10

"I'm not just a friend to him, but a special friend" Layla smiled happily as she told Aria.

"Wow, isn't that so great" smiled Aria, so happy that there was someone who made Layla happy after going through this heartbreak.

"I can't believe I finally made a good friend since I took over Ocean High, I was speechless when he told me I was not just a friend but a special friend" , said Layla, beaming with smiles.

"I'm so sure that everyone who shunned you then didn't even match Dan in intelligence and looks, the way you described him to me"

"Yeah, Dan turned out to be the smartest in our class and he doesn't even shy away from passing others on. So humble at heart, I'm so lucky to have such a friend" says Layla and Aria smiles.

"Likewise, he's so lucky to have you as a friend," Aria said.

"Really?" asked Layla.

"Of course, you don't seem to know each other, do you?"

"Well…but I'm more likely to get it" Layla said and quickly rushed to take the customers' order before Aria could respond.

Aria started making the coffee as Layla walked over to serve it.

They started talking again after they finished.

"Now there's another reason why I can't wait to go to school," Layla said.

“Was there a reason before? Aria asked.

"Of course, Dylan. He allowed me to go to school, the idea of seeing his face every day appeals to me"

"And is that still a reason why you look forward to going to school?" Aria asked, sincerely hoping Layla would say no.

"Yes" Layla said and Aria's heart sank.

"Dylan is always a reason I can't wait to go to school and he always will be because I don't think I'll ever stop loving him," Layla said.

"You can stop loving her if you want, Layla," Aria says, so pained that this ungrateful pig has Layla's heart on her fingertip.

"I don't, I don't want to stop loving him. Sooner or later the feeling will be mutual and we'll be dating," Layla said.

“My last wish has come true! and then…” she added inwardly.

"Layla, Dylan doesn't have feelings for you and may never get there, don't give yourself false hope that you won't hurt yourself in the end. Please," Aria said.

"It's not like it's going to last long anyway," Layla said grimly.

"What do you mean?" Aria asked.

"Never mind" Layla said, sporting a smile.

"I hope everything is okay?" Aria asked worriedly.

"Sure. Now go get Jane, she'll be waiting" Layla said, she saw a customer come in and quickly went to take his order.

'Why do I feel like something is wrong?' Aria wondered.

And Layla asking him to pick up Jane in the middle of their conversation is rare, it means she doesn't want the conversation to continue and it means something is up.

Or did Layla just not want her to dissuade her from pursuing her feelings for Dylan?

Well… whatever it is, she hopes Layla is okay.

She began to take off her apron and hair cover, ready to pick up her child.

"Um...how could he approach you for that?" Anne said with a frown after Daniel recounted the incident between him and Dylan.

"He was a jerk, but I made sure to get him back on track," Daniel said.

"That's good, but is your specialty really taekwondo?" Anne teased, holding back her laughter.

Felia tells her how Daniel started avoiding taekwondo practice at school after he was punched in the jaw.

“Go ahead and laugh. Daniel rolled his eyes at her and she burst out laughing.

He pinched her cheek hard as she laughed.

"Ouch" she said and continued to laugh.

"Get out of my room," he said, snuggling up against his blanket.

"I'm sorry" Anne said, still laughing.

“I have already stopped laughing. She smiled, holding herself back from laughing any longer.

Daniel only stuck his head out of the blanket, looking so funny that Anne burst out laughing again.

"God, Dan, you're going to kill me. I'm leaving," she said between two laughs as she got up from her bed.

She took the balm, still laughing as she walked out of his house.

•°

"I thought he approached me for something serious, I even had to laugh when he asked me what was going on between Layla and me," Dan said as they continued their chat in the room. Anne's room.

He had joined her in her room after she had left his.

"Layla is doing great to be honest, I don't know why he should look disgusted when asked if he loves her, she's one of the best women in her class as far as I'm concerned, if not even the best woman," Anne said.

"Yeah, Layla is a cool girl, she doesn't deserve that reaction from Dylan and she's really into him, she watches him all the time" Dan shook his head.

"Dylan might consider it…with what you told him earlier," Anne said.

"No, I don't even want him to consider her anymore," Dan said.

"For what?" Anne asked.

"She deserves better, much better than that little asshole"

"But if he decides to go out with her, there's nothing you can do about it," Anne said.

"Yeah, that would mean depriving Layla of her happiness because she would be so happy if he decided to consider her. I can't stop him if he wants to date her but I hope he does. He doesn't respect her enough"

"I think Layla doesn't care, she's still so attracted to him even after he embarrassed her. That should tell you that she's so in love with him and wouldn't even mind what 'he would do to her.'

"It's so unfair that Dylan seems to take advantage of it," Dan said.

"All I hope is that Layla is freed from the obsession soon or it might hurt her"

"I don't think it's an obsession," Dan said.

"Whatever the feeling, it's Dan." Anne laid her back on the bed, waving her legs in the air.

"I think Layla is someone who loves too hard," Dan said.

"Of course," Anne said smiling as she put her legs together.

"To love too much is not so bad but to love the wrong person is worse"

"I think Layla was probably obsessed with him because she had no one to talk to, now that she has you the attention she gives him would decrease even if it's a bit and that would help her to recover and unclog herself from the web of unrequited love she has for him, the process might be slow but it will eventually happen. She can't love him forever, not when he doesn't even return the love," Anne said.

"I hope you speak so wisely for your age," Dan said.

"Hey, I'm fourteen…I'll be fifteen in three months." I'm not a kid,” Anne said proudly and Dan laughed.

He couldn't ask for more from a sister.

Anne is everything and he is so happy to have her.

"My friends said they would like to eat with you for a little while," Anne said.

"Oh, as soon as they're ready" Daniel said.

"Speaking of food, let's make some, I'm hungry" Anne said and they both stood up.

"Same here," Dan said.

Anne took her inhaler and they both walked out of the room to the kitchen.

Their parents had not yet returned from work.

Their dad owns two businesses and their mom runs one, they go to work at the same time and come home together.

•

"What are we doing ?" Dan asked as he opened the fridge.

"Hm..What should we do?" said Anne thoughtfully.

She finally decided what they were going to do and Dan started pulling out the ingredients.

"I'm thinking of introducing Layla to Felia and Rylan"

"It's cool, your special friends should know each other" Anne said, rinsing her hand before preparing the vegetables.

"Your hair is covering Dan," she reminded him.

"Oops" he said choosing one.

He wore it on his hair and gently closed the refrigerator.

Anne wore her apron and didn't bother to suggest one to Dan because he hates wearing it, he'd rather get his clothes dirty with stains than wear an apron.

"So when are you planning on doing this?" Anne asked, cutting a carrot after having washed it well.

"Tomorrow" Dan said, helping with something else.

" Tomorrow ? Layla doesn't even know our house…oh, you'll text her the address,” Anne said.

"No, Layla doesn't have a phone yet," Dan said.

"Really?" Anne asked in surprise.

"Yeah, so the meeting will be in the cafe his aunt owns"

" Perfect ! You'll sip coffee while you talk. Anne smiled and Dan smiled too.

"I'm going to text Felia and Rylan tonight and explain"

"I'm sure they'll like Layla," Anne said.

"Layla is going to like them too. Felia would love to have a female partner now, she's going to completely ignore Rylan and me," Dan laughed.

"Yeah, she'll pay you back with your coins." Anne laughs too.

They chat while eating in the dining room.

"Make sure you let me know how the meeting will go tomorrow," Anne said.

"Of course" Dan nodded.

They heard the sound of the door and knew their parents were home.

“We are children at home! Their parents called.

"We are at the restaurant mom, dad"

"I'm going on a date with my husband tomorrow" Aria smiled as she told Layla.

It was Saturday and they tend to be busier.

"You should go have fun, Sunday is the only free day of the week," Layla said.

"You too," Aria said.

"Well…I don't have anyone to hang out with" Layla laughed.

"I'm just going to go to church, come home and rest for the rest of the day," she added.

"It's cool too, you don't have to go on a date to have a good day," Aria said.

"You're right" said Layla.

"Luckily you have a friend now, I know he's going to invite you sooner or later" said Aria.

"Oh, Daniel" smiled Layla.

They busied themselves with attending to customers for a few minutes before they were finally able to sit down again.

"You look beautiful in that outfit," Aria complimented Layla's floral dress.

It was a short fringed dress her mother had given her and it would be the second time she'd put it on.

"Oh, thank you" smiled Layla.

"My mom bought it for me," she added.

"She did a good job selecting him," Aria said.

"Funny enough, I didn't like this dress back then because it looked so big on me but now...the dresses are so amazing yunno"

"Of course" Aria chuckled.

"Listen, we have new clients" Aria said standing up. Layla also stood up.

She hadn't yet looked at the customers who had just entered and when she did, there was a look of surprise on her face.

Daniel with a guy and a girl.

He smiled at her and waved at her.

She waved at him, returning his smile.

Aria noticed the exchange and wondered who he was, his face looked familiar but she couldn't quite place a finger.

Could he be one of their regular customers..

He went to grab a table with his friends, waiting for Layla to join them.

"It's Daniel" Layla said to Aria.

"Oh" His eyes widened.

"He's here with his friends to see you" Aria smiled.

She is so impressed with Daniel's look and pretty smile.

"He could be here for coffee with his friends" Layla said, she looked flushed.

"Should I go ahead and take their orders if you don't feel comfortable doing so?" Aria offered and Layla shook her head.

"I will," she said.

Layla walked over to their table and she couldn't even understand why she felt so shy.

"Hey" she said to Daniel.

“Layla, how are you? " He asked.

"I'm fine. Hi," she told her friends.

"Hi Layla" They smiled.

Woah..they already know his name.

"What kind of coffee do you want?" she asked, pursing her lips.

Daniel smiled. "we are here to see you"

"Really?"

"Yeah and of course we'll have coffee while we're there too," Felia said.

"Oh good" Layla said with a sigh.

She knew Philia wouldn't take this lightly, seeing her sitting with Daniel and his friends instead of working.

They came here to see her, refusing them won't be so fair.

"Okay, I should take your orders first," smiled Layla.

They told her what they wanted and she marked it on the list.

"And Daniel, would you like to meet Aria, my colleague, I told her about you" said Layla.

"Of course" Daniel smiled as he stood up.

They both walked towards the counter and Aria smiled when she saw them.

"Hi Aria" Daniel said.

"Hello Daniel, how are you?" Aria smiled.

"I'm doing well thanks"

"I keep thinking your face looks familiar, do you think we've seen somewhere?" Aria asked.

"Probably, in this cafe. Although I don't really walk in but our eyes meet," Daniel said.

" Oh yeah ! You're the one always looking inside, so you were looking for Layla? Aria asked.

“Yeah, but luckily we finally met at school, a very formal meeting. He smiled and Layla laughed.

Aria smiled, happy to see how easily Dan made Layla laugh.

She loves Dan, he has this cool aura.

"Nice to meet you Aria" Dan said.

"Same here Dan" Aria said.

"Don't work too hard," he told them both before returning to his table.

"Wow, you've made a really good friend," Aria said to Layla, who was preparing their order.

"I told you so" smiled Layla.

"He looks nice, cool and carefree"

"Yeah and he said they were there for me," Layla said, looking a little concerned.

"What's wrong with that?" Aria asked.

"Philia definitely won't take it lightly when she sees me chatting with them instead of working, I don't want her to embarrass them," Layla sighed.

"Don't worry about it, if Philia manages to get out of her office, I'll persuade her to leave you alone"

"And leaving you to take care of customers alone is not for me, I'm going to feel bad seeing you running around while I'm sitting," Layla said.

"I'm not complaining Layla, I do it by myself when you're at school so...it's definitely nothing to do for a few hours that your friend would spend here," Aria said.

Laila sighed.

"Layla, this would be the first time people take their time to come see you and you're going to refuse to see them just for silly reasons, come on" Aria said and Layla smiled at her.

Aria is just one of the best things that ever happened to her.

She made her life easier and more peaceful.

"Thank you Aria" Layla said.

"Now go join them, they're waiting" Aria said and Layla picked up the tray containing their order.

"Hey take off your apron and hair cover, you don't have to look like a cafe when you first sit down with your friends" Aria said and Layla smiled.

She dropped the tray and took off her apron with hair covering, she adjusted her hair properly and Aria returned the tray to her.

She smiled and quickly walked over to Dan's table.

“I'm sorry to keep you guys waiting. She said, placing the tray gently on the table before sitting down in the chair next to Dan.

"Wow, you look so much prettier without that hair cover and apron," Felia said.

"Thank you" Layla smiled.

"She looked pretty even on the apron and the hair cover too," Dan said.

"Shut up, I said she was much prettier without it." Get another ear Dan. Felia rolled her eyes as Rylan smiled as he sipped his coffee.

"I think you need a new mouth instead, a big fat mouth for a change won't hurt" Dan scoffed at Felia and Rylan and Layla laughed.

"Imbecile" Felia slapped her hand which was resting on the table.

“Ouch! You are pained” Dan laughed.

“Who told you I was. Fool,” Felia scoffed playfully.

Layla smiled at them.

"Here's your own Layla coffee," Aria said, placing a cup of rich coffee in front of Layla who looked at her stunned.

Philia is going to have her head for this.

"I..I" said Layla.

"On my bills" Aria whispered to her with a wink before turning to leave but bumping into Philia who looked surprised to see what was going on.

"Damn" Layla exclaimed inwardly.

"Philia, these are Layla's friends, they came to say hi. You don't have to worry about work, I'll do anything while she's with them. You can go back to your office" said Aria swallowing hard.

"And who are you to send me back to my office. Would you take me out of sight!" Philia yelled at Aria, pushing her out of the way.

Aria sighed as she walked away to tend to new clients, feeling so bad..

She had assured Layla that she would stop Philia from embarrassing her friends, but she couldn't.

"What is happening here?" Philia asked, her eyes so wide she was in danger of falling.

“Answer me Layla! Who are they ?! cried Philia.

"It's...my friends Phil, please," Layla said, giving him a pleading look.

"GOOD!" Phil said after a long silence, before walking away.

Layla sighed in relief.

"Her eyes looked so big like a monster's as she screamed. It was so terrifying," Felia growled, rolling her eyes.

"Who is she?" asked Felia.

"My aunt" said Layla.

"Oh my god...it just came out of my mouth, I didn't mean his eyes were monster eyes, I'm so sorry"

"No, it's okay. His eyes did look like those of a monster, the biggest monster that ever existed," Layla said, surprising them all.

"Well, I'm glad you think the same way" Felia laughed.

"Does that make us partners in crime?" Layla asked with a smile.

"OMG! I love that girl," Felia said, hugging Layla happily.

They were both laughing as they hugged and Rylan and Dan knew they were in for it.