Exiled (AmBw)

Chapter 16

Layla POV

I froze in complete and utter horror.

'He remembers, last night. There's no way.' I thought as I watched Naoto lean back into his chair, finding this whole ordeal funny.

Layla: "Wait a minute. You remember what happened last night?" I asked, praying he'd say no.

Instead of answering me, he just flexed his brow, indicating that he did.

Layla: "Oh my God. Wow, you remembered we kissed the whole time, and you just acted like you didn't know me." I said, dumbfounded.

Naoto gave me a slight nod.

Layla: "Do you usually have interviews with women you've kissed before? Is this like a regular Tuesday for you?" I said curiously as to why he seemed so calm.

Naoto laughed.

Naoto: "To be fair, this is a first for me too. I didn't know it was you until you turned around. It was quite a pleasant surprise." he smiled.

Layla: "Pleasant surprise?" I scoffed. "Oh, you're good." I squinted my eyes."You deserve an Emmy or like an Oscar or something." I said, referring to his performance. "You genuinely had me fooled," I said, feeling tricked.

Naoto: I wasn't trying to fool you, Layla. That wasn't my intention. I figured it would be easier for you to conduct your interview without the pressure of thinking about last night. Unfortunately, I don't mix business and pleasure. So I handle business first and anything else after.

Layla: "Oh, I see." I said reluctantly.

I couldn't lie, I wanted to be grumpy about what he did, but I couldn't help but admire his work ethic. He handled our situation very logically, so I can't fault him for that, even though the pettiest part of me really wanted to.

Naoto: "Now that the business part of our relationship is over, we can finish getting to the matter at hand." he said, smirking before he spoke again. "Am I your first?" he briefly paused before he chuckled to himself. "Kiss in a club, I mean?" he smiled.

If I was drinking water right now, I would have choked from the way he intentionally paused before continuing his question. He knew what he was doing. He was tricky.

Layla: Look, I swear I've never done anything like that before. I don't just go around kissing random guys in clubs, let alone anywhere else. Believe me. I'm like a nun or a hermit. I'm like a nun-like hermit." I paused when I realized what I was doing. "Oh god, I'm rambling, aren't I?"

Naoto: "You are, but it's kinda cute." he said, holding back a smile.

Something about the way he said cute and the way he slightly smiled at me made my heart flicker.

Naoto: "Don't worry, Layla, I figured you weren't that kind of girl. If you were, this morning would have gone a lot differently." He said, staring out into nowhere. "Either way, I'm just happy you got home safely. I was worried when I couldn't find you."

'He was worried?' I thought, touched by the notion.

Layla: "Yeah, I was safe. A friend took me home."

Naoto: "That's a good friend."

Layla: "They are." I smiled, thinking about Takanori. "That friend was trying to make sure I didn't drink too much. Unfortunately, I got a bit carried away and ended up jumping you." I chuckled. "Sorry. My bad."

Naoto: "Don't be sorry. Actually, I should be thanking you. I wouldn't have had as much fun as I did last night if you had listened." he smiled. He paused for a bit before speaking again. "Miss Layla, I'm curious about something."