Something to Dream About {Slow Updates}

Eight

𝄞 Layla 𝄞

"Why are you always so serious?" Patrick asked. "We're practically naked and you look bored."

His words cut right through me. Did he know me so little that he thought I wasn't enjoying this?

"I'm not bored," I told him with a frown. "I'm having fun. Really."

He pulled back from me, standing up to redo his jeans. "Really," he huffed out. "Cut the shit, Layla. You don't have to lie."

I got off the bed, to gain some level. "I'm not lying!" I shot back, frustration seeping into my skin. "Instead of telling me how I feel, why don't you ask?"

Patrick threw his hands into the air. "Well? How do you feel?" The edge to his voice had me nervously looking away.

"I really was into it," I said, my voice quiet.

"You're fucking lying," he said as he threw his shirt over his head. "I'm over this."

He was my first boyfriend after middle school. My first boyfriend after I got raped. Guys didn't like me until the summer before freshman year. Until Patrick.

But I could tell he didn't like everything about me.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"You don't even fucking look at me! And you're emotionless ninety-nine percent of the time. Goodbye, Layla."

Emotionless? Is that how he perceived me? I knew that I didn't always express how I felt—I knew that I had a hard time with the little things that most people somehow knew to do when socializing—but I didn't realize he saw me like...that.

I wanted to explain it to him, to justify myself, but he left before there could be any room for argument.

I pulled my lips into a smile, studying my expression in the full-body mirror. After crinkling my eyes a little bit, I assumed it looked genuine.

My face dropped and I lifted an eyebrow, letting my lips quirk up again.

What? I mouthed to myself.

I nodded in approval, resetting my face again.

This next time, I raised my eyebrows, pretending to be surprised.

Eh, my eyes are too wide.

I tried again, until I was satisfied. Okay, Layla, do that when someone says something surprising.

I relaxed my eyebrows, nodding in satisfaction.

"Layla!" a shout rang through my house.

"Up here!" I yelled from my bedroom.

Steps echoed up the stairs until the room's door pushed open, revealing Kiara. She had a key to my house, though my grandparents weren't aware of it.

"Hey," she said with a smile. "You look cute."

My eyes drifted back to the mirror as I looked at my outfit. A corset top and a skirt with tights beneath it—all black.

"Thanks," I said, putting on the smile I was practicing in the mirror. "You do too. Are you staying?"

"Nooo," she replied. "You know how I feel about parties. I just wanted to stop by and check on you."

I walked over to her, giving her a quick hug. "Well, thank you, stranger."