Her eyes

Chapter 26

I rocked her body against me, holding her until she started to pull away.

"I'm sor-" she looked up at me her tears had dried, even though I hadn't heard her crying and she looked completely normal now. Her eyes didn't even have a hint of sorrow in them.

I think I just now realized how convincing she was at compartmentalizing. She could put up a mask so quickly. I felt like I had imagined everything.

I interrupted her, "Layla, you don't apologize for this" I sighed, "Look, nobody can control their emotions at all times. Trust me no one blames you, the world hasn't gone under, nothing has changed. So don't apologize, ever." I stroked the soft skin on her cheek again and she eventually nodded. But didn't reply.

"What happened to her? If you don't mind me asking?" Layla disentangled herself from my hold and took a seat by the island, where our food lay forgotten. I took my previous seat my whole body facing her.

She took a deep breath, "She's not dead or anything. She was just... never present. I was essentially raised by my brother." She shook her head "It's nothing dramatic I'm just, overreacting. Where's Kimberly?" She was quick to change the subject.

"Sometimes people don't have to be dead for a person to feel grief as if they are." I replied, in all honesty it was a stanza from a poem I'd written but I wasn't about to tell her that.

Her lips stretched into a small smile "I like that."

"And you should know my mom- and even my dad once he warms up- are always happy to welcome you into our family." I chuckled remembering how many times my little sister had mentioned Layla yesterday.

"So would Kimberly, she's practically already obsessed with you, I'm sure she's upstairs right now preparing a shrine for you."

Layla looked so deeply into my eyes her, eyebrows slightly furrowed in concentration, it felt like our souls were connected on another planet somewhere. "What about you? If you want to spend mo-"

I cut her off "I thought you already knew how much I enjoy your company" I smirked.

She looked down at her bare nails, pulling at her cuticles, "I just get paranoid sometimes, about friendships and stuff. I'm not the best at reading signs."

I placed my hand over hers so she would stop, "I'll always be honest with you, and from now on I'll give you the reassurance you need about us." I took a deep breath "I've really enjoyed our time together, every second we've spent in each others presence and I really do like you. I truly hope that I won't ever do anything that makes you second guess me and how much I admire you."

She sniffed still looking at our hands and  threw herself at me. Her arms going around my neck pulling me in for a hug, she buried her face in my neck. I pulled her closer to me by her waist whilst simultaneously trying to suppress a shiver. We stayed like that for a while her warm body against mine, until I heard "Ewww, what are you guys doing?" I sighed having forgotten Kimberly was here. I loved her I really did, but please not now sis.

Layla quickly let go, and I internally sighed again.

"Kimberly, do you still want to go to the movies?" I asked hoping she would say no.

"Yes, why wouldn't I?" She replied completely obvious. "Come on, let's go now before we get the bad seats all the way in the back." She grabbed my hand and tried to drag me along, I gave Layla an apologetic look.

But she just laughed shaking her head following us out the door.

                                           •••

By the time we'd gotten to the cinema and bought our tickets and snacks, Kimberly sat between us both the commercials had already started. The place was filled with people, Kimberly was only allowed one candy, otherwise I knew my mom would wring my neck for it when she ended up high on a sugar rush.

She was happily snacking away on her skittles.
"Layla, what's your favorite color?" She asked like it was a life or death question.

Layla thought for a while, "I think it's blue. What's yours?"

"Mines pink, but I also like yellow and purple. What's your favorite animal?" She asked having abandoned her skittles reaching for the popcorn I was holding. "No wait, let me guess" she thought for a second "it's dogs, or no maybe horses?"

"Sorry that's wrong, I would probably say cows, the foals specifically. Am I right in guessing that dogs are your favorite?" Kimberly gasped like Layla had just told her she was a mind reader.

"How'd you know?" She was so shocked her voice had risen an octave. Layla smiled at her but before she could reply the movie started. Kimberly instantly turned towards the screen shushing us.

My eyes met Layla's above her head and we shared silent snicker.