no savior.

no lying

Layne's POV

After lunch KJ we look at two more houses before we quit and decide to just go back to the realtor and start over. This time, trying to tie both of our ideas into one. Afterwards, she drops me back off at home, parking the car and walking me to the door.

"Are you staying the night?" I ask.

"I would but I can't," she replies vaguely, "But I love you," she leans in for a kiss and we meet halfway.

"I love you too," I smile and she takes my hand, playing with my fingers.

"One day you won't have to ask me that," she mumbles.

"One day soon," I correct her.

"But not as soon as if you had liked any of the houses today," she teases. I hit her, snatching my hand back.

"Hey," she grabs me by my middle, pulling me back to her, "You love me remember?"

"Let me go!"

She does, squeezing me one last time before letting me go.

"Are you sure you don't want to come in?" I prompt her one last time. She takes a deep breath, before shaking her hand, "I wish I could but I can't."

She kisses me one last time before pulling away.

"You'll stop by tomorrow?" I ask. She nods, "Definitely."

She departs and I finally enter my apartment, changing out of my dress and washing off my face. A throat clears while I'm doing the latter and I jump, expecting to see Dil. It isn't.

"Dru? You're back?" I ask. I don't know why I'm surprised, but I am.

He nods, taking a seat on my bed, "I live here. And am married to your brother. Is your amnesia coming back?"

"Ha ha," I laugh dryly, "You sort of just disappeared. And it isn't like anyone tells me shit in this house."

"Fair," he changes the subject, "So you and KJ are back together?"

"What have you heard?" I turn to him. In the week since she'd been back, Wren was technically the only person I'd actually told. But then again, after she left me in the laundry room, she went talked to Dil about something and now they were on another understanding.

"Not much," he shrugs, "But I heard she's been over here every night for a week... And I can see that ring on your finger..."

I stop, realizing I'd been anxiously twisting it on my finger since we started talking. I rush to close the door and take a seat, "Don't tell Dil."

"You think he doesn't know?" he chuckles. My face heats. Of course he already knows...

"Why are you in here?" I cut to the chase.

"I know you don't like me but I love you like you're my own sister. And I want to make sure you guys are being responsible."

I start to get an attitude but he holds up his hand, stopping me, "I'm not chastizing you. I'm trying to help." He pulls out a tri-folded piece of paper. "Here's everything I wish me and your brother would've talked about before we got married."

"So what? This is a checklist situation now?"

"Marriage is hard work," he stands, "I want y'all to work out. But I want y'all to be stable."

He exits the room and I go through the list of almost forty things. We've done some of them, like discuss housing and kids, but the less logistical stuff? The things like "do I know her love language?" or "how much space do we need from each other?"