by Isis Brown
Layla was completely floored. “Wow. That is… kind and generous. I’m a little overwhelmed, to be honest. I don’t know what is happening or what is going to happen with Isabel, but what I do know is I don’t want to lose you, Sasha.”
“I don’t want to lose you either. I guess that’s what I’m worried about. What if Isabel asks you not to see me anymore?” Sasha asked, her voice cracking.
“Oh Sash,” Layla said, pulling her into a tight hug. “You listen to me,” Layla pulled back and held Sasha’s gaze. “You saved me, Sasha. Do you understand? You saved me. You helped me put myself back together. You called me on my shit. You held me up and held me accountable. There is no way in hell I am giving up on our friendship. Do you understand?”
Sasha sniffed and nodded, looking embarrassed. “What’s so crazy about this whole thing is that I love you. It’s not in that crazy in love we are planning a future thing, because I know that’s not us, but somewhere between us being attracted to each other and you becoming one of my best friends, I realized that it’s...more.”
Layla smiled. Her heart full of a mix of love, relief, and sadness. “Sasha, I feel the same way.”
Sasha sniffled. “God, we really are like the same person.”
They both laughed. “Ugh, don’t tell Marco. He gloats forever when he is right.”
Sasha smiled. “Shantay I stay?”
“Shantay you stay.”
Layla and Sasha relocated to the bedroom where they made love for the first and last time. They touched each other with a depth of emotion, the reality that it would be the last time they were together in this way. After they climaxed, they held each other tight. The tears crept in once in a while, as they both comforted and reassured each other that they would always be friends, no matter what. When Layla woke up the next morning, Sasha was already gone, but not before leaving a cheeky note on the kitchen counter that she had commandeered the blueberry pancake ingredients as a parting gift.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Summer
Layla was running late, which had her in a foul mood. The long back up at the border had her an hour behind schedule, which was her time to check into the hotel and decompress before getting ready for the engagement party. She gave her car to the valet as she rushed through the check-in feeling frazzled. She knew it was immature, but Layla wanted to make sure she was dressed up and in peak form before seeing Isabel.
She rushed to her room and barely had ten minutes to take a quick shower, reapply her makeup and slip into slacks and a short-sleeved blouse before rushing downstairs. Marco and Elliott were already in the banquet room chatting with a few people Layla had not yet met, and Layla made a beeline for him.
“Hi honey, I’m so sorry I’m late. Congratulations you two.”
Marco popped a quick kiss on her cheek, followed by Elliott, who did the same. “Don’t sweat it, habeeb; we are glad you made it. Drink?” Marco asked.
“Yes please,” Layla said, and Marco extended his arm as Layla looped her arm through it while Elliott continued hosting. Marco walked Layla to the bar where they each ordered a glass of wine.
“Girl. You are never late. Are you okay?”
Layla exhaled a frustrated breath. “Ugh, I know. I’m fine, long day but so happy to be here.”
“I’m happy you’re here, too. Let me introduce you to Elliott’s family. His immediate family is amazing but his cousin Chad is b-a-n-a-n-a-s.”
Layla laughed and took a long sip of wine as she tried to calm her nerves. “Lead the way.” She got lost in conversation while being led by Marco to meet different members of Elliott’s family, doing her best to represent for Marco since the rest of her family couldn’t make it from Lebanon for the engagement party, opting to save their trip for the wedding.
She heard a familiar laugh and turned to see Penny, Isabel and Toni greeting Elliott as Toni wrapped Elliott up in a big hug and was her loud and joyful self. Her eyes found Isabel’s and held for a few seconds until she was pulled into an embrace by Elliott.
Layla returned her gaze to one of Elliott’s cousins who was talking about something Layla couldn’t remember until she was able to politely excuse herself to grab another drink at the bar. She sat on a stool making idle chit chat with the bartender as she slowly sipped her wine, trying to calm her nerves.
“Hey, is this seat taken?” asked a familiar voice just behind Layla. Swiveling in her stool, she turned to see Isabel, with a nervous smile on her lips in a gorgeous mid-length gray lace sheath dress.
“Isabel, hi. Of course not. Please,” Layla stood awkwardly gesturing to the empty stool next to her, not sure how to greet Isabel.
Isabel stepped forward, pulling Layla into a hug. Layla took a deep breath, inhaling the familiar scent of Isabel’s shampoo and perfume.
“It’s really good to see you. Especially under happy circumstances,” Isabel said, releasing her.
“It is. You look incredible,” Layla offered, mesmerized by the patterns of Isabel’s dress. Isabel’s hair was longer now, curled for the occasion. She wore a drop pendant necklace that hovered dangerously low, drawing Layla’s gaze. Layla forced herself to look away.
“Thanks, you too,” Isabel said as she leaned in and lowered her voice. “Have you met Elliott’s cousin Chad yet?” She asked with a smirk on her face.
Layla laughed. “I sure did. He was quite the character.”
Isabel squeezed Layla’s hand. “Has he told you about his lasers stopping hurricane theory yet? That one is my favorite.”
“No, he hasn’t. That son of a bitch is holding out on me,” Layla joked.
“Well, certainly don’t let me keep you from your pursuit of scientific knowledge.” Isabel’s eyes sparkled as they went back and forth; the banter always so easy for them. Those damn eyes always drew Layla in.
“I have made it this long without learning about lasers; I can wait another few minutes.”
Isabel ordered a drink as they sat making light conversation until they were whisked away once again for toasts and speeches as they celebrated Marco and Elliott’s engagement.
Layla couldn’t stop sneaking glances at Isabel, wanting to be near her. To touch her, to make her laugh again. The pull was ever-present, and she didn’t trust herself. She felt her resistance fading, and needed to retreat to safety, not wanting to make tonight about her and Isabel when it was about Marco and Elliott. The night was winding down, so she said a quick goodnight to Marco and Elliott and snuck up to her room without saying bye to anyone else.
***
Feeling claustrophobic, Layla ripped off her clothes and hopped in the shower, hoping she could wash away the stress. When that was unsuccessful, she started to pace around her hotel room in a tank top and underwear. Looking for a distraction, she turned the TV on and flipped through the channels, quickly lamenting the curse of Canadian television, which reminded her of Isabel yet again. She ran her hands through her hair and exhaled loudly. She felt like a pent-up animal and didn’t know what to do to relieve the tension.
A knock on her hotel door interrupted her pacing. Confused since she didn’t know who could be knocking on her door, she tiptoed to the peephole and saw Isabel on the other side.
“Just me,” she said.
Layla opened the door and poking her head around it nodded for Isabel to hurry in.
“Is everything okay?” Isabel asked, confused until she came in and the door closed behind her before she laid eyes on Layla’s near-naked body.
“Oh. WOW. Okay,” She turned around quickly in an attempt to not look at Layla in her current state of undress. “You disappeared, so I figured I would bring a bottle of wine by and see if you wanted to… catch up. But you are uh, are you getting ready for bed? A bath? What’s happening?” Isabel asked through a nervous laugh, clutching the bottle of wine to her chest as she faced the wall.
“Wine sounds great, actually,” Layla said. “And you can turn around; it’s not like you’ve never seen this before.”
Isabel turned around slowly, and Layla couldn’t help but smile at the effort it appeared to take for Isabel to act natural.
Taking the two wine glasses from Isabel’s hand, she held them out while Isabel pulled the cork out of the bottle and poured them both a glass. Once done, she set the bottle down on a table and leaned against it.
“So, what’s new?” Isabel asked, taking a sip of wine.
Layla laughed. “Really? What’s new?” She asked sarcastically as she took a sip of wine.
“Yeah, isn’t that what friends ask?” Isabel asked as her eyes lingered on Layla’s legs.
“Pretty sure friends would be maintaining better eye contact.”
Isabel’s eyes found hers.
“Ah, I should do a better job of hiding it, like you did the last two hours of the engagement party then?”
Layla tensed. “Shit.”
“You’re not as good at this as you think you are.”
“Yeah, well, neither are you.”
Isabel smirked. “Fine. So, back to you. How is work? How are things with Sasha?”
Layla took a sip of wine before answering. “You have a lot of questions.”
“I do.”
“Things are fine at work, and with Sasha. She is a good friend.”
Isabel scoffed. “She’s more than that.”
Layla tilted her head. “Why do you want to know?” She could feel the intensity rising as they fired off rapid questions and answers back and forth, neither one of them missing a beat.
“Why wouldn’t I? If we are going to be friends, we should learn to talk about this stuff.”
“Is that right? Okay, Isabel, I’ll play.” Layla took a long sip of wine and a step towards her. It was as if a magnet drew her in. “How many people have you slept with since we broke up?”
Isabel narrowed her eyes at Layla and seemed to wrestle with whether or not to answer.
“Three.”
Layla took another step forward. “And did it work?”
Isabel furrowed her brow in confusion. “Did what work?”
Layla took yet another step forward, standing so close that they were almost touching. “Did fucking those three people get me out of your system?”
Isabel’s breath hitched as Layla took her wine glass out of her hand and set both on the table.
“If we are going to be friends, we should learn to talk about this stuff,” Layla said, turning Isabel’s words against her. Setting her hand on Isabel’s chest, she gently pushed her back against the wall. “So? Did it?”
Isabel tried to wrap her arms around Layla’s waist, but Layla was having none of that. Her hands shot out quickly and stopped Isabel’s progress, pinning her hands to the wall at her sides.
“Answer the question,” Layla demanded.
Their eyes met. “No. It didn’t,” Isabel exhaled, then licked her lips.
“Then you have the audacity to show up in this fucking dress,” Layla growled, feeling the tension move through her body as she surveyed Isabel. Arousal coursed through her veins, settling low in the pit of her stomach.
Isabel raised her chin defiantly. “What, you don’t like my dress?” She asked in the most arrogant tone Layla had ever heard, which drove her wild.
Layla was so past the point of no return; she couldn’t even remember having one. She crushed her mouth against Isabel’s, her body pushing into her as she released her hands. Isabel’s arms instantly slid around Layla’s waist, pulling her closer.
Layla felt dizzy at the overwhelming sensation of kissing Isabel again. She couldn’t get enough. It was as if she’d been deprived oxygen for months and could finally breathe. As she started to come back into her body, she felt Isabel’s hands everywhere. Layla felt animalistic. She slid her hands down Isabel’s waist and grabbed fistfuls of her dress. Hiking the dress up over her hips, she slid her leg between Isabel’s and pressed into her.
Isabel broke the kiss as she exhaled several expletives at the contact. She reached out and grabbed the bottom of Layla’s tank top and ripped it over her head, then raked her fingers down Layla’s chest. Layla shivered at the contact, before grabbing the waistband of Isabel’s underwear and kneeling, sliding it down her legs. On her knees, Layla grabbed Isabel’s dress again and held it over her waist. “Hold this,” she instructed, and Isabel did.
Layla wasted no time. Using her thumbs to open Isabel up, she slid her tongue expertly over her folds and dipped inside of them to taste her again. Both moaning at the contact, Layla began her oral assault as her hands moved to grip Isabel’s ass. Needing more access, Layla guided one of Isabel’s legs over her shoulder so she could slide her tongue deeper inside. Isabel bunched the dress up in one hand and put her other on the wall behind her to steady herself, her leg shaking at the strain of holding herself up as the pleasure threatened to topple her.
“Layla, there is a bed like five feet away,” she said breathless.
“Mm-mm” Layla moaned into her before barely moving her mouth away. “Right here,” she said, then swirled her tongue around Isabel’s center before taking her fully into her mouth. Layla reveled in the taste and heat of Isabel. She wanted to feel her unravel in her mouth; she was desperate for it.
Hearing Isabel’s breath hitch as her hand clamped down on her shoulder, Layla felt Isabel was close. She stroked and pulled on Isabel’s flesh, remembering how she liked to be pleased. She felt Isabel tense, so she slid her hands up to Isabel’s hips and pushed her into the wall to steady her. A split second later, Isabel’s orgasm tore through her body as she convulsed around her. Layla moaned greedily as she felt and tasted Isabel’s pleasure on her tongue, and she held her there taking all she was given until Isabel could give no more. Isabel slid her hand through Layla’s hair and eased off, sliding her leg off her shoulder and back onto the floor.
“Oh my God,” Isabel said, still leaning back against the wall.
Layla stood up slowly, trailing her fingertips along Isabel’s legs, resting on her hips. She turned Isabel around slowly, so she was facing the wall, and moved her hair to hang over her shoulder. She found the zipper and slowly slid it down, exposing her back. Layla slid the dress off Isabel, then ran her fingertips along her skin from her shoulders down to her lower back as she started to kiss the nape of her neck. Isabel pushed back into Layla, as Layla wrapped her arms around her, cupping her breasts, fingertips teasing her nipples.
Isabel tried to turn around in Layla’s arms, but Layla resisted, pushing her up against the wall once more.
“Let me touch you,” Isabel pled, her face turned and resting against the wall before raising her hands and pushing off the wall into Layla, quickly reversing their positions. She slid her hand in between Layla’s legs, over her underwear and groaned. “You’re so wet, Layla.” Grabbing Layla’s hand, Isabel started walking back towards the bed. Once they reached it, Isabel slid Layla’s underwear down her legs, so they were both finally naked.
Isabel slid back onto the bed and reached out for Layla. Layla felt something inside of her change. Gone was the crazed hunger she felt to rip Isabel’s clothes off and take her. That part of her now sated, she felt the emotion of what was happening catching up to her. She hesitated to take Isabel’s outstretched hand, and Isabel must have seen it.
“It’s just me, Layla.”
Swallowing hard, Layla took Isabel’s hand and slid on top of her. Isabel brought their lips together as she rotated their bodies so she was on top. Isabel took the time to get reacquainted with Layla’s mouth as her hands softly caressed her body. When Isabel slid her leg between Layla’s and pushed up, Layla broke the kiss as a groan escaped her lips. Layla pushed her head back into the pillow and closed her eyes as Isabel took over. She kissed her neck and traced her collar bone with the tip of her tongue before finding a nipple and taking it into her mouth. She touched Layla everywhere, stroking her expertly with her fingertips, her lips, and tongue.
“Stay with me,” Isabel coaxed, breaking Layla out of
the haze. Layla opened her eyes as Isabel slid two fingers inside. Layla exhaled a long breath that turned into a moan when Isabel started moving in and out of her.
Isabel slid her free hand into Layla’s hair as she held her gaze and they started moving together. Isabel used her thigh to push her hand deeper into Layla, and Layla brought her thigh up in between Isabel’s legs, feeling her wetness. Layla could feel herself rising higher, the pleasure moving from her core out with each thrust of Isabel’s fingers. Isabel rested her forehead against Layla’s as she began to press her thumb against her. “Come with me,” Isabel breathed against Layla’s lips, as she pushed her center down on Layla’s thigh.
Hands on Isabel’s ass as she pulled her down, Layla was on the brink, until Isabel gripped her hair tightly and brought their mouths together for a searing kiss. Layla’s back arched as she climaxed, breaking their kiss as Layla couldn’t hold back vocalizing her pleasure. Her body jerking against Isabel’s triggered Isabel’s orgasm as they both shuddered against each other, their aftershocks causing each other to spasm involuntarily, drawing out each other’s release.
Spent and sweaty, Isabel removed her hand from between Layla’s legs and crumpled on top of her, resting her head in the crook of Layla’s neck. After they caught their breath, Isabel slid off Layla and laid on her side, facing her.
“I’ve missed you,” Isabel said, running her fingertips aimlessly across Layla’s stomach.
