Yes Please || c.g. {complete}

"I Want You."

5

.Layla.

"What's a pretty thing like you doing outside all by herself?" a disgusting voice breathed from behind me.

I spun around and took a step back, unfortunately pinning myself against the apartment wall.

He put a grimy hand on my face, and I refused to look at him.

Lenny had been barking, but it didn't seem to faze this guy.

"Leave me alone!" I spat.

Lenny jumped at the creep and latched on to his arm.

"Fuck!" he groaned, swiping his other hand at Lenny and scraping across my face in the process.

"Ah!" I yelped. It stung like crazy.

Not a second later, the asshole was violently pulled off of me and thrown to the pavement.

As I brought my hand to my cheek, I saw that it was Carl who had intervened. He was on top of the guy, punching him over and over. Lenny was barking and panting at my feet.

After the creep's movements ceased, Carl continued to hit him, as if blinded by rage.

"Carl!" I choked out.

Carl snapped out of it and jumped up to look at me. His face was a mixture of panic and fury as he carefully brought a hand to my face.

"You're bleeding," he said, ever so lightly tracing his thumb under the gash across my cheek.

I felt the tears coming as the events of the previous few moments sunk in. I couldn't imagine what would have happened had Carl not found us.

"Hey, hey," he whispered as he wrapped his arms around me. He stroked my hair, which had been ensnared on the rough brick. "Let's take you back inside."

"Lenny," I whimpered.

"He's okay!" Carl smiled. "I have him right here. Come on, show me where you live."

I turned back toward the apartment building door and Carl followed behind with Lenny.

.....

.Carl.

That lowlife piece of shit. He'd cut her beautiful face and roughed her up; what would he have done if I'd been there even five minutes later? I would've killed him had she not snapped me out of it.

I followed her through the apartment building door and up two flights of stairs. The ass I'd lusted after was at eye level, but in that moment the last thing I was trying to do was sexualize her. She led me down a short hallway to a door marked "3B."

I found Lenny's water bowl and filled it. I stroked his head a few times before I turned my attention back to Layla. She had disappeared behind a closed door. I leaned my head against it.

"Layla, are you alright?" I asked gently.

A moment or so later, I felt the door start to open. She hung her head as she slowly crept out.

"Hey," I smiled at her, putting a finger under her chin so I could tilt her face toward mine.

"I'm sorry," she said softly, meeting my gaze.

My eyes widened. "What? No, no, no!"

Layla rolled her eyes. "I ruined our date. I look terr-"

I smiled at her and shook my head. "You ruined nothing. And I assure you that nothing would make you look terrible." I ran my thumb over her swollen bottom lip and heard her breathing hitch.