Yes Please || c.g. {complete}

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

29

.Carl.

I lay on the couch behind Layla, spooning her as we watched something on tv that I couldn't focus on.

Holy shit...had she just opened the door to role-playing? I had taken her excellent suggestion and punished her with my "nightstick," and I would gladly handcuff her so I could do all sorts of things to her body. Hearing her call me Officer and beg me for leniency in exchange for favors...

Shit, I was getting hot again, and my nightstick threatened to make another appearance. I carefully got up from behind her.

"Where are you going, Officer?" she whispered the last word.

Fuck. Yep, that sounded fucking fantastic falling from her lips and I would milk the hell out of it later.

"I have to run a quick errand," I told her as I began to put my shoes on. "I finally get to tell Fiona that I am done at Patsy's."

She smiled at me and I bent down to kiss her.

"I'll be back for you later, ma'am," I joked sternly, pointing at her.

She giggled and I winked at her before I left.

I closed the door to the building behind me and began toward the diner. My mind was racing with thoughts about my future; it was finally promising, and it didn't involve me turning into my father. I couldn't wait to tell Fiona that my dishwashing days were over. I had to control the urge to make a dramatic exit at Patsy's like Scarface had in Half Baked. "Fuck you, fuck you, you're cool..."

I pulled open the door to the diner. Fiona was standing behind the counter going through some papers when she looked up and saw me.

"Carl!" she smiled. "What's up? You don't have a shift today."

I grinned before composing myself. "I got another job, so I won't have anymore shifts."

Fiona stared at me, her expression hard to read. "Another job?"

I nodded nervously. "I'm starting as a security guard before I can get into the police academy when I'm eighteen."

She dropped the pen she'd been holding and a huge grin spread across her face as she ran around the counter and over to me to pull me into a big hug. She rocked us back and forth as I laughed.

She pulled away, her hands still gripping my arms. "My brother, Carl: from criminal to cop. You'll be enforcing the law instead of breaking it. I think I'm gonna cry!" she wiped at her eye dramatically.

"Crazy, right?" I laughed.

She just smiled and pulled me in to hug me again.

.....

.Layla.

A little while after Carl left, I got out my laptop and began checking for class syllabi for the upcoming semester. If there was any required prerequisite reading, I wanted to start on it before I would feel too rushed. The syllabus for one of my science courses referred to Darwin's The Origin of Species quite a bit, although it was not on the required list of textbooks. That meant the professor would expect me to already be familiar with it. There were a few other books I could stand to pick up as well.

I stood up to stretch and took the dogs out for a quick walk. After I brought them back up, I grabbed my wallet, checking to be sure my school ID was in there. I ran downstairs to catch the bus for a long ride.

After I'd transferred to the Red Line at Cermak, I sat down and sighed. This was quite a hike. I would have to get off in a few stops to hop on yet another bus. Could I really do this everyday? When I'd moved off campus, my safety and dignity were my primary focus, not convenience.