The Broken Tale

Far Road

They drove and drove and drove and drove on. Brian had wrapped a warm blanket around Layla before they started on the road. Layla fell asleep almost immediately despite the thoughts that were racing through her mind. But who would not fall asleep if they had as much exhaustion to think of as Layla did? A million and one thoughts ran through her mind every second. Would Ali come after them? What would he do if he caught them? What would become of her child? But as her mind drowned in her thoughts, her energy was sucked completely dry. She fell asleep with her head leaning against the cold glass window.
The sunlight beamed against her eyelids. Layla groaned at the cold glass glued to her cheek. The first thing that met her eyes was the lifeless grey highways that they were driving on. She could feel Brian's free hand holding hers. She looked over at him. His eyes were red swollen, he was almost stone-like. He seemed to have been too exhausted to notice she was awake. Almost all his energy seemed to have been spent staying awake and driving for the whole night. He looked pale, exhausted and unkept, he almost looked like a completely different person from the calm, collected and perfectly groomed man everybody knew.
Layla smiled a little to herself. She knew they were very far from Los Angeles by now. Though as long as they were on American soil, they were not safe whatsoever. But it was still something. It was still a step forward. She leaned over and placed a kiss on Brian's cheek. He jumped in shock as he seemed to have been lost in his own thoughts for what had been all night by then. But when his tired eyes met hers, he smiled and very quickly brushed his lips against hers before he turned his attention back on the road.
"Did you sleep well, babe?" He asked lightly.
"Yes but seems like you didn't."
He chuckled, "But I got us well into Nevada."
Layla peeked out of the window.
"We're in Nevada already?"
"Yep."
Layla felt a hard kick against the bottom of her belly. She groaned as the baby continued to twist and turn in her, making her more uncomfortable than she already was.
"Our little one's awake too, huh?" Brian asked.
"Awake enough to be kicking my kidney and liver together."
Brian laughed quietly. But his laughter quickly died out into a more serious tone.
"Did you get your passport and ID?"
Layla nodded, pressing her hand against her pocket to feel the passport and ID in her pockets.
"Did you run into Ali?" He inquired.
Layla sighed, "Yes."
"Yes?" Brian asked in serious impatience.
"Yes." She repeated.
"What happened?"
Layla twisted her tounge in her mouth.
"He defiantly knows, Brian, anybody with eyeballs would see my bump."
Brian exhaled tiredly.
"It doesn't really matter." He replied, "You won't see him again."
Layla silently slumped into her seat. She smiled sadly thinking of what Brian just said. She wished it was possible but she knew it most likely it was not possible.
"Are you hungry?" Brian asked, taking a turn on one of the roads.
"A little."
"Good." He replied, checking something on his phone, "There's a restaurant close by, it looks pretty good."
"No, no!" She blurted out.
Brian glanced at her with a little shock at her extreme reaction but kept his eyes on the road as much as he could.
"The sooner we get to Talya's and the further we're from Ali, the better." She added in a calmer manner.
Brian did not argue.
He had gotten used to her extreme mood swings throughout her pregnancy and had gotten used to keeping his mouth shut.
"Are you sure? Eating is important for the baby, may I remind you?" He said.
"We'll eat when we get there."
He shook his slowly, "If you say so, babe."
"Do you want me to drive? So you can take a nap?" Layla suggested.
"No, Laili, it's not safe."
"You're acting as if I've never driven a car before, babe." She said lightly.
"You've been pregnant for eighth months and you still haven't grasped it?"
"So I can't do shit because I'm pregnant? That's really belittling if you ask me."
"It's not belittling, Laili, it's taking care of our baby."
"It's belittling." She insisted with a pout.
"No it's not."
Brian only sighed and stayed silent, not willing to argue with her.
His silence filled her with a sudden sensation of guilt for yelling at him for very little reason. She cursed at herself for being so mean when all he wanted to do was take care of his baby. She wrapped herself around his arm and leaned her head against his shoulder.
"Are you mad at me?" She asked sweetly.
Brian kissed the top of her head.
"How could I be?"
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be, darling, you didn't do anything."
"How do you sit through so many of my outbursts?"
He chuckled, "That's a secret I'll only tell our baby once she's old enough."
"Hey!"
She got away from him and playfully punched him on the arms
"What?" He asked with a giggle, "The poor girl needs to know how to survive you!"
"Are you calling me short tempered, Mr.Levinos?" She asked, switching her tone to more flirtatious.
"Maybe." He answered with a quick wink.
Layla smirked a little. She leaned over closer to him and brushed her hands over his nether area. He gasped at her sudden move and quickly pushed her hand away.
"What have I told you about teasing me when I'm driving, Layla?" He said, rather angry.
Layla just shrugged her shoulders with an innocent smile. He shook his head with a rather disappointed yet amused smile that he failed to hide.
Layla had never really seen much of America besides Los Angeles, Ali had just never allowed her. But even now, she scarcely noticed anything. She could not tell where they were but they were still driving through plain land except now they were driving on a dirt road. Finally, after what seemed to have been little more than an hour, Layla could see a grey dot on a hill in the distance.
"Is that it?" She asked, pointing at the grey dot.
"Yep."
Layla saw Brian's hands tense up on the wheel as they started driving up the hill towards the house. He was always nervous while driving if she was with him. Always too careful and sometimes even paranoid.
As they drove up higher on the steep hill, the grey dot transformed into a large and beautiful grey mansion. All Layla could see was the furniture in most of the rooms, the silk curtains, beautiful oak coffee tables and gorgeous paintings for the mansion was mostly glass. Layla was able to see Talya and Alexander's figures in one of the bedrooms upstairs, envaloped in each other's arms and their lips entangled.
"They look...a little busy." Brian said jokingly.
Layla laughed, "Nah, they look very busy."
Brian pulled over by another black SUV that Layla assumed was Alexander's.
As usual, Brian jumped out of the car and ran around the car. He opened the door for her and reached his hand for her, helping her get out of the car.
"I can walk, you know?" Layla said as he walked her towards the front door.
"I know." He replied shortly.
He rang the doorbell, they could both hear the sound of the doorbell ringing inside the house beyond the front door. Layla wondered if it was the glass that made sounds so easily heard from the outside for she could hear footsteps running down the stairs.
The door swung open. Layla was met with Talya's concerned face and Alexander's welcoming expression. Talya pulled Layla into her arms, hugging her as tightly as any human could.
"You're safe!" She exclaimed.
"I won't be for much longer if you don't feed me." Layla replied, hugging her back, "This baby's sucking my life out."
Talya pulled away immediately and pulled her inside. Alexander gave Layla a friendly, welcoming smile as she entered. Brian followed them inside and Talya shut the door behind them. She ran around the rooms, shutting all the curtains and blinds of all the large, floor length windows.
"Who ever told you that a glass house was a good idea when we're trying to hide, Alex?" Brian asked Alexander.
Alexander shrugged his shoulders, "This is the only house I have in all of Nevada."
"It's really cozy for a modern mansion." Layla commented.
And the mansion's interior really was very cozy. Everywhere Layla looked, there were rich rugs, gorgeous paintings hanging on the walls and beautiful antique decorations on coffee tables and fireplaces.
"Talya picked out the furniture." Alexander said with crossed arms.
"I can tell. She's always been obsessed with antiques."
"Is this house new?" Brian asked.
Alexander nodded. Talya was finally done shutting all the blinds and joined them, still gasping for air.
"Alright." She said breathlessly, "We're safe."
"Did you take the car I sent for you?" Alexander asked.
Brian nodded, "Yes. And w-"
"We'll talk over breakfast." Talya interrupted, putting her hand behind Layla's back, "We don't want a certain someone to starve."
Alexander chuckled and gestured for them to go first.
          The dinning room looked just as cozy as the rest of the house. The dinning table was small, round and wooden, complete with a vase of flowers and more flowers and small photographs in frames sitting on shelves. Talya had already set out the table. Brian pulled out a chair for Layla making her cheeks flush for his manners had never once failed to fluster her. Talya poured cups of tea and pushed them forward to them as they sat down.
"Pancakes or omelet, Layla?" Talya asked.
"Per usual."
Talya giggled a little to herself. She put three blueberry pancakes on a plate and set it down for Layla with a glass of orange juice.
"How long are we gonna stay here?" Layla asked, taking a sip of her juice.
"We're flying to Japan tomorrow afternoon." answered Brian.
"Tomorrow?"
He nodded calmly.
"We'll fly to Osaka, Alex will come with us." He explain.
"Where will we stay?"
"Brian bought an apartment there, you're all covered don't worry."
"Will Talya come too?"
"You bet I won't miss out a chance to see Japan." Talya replied enthusiastically.
Layla forced a small smile but it quickly faded into a worried frown.
"Is something wrong?" Talya asked as she sat down.
Layla shrugged her shoulders silently, unable to reply.
Both Alexander and Brian stared at her in confusion but not Talya. She instantly knew what was wrong.
"You don't have to be scared, Laili." She said comfortingly, "Everything's already set, everything's fail proof."
"No, it's not, Talya, and you know that as well as me."
"We already talked about this, Layla," Alexander said, "It's a risk you both agreed to take."
"And it's a risk worth taking in my opinion." Talya added.
"We've made this as safe as we can." Alexander continued, "But of course there still are a few risks."
"You known that too, Laili. But I want you to know that no one will ever hurt you or our baby as long as I'm breathing. There's nothing you have to worry about except carrying our baby safely, alright? Can you do that for me, Layla?"
He took her hands between his soft palms, giving her a supportive smile.
"Can you?" He asked softly.
Layla let out a sigh and nodded.
"Thank you, baby." He said with a relief as he kissed her forehead, "I won't disappoint you."
"Anyway, Laili, you better be excited for some shopping in Japan." Talya cut in excitedly.
Layla chuckled a little.
"Not for me." She replied, "I gotta be buying baby clothes."
"That's what I meant! What's better than buying tiny baby clothes?"
"I've found some adorable ring dresses online." Brian said, "They're so cute, I can't even pick between the different colors."
"Brian, all you've bought is girl stuff."
Talya laughed, "Imagine if the baby turns out to be a boy."
"Poor boy will have to sleep in pink cloudy blankets." Alexander said jokingly.
"Laugh all you want, I know it'll be a girl." Brian replied.
"Are you a walking ultrasound?" Talya asked.
"I can just feel it, okay?"
"Let's hope your intuition is right or else we've might as we'll thrown all that money we've spent on girl stuff away." Layla said as she started on the pancakes.
"Even if it's not, the stuff won't be going to waste." Brian mumbled to himself.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Layla asked curiously.
He shrugged with a small grin, "Even if this one's a boy, the next one will defiantly be a girl."
"Next one?" Layla shouted simultaneously.
Talya covered her mouth to hide her laughter.
"Or the one after that." Brian replied.
"Easy for you to demand babies, Mister Levinos! You're not the one who has to carry them!"
"Of course not now. Maybe in another year or so." Brian continued with an ever growing grin.
"What do you think ours will be, Talya?" Alexander asked.
Layla's jaw dropped as her eyes widened. Her heart dropped to her stomach. Her eyes bolted to meet Talya's, she could see a small spark of a mischievous smile evident in her features.
"Wh-What's that s-supposed t-to mean?" Layla stuttered in shock.
Talya shrugged her shoulders.
"You heard him." She replied, "You're not the only one who's going to have a baby."
"What?"
"I'm pregnant!" Talya announced excitedly.
          As Brian and Alexander's faces twisted into a smile of excitement, Layla's dropped down to shock and... even denial.
Talya?
Pregnant?
How?
It just seemed to surreal. To Layla, Talya was still the tiny child she would play with or spill her secret dreams to. When did she grow up enough to become a mother herself?
"What? H-How long have you known?" Layla asked.
"A few days."
Layla nodded slowly.
"Laili?" Talya said softly, "Aren't you happy?"
"I am! It's just..."
She sighed, "I'm a little shocked. I just feel a little old, you know? Like, it's hard to grasp how much time has passed by."
Talya laughed under her breath.
"It's been fifteen years since we met that day in the cafeteria, huh?" She said in a soft, nostalgic tone, "Impossible to believe how hard we've come."
"Should've bought you a pack of condoms if you were too broke to afford 'em." Brian said to Alexander jokingly in a hope of lightening the subject.
Alexander shook his head with a chuckle.
"I'd not use them anyway." He replied, "I want a mini me running around the house."
           Alexander helped Talya pick up the table, talking to Layla and Brian about their joined pregnancies down to the very last detail. It was the first time Layla had smiled for the first time in months, it was the first time in months that she felt a small bit of excitement for whatever was awaiting her. Brian and Alexander too seemed to have been ecstatic about becoming fathers. Both went on talking about their plans for baby clothes, what genders they wanted and Alexander excitedly showed them the list of names he had picked out.
             After they had picked up the table, they all decided to seek relaxation in the lounge where the blinds were shut and they were safer. All that they would take with them to Japan were a small cradle and a few pieces of baby clothes Layla could not bear leave behind. All the fake ID's and fake passports were ready and so were the plane tickets. Layla's real passport and ID were quickly hidden away so Ali would not have a hand in stopping her or exposing her for using fake ones until they were beyond his reach.
            Layla was snuggled up in Brian's arms with his hand resting on her belly. Talya was sitting in Alexander's lap next to them, wrapped up in a cozy grey woolen blanket. Talya was scrolling through her phone with Alexander, both laughing together at whatever they were watching.
"What names have you thought of?" Brian asked Layla.
She shrugged, "I haven't really thought of any. Plus we don't even know the gender."
"I'm sure it'll be a girl."
Layla shook her head, "Not this again."
"Don't you want a girl?"
"It's not that, Brian, but I don't want to only focus on preparing for one gender when we don't even know it yet."
"I think it is." He insisted.
She laughed, "Alright then, daddy. Have you thought of any girl names?"
"I like Lola."
"Lola?"
"It sounds a little like Layla, don't you think?" He said, "Hopes that she'll be more like her beautiful mommy."
Layla shrugged.
"I guess." She replied halfheartedly.
"Looks like you don't like it?"
"I don't know. It just doesn't sound right."
"How come?"
"It's just too typical in my opinion."
He hummed, looking away as he sunk deeper into thought.
"How about Rose?"
"I like Roseann."
"No, I think Rose is better. It's simpler, don't you think?"
Layla pursed her lips, "No, not really."
"How about-"
"Layla?" Talya interrupted, "Layla, look at this."
Layla looked at Talya. Her hands were trembling, almost dropping the phone as she handed it to her and her eyes widened with fear.
          Layla's heart dropped to her stomach, she could tell from the look on Talya's face that something had gone wrong. But now, there was so much that go wrong, so much she could lose, so much hope that could be shattered. She slowly took the phone from her. As she and Brian looked at the screen, Layla felt Brian's arm go freezing around her. The first few sentences she read knocked all the air out of her lungs. She dropped the phone, the clashing of the screen against the wooden floorboards.
"This can't be..."