36

Leo

I watched as she walked out of the diner with that man.

He wasn't Nathan's father, I knew, but what was she doing with him?

What was their relationship?

I was curious, and I thought it was natural I was. It was also giving me this unpleasant feeling I cannot point out. It had been such a long time since I saw her, and she now had a son and most probably has been with several men after me. Though it was bound to happen, it seemed I couldn't just accept it.

"What would you like to have, sir?" A waiter with a broad smile appeared at my table.

"Black coffee would do."

Before the waiter returned, I had been prompted to leave for an important meeting that had been scheduled for that morning. And to my surprise, I found Layla still in the parking lot. Henry wasn't with her, though.

"Hey!" I approached her, although she didn't seem to want to talk to me.

"Hey." She softly sighed.

"We meet again..."

"Yeah, we meet again." She tossed a strand of hair behind her ear, and it struck me as a dèja vu. Her hair was still as silky as it used to be and once, I ran my fingers through it.

My eyes traveled to her face. Everything was still in place, she had hardly changed; the fluttering of her lashes, the thinness of her nose bridge, the lusciousness of her lips. Her lips, I had kissed those lips a million times, and it was all coming back to me, those times I had explored her mouth with mine. I thought these memories had faded, but they had not, in the slightest. I could recollect everything merely by staring at her.

"Sorry, what?" I didn't catch what she said.

"Do you have something you want to say to me?" She queried, flashing a sharp gaze at me.

"No, I just wanted to say hi." It was funny how estranged we had become.

"Cool." She opened the car and sat in the front passenger's seat.

"Are we still having some kind of beef?" I just wanted to know.

"No, not at all...and I don't feel like we should be having this conversation right now." She said firmly.

I nodded. I understood.

"Henry!" She sounded excited to see him as he came nearer to the car. He regarded me with a curt nod.

Layla

In between the hullabaloo inside the bar, I was able to locate Jason as he was trying to settle things amicably between the two opposing parties.

"They are high!" Someone yelled from one corner of the room. It was night, and it solely reminded me of one thing, the night I had gotten so drunk and conceived Nathan with a total stranger.

"They are over there." He described where the men were sitting. Yes, I had come over because he informed me about the presence of the two men he suspected were the guys I was looking for, based on the smell they gave off, of course.

I could see two built men sitting close to the window. They seemed drunk from afar as they unsteadily poured themselves drinks, but when I got nearer, I realized they had been laughing, thus the unsteady hands.

Reaching their table, I immediately locked eyes with Leo. What in the heavens was he doing here? And why was he here anyway? I did want to believe that he was stalking me until I turned to see his best friend Tony.

What was this reconnection all about? Perhaps Jason had directed me to the wrong people after all. I instantly turned on my heel in a bid to avoid the awkward situation I so much dreaded. Leo and Tony?

"Layla? What are you doing here?" Leo was quick to recognize me before I could flee.

Shutting my eyes in disgust, I carefully thought of the best response to give him. By then, Tony had stood up from his chair to check me out.

"Hi, I must have missed my way." I feigned an innocent smile. Certainly, he bought it, but Tony was bent on freaking me out.

"Sit with us, now that you are here." He offered me the empty chair.

"I'm quite fine, I have to run along." I declined.

"Could you stay five minutes? I'd like to catch up. I mean...you have made an outstanding reputation for yourself, I can only be wowed." He chuckled in an absurd manner.

"Tony, leave it. You can take your leave, Layla." Leo said coolly, and Tony didn't insist on my staying, though his face said the opposite. I stole a glance at Leo before I ambled to the bar, and I was reminded of some sort of stirrings from the past.

Why had I come when he was around?

I didn't even know he was coming to this particular bar.

"Did you meet with them?" Jason asked.

"No, no...you must have described yourself wrongly." I was certain.

"Oh, are you sure about that?"

"Yeah..."

"Did you speak with them? They know your plight?" He queried.

"Yes, yes...they can't be of any assistance." I fabricated.

My phone blipped before I could say even more. Finally, Ethan had driven out to some sort of remote location, where I immediately found a suspect.

"I have to go," I said to Jason.

"You still feel something for her?" Tony didn't hesitate to question me after Layla had left.

"No."

"You flushed red when she was there." He claimed.

"And how were you able to deduce that? You can't even see clearly in the dark." I pointed out.

"Fuck!" He chuckled.

"Yeah..."

"But I still think it's normal to feel attracted to your ex. You can't possibly dispose of the memories of a pleasure that has been." He laughed at his use of poetic words.

"Memories..."

There were indeed memories, some of which I'd like to forever remember and most of which I wanted to erase from my head. Since I saw Layla again, both had been rushing to recollection, rekindling within me the heat of the passions of old flames. What could she have possibly come to do here? Did she miss her way?

"You used to love each other so much," Tony said seriously.

"Love wans." I was certain it did. I didn't believe love could exist forever.

"There's an expiry for everything."

"Besides good wine!" He raised his glass.