before I even step away from the curb. I shake my head making my way upstairs to throw myself on my bed and pass out.
One day I’ll be able to tell him to go to hell, that I don’t need him anymore. That I can stand on my own two feet. A couple more months until summer is here, and then I should be able to handle all of this on my own.
Just a couple more months.
I spent the morning and afternoon in my pajamas with Fallon watching movies, eating pancakes, ice cream, and relaxing. Mom has been in her room all day only coming out to use the bathroom. I hate her almost as much as I hate Brian. Actually, I hate her more. If she was any kind of mother we wouldn’t be in this situation at all.
I glance over towards the clock, it’s four, and I have to meet Brian at six.
“Alright, squirt. I’ve gotta get ready to go out.” I say pushing the covers off of me. I carry our cups over to the sink and toss them in.
“Where are you going?” She whines. “I want to go.”
I frown because I can’t take her. “I’m going out with Brian. He’s taking me to dinner. I won’t be long.” I hope I won’t anyway.
“Okay.” She pouts.
She’s breaking my heart. We haven’t been spending much time together lately because I’ve been working as much as possible. I wish she was old enough to understand. “Squirt?”
She looks up with tears in her eyes. “Want to help me with my makeup and hair?”
Her little face lights up. “Yes!”
Fallon jumps from the couch and follows me into our room. I have my black dress that I’m wearing on the bed with my heels on the floor. “I’m going to jump in the shower real quick then we can get started.”
Lying back on her bed she picks up a book and flips through the pages.
I quickly wash my hair, body and shave my legs. When I get out Fallon is still lying on her bed reading, or trying to anyway. “Alright, you ready?”
Tossing the book on the bed she jumps off and walks back into the bathroom with me where we get to work on blow-drying my hair. She holds it as I use the brush to blow it out straight. Once I’m happy with my hair, we start on my makeup.
“Here.” I stay handing her my lip gloss.
Fallon grabs it and brings it to my lips. Thankfully it’s clear because the second she hits my lips she zig-zags and by the time she’s done it’s everywhere. I take it from her when she’s done and toss it back in my bag.
“Thanks, squirt.”
She smiles happily as I apply a little eye shadow and mascara. The dollar store around the corner sells makeup, it’s cheap but it does the job.
“How do I look?”
She leans up against the sink and rests her chin on her palm. “Beautiful.”
Winking at her, I head back to our room where I get dressed. Considering I got this dress at the Goodwill a few years ago it’s really holding up. It’s a lacy, long sleeve dress that hangs just above my knees. The nude color heels I’m wearing are the ones that Brian got me for Christmas.
It’s a cool March evening so I need to wear a jacket and I’ve only got one so it’ll have to do. I’ll just take it off before we walk into the restaurant. I grab my purse and kiss Fallon on the head.
“See you later.”
“Bye, Layla.” She says sadly.
I don’t look back because if I do I’ll stay here or bring her with me and I can’t do either of those.
The walk to Graziano’s is slow going because of these heels but I make it there with a few minutes to spare. I wait outside for Brian. People are coming and going as I stand to the side and wait. I dig around in my purse for my cell phone to see what time it is.
It’s six-twenty. He’s never late. I dial his number to make sure everything is okay. It rings and rings before his voicemail picks up. I haven’t heard from him since Friday night. I wait a few minutes and try again, still no answer.
Hmm, where the hell is he. I decide to go in and see if he’s already here and maybe I missed his car in the parking lot.
There is a girl dressed in all black tapping a pen against her lips. “Excuse me,” she glances up to me, “Can you tell me if my boyfriend Brian Hopkins is here?”
“Sure, one second.” She runs her finger down the list of guests. “You said Brian Hopkins?”
“Yeah, we were supposed to meet at six.”
Shaking her head she glances at the list again. “I’m sorry I’m not seeing that name here at all.”
What the hell? “Okay, thank you. I must have heard him wrong then.”
She smiles, I turn to leave. When I step back outside I try to call him again and now it goes to his voicemail.
“Son of a bitch.” I mumble as I start walking back towards home.
A phone call would have been really nice if something came up.
On the way back home I make a detour and stop at Riverfront Park. I pass a few people walking down the pier, they smile at me and I return it. There is a couple sitting on one of the benches and a guy is leaning up against the railing staring out over the water.
I take a seat on one of the empty benches to rest my aching feet. I wrap my thin jacket around me a little tighter as the breeze picks up. The couple gets up and walks away. I dig around in my purse again for my phone trying to call Brian again.
It rings and rings and voicemail picks up again. “Damn it.” I mutter tossing my phone back in my purse.
“Layla?”
My head swings in the direction of my name.
Eli.
“Hey,” I look around, why I don’t know; because when I got here he was alone l
ooking out over the water. “Are you waiting for someone?”
He looks sad but quickly covers it up. “No.” He shakes his head. “Just came down here to clear my head.”
I can’t believe he’s here. The weird thing is he doesn’t live around here either. He lives in Toms River, about a half hour away. This night is getting stranger and stranger by the minute.
Eli
What are the chances that I run into her? Slim to none although I had an inkling of hope. I’ve felt bad since Friday night dismissing her the way I did but I was holding back what I really wanted to say to Brian. I needed him gone and if she had to go with him then, so be it. I don’t know the guy truthfully but I’ve heard of his friends and you know the saying, ‘You are the company you keep.’ I tried to take the higher road and introduce myself to him hoping he would be more comfortable with Layla working at Fierce. Jaylinn tried to warn me not to, to save my breath, but I didn’t listen.
The only words that were exchanged were, ‘She’s mine, stay the fuck away from her.’ Knowing that nothing I was going to say would change the direction of the conversation, I just nodded. I didn’t need to explain that I was aware and he had nothing to worry about. It would have fallen on deaf ears anyway. I could tell by the way he was watching her when we had the grand opening and I can tell now. He’s claiming what’s his.
I’m still trying to figure out what the fuck Layla is doing with someone like him though. I can tell he’s the kind who has another girl on the side. They’re missing the spark, the smiles, and the emotions of a relationship. There is nothing between Layla and Brian, anyone can see that if I can. I’m a pretty good judge of character, at least when it comes to jerk-offs. If he was so worried about her, he would be picking her up every night after work, but he’s not. He’d stop in more, keep her company, but he doesn’t. He doesn’t care about her so why is he keeping her around? Why put in the effort? Why is she staying?
“Eli?”
Shaking those thoughts away, “I stopped by Cooper’s to check on things.” I answer her question. “I just needed to clear my head a little.”
Erin had called me again last night crying and it’s weighing pretty heavily on me. She doesn’t understand why it’s so hard to find someone to love her. I don’t have those answers. I’m actually wondering why it’s so damn hard for me to find a decent girl myself. It kills me to hear her so upset. She should be worried about Sophia and not some damn guy. She thinks she’s going to grow old by herself and she doesn’t want that for Sophia. I don’t blame her there but she’s trying too hard.
“Everything okay?” Layla asks tucking her short dress under her legs and it’s suddenly all I can see. From the tips of her toes, her tiny ankles, her toned calves and her slender thighs, I take a deep breath, and let it out slowly. So much shit rolling around in my head but everything seems to stop now that she’s here. Everything becomes her.
It’s an unnerving feeling because normally I don’t give much of my time to a passing girl but with every day I find myself wanting to be around Layla. That’s never happened before. “Yeah, nothing I can’t handle. What about you? All dressed up just to come here?”
She shrugs and seems a little defeated. “I was supposed to meet Brian for dinner down the street but he never showed.”
My case in point, if he loved her, if he cared about her, where is he? What sort of man stands up their girl for a date? The feelings I have about Brian want to be vocalized to Layla, but it’s not my place and now wouldn’t be the time.
“That’s too bad.”
I slide my jacket off and place it over Layla’s shoulders. She’s not wearing enough clothes to be out this time of year.
“Purple looks nice on you.” Layla says softly.
I look down, forgetting I even wore a purple shirt today. “Thanks.”
My phone beeps with a message. I pull it out of my pocket and it’s a picture of Erin and Sophia making a funny face. I chuckle, glad that she seems to have pulled herself together, at least for now anyway. I message her back, ‘Goofballs.’ Before tucking my phone away again. I notice it’s nearing seven-thirty and if Brian didn’t show up for dinner she probably didn’t eat.
I clear my throat. “So I’m assuming you didn’t eat?”
She shakes her head. “No, I’ll grab something at home when I get back.”
“Would you…uh,” I feel nervous. It’s just dinner, jackass. “Would you want to go grab something with me?”
She shakes her head immediately. That stings more than I care to admit. “No,” it comes out a little sharp. “Sorry, no that’s okay. Thanks for offering though.”
“I won’t tell Brian if you don’t.” I say playfully trying to keep the conversation light.
She laughs and plays with the end of her dress. “I’m not worried about Brian, he’s probably still in New York for all I know.”
“Then let me take you to dinner, my treat.”
Layla glances over and bobs her head. “Alright, but on one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“You let me pay you back tomorrow since I don’t have any money on me.”
I hold my hand out to her. “Deal.” I lie. I’m not taking her money. I’ve got plenty and can easily afford it.
We make our way over to my car. “So what’s a good Bar and Grill around here?”
“Hmm…Brickhouse just down the road is a good place.”
I open the passenger side door for her after unlocking it. “Sounds good.”
I try so damn hard not to look down at her legs while she climbs in but I can’t help it. The male chromosome isn’t wired that way. I’m dying to run my hands all over them. Layla clears her throat. Fuck, caught.
She smirks, “We going?”
I look up shaking my head. “We’re going.” Get it together, Eli.
When we arrive it’s packed, she wasn’t kidding when she said it was a good place. Everyone else seems to think so, too. We take a seat at the bar which Layla doesn’t seem to have a problem with.
We have a few drinks, after a little persuasion, and order some food. She tried to put up a fight about it but finally caved in. I order her another one and order myself a glass of water. I can’t drink anymore or I won’t be able to drive her, or me, home.
I reach over and push her hair back over her shoulder. “So what are you studying at school?”
She blushes as my hand lingers a little too long on her shoulder. “Business Management.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“So you want to take my job over one day?”
She laughs. “Yeah, one day.”
That gives me an idea I’ll have to talk to Cooper about. We could slowly train Layla to be a manager when either Cooper or I can’t be there. She’d be trusted and someone we both know.
“I’ll see what I can do.” I wink at her.
Her eyes seem to widen just a bit when the ten o’clock news comes on. Layla curses under her breath, “Shit.”
“What’s the matter?”
She reaches behind her for her jacket. “I’ve got to get going. I promised—” Layla stops mid-sentence.
“You promised what? Brian blew you off remember?” I say a little irritated that she’s even worried about him after flaking on their date.
She stares at me for a moment, a battle raging inside of her. She slides off the stool taking a step closer to me she says softly. “It’s not about Brian, Eli.” It’s a promise but she’s also not telling what she promised who.
All I can do is take it for what it is. At least I know it’s not about Brian, right? “Alright, let’s get you home.”
“Oh no, my house isn’t far from here. I can walk.” She insists.
I toss more than enough money down on the bar to cover our tab before reaching for my coat. “I’ll take you.”
She wants to argue but she doesn’t, not with the look I’m giving her. I place a hand on the middle of Layla’s back causing he
r to flinch away before she relaxes. I usher her out to my car leaving my hand on her back the entire time.
She wasn’t kidding when she said it wasn’t far. It was a block and a half away. I pull up in front of the house putting the car in park.
I rest my head back against the seat as one of my favorite songs from Sam Hunt filters through the speakers in my car.
“I love this song.” Layla comments turning it up just a little.
She doesn’t seem in a hurry to get back inside and I like that more than I care to admit. It’s like she doesn’t want the night to end just yet.
“You know he’s coming to Philly soon, right?”
She shakes her head.
“You should come with me and my sister. I promised I’d take her when she found out he was coming to town.”
Layla shrugs. “Yeah, maybe.”
She doesn’t sound too sure but I leave it at that, it’s a few months away.
We sit together, the heated seats and heater running keeping us warm, until the song is over.
“I gotta get going.”
The words are there floating between us but she doesn’t make a move to leave. My eyes roam down to her lips, that shiny shit on her lips long gone now. Slowly and seductively her tongue comes out to wet her lips and my restraint slips. Leaning over, my hand on her neck pulling her closer, inch by painful inch, until we are inches away from each other.
The air around us crackles, the music fades and it’s just our breathing that I hear and the swooshing in my fucking ears. I’ve wanted to do this since the day I first laid eyes on her. I know it’s wrong, it’s so fucked up on so many levels but none of them seem to matter in this moment.
“I’m going to kiss you.” Layla’s breath catches, her big green eyes darken. “If you don’t want that to happen, you have to get out of this car right now.”
I wait two heartbeats, she hasn’t moved an inch, hasn’t taken her eyes off mine. At first it’s just a peck on the lips needing to test the grounds. The next lingers and the third flips a switch for the both of us. Her hands find their way to my hair; my hand goes to her hips attempting to pull her closer. Her lips part and I make a move needing more. Our tongues caress and ignite a fire. Emotions whirl around and skid to halt when she suddenly pulls back.