LAYLA ABRAHAM

"Waiter," Byron waved at the man that had served them their food earlier, to get his attention. When the man finished with the table he was serving, he headed their way and came to a stop in front of them with a polite smile in place.

"Is there anything I can do for you, sir, madam?" He asked them both and Layla appreciated that; the fact that the waiter had addressed them both and not just the man of the table. In this case, Byron Jamieson. The last man she thought she would be out on a date with, and in a restaurant as fancy as this one, as well.

But things were different now.

As of late, she had been seeing Byron in a new light.

"The lady would like another glass of wine."

That caught her attention. She glanced up with wide eyes and looked between both the men, frantically shaking her head. "No, no more wine for me, thank you." She declined politely, resting her hand over the mouth of the glass to further emphasise her point. "But I'll have a glass of water, please."

The waiter nodded and smiled politely before turning to Byron. "Can I get anything for you, sir?"

"No, thank you."

After another polite smile, he was off to fetch her a glass of water.

Cutting her steak, Layla lifted her eyes to glance at her date for the evening. "Tell me more about yourself." She lifted a piece to her mouth and chewed on it, the flavours rich and the meat succulent. While the food was great, she wasn't all that fond of fine dining, unlike Byron whom appeared to be a regular here as he was on first name basis with both the host and the chef as he had introduced her to him earlier, allowing her to tell him just how she wanted her steak.

Layla didn't feel it was appropriate for her to mention that steak wasn't exactly her favourite meat, so had settled asking for medium rare.

Byron glanced up at the question, wiping his mouth on a napkin. He smiled warmly at her. "I think we've spoken plenty about me." He had pretty much been all they had talked about during the starter and now the main course too. "I want to know more about you."

"What do you want to know exactly?"

Byron pondered over the right choice of words for a second. "What made you ask me out to dinner?"

She smiled and reached out for his hand on the table, stroking the back of it with her thumb.

"Why wouldn't I want to go out with you?"

"I mean, what changed?" He asked, enjoying the feeling of her hand on top of his. He turned his hand around and laced their fingers together, using his free hand to raise his wine glass to his mouth. "When I last saw you, you were locking lips with your bodyguard."

Her body stiffened at the mention of Alejandro – albeit, only briefly – and she willed herself to relax. Pulling her hand away, she returned to her steak. The first couple of bites were great but now she wasn't enjoying it as much. A perfectly seasoned breast of chicken would have hit the spot but she had bigger things to worry about than meat preferences.

"There's nothing going on between us. We made out a few times but it's over now." She shrugged, not even bothering to lift her eyes to meet his inquisitive gaze.

He leaned his elbows on the table, studying her closely. "Just like that?"

She nodded. "It only takes a moment to open your eyes."

Slowly but surely, a large smile took over his face. "I'm really happy to hear that."

"Me, too."

"How did he take it?"

She rolled her eyes and gestured to both their bodyguards – Alejandro and Neil – who were sat only a few tables away, watching the situation closely. While Neil at least pretended to be interested in his food and something he was looking at on his phone, Alejandro was staring openly at them. At her.

"I guess not so well but it's not his decision to make." She couldn't help but tilt her chin up in defiance. "I chose not to be with him anymore, not that we were ever anything, and that's that."

When Byron spoke, she was forced to tear her eyes away from his light greys which were currently burning with rage. Okay, perhaps he hadn't taken it as easily as she had insinuated, but it was probably better if Byron didn't know that.

"You should speak to Hardy about getting assigned a new bodyguard. I don't want things to be awkward or uncomfortable for you, or for him to hassle you and make things difficult just because you rejected him."

She sighed dramatically. "I already spoke to detective Hardy. I couldn't get him to get on board with the idea."

Byron frowned and clasped his hands together, not happy. "I could try to speak to him for you." He offered.

Her eyes widened at that. "No." She was quick to push the denial out of her mouth. "I mean, I don't want you to get involved. It would just make things messier than they already are."

He didn't seem completely convinced. "You sure?"

"Positive." She smiled sweetly. "If he bothers me then I'll try speaking to detective Hardy again."

Light conversation passed between them as they finished off their main. She ordered a chocolate gateau for dessert while he opted for a coffee instead.

"You're a very persistent guy. Anyone ever tell you that?"

A slow grin spread across his face. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, every corner I turned you were there."

"That's just part of my charm." A slow grin took over his face.

"I've wanted to ask you something for a while now." Layla admitted, finally voicing the thought she had been entertaining all night but it had never felt the right moment to ask. Even now it felt risky, but she needed to know.

"Fire away, I'm an open book."

"Why did you come to my bakery the first time?" She asked, watching him intently.

"I wanted to see you."

She rolled her eyes playfully. "I know that. But why exactly?"

"I felt like we connected."

"Connected?" She asked, her eyebrows furrowing together in confusion. "In what way?"

When he pressed his lips together, clearly regretting the small piece of information that he had let slip, she persisted further.

"What do you mean by that?" She asked again. "What do you mean by connected?"

Byron sighed and his eyes darted to his right, glancing at their bodyguards momentarily. "Can we not talk about this now, please? I don't want to ruin the date!" His voice rose at the end and when the people dining around them stared at them both, he apologised and bowed his head in embarrassment, regretful of his actions.

Layla pressed her back further into the chair behind her and stared at him with wide eyes, surprised at his reaction.

Byron had always been very friendly and whatever opportunity he got, he tried to bring up what happened at the bank. What changed?

Not happy with the way he had abruptly ended the conversation, she frowned and ate the rest of her chocolate gateau in silence. He tried to start a few conversations but when she was less than willing to engage, he understood that he had been too harsh. After a quick apology and ordering them both another glass of wine to make up for it, she forced a convincing smile, but it didn't quite reach her ears.

She felt like her face would crack with how much she had forced herself to smile through that date.

"I'm sorry for raising my voice." He apologised again, truly feeling bad. She hadn't deserved that.

"It's fine." She brushed it off. It wasn't really fine though, was it?

"No, it's not." He groaned slightly, annoyed at himself. "I just don't want you to think of me as that guy."

"What guy?" She asked cautiously, her voice soft and quiet, probing him for more.

"The kind of guy that can't get over what happened to him." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I know I've been acting kind of crazy lately but I promise I'm not normally like this. What happened at the bank has really fucked with my head."

For the first time during their whole date, she finally felt like Byron was opening up to her. Too bad it was just when the evening was coming to a close.

"I get what you mean." She sighed.

"I just wanted tonight to be normal. I wanted you to see me as the confident guy I used to be, not the guy obsessed with finding out what happened to him or who was responsible for it." He bowed his head at the confession, feeling a mixture of shame and mortification.

She nodded and offered him the last slice of her gateau as a peace offering. He needed it more than she did.

Walking out of the restaurant together while their bodyguards trailed them, Byron reached out for her hand.

"I had a great time."

"Me too." She smiled and brushed a lock of hair away from her face.

"We should go out again sometime. Hopefully without the chaperones." He laughed, gesturing towards the two men behind them who didn't even bother being discreet.

"Definitely."

"How does tomorrow sound?" He asked hopefully, concerned that he was coming across too eager, but he really, really wanted to see her again.

Layla pursed her lips and hesitated. "I actually have plans tomorrow, but what about this weekend?"

"Perfect." He smiled; his eyes trained on her lips.

Layla felt herself drown in panic as his face descended towards her, his lips parting slightly on the descent. His lips pressed firmly against her cheek as she had turned her head at the last minute.

Byron pulled back slightly and glanced at her worriedly. Was she not as interested as he had thought she was? Did she still have feelings for her bodyguard? Was he reading too much into things?

"What's wrong?" He asked softly, placing his hand on her waist to pull her closer to him, searching her eyes for answers.

"Nothing." She shook her head and smiled. "I just want to think things slow. I hope that's alright."

"That's more than alright." He grinned and gave her waist a reassuring squeeze. "You sure I can't persuade you to let me drive you home?"

She shook her head and offered him a small smile. "I don't want to rile up my bodyguard anymore." She spared a glance at him over her shoulder, both of them sharing a secret, knowing look.

"He looks like he's going to combust with anger. I don't want to push my luck any more than I already have." That part was true.

He sighed and nodded in understanding. His eyes trailed over her and above her head, having a staring contest with the brute of a man who had threatened him on more than one occasion now. He held his eyes as he leaned down and pressed his lips against Layla's forehead, splaying his hand against the small of her back to pull her body into his, clearly trying to prove a point.

When her bodyguard clenched his jaw and refused to look away, he smirked before finally pulling away. Satisfied.

Layla wanted to glance over her shoulder again to look at him, but she dared not risk it. She knew that one look from him, and she wouldn't be able to keep up the act any so instead, she watched quietly as Byron got into Neil's car, driving away.

When the valet returned with his keys, Alejandro accepted without a word and walked past her, grabbing her hand and pulling her behind him to his car. He opened the door and she stepped in, watching as he closed it and jogged around the front to get into his side.

Reaching out, she brushed her fingers down the side of his face. When he turned his face into her caress, his eyes closed, she released a breath of air she didn't even know she was holding in.

They were okay.

This acting had taken a greater toll on them than they had initially anticipated.

"I hate seeing you with him."

"I know, baby." She whispered and pressed her forehead against his, craving intimacy with him after the evening that they had both been forced to endure.

Cupping the side of his face, she leaned over and pressed her mouth against his in a long, hard, sweet kiss. In that one kiss, she poured her absolute all, needing him to know exactly what she felt for him, that nothing would ever come between them. She needed him to know that they were going to get past this, safe and sound, and together till the very end.

-

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Layla Knight

31.05.2020