Page 16 of In the Lonely Hour

“You should have left a voicemail.”

Layla chuckled. “If that’s all you wanted you can go now.”

His eyes shifted to Andres. “Y’all look mighty cozy over here. I don’t think I like that.”

“Look.” Layla’s fist pounded the table. “You don’t get to come over here and play the possessive spouse. If it’s a date or not, it has nothing to do with you, especially since you’re on a date with your fucking fiancée.”

“Don’t bring her into this.”

“Well don’t bring him into this.”

“How do you expect me not to? You need to be at home with my daughter not out here fucking off with the nigga that’s supposed to be helping her.”

She chuckled as her leg began to shake under the table. “You don’t care about me being out with Andres; you’re mad that I’m outperiod. Because for years I’ve suffered in silence at home while you had the time of your life jumping from bitch to bitch. You didn’t give a fuck about my moves as my man until you saw what you thought was me putting my heart in another man’s hands. Well those days are over! You will regret fumbling my heart. I can promise you my next will be the biggest flex on you. And you won’t have no one to blame but your damn self. Now get the fuck outta my face so I can enjoy my dinner in peace.”

“Is everything okay over here?” the woman that was seated with Carlos asked as she stood next to him.

Layla chuckled. “You better get her the fuck away from me, Carlos. Now.”

Carlos took her hand into his and kissed it before leading her back to their table. After tossing a few bills onto it, they left. But he made sure to stare at Layla for a few seconds before doing so.

“Thank you for not saying anything. I’m sure that was probably hard for you.”

“More than you will ever understand. As a man, that was probably the hardest shit I ever had to do.”

She smiled but Andres was dead fucking serious. It took everything in him not to handle that, but it wasn’t his role. Until Layla gave him permission, he didn’t have a choice but to let her take care of it.

“I needed that, though,” she admitted. “For so long, it’s been all about him and Dior. Very rarely did I express what I wanted. How I felt. It felt good. Overwhelming but good.”

“I could tell. I thought he was about to blow a fucking gasket when you said that shit about your next being a flex.”

They shared a soft laugh. “I’ve been listening to too much Tink.” She laughed again. “Honestly, though, I haven’t even wanted to date once the divorce is finalized. I had made up in my mind that it would be just me and Dior.”

“For forever?”

“Well…” She grinned and shrugged. “I hadn’t really put a timeframe on it but yeah. After dealing with him, I didn’t want to put myself in a position of being with another man who felt more like a burden than a partner.”

“I feel you, but that don’t mean you have to be single. That just means you need to choose up.”

“I think that’s why I’ve been staying around for so long too. I didn’t want to go through that process again. Hell, a part of me felt like Carlos was the best I could do.”

Andres took her hand into his. “Maybe that’s why we’re so drawn to one another. Maybe God knew you wouldn’t leave until you trusted He had someone better who would be waiting for you.”

“And who is that supposed to be? Surely not you.”

Andres feigned offense and scoffed before releasing her hand. “Tell me how the fuck you really feel, Layla. Damn.”

She laughed and covered her face as her head shook in embarrassment. “Oh my God, no! Not in a bad way!” She giggled. “I just mean…” Layla shrugged. “I got a lot of emotionalbaggage. Plus, I don’t really have anything going at the moment besides being a mom. I wouldn’t feel like I had anything to offer you. And there’s Dior, and she’s a lot at times. I don’t ever want to get with a partner who couldn’t fully accept her. She’s the whole sun and moon for me and I’m absolutely obsessed with her, but I know not everyone will have the patience and same unconditional love and acceptance. So it never really crossed my mind that I could be with someone like you.”

“I don’t think you should be with someonelikeme.” Andres paused. “I think you should be with me.” Her mouth opened slightly before she licked her lips, closed it, and swallowed. “I’m enjoying helping you find yourself and heal. I think you’re fly as fuck and I love your energy. There’s more inside of you to offer than you know, and I would be honored to help you figure it out. And Dior is my lil homie. She’s chill as hell when she wants to be, and when she has her moments, I know how to help her come out of them. If you asked me… I’m more like a baggage handler… ready and willing to help sort and carry your load.”

Layla’s fingers slipped through the inch of curls at the top of his head before sliding down to his neck. She used it to pull him closer before connecting his lips with hers. Andres gripped her waist, eating her soft sigh as he deepened their kiss. Slipping his tongue inside of her mouth, he resisted the urge to knock all that shit off the table, put her on top of it, and feast onher. Even though he was sure they’d made progress tonight, Andres still wanted to take things slow. This situation was delicate. Besides, there was no point rushing to what could potentially lead to forever.

Layla swayed in her seat, paralyzed by the lyrics of “Never Been Better” by Selena Johnson. She wouldn’t be able to get out of the car until she heard the entire song… and sang along too. Ever since she’d began the process of removing Carlos from her life, this song had been her anthem.

“And I'm looking so much stronger

I stand a little taller

---