Page 20 of So This Is Love

“You’re sitting here calling this man by his government name and you wanna say there’s nothing to tell?! Girl please.”

I chuckle because her friend does have a point.

Zara turns to me and props her elbows on the table and folds her hands. “So how long has this thing been going on between the two of you.”

“A little while,” I reply with a shrug.

“Well I guess I’ll give you two some time to catch up then.”

Zara turns and whispers something in Laila’s ear and then Laila whispers something back. Zara stands from the table and picks up her drink. She doesn’t say anything to me but the fierce look she sends in my direction expresses her message loud and clear.

Don’t fuck with my friend.

“Continuing to stalk me?” I say with a smirk.

“Stalk you!?!” Laila asks incredulously. “I didn’t even know you were going to be here. And you’re the one who came over here.”

“Touché. Why didn’t you tell me you were coming here tonight?”

“It wasn’t my idea, Zara wanted to come.”

I lean forward, placing my elbows on the table. “Do you believe in fate, Laila?”

She scrunches up her nose at my question. “What?”

“Fate. Destiny. A higher power. God. I don’t know, whatever you want to call it.”

Laila looks at me confused with where I’m going with my line of questioning so I continue.

“I wouldn’t consider myself religious. A believer maybe, but my family were one of the ones who went to church for Christmas and Easter at most. I don’t usually put a lot of weight into the idea of things like fate. But I think my feelings are changing.”

“And why is that?”

“You.”

“Me?”

“Yeah, you,” I reply taking a sip of my drink. “This gorgeous ass girl who I keep running into in ways that shouldn’t happen. Hell, until a few weeks ago I didn’t even live here. Yet on three separate occasions we’ve crossed paths. Unintentionally on both of our parts. And I just can’t accept that it means nothing.”

Laila’s gaze is focused on the table in front of her as she plays with one of her curls, stretching it and then letting it bounce back into itself. “It doesn’t have to mean anything. Coincidences happen all the time.”

“They do, but I think this is different.”

“Of course you do,” Laila says.

“What does that mean?”

Laila finally looks up and locks eyes with me. “I’m sure this whole ‘you’re different’ talk works often for you, but I’m not interested so you don’t have to waste your time.”

Her words bring a grin of amusement to my face. She thought I was running game. Just trying to say anything to get some pussy. But I honestly wasn’t. Laila intrigued me and I wanted to explore that. Would I fuck her if that’s what she wanted, absolutely, but I wanted more than that.

“Whoever let you believe that any time spent with you is being wasted, deserves his ass kicked,” I reply simply.

“Something we agree on,” Laila says. “But I’m still not interested in being one of the many women you have in cities all around the world. I’m also not delusional enough to compete with anyone else.”

“There is no competition.”

“I find that hard to believe.”

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