In Her Sleep

Friendship

The glow of the slow burning campfire shines on her beautiful face, much like how her presence in his life cast that bright light on his dull days. An affectionate smile crosses Caleb's lips mirroring her own that keeps lighting up her face every now and then. The night is beautiful with its clear skies and stars shining ever so brightly. But it doesn't compare to how he is feeling right now. Saying he is on cloud nine sounds like an understatement.
He still can't believe that the beauty in front of him agreed to be his. It's still so surreal. While he dreamed of it many times before, the reality is so much more than he expected. Every time he thinks about it his heart skips so many beats it makes him feel like a girl or a teenager again. 
A chuckle escapes him at that thought. Right now he can be called anything and he wouldn't care.

"She's a natural." Janice bumps him on his shoulder teasingly as she sits next to him.

"Don't give me ideas." Caleb retorts, as he watches Layla chat away with Emma and Emily. 
They look like a bunch of excited female campers out on a ladies trip. Up to now he has failed to understand how she has bonded with the girls so effortlessly. One would think they have been friends for long regardless of the age gap too.
He watches as they talk excitedly amongst themselves like nothing else exists around them. They are only seated on the opposite side of the fire but from where Caleb is seated it seems like a whole other world from their end. He wonders if that's how she would be if they did ever end up having girls of their own.
He smiles at that, as a comforting warmth surrounds him. 

"Nothing that hasn't crossed your mind though." Janice replies after a bit of silence.
"I can see how you've been looking at her. That longing in those pretty eyes of yours means only one thing." Janice points at him with what seems like an accusing finger.

"Pretty eyes? Aren't you mistaking me for your pretty boy?" Caleb teases back.

"Nothing pretty about my Darren's eyes. His eyes are breathtaking." She sighs dreamily and Caleb just rolls his eyes.

"Talking about your pretty boy, where is he?" 

"He is here somewhere." She answers while looking around the dark surroundings. 
"Something about an emergency he said." She adds when she turns back to him.

"Oh, ok…" Caleb says, before going quiet again. His eyes shift to Layla, watching her bubbly self as she chats with the two little girls. 

"They love her." Janice says with a smile.

"Yeah, I'm even jealous." He says with a pout.

"Grow up." She retorts and they both burst out laughing. And their laughter seems to end just where the two of them are as the other party doesn't even spare them a glance.

"See what I mean?" Caleb points out the trio's immense concentration on just what they are on about and nothing else.

"I'm sorry. She'll soon be yours." Janice says while she looks at her watch to which Caleb just scoffs. 

"So I heard that you went by the office." Janice says, shifting their attention from the three buddies. 

"Oh yeah that. Yes I did." He answers with little enthusiasm.

"So is it like time now?" Janice asks and he can pick how excited she is about that prospect.

"I don't know." He sighs loudly.

"What do you mean you don't know?"

This time he faces Janice and he finds her looking a bit disappointed.

"I just don't know, okay? Maybe it is.." He focuses in the dark woods spread out a distance away from where they are camping for the night. The dark shadows remind him of a time in his own life when he thought he would never smile again. When darkness almost kept him from breathing. And Janice's question has him wondering if he can risk everything he has found again. He is not so sure he would live if history repeated itself. 
Unconsciously his eyes land on Layla once more and he wonders if he would be able to live without that smile.