Plan B [KNJxOC]

Chapter Eight: Finger Painting

Leila went home that day with an odd sense of hope. She waited patiently by the phone the first night and when the call didn't come, she chalked it up to the time difference.

"He must be jetlagged." She told herself.

On day two she figured he must've been busy with work and by day three she began to doubt him. She knew his lifestyle was different and he was busier than most but by the end of the week it had become abundantly clear that he was never going to call her.

Leila wasn't even sure if he was ever planning on it. Her feelings were actually hurt and she beat herself up for ever giving him her time. Maybe that's what he did; collected women he made fall for him and then never call them.

Not that she had fallen for him.

Leila tried to tell herself that this was her plan from the beginning. She didn't actually want to have contact with him again. He was supposed to be disposable.

She decided to put her focus back on her main priority, which was picking her business up off the ground. Men were useless and unreliable anyway. She had always known that.

MAY

Leila hadn't been feeling well lately but, she hopped in her car to head to Lizzy's anyway. She had been pestering Liz for the past week and half to make her favorite dish and now that she finally decided to make it, Leila felt like utter shit.

She'd spent the last couple of weeks trying to grow her business, which came with alot of sleepless nights and even more headaches. She'd somehow managed to get some local mom and pop shops to carry her product. If it sold well, they said they'd continue to purchase her candles. Her online shop was growing as well. She had atleast three orders a week, which was better than nothing.

Leila pulled up to Lizzy's house and let herself in as she always did. The moment she stepped foot in the house she wanted to die. The smell was unbearable. It was worse than when Elias was being potty trained and he finger painted on the walls with his poop. "Lizzy!" Leila pinched her nose and started to look around for any signs of her nephew's art work.

Liz walked out of the kitchen drying her hands on a paper towel. "What is that smell?" Leila asked. The closer she got to Liz the worse it got. "You don't smell that?!" Liz stood there with a confused look on her face.

"No. I don't smell anything."

Leila was finally able to pin point the smell when she made it into the kitchen. "Liz, what the fuck are you making?!" Leila gagged, feeling her stomach churn.

"What you asked me to make?" Liz answered in a confused tone. There's no way that's what she asked her to make. The smell in the house was outright disrespectful.

At that moment Manny stepped into the kitchen for a beer. "Manny, does the food smell weird? Leila says it stinks."

Manny pulled the beer out of the fridge before answering. "It smells fine to me. If I didn't know any better I'd say she was pregnant, but it's Leila." He laughed. "She'd give herself a hysterectomy before ever entertaining the idea of a kid."

"You're damn right." Leila agreed but the gears in Liz's head had already started turning.

"Leila, when's the last time you had a period?"

"And that's my cue to go." Manny turned sharply on his heel and hurried out of the kitchen.

"I'm not pregnant Liz." Leila rolled her eyes and reached in the fridge for a beer hoping it would settle her stomach. Lizzy quickly snatched it out of her hand.

"When Leila?" She asked again. Leila was annoyed but answered her anyway.

"I had it last month ."

"Last month when?"