AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You’re talking like I’m irresistible.”
“You are,” I snarl. “Not just your appearance, gorgeous flowing hair, kissable lips, or smoking-hot, curvy-as-hell body. It’s your personality too. Your passion. Your confidence and the shyness nestled beneath it.”
“I should tell you to stop complimenting me,” she says, “but I sort of like it.”
“Good, because I wouldn’t stop, anyway.”
She turns to the window, laying her forehead against the glass. “Work was fine. Busy. Graham gave me crap here and there, but nothing major.”
“One day, you’ll have your own restaurant and treat your employees with more respect.”
“How can you be sure? What if I’m as much of a douche as he is? What’s that saying? Absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
“You’re a good person. You know what it is to grind at the bottom. I can’t imagine you behaving how he does.”
She doesn’t reply for a long time. I can feel her anxiety radiating from her in waves.
“You know what happened with Dad, right?”
“Bits and pieces,” I reply. “Not much, honestly. Noah rarely talks about it.”
“When I was eight or nine, Dad started getting involved in drugs and gambling. He’d stay out for hours. I vividly remember those nights, Miles, like I’m still there. Mom is sitting in the living room, staring at the wall, waiting for her husband to return, praying he hasn’t wasted all our money on drugs and cards. Then Dad found a woman who enjoyed cards and drugs as much as he did.”
She stops, her breathing ragged. She sounds like she’s close to tears. My heart crushes in my chest, a beat that commands me to fix this, but I can’t. It’s already over. She’s right. I can’t protect her from everything.
“I still remember when Mom told me what happened. A robbery gone wrong. Dad and his new girlfriend were killed trying to hold up a liquor store. Then it was years of Mom trying to move on and find happiness, all while working double shifts so we didn’t lose the house. I never thought she’d find a man. I thought her defenses were too high.”
“But now she has,” I say. “Noah, the best man there is.”
“Yeah, exactly. He’s a good person. He’s a good stepdad.”
My temples pulse. My muscles tense.
“Do you see what I’m saying?”
“If we do what we want, we’ll ruin things for your mom.”
“Just when she’s found her chance at happiness. So please, Miles, let’s try, okay? No more touching, no more kissing.”
“If I’m going to do that, I won’t be able to spend as much time with you. Just being close to you is a temptation.”
“Don’t you think I want it, too?” she says fiercely. “You should’ve seen Mom’s face. It devastated her. She hated my dad for what he did but still loved him. It still traumatized her.”
“So, if she lost somebody shedidn’thate…”
“If she lost Noah because of me, her life would be over. I’m not sure she’d ever recover.”
I swallow, focusing on the road.
“Okay, Layla.”
This is the end before we’ve even started.
CHAPTERNINE
Layla
“Wait,what?”
