Always You

Chapter 6

{Layla}

I ring the doorbell to Gracie's house with a little nervous twitter in my belly. I really hope tonight goes well.

Meg opens the door and my breath catches. She's only wearing comfy jeans and a t-shirt but she's radiant to me. My heart is screaming at me, this is our Meg, but my mind is fighting back for control. She's not mine anymore, I can't let my heart run the show.

"Hi." I say, smiling. "Happy birthday."

"Thanks," she blushes, "come in." She says stepping out the way.

Once in the hallway and the door is closed, I hand Meg the present I got for her.

"You didn't have to get me anything." Meg says.

"Please, what kind of old friend would I be if I didn't buy my old friend a present on her birthday?" I scoff.

"Old friend, huh?" she looks up at me with one eyebrow raised.

"Well, we are, aren't we?" I smile cheekily back.

She gives me the look I became very acquainted with in my youth, one that says she sees through my cheekiness.

"We'll see." Is all she manages to say before a little version of Meg comes out the door next to me.

"Lay lay."

"Hi Abby." I say, crouching down to talk to her.

"It's mummy's pirthday."

I bite my lip to stop myself from giggling at her mispronouncing birthday. "Is it? Have you been giving her lots of big hugs and kisses?"

"Yep."

"Why are you all standing in the hallway? Come sit down." Gracie says from another door, making me jump a little if I'm honest.

After handing over a bottle of wine to Gracie, we all sit down in the living room. Gracie, her husband Andy, the two boys, Meg, Abby and I all squeezed in.

"What you got there, Meg?" Gracie asks, seeing the present still in Megs hand.

Meg looks down at the gift I gave her as if she forgot she was holding it. "Layla brought me a present."

"Well, open it then. Don't just hold it."

Meg looks around a little shyly at being put on the spot. I nod in encouragement when she looks at me. Carefully she rips the paper off and reveals the photo album I bought.

"This is lovely, thank you." She says quietly.

"If you look in the front of the book, you'll find a voucher for one of those online photo printers. The ones where you upload your picture from your phone and they'll send you the print in the post. It's a year subscription so you should be able to fill that book and more."

"That's actually really perfect right now."

"I thought it was something you and Abby could do together. Which reminds me. If it's okay with you I've got something for her to open as well." With Megs blessing I give Abby the gift that she opens with Megs help. "It's a disposable camera."

Sometime later, after Abby has taken a few photos with her eyes closed I find a second of quiet with Meg.

"Okay, don't hit me, but I may have put a few pictures in the album already."

"Really?" she asks grabbing the book from the table.

"Turn to the back."

She does and gasps. I had old pictures of the two of us printed out, ones that were just for the two of us.