You and Me (Perhaps, Book 2)

ACT I - Scene 5

Daniel and Gloria's Apartment

I was awoken by my alarm the next morning. Immediately, I reached over to snooze it. There was still a couple hours before I needed to be at Freddy's—I could afford to stay in bed just a bit longer. As I snuggled back into the pillow, Daniel snuggled up against my back.

"Don't you have to get up and get ready?" he murmured against my hair, his arms snaking themselves around my waist.

"There's still a few hours before I have to head to Freddy's." My lips turned up into a smile as I felt him gently pull me around to face him. His lips landed on mine, and I responded in kind. As he pulled me flush against him, I let out a giggle. "Mmm, really? This early, Daniel?"

"Why not? You said yourself that you still had a few hours before you needed to get ready. And what better way to spend them?" I smiled against his smile, and reached up to touch his face as he rolled me beneath him.

*

Freddy's

Three hours later, I walked into the small, vintage restaurant on the square, my eyes searching for the mass of wavy, blonde hair that I usually identified Layla by.

"Gloria! Over here!"

I turned towards the sound to see said-mass of wavy, blonde hair waving me over towards one of the corner booths. Seated beside the gorgeous—and now incredibly tan—Layla was the equally blonde Sean: her boyfriend of one-and-a-half years. I returned their waves, and made my way towards the booth.

"Hey!" I chimed as Layla stood up to hug me. "Welcome back from the Caribbean, you two!" Sean stood to give me a hug after she did. "How was your trip?"

"A-mazing!" she trilled, sitting back down as I slid into the booth seat opposite of them. A waiter drifted over with a glass of water for me, and I quickly ordered my usual dish: crispy, seasoned chicken tenders with Freddy's signature waffle fries. He wandered back towards the kitchens after we told him we needed to think about which of the Saturday Shake Specials we wanted, and Layla continued her gushing about their cruise.

"If you ever get a chance to go, definitely take it! It's so worth it! I wish we could have stayed for longer than a week!"

"Didn't you guys also go to London?" I asked, taking a sip of water. "Which was better: London or your Caribbean cruise?" I laughed as Layla fluttered her hands, frustrated that I was actually making her choose between the two.

"London." She finally said after swallowing her sip of iced tea. Her blue eyes glanced towards Sean, and his face split into a smile. I watched as they joined hands atop the table, not once looking away from the other. "Definitely London."

As my eyes shifted between the two of them, I realized that the "news" Layla was so excited to share with me couldn't have been her acceptance into Julliard's graduate studies program for drama. No, this was something far more than that—something not even related to theatre or studies at all.

"Okay. So, are you going to tell me what happened in London that made it the better of the two?" I asked, a timid-yet-expectant smile spreading across my own lips. Layla and Sean continued to communicate silently with one another before the former finally turned back to me. Without much warning, she suddenly thrust one of her hands in my face. It took me a moment to process the giant, glittering diamond perched on her left ring finger. As my mouth dropped open, she let out an excited squeak.

"We're getting married, Gloria!"

"Oh, my God!" I exclaimed alongside her, grabbing her hand and examining the gorgeous rock on it. Sean had really outdone himself with this ring! "When...? How...?" I could barely form the questions I wanted to ask—not that there was any need: Layla would tell me all I wanted to know and more, knowing her.