Page 59 of False Assumptions

She nodded, not feeling like arguing. Beautiful was good, but moving, not so much. Not with the subject matter. Not in front of all these people. She needed to get away now. To hide.

Forcing herself to meet his eyes, she gave a quick smile. “Thanks, Dr. Moore. Can you excuse me? I need to use the restroom.”

“Of course, of course. Be sure to come back. I’ll see you after.” He moved back to the main area to listen to the next student, and Layla left as quickly as she could without running.

Once in the hall she stopped, sinking to the floor next to the door with her face in her hands. Well, now Evan knew exactly how she felt after their breakup. The big question was would that stop him from trying to talk to her? Or make him try harder? With a shake of her head, she dropped her hands, let her head fall back against the wall, and stretched her legs out straight, making sure her skirt was in place.

Maybe she could stay here until it was all over. Dr. Moore would be looking for her by intermission, though. But if she stayed out until then, it might make her excuse that she didn’t feel well more plausible. He’d never let her tell him the reason she didn’t want to do her poem tonight, meaning he wouldn’t know she was bailing to avoid talking to her ex-boyfriend.

So she’d stay here until intermission. That seemed like a good plan, despite the cold from the tiles seeping through her skirt. She was cold and uncomfortable, but it was still better than being in that room.

After a few minutes she started to feel bad for missing her classmates’ poems. But it wasn’t like she’d been paying attention to the ones before her. If anyone said anything about it, she’d apologize and explain.

The door next to her opened, making her head jerk to the side to see who’d come barging in on her solitude. Elena let the door close behind her, looking first one way, then the other before her eyes found Layla sitting on the floor.

Layla started to scramble up in surprise. She hadn’t noticed Elena in the audience. Of course, once she’d seen Evan, he’d kind of captured all her attention. And then she’d closed her eyes.

Motioning for her to stay put, Elena came around on her other side, sinking to the floor with her legs crossed. She had on jeans and a flowy pink top, so she could sit that way without a problem. And here Layla was, stuck in a skirt. She didn’t like skirts very much. But Dr. Moore had told them they needed to dress nicely.

Elena’s gaze was frank and appraising. “Your poem was beautiful.”

“Thanks.” Layla stared at the wall across from her. God, was it going to be this hard to talk to everyone about her poem? Probably not everyone. With people who didn’t know her and Evan as a couple it wouldn’t be as awful. Evan would be worse. That was something. At least it wasn’t as awful as it could be.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Nope.”

Elena stayed silent long enough that Layla glanced at her. “That’s it? You’re not going to push?”

Shaking her head, Elena offered a small smile. “Do you want me to push? Because I don’t think you do. I like you, but I don’t know you that well. Plus, you probably think I’m more loyal to Evan since you met me through him.” She gave a little shrug. “If you want to talk, I’m happy to listen. But I know that people don’t always want to discuss their pain, so I’ll just keep you company.”

Layla examined her face, taking in her warm brown eyes, her open expression. “Thanks.”

“Sure.” Elena glanced at the door. “Just so you know, though, I heard your professor asking about you. You might need to go in and make an appearance soon.”

Layla groaned, closing her eyes and letting her head fall back against the wall again.

“I’ll hang with you if you need. For moral support.”

“Thank you. My friend Alyssa is here somewhere for the same reason.”

Elena stood and brushed off her backside before offering Layla a hand. “Well, come on. Let’s go find her and grab a seat. We can watch the open mic part together.”

Accepting Elena’s hand, Layla stood too, pushing her skirt down and brushing off any dust she may have picked up from the floor. “Okay. But since you’re being my moral support, you’ll have to help Alyssa run interference if Evan tries to talk to me.”

When Elena bit her lower lip, looking uncertain, Layla’s eyes narrowed. “Elena.” She put every ounce of warning into her tone of voice. “I do not want to speak to Evan. Especially after my poem.”

Elena held up her hands, palms out. “I promise not to make you do anything you don’t want to do.”

Her eyes still narrowed, Layla studied Elena for a second, but accepted what she said. It wasn’t like she’d change her mind. Having another person for backup made her more confident she could get through whatever the rest of the night might hold.

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