Page 6 of Once Upon a Beast
I put the phone in my purse and looked up at the building in front of me. I tilted my head back to try and see to the top. The building was too tall but I knew that Nic was up there, waiting for me. I had been waiting ten years to see him again, and now the time had come. With a sigh, I squared my shoulders and walked into the complex.
Chapter 3
Nicodemus
“She isn’t going to even agree to see me, much less do anything else you’re suggesting,” I said to James.
“I think you’re underestimating my daughter and how much she cares about people.”
“Your daughter is one of the most generous people I’ve ever met. That sentiment will not extend to me.”
“She agreed to meet me at your apartment,” James stated.
“Only because she thinks I’m not here, or I’m dead, and you need help disposing of the body.”
“Layla doesn’t know how to properly dispose of a body.”
“She’s very smart and does read a lot. I wouldn’t put it past her,” I countered.
“Yet, you don’t think she’s going to come and help you out.”
“I don’t think she’d yell help if I was on fire, much less put me out. More than likely, she’d find some gasoline and make sure it burned hotter. The only reason she’s coming here is because you asked her. There isn’t anything she wouldn’t do for you.”
“And I, her,” James said. “Which is why she’ll agree to what I’m suggesting.”
“Layla likes media and attention less than I do. She wouldn’t purposely put herself into the middle of a frenzy and a scandal. This is the exact opposite of that.”
“A necessary evil.”
“Layla won’t see it that way. She just sees me as evil.”
I turned away from James and looked out at the skyline. The sun was already close to the horizon even though it wasn’t yet six o’clock. James and I had been going round and round about this insane idea of his for most of the day. It had gotten so heated that Steve had left. I didn’t blame him, if I could, I would have left too.
It might have been years since Layla had seen me but it had only been a few months for me. She was a creature of habit and I had learned her routine. Occasionally, I would just happen to be in the same spots that she was. Sometimes, I stood behind her as she got her coffee in the morning. Other times, I would walk near her when she strolled through Central Park. I wouldn’t exactly call it stalking; it just allowed me to see her, to make sure she was okay, and to be close to her even if she didn’t want to have anything to do with me.
The ruthlessness that I had become known for in New York was nothing compared to the cruelty that I had shown to Layla in the months after my father was arrested. I had pushed her away, given her the cold shoulder, and pretended like we didn’t even know each other.
At first, it had been out of need and desperation. I had been angry at everyone, especially her. I hated that she still had a father, that he was coming home to her every night. My life had been turned upside down and was never going to be the same, yet she went along as if nothing was wrong. I hadn’t wanted to be around her; I couldn’t stand it. I couldn’t deal with her optimism, her cheeriness, her belief that everything was going to be okay. Not when nothing was going to be okay again.
Eventually, the anger had turned into sadness and depression as the reality sunk in. The life I had wanted to lead was over, I had to forge a new path. I had thought long and hard on what that needed to be. In the end, I thought the best way to do that was to sever all ties. I didn’t want any reminders of who I was, who I could have been, who I could have done it with. It was too painful to even think about being around Layla, much less actually doing it.
As much as it hurt, as hard as it was, I knew the best thing was for me to leave her alone. If we went our separate ways, she would be free of me, of any connection we had. I knew for the rest of my life I would be saddled with my father and his deceit. I didn’t want that for Layla. I wanted to protect her from it. If I had to be mean to her, if I had to push her away for that to happen, I would. I cared about her enough to do that. I loved her too much to do anything else.
I had been in love with her for years. It had started out slow and grew when we were kids. Her laughter could make me smile and I could hear it from across a crowded room. Her smile could make any day brighter, no matter the circumstances. She understood my need to just be; sometimes we could just be in the same room and we didn’t need to talk. She could be comfortable with silence as much as I was. Yet, I could spend hours talking to her or even just listening to her talk. Her mind worked in a way that mine never did. She could see all sides of a person, she believed that there was good in everyone she met, and wanted to help them be that person.
She had done that for me countless times. She was the only person I wanted to be around consistently. I missed her when she wasn’t there and I found things to tell her when she was. She understood my moods and didn’t seem to be annoyed or upset by them. Usually, she could calm me down with a single word or even the touch of her hand.
It was easy to fall in love with Layla. I had done it before I even knew I had. By the time I did, my life was in ruin and any chance or thought of having a life with her, much less asking her to prom, had gone out the window.
Now, I needed her help and, according to her father, she was our best chance to get me out of this mess. I hated that the one thing I had tried to do, the one reason I had kept Layla out of my life was the thing that was going to pull her back in. I had wanted to shield her from my father, but it looked like she was going to do that for me instead.
“Layla doesn’t think you’re evil,” James said from behind me.
“Maybe not but she does hate me.” I turned to look at him.
“Layla doesn’t hate anyone. She’s incapable,” James countered.
“She might make an exception when it comes to me.” I ran a frustrated hand through my hair and closed my eyes. I wanted to see Layla; I imagined what it would be like a thousand times. I never considered it would be like this.