Page 31 of In the Lonely Hour

Dior’s expression remained flat as she headed down the opposite end of the hall toward her room. Carlos had been home after work every night for the past week. He was sleeping in the guest bedroom as Layla requested. Though she appreciated his efforts, Layla felt it may have been too late. Certainly too late for them, at least, but maybe with consistency he still had a chance with Dior. He’d mangled her heart too much for such a brief amount of time to make any real change between them. For so long, Carlos had made her feel unwanted. That would be hard to break.

“Hey,” Carlos greeted, handing her a bouquet of red roses.

“Hey. These are nice. Thank you.”

“How has your day been?”

Layla squeezed the back of her neck and sighed as he loosened his tie. “Fine. You?”

“Same. Listen, I’ve been doing some research, and I think I found a new aide for Dior.”

“Oh. I didn’t know you were even looking.”

Carlos grinned as he unbuttoned his shirt. “I want you to know I’m serious about fixing what’s broken between us. She’s willing to meet you both for an interview tomorrow if you can. I know it’s been a while since she’s worked with that nigga and she will be starting school soon, so we don’t have any time to waste.”

At the mention of Andres, Layla’s heart burned. But what Carlos said was true; they didn’t have any time to waste. Dior had made great progress, but she still had a lot of work to do.

“I’ll meet with her,” Layla agreed.

“Good. Have y’all eaten dinner yet?”

Her head shook as she held herself. “No, we were waiting for you.”

“Cool. Well… how about we go out to dinner?”

“All three of us?”

“Yeah. Is that cool? I know I need help with how I speak to her but I’m ready to learn.”

Layla thought it over for a few seconds. “Um… yeah. I don’t see why not. And thank you for that. I know you weren’t intentionally trying to be crass…”

“Of course not. To be real…” Carlos stepped closer and lowered his voice. “I haven’t wanted to accept that she was different. I’ve been in denial for a really long time. More than anything, I think that’s why I haven’t wanted to treat her differently or accept his help. But after she had that last meltdown… knowing I was the cause of it… that’s haunted me.” Carlos paused, and for a brief moment, his eyes glossed over. “If I can’t be good for her, I don’t want to be around her at all. I’ll go in here with her and give you some time to get ready.”

She nodded, still standing there as he passed her to go to Dior’s room.

“What’s up, Dior?” he greeted.

“Hi,” she replied softly.

“Can I paint with you?”

“Mmm… yes?”

Layla chuckled over how her answer sounded more like a question. Hell, Dior was probably confused about the changes within her father too. With a sigh, Layla headed to her room to get dressed. If Carlos was going to try and be more active, the least she could do was meet him halfway.

At first, Andres thought he was seeing things. That he’d been missing Layla and Dior so much that he was seeing them when they weren’t really there. The longer he looked, the more he realized they were real. Dior was seated on a blanket reading a book while Layla was seated on the bench, forearms on her thighs, head hung. She looked tired. Drained.

Had she began to regret choosing Carlos already?

Admittedly, that was a low blow for Andres. It was hard enough accepting her choice but not being around Dior took the pain to a new level. After he finally accepted that she’d blocked him, he couldn’t pull himself to answer her call that next day. Instead, he had one of his team members go over to start working with Dior on his behalf, but Carlos declined and didn’t even allow her entrance into the house. That was a week ago, and Andres hadn’t tried to contact Layla since.

He felt silly more than anything thinking a married woman would leave her husband for him. No matter how bad Carlos had treated them, Layla had made vows before God. What made Andres think she would end them for him? A few nights shared in her bed?

His head shook at the thought. Nostrils flaring, his lips flattened before he released a hoarse chuckle. Andres looked down at Tiny and Slim, hoping Tiny didn’t notice Layla. If he did, he’d want to go over to her, and that was the last thing Andres wanted… even though talking to her may have been what he needed.

“Let’s go,” he ordered, tugging on their leashes gently to pull them away from the ice cream cart. Even though he’d found his new home and his signing was scheduled for three weeks away, Andres had unwillingly began to enjoy bringing the husky pair to the park so much that he would probably still do it after he moved.

The moment Tiny recognized Layla, he paused and tilted his head as he stared at her. Then, he charged in her direction. Holding his leash tightly, Andres turned him in the opposite direction, but that didn’t keep Tiny from barking to get her attention. Both Layla and Dior looked over at them. At first, Layla’s eyes widened at the sight of him, but she smiled when she looked down at Tiny. Standing, she slowly walked over to them while Dior stayed behind… mugging the shit out of Andres with a deep frown.

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