Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
— 𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐑 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐓𝐇𝐄 Peaces was a nice and relatively quiet affair.
Winona and Layla did most of the talking, while Warren remained silent unless spoken to first. It was clear that he was only half engaged in the flowing conversation, his eyes firmly rooted to the table as he mindlessly played with his salad.
The Williams girl could tell that Warren's lack of participation was bothering his mother, but she didn't think Winona was going to bring it up with a guest in the house.
And while Layla felt horrible that the older woman was obviously concerned about her son, she was thankful that she could stall their inevitable conversation until after she left. Warren was most certainly not in the right state of mind to answer his mother's questions, and Layla simultaneously wanted to drag the dinner out to give him more time to think, and also finish the dinner as quickly as possible so that she could talk to Warren and hopefully help him process some of his emotions from the letter.
She ended up doing a mix of both, finding a middle ground between both options and trying to coax Warren into conversation with her and Winona while they ate their dinner.
She knew Warren was most likely going to be thinking about the letter for the entire night, and she wanted to at least try and grant him some reprieve from that before she left. Even if only just for dinner. If she got him talking and listening to her and Winona's conversation, then he wouldn't actively be thinking about his father, and hopefully, he would be able to relax for a little bit.
Eventually, he did relax slightly — his shoulders falling into a more casual posture while he ate his food.
And when he looked up from the table to respond to something his mother had been saying — a laugh on his lips and his inner turmoil completely void of his face, Layla took it as a win.
— 𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐑 𝐖𝐀𝐒 over, Warren led her to the door.
Winona followed quickly after, giving Layla a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek. The brunette smiled as she pulled away from the embrace. "It was so nice having you over, Layla. Come back anytime. You're always welcome here."
Layla returned the smile and nodded. "Thank you for having me over, Mrs. Peace. Dinner was wonderful, and I hope to be back here soon."
"Oh, I have a feeling you will be, honey," Winona responded, a knowing look glinting in her eyes.
Warren cleared his throat and took a step closer to Layla. "I'm gonna walk her home, māma. It's too late to be taking the bike out right now."
Winona nodded and gave Warren a quick kiss on the cheek before stepping away. "Alright, be safe. And see you soon, Layla." She added, shooting the redhead a quick wink.
Layla laughed softly, as Warren guided her out of the house, only speaking once they were down the driveway.
"Sorry about that. You're the first person I've ever brought to the house. I guess she's been waiting to embarrass me in front of someone." The pyrokinetic explained.
Layla only shook her head, a smile on her face. "It wasn't embarrassing. It was cute! Your mom is an absolute sweetheart, by the way."
Warren smiled then. "She is, isn't she? My dad is a pretty nice guy too, save for — well, you know." He said awkwardly, before shaking his head and continuing. "Makes me wonder where all the kindness went, because it definitely didn't get passed to me." He finished dryly.
Layla chuckled and gently nudged his shoulder. "Hey, now. I don't think you're giving yourself enough credit."
Warren raised a brow as he looked down at her. "Oh, yeah?"
"Yeah." She nodded. "You're kinder than you think you are, Hotshot." She smirked.
The Peace boy snorted then. "Whatever you say, Hippie."
They spent the next few moments in silence before Warren spoke again.
"I know I was acting off at the beginning of dinner. And I know my mom noticed too." He started, continuing when Layla said nothing.
"She's definitely gonna question me when I get home, and I'm not sure what I should say. I've never had to lie to my mom before, and it feels wrong to do it now. But at the same time, I know what my dad said was true. If I tell my mom that dad might get out early and then it doesn't end up happening — it'll just break her heart all over again."
He shook his head as a frown began to form on his face. "I don't wanna break her heart. One too many Peace men have done that enough."
Layla took his hand into her own, giving it a soft squeeze as she spoke carefully. "You don't want to tell your mom about your dad, but you also don't want to lie to her...so don't."
Warren looked over at her questioningly, but remained quiet, waiting for her to explain.
And she did.
"Maybe explain that you had an off day today. That getting that letter from your dad made you get in your head a little. You don't have to go into detail, and while I've only met her this once — I don't think she would pry. This way, you explain what's wrong without it being a lie. It's just not the full truth either." She shrugged, hoping he didn't think her suggestion was utterly stupid.
Neither of them said anything more until they reached her house.
They turned to face each other in unison, and Warren gave her a small smirk. "What would I do without you, Hippie?"
Layla tilted her head and pretended to think for a moment. "Hmm...Suffer?" She answered back, before breaking into a laugh.
Warren rolled his eyes and grabbed at the edge of her jacket, pulling her body into his as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders.
Her arms came to rest around his waist, as she laid her head against his chest, right over his heart.
They were silent once more before Warren slowly pressed a soft kiss against her hair.
"You're right." He whispered, before pulling away entirely and nodding toward her doorstep — silently telling her to go.
"I'll see you on the bus?" She questioned, wanting to make sure she knew what kind of day she was going to be facing tomorrow.
He nodded, a teasing smirk making its way to his face. "And at our spot, during lunch, our spot again, P.E., the b-" He was cut off by Layla lightly hitting his arm, both of them starting to laugh.
"Okay, okay, I get it. I follow you around a lot — deal with it." She said boldly, a smile on her face.
"Oh, I will." Warren shot back, his tone sounding nothing but amused.
Layla shook her head softly and began to walk to her door. "Goodnight, Hotshot!" She called out, not turning to look back at him.
"Night, Hippie." He replied, watching her make her way into the house.
He didn't leave until he heard the door lock and saw the porch light turn off.
