“All her life, people used her in the worst possible way, and now everyone wants to kill her. There’s nothing to envy.”
“You, silly. I envy her because she hasyou.The way you love her, how much you’re willing to do for her...” She trails off and pulls the sleeve of her jumper lower. “She’s only two years older than me. That’s not much, but look, she already has her happily ever after. When this is all over, she’ll live like a princess. Your princess. I hope she appreciates what she has.”
The note of exasperation in her voice comes as a surprise. I hadn’t paid much attention to Grace since Layla came back, but it looks like I should have.
“You don’t like her.” And I don’t like knowing this.
“It’s not like that. I just don’t like being here when you’re not around. Layla’s not a nice person.”
Objection forms in my mind but fails to become audible. Grace has a point. Layla’s not a nice person. She’s rude, bossy, and only respects people she likes, of which there aren’t many. Then again, I don’t fucking care. How can I? Layla doesn’t need to be likable. I’d take the honest, no-bullshit attitude of hers over fake smiles every time.
“If you went through half as much shit as she did in your life, you wouldn’t be nice either. She’s cautious. It’s not easy to break through her walls, but deep down, she’s a good girl.”
“Oh... yes, I heard,” Grace mumbles, cheeks pink. My mind takes me an extraordinarily long time to grasp that she’s referring to me calling Layla a good girl while we fucked in here while Grace involuntarily eavesdropped from the kitchen. “I’m not saying she’s not a good person, but I preferyou. Keep your promise and tell me why you’re drinking alone.”
“I’m trying to distance myself from her for a while.”
“From Layla? I don’t understand.”
“That makes two of us. I told her I won’t call her for a while. I thought it’ll help me focus on the problems here, but instead of thinking about her less, I think of her more,” I wave the glass in front of her face. “I’m drinking to stop thinking.”
“Is it working?”
“No.”
Not one fucking bit.
“You know...” Grace stares at the glass in her hand. “I’ve never seen a man as in love as you are.”
A frown and a hand gesture urging her to keep going is my only answer.
“She’s the first person you look at when you walk into the house. The first you speak to.” She steals a sideways glance at me, ghosting her index finger over the rim of the wine glass. “Not once and not twice, you walked right past me, not a word, not a glance until you kiss her.”
She’s not wrong. When the time comes to get home, all I can focus on is Layla. Seeing her, kissing her, touching her is all I wait for. What the hell has she done to me? People don’t change. Or so I’ve been told my whole life.
Bullshit.
Layla brought a different side of me to life. A side I have a love-hate relationship with.Feelingis great, but it’s getting out of hand. There has to be a way to put a cap on love. A way to stop the feelings from overpowering a man. A way to love just the right amount.
It’d be good to find balance before I go mental.
“You can stand right in front of her, and I won’t notice.”
“Exactly. You’re very intense. Do you even know how deep she sits under your skin?”
A bitter laugh escapes my lips. “Too deep.”
“I can’t disagree. Why, though? I don’t understand it. You are two different people in one body.” She pulls her legs under her bum, curiosity clearly visible on her thin, pretty face, a soft glow of pink heating her cheeks. “When she’s not around, you’re quite scary.”
“Scary?”
“Yes. Intimidating. Commanding, sometimes callous... but when Layla’s around, you’re even scarier. You’re territorial.I watch every word I say to Layla because God help anyone who disrespects her.”
I groan, annoyed at the involuntary reaction the merethoughttriggers—my body tenses, fists clench, jaw ticks.
A moment of inattention is what got me here. One moment of letting my guard down when the curiosity of the girl dressed in red sauntering across the dancefloor of my club got the better of me.
Grace eyes the framed pictures of Layla hanging on the walls. From the corner of my eye, I see her lips, all three sets of them, form a thin smile.