Page 10 of Once Upon a Beast

“Do you really think this is your only option?” Layla asked her dad.

“Yes,” he replied.

“This project, is it that important to you, to the community?” she asked.

“The work we can do with this project could help countless people,” her father replied.

Layla didn’t say anything more and stood in front of us and looked over our shoulders. I knew she was thinking, she was trying to find a way out of this, or another solution to the problem. After a few tense and quiet moments, she said, “Okay.”

Her father immediately stood up and hugged her. “You’ll do it! That’s wonderful. You won’t regret this, I promise. This will be a good thing. Thank you, honey.”

Layla leaned back and looked at James. She slowly shook her head at him. “I didn’t say I would do it. Before I do, I need to talk to Nic, alone.”

Chapter 6

Layla

I didn’t say anything until my father left the apartment. He had given me a strange look when he did. I wasn’t sure if he didn’t think I should be alone with Nic or that Nic shouldn’t be alone with me. I didn’t care. The only way I was even going to consider doing this was if I talked to Nic. The conversation I wanted to have couldn’t be done with my father in the room.

It didn’t seem real. Of all the things I had expected my father to ask me, this wasn’t even on the list. What could he be thinking? How did he think that this was going to work? Nic and I hadn’t even been in the same room for years. How would we make anyone believe that we were in love?

I hadn’t wanted to look at Nic as my father told me what he wanted. I didn’t want to see the hope, the need, or the desperation in his eyes. I had no idea why Nic had decided to do this. The only logical explanation was that he was so desperate he was willing to do anything. Even if that meant that he had to spend time with me.

“You’ve been really quiet through all of this. Care to add anything?” I asked once my father was gone.

“It’s good to see you,” Nic said with a sheepish smile.

“Is it? Is it really? You know you could have seen me anytime you wanted in the last ten years. You could have called, stopped by, sent a letter, email, or a singing telegram, anything, but you didn’t. Now, after ten years of ghosting me, all you can say is it is good to see me?”

I was annoyed, hurt, angry, confused, and shocked. I was annoyed at my father for even putting me in this situation. I was hurt that Nic didn’t seem to show an ounce of remorse. I was angry that he hadn’t so much as apologized and didn’t seem to feel the need to. I was confused because I still saw him as my friend that I knew and one I wanted to help. I was shocked that I was still attracted to him.

He had been good looking when we were younger but he was even more so now. There was a set of his jaw that made him seem more rugged, dangerous even. I wondered if it was because of the deals he had done, the decisions that he had made in order to get where he was. He had been a happy kid but the years had made him more jaded. I could see a bit of pain behind his eyes and I longed to take it away. It was why I was even considering this crazy scheme at all.

“It is,” Nic said. “You look good. I see you finally got to New York City and have a job that you love. I’m happy that everything worked out so well for you.” Nic tilted his head as if he was checking me out. The look annoyed me as much as his comment did.

“You would know all about it if you bothered to get in touch with me,” I said.

“James was kind enough to tell me all your accomplishments. I do think it’s one of his favorite things to do.”

I didn’t want to talk about my father and how much he loved me or how close the two of them were. I wanted to get back to the problem at hand. “My father is crazy, right? There’s no way that this could work,” I said.

Surely, Nic could see that. Now that my father was out of the room, hopefully Nic would speak his mind and we could find a way to let my father down easily. Once he got an idea in his head, he never liked to let it go. The best way to do it was if we were a united front.

“We spent an extensive amount of time today going over this. I already tried to poke all the holes into the idea that I could. Your father is right, this is our best option. At least for your father and me.”

“You don’t think it’s a good idea for me?” I countered.

“Do you? Do you want to do this? You hate going out, having your picture taken, having to smile for the camera or answer questions about your life. The next couple of months could be hell for you.”

“Months? You said weeks, maybe a month, never months. Are you changing your story now?” I glared at him.

Nic put his hands up as if to calm me down. I just continued to glare at him. “Worst case scenario it would be a couple of months. Your father and I really do think once this deal is completed you wouldn’t need to burden yourself with my presence anymore.”

“I’m not the one who can’t stand being in the room with the other.” I crossed my arms.

“Nor I. What made you think that I didn’t want to be around you?” He looked hurt by my comment. It only made me angry and more confused.

“Seriously?” I walked away from him and shook my head. I couldn’t look at him, I wanted to scream at him. I wanted to hit him in the chest until he hurt as much as he hurt me. It reminded me of how much he could get under my skin, unlike anyone else and apparently, he still could.