Tracker

When Olivia had left and the door was closed, Noah lifted Laila up and spun her into the air while holding her in his arms. "That was amazing!" Laila chuckled and yelled out, "Alright, alright. Put me down before I become dizzy and nauseous." Noah did as she asked and gave her a peck on the lips before he allowed her feet to touch the floor. With clear enthusiasm in his voice he continued to commend Laila for how she had stood up against Olivia. Though she had done if before in a certain way, this was the first time he had been a witness of it all and he couldn't stop gushing about it. "You handled her so great. You killed her with nothing more than her own words and sweet lies. Her own arrogance became her undoing and she can't even guilt you after this encounter since that would make her look bad instead."

Seeing Noah this way, made Laila herself even more happy with the decision she had made. She was really noticing that Olivia's presence was wearing her down. The more she told herself that she needed to handle it a bit longer, the less she wanted to tolerate her presence at all. With Noah's arm around Laila's shoulder, the two of them entered the dining room with cheerful laughter.

When they sat down and Gretchen came out with the dishes, she looked around in surprise before asking, "Where is miss Olivia? Is she not staying for dinner this evening?" Laila and Noah exchanged glances before they both started laughing again. How bad had things gotten, if the staff was expecting Olivia to stay without even needing to hear it from one of them? After a few chuckles Laila answered Gretchen, who was still standing there with sets of three of tableware and unsure of what to do. "Though she very much wanted to, Olivia won't be joining us for dinner today. So two plates and silverware will be enough for this evening." Gretchen nodded and replied with, "Of course. I will start setting the table right away. Josh and Tom will be bring dinner as soon as I am finished." Laila nodded back and said, "Thank you Gretchen." before Noah did the same.

When the table was set and the food was brought out, the staff left to have dinner themselves. Usually they would wait in case they might need something but they felt like giving the two of them some time alone since they too knew that Laila would be leaving again the next day. Neither Laila nor Noah noticed that they were alone as they were in their own bubble.

"That look on her face was priceless."

"Tell me about it. It was so hard to keep a straight face while she had such a dumbfounded expression. I am glad I got through my talk without breaking out into laughter."

"And now we can be alone at last." Noah said as he held out his hand across the table in order to hold hers. Laila of course happily obliged with his wordless request and smiled at him lovingly before they let go as both hands were needed for the meal that had been prepared for this evening. The kitchen always managed to outdo themselves and today was no different. It was tasty, it was fun and it perfectly fit their current mood.

When everything was finished, someone knocked at the door in order to clear the table and bring out dessert. Both Noah and Laila were amazed at their impeccable timing and said so as Giselle and Gretchen came in.

Once the plates were cleared and bowls of ice cream had been placed in front of them, everyone left again and closed the doors behind them. This time the two of them did notice right away and were touched at their gesture.

"We sure have some wonderful people working here." Noah said after he took his first spoon full. To which Laila could do nothing more but agree. But where Noah's mind had been filled with what their staff had done, Laila's mind was suddenly filled with Olivia's actions during the past few days.

"You know what suddenly came to mind, how does Olivia manage to time her leaving with your arrival so perfectly? Don't you find it a bit strange that even I don't know when you will be here but she knows it to the minute exact?"

Noah looked surprised at hearing Laila's questions. "Now that you mention it, it is a bit strange. I hardly ever leave at the same time for more than two days in a row. This week has been something different each day and even if it wasn't, traffic alone would affect the time of my arrival regardless of what time I leave the office. Do you suppose that she has someone giving her this information? Someone working for me?"

Laila nodded. "Yes. That is the only explanation I can think of, other than her having a tracker on you or your car."

Noah chuckled before he said, "Well I don't put that past her either. But I will have someone look into it tomorrow. For now, let's stop talking about Olivia and enjoy this evening of just you and me."

Laila agreed and the rest of the evening was spent watching a movie on the sofa, snuggled up in each other's arms. Talking till it was way too late and by the time Noah had come out of the bathroom, Laila was already fast asleep. He shook his head as he chuckled behind a closed fist and said, "Even when she isn't avoiding me, she falls asleep before anything can happen."

Like that their evening ended and there was nothing more than a few hours of sleep standing between now and their eventful tomorrows.