The Broken Tale

It's been A While

Brian watched Layla unstrap Lloyd's seatbelt silently with his hands behind his back. Layla was beginning to wonder how he and Ali were friends at all. He was nothing like Ali or any of his friends, he was quiet, actually respectful and most importantly, he wasn't a pervert, at least not from what she had seen so far. She couldn't stop wondering how he and Ali had a managed to have one conversation.
"I'll watch you from a far." Brian said as Layla helped Lloyd down from the car, "so I won't disturb you but just so I can make sure that you're okay."
Layla took Lloyd's hand in hers and looked at Brian, "yes, sure. I'll probably be going elsewhere with my friends later on though."
"Yes, I figured. Don't worry about it though, you'll probably not even notice me watching."
Layla sighed and nodded. She walked past him with little Lloyd following her. The park was huge and everywhere she could see people walking in the green parklands and enveloped in conversations. Layla's eyes searched around for Talya as they walked. She had never been there and barely knew the directions, and as they walked, she began to feel like they were going in circles.. Lloyd's quick steps began to slow down, he had gotten tired but he didn't say anything.
"Are you tired, sweetie?" She asked, stopping in her tracks and looking down at him.
"No, it's fine, Lali." Lloyd tried to lie, rubbing his eyes tiredly.
Layla sighed and put her hands around him, picking him up. He wrapped his arm around her neck and a look of relief washed over his small, chubby face. Layla carried him around as she continued to search for Talya even as the twilight turned into night. Finally she found her sitting on a bench, even with her back to Layla, she could still recognize her. Layla almost ran to her, she felt Lloyd's arm tighten around her neck. Being a public socialite, Layla was always photographed wherever she was so she always had to look well put together, her long dress that she had worn to hide her bruises was getting caught between her legs and the high black heels were making her trip as she tried to run with the little boy in her arms. The heavy footsteps of her heels were obviously heard by whoever was standing nearby and Talya heard it as well, turning around. A large smile from ear to ear overcame her face, she stood up and ran to Layla, throwing herself into her arms. She began stroking her hair franticly, pulling away and looking at her with tearful and hugging her again.
"You've changed so much!" Talya said, still holding her.
Layla felt Lloyd slightly twist in her arms, he must feel uncomfortable with their hair getting tangled at his face. She pulled away and both Layla and Talya noticed that they weren't alone. Layla's smile only grew but was also accompanied by a nervous cramp in her stomach as Cassandra, another tall, brown haired girl and a handsome dark man approached them. And Talya noticed that Layla was holding Lloyd.
"Oh hello, you little thing!" Talya said as she kissing the little boy's cheeks, "how are you, Lloyd?"
"I'm great, Tata!" Lloyd answered politely.
Lloyd had met Talya before when Ali had brought him with them to Greece two years ago.
"It's been a while, hasn't it, Laili?" Cassandra said, stopping next to Talya.
Layla smiled and pulled her into a hug, "a long while."
Twenty-six year old Cassandra Thomese was the girl who had helped Layla and Talya run away to Greece. But Layla only stared on at the other two people with Talya. They were completely unfamiliar to her, she had already met Emmet, Archer and Hayden but not them. But Layla recognized the woman's long, knee length, form fitting black dress that she too owned one simular to and the watch the man was wearing was almost exactly the same as one Ali had, and those told Layla that they were rich.
"I thought you completely forgot I existed." Cassandra said with shade.
Layla laughed but her laughter was nervous at the presence of the unintroduced strangers.
"Oh yeah, Layla these are Alexander and Bicara McCaurthur," Talya introduced them when she noticed how uncomfortable Layla was, "guys, this bitch is Layla Elmar."
Layla was very formal and her first instinct wasn't to say hello, it was to offer her hand. Bicara looked a bit confused, as if she expected something less formal but she shook her hand and so did Alexander.
"Are you guys married?" Layla asked, considering that they had the same last name.
Bicara laughed awkwardly and Alexander only smiled.
"Oh God, honey, we're siblings!" Bicara answered.
Layla cursed at her own stupidity, of course they were! They had the same tan skin, big brown eyes and brown hair.
"Oh." Was all Layla could mumble awkwardly.
"How come you've never met?" Talya asked, her eyes switching between Alexander and Layla.
"Were we supposed to?" Layla asked in confusion.
Alexander gave a small laugh and said, "your husband is one of my closest business partners, Layla."
"Ali doesn't really feel the need to let me into business while I'm still in college." Layla explained.
"You have a weird beard." Lloyd said tiredly, pointing at Alexander.
Alexander didn't really have a beard, just some facial hair but Layla knew that a four year old couldn't tell the difference. Alexander laughed and shook his head.
"I think it looks like your father's, don't you think?" Layla said to Lloyd.
"But daddy has a black one, he has brown."
"Your son is adorable." Bicara commented.
Layla laughed, "he's Ali's son."
Bicara looked confused.
"Elmar had the kid with one of his exes before they got married." Alexander explained further.
Bicara nodded in understanding.
"You must be famished after that long flight," Talya said, "do you want to go out for dinner?"
"Damn right, Talya, it's like you can read my mind," Layla replied with a growling stomach and looked at Lloyd, "what do you say, sweetie? Are you hungry?"
Lloyd clapped his hands, "yes!"
"We're on board." Layla said to the rest of them.
"Let's go then before my stomach starts digesting itself." Alexander said.
Layla's eyes opened wide as she saw Alexander wrap his arm around Talya's waist and lead the way. At first, Layla felt like her legs were numb and she couldn't move. But as Cassandra and Bicara also began to walk, she forced herself to follow them.
"Talya's found herself a catch, huh?." Cassandra whispered to her when she noticed her staring at them pulled up in a deep conversation as Talya was leaning against his arm while they walked.
"Catch? What the fuck are you talking about?" Layla asked, biting her tounge at cursing Infront of the child in her arms. But luckily, Lloyd was already beginning to doze off into sleep, his head leaning against her shoulder.
"Wait, Talya hasn't told you?" Cassandra asked, rather startled.
"No?"
Cassandra bit her lip, obviously regretting saying anything.
"Well, um, you see." Cassandra stuttered.
"Drop it and spill."
Cassandra inhaled nervously and said, "y-you can um ask Talya that."
Layla narrowed her eyes in suspicion, "Cassandra, for fuck's sake, are you trying to kill me?"
"I can't say something that Talya may not want you to know."
"Laili, you promised to get me ice cream." Lloyd said, half asleep.
"Of course, honey, I remember." Layla said, she planted a kiss on his head and turned back to Cassandra, "is there some place I can get this little guy ice cream?"
"Yeah sure. I'll go get some for him, what flavor do you want, little guy?" Cassandra asked Lloyd.
It took Lloyd a few moments to understand what Cassandra was saying in her heavily accented English.
"Chocolate!" He answered.
"Are you sure you want to have ice cream before dinner, sweetie?" Layla asked him.
Lloyd nodded. Layla sighed and pulled out a credit card from her purse and handed it to Cassandra.
"I don't have any euros yet." Layla said.
Cassandra laughed and put the card back in Layla's belt and walked away before Layla could say much.
There was a restaurant across the street. Not many people were there but it was fancy and clean, there were a few couples sitting at tables. A waiter showed them to a larger table by the glass of the windows on the second floor where it was much less crowded. Layla tried to set Lloyd down on a chair next to her but he wrapped both of his arms around her neck, indicating that he didn't want her to set him down.
"He's a bit shy, isn't he?" Bicara commented.
Alexander and Talya say next to each other across from Layla with Bicara next to Alexander.
"He is around strangers sometimes." Layla replied, running her fingers through Lloyd's blonde hair as he buried his face in her chest, facing away from the others.
"Why are you shy, Lloyd?" Talya asked, "we've met before. Don't you remember me?"
Lloyd's arms tightened around Layla's neck and didn't reply.
"He'll open up in a little bit." Layla said.
"Alright, who's excited for ice cream?" Cassandra's loud, excited voice said as she sat down next to Layla with 2' chocolate ice cream cone in her hand.
Lloyd immediately turned to her and almost grabbed the ice cream but then remembered his manners and looked at Cassandra for permission.
"Yeah, it's okay, take it, come on." Cassandra said, handing them to Lloyd.
A waiter walked up to them and said something in Greek. Layla only stared on and expected Talya to be confused as well but she didn't, instead she, like Alexander, Cassandra and Bicara, looked at the menu and replied in Greek.
"I'll order for you. See if I still can remember your favorite food?" Talya asked in English with a wink.
"Go ahead."
Talya said something to the waiter and he nodded, writing it down and left.
"When did you learn Greek?" Layla asked Talya.
"It's been two years, Laili, even an autistic would've learned the language by now."
Layla's eyes lowered and widened in shock. Alexander and Talya's hands were intertwined in each other on the table. Layla's widened eyes looked up at Talya and she too must have reliezed what she was thinking.
"I never expected you to react like this." Talya said in a lighter tone.
"React to what exactly?" Layla asked in a more matter-of-fact manner.
Layla and Alexander looked at each other and Talya looked at Layla nervously.
"I kind of wanted to tell you but I didn't really know how to," Talya began, "it's really...recent anyway but-"
"Could you just spill it already?" Layla interrupted with dried up patience.
Layla took a deep breath and said, "Alex and I are kind of...you know, dating."
Layla's eyes widened even further.
"Dating?"
"I'm kind of disappointed that it took you a month to tell your best friend, Tata." Cassandra commented, pouring some water into a glass and drinking down.
"Yeah, me neither." Layla added, her eyes still locked on Talya.
Layla was very happy for Talya but she was disappointed and a little offended that Talya didn't trust her enough to tell her. Was the distance between the, effecting their relationship? But Layla sighed in despair. She herself was not only hiding a lot from Talya, but was lying to her as well. Maybe she deserved Talya to not trust her.
"So you're my new future brother in law?" Layla smiled at Alexander.
Layla saw his cheeks blush but he cleared his throat and said, "I-I guess."
Three waiters interrupted them and set out their food out on the table for them. Layla bit her lip as she saw a waiter set out two bottles of wine and schnapps on the table, if only she could drink, she could gulp down ten glasses.
"Do you want to eat, sweetie?" Layla asked Lloyd.
He had already finished his ice cream and Layla expected him to say that he wasn't hungry but he actually nodded. Talya had ordered black noddles and kimchi for her, it had always been one of Layla's favorite dishes.
"Did I get it right?" Talya asked with a smirk, she knew the answer.
"Maybe next time," Layla answered sarcastically.
She twirled some noddles around the fork and handed the fork to Lloyd, she knew he didn't like to be fed. Lloyd ate silently, he didn't dirty his clothes or eat with his mouth open, he was very well mannered. Layla laughed a little to herself, of course that was to be expected from Ali's son.
"He's a lot like this father." Alexander commented while looking at Lloyd eat.
Layla laughed at the irony of how different father and son really were, "in some things I guess."
"I'm blonde but daddy has black hair." Lloyd pointed out.
Layla brushed the blonde locks falling over his eyes and said, "but you're handsome anyway, my little Lloyd."
"You're Ali Elmar's wife, right?" Bicara asked, gulping down a glass of white wine.
Layla sighed and nodded.
"Wow, you look much younger than him." Bicara continued.
"Maybe because I am much younger than him."
Bicara rose an eyebrow.
"Elmar's twenty-eight, she's twenty." Alexander explained.
"Damn, you must have some extreme love story to face that age gap." Bicara said.
"Oh, give her a break, Laili." Cassandra said, rolling her eyes, "it's not like they have a thirty year age gap or something."
Layla giggled, "Bicara, your brother looks ten years older than his girlfriend ."
"How old do I look then, Mrs.Elmar?" Alexander asked with a smirk.
"I don't know? Thirty?" Layla answered as she fed Lloyd a slice of kimchi.
Talya rolled her eyes while Alexander laughed.
"I'm four years younger than your husband, honey." Alexander said.
"Oh rub it in, bastards." Layla insulted and drank some water to clear her sore throat, "So how did this happen, Tata?"
Talya and Alexander looked at each and smiled.
"He's kind of my boss." Talya said, her eyes still interlocked in Alexander's.
"Boss? Damn, Talya, I thought that only happened in crazy romance novels." Layla said with a laugh,
"It was kind of like the romance movies, you know?" Talya coaxed.
"Yeah, Emmet and Archer got Talya a job at Alex and Bicara's company." Cassandra explained with a mouth full of food.
"Cassandra and I are friends so we dragged Talya into our little group quickly." Bicara continued to explain.
"And then..." Cassandra and Bicara both said in a sinister voice and gave Talya a dirty look.
Talya hung her head and her cheeks turned flaming red, the embarrassment on Talya's face told Layla what she was so ashamed of.
"A little hook up is all a love story needs to take off, huh?" Cassandra mocked
Layla's jaw dropped.
"You slept together?"
Talya covered her ears with her hands and shook her head.
"Little Tata is all grown up!" Layla shouted excitedly.
Lloyd pulled Layla's collar to get her attention.
"Can I get some water please, Lali?" He asked politely.
"Yes, of course, honey."
Layla filled another glass with water and handed it back to the little boy.
"So let me get this straight, Emmet and Archer got you a job at some company, Cassandra introduced you to Bicara and Alexander and you somehow thought it was a good idea to sleep with your boss and now you're dating?"
Talya blushed and nodded, keeping her eyes locked on the table and away from Layla.
"Damn it, Talya, I don't even know what to say." Layla said, "congratulations! I'm so happy for you. Oh and Alex, you better do good by her or else!"
"Are you going to get married?" Lloyd asked out of nowhere, raising his big eyes to look at Talya and Alexander with curiosity.
Talya buried her head in the table and covered her ears with her hands.
"Hey, maybe we will but someday far in the future." Alexander smiled back at the little boy.