Together We Fall

Chapter 75

Chapter Seventy Five

Laila ordered a mini pizza and an orange smoothie. I got a cheeseburger with extra pickles and a strawberry banana smoothie.

We sit down at a table towards the wall.

"So why didn't you move back with dad?" I ask her.

She shrugs as she picks pepperonis off the slices with her long, painted fingernails, "I'm eighteen now and I'm no longer in school. College isn't really my thing so I figured I'd go ahead and get my life started. I'm waitressing over at Easy Eats and I'm making pretty good tips."

"Where are you living?"

I know she told me over the phone that she's living in a little house with one other girl but I don't know where that is. I want to give Laila a chance to be in my life again so the first way to do that is to figure out what she's been up to.

"A trailer down on Oaksville road. It's a small place but it has more than enough room for me, I like it." She smiles and picks up her pizza. "The girl I'm rooming with though, total bitch. I met her on a gaming website like two weeks ago and she seemed cool. But living with her has been a nightmare and it's only been two days. She's gone a lot though because she signed up for like thirty classes first semester. So that's a bonus cause I've got the place to myself most of the time."

I nod and let out a small laugh. I'm sure poor college girl is thrilled to be living with Laila too.

But she can be fun if your personalities are right for each other. Mine and her personalities clash so we can't be around each other any longer than four hours before we're about to start killing one another.

"What about you, little sister. Where is your high horse taking you?"

I bite my lip for a moment, pondering the question.

Where am I going in my life? That's a question everyone asks themselves at some point.

I'd like to think I've got my life planned out but I don't, really. Plans change like the wind but one thing I know for certain is that Trace is in my future.

"I'm moving in with Trace a few weeks from now. We're starting college in the fall and I'm going to major in psychology."

She doesn't look up at me, continues picking the cheese off her pizza.

"I envy that."

My eyebrows draw together in confusion, "What?"

She pinches off some cheese and sets it on her tongue.

"I've never had a guy care for me like he does you."

Lailas dated more people than I can count on two hands. None of her relationships have been very long term but she's had to have someone care about her.

"I disagree. You've had tons of boyfriends."

She looks up at me, shakes her head, "None like yours. Those boys only wanted me for a good time and once they got it never cared to dig any deeper and figure out who I really am. I've never had someone be consumed with me completely." she sets her pizza down and faces me, "When I first saw Trace at the hospital, my first thought was why is he here? I didn't believe that someone would do what he did and drop everything to help a friend travel an entire weekends trip to a different state. The idea of someone doing that for you made me jealous. I wanted what the two of you had.

"I saw him standing there, waiting for you to come out of the hospital room and I knew I wanted him for myself. I thought it'd be so easy to steal him from you. I'd done it before, I'd just do it again. It sounds bad but I wanted him. But he didn't want me." she lets her eyes drop back to her plate.

"How could you-" I start but stop just as quickly when I recognize the venom in my own voice.

It makes me angry that she wanted to take him from me. I know it probably shouldn't hurt me this bad but it does. I knew her intentions from the start but hearing her admit them brings a different kind of hate to my stomach.

The second she laid eyes on him she wanted to take him for herself.

But he didn't separate from me, not even for a moment. Trace stayed by my side and never allowed my sister to get close to him because he already knew how bad that would hurt me. He had me and that's all he wanted.

Laila tried to take him from me which was a total asshole move but who can blame her? Who wouldn't see Trace and be instantly drawn to his affection?

I take a deep breath to calm my nerves before speaking.

"Trace is the best person you could ever think to fall in love with. But you'll find someone one day. And you'll look back at this moment and wonder how you could've ever wanted anyone else."

That's a lie. Everyone wishes they had a Trace, whether they know it or not. They do. He's fantastic.

Laila looks up from her pizza and I notice she's stopped eating it. There's sadness in her eyes now, "How can someone love me when I don't even love myself?"

I sigh, "The right guy will love everything about you and he'll show you why you should too. I hope one day you'll find your Trace."

She smiles at me and picks up her pizza, picking at the cheese again.

"I hope so too, Emma. You better not ever let him go and I hope you're aware of how much you should appreciate him. He's one of the good ones and believe me, loyal and honest boys are rare these days."

I know he's good. There's absolutely nothing in this world that could ever make me stop needing him. Until I breathe my last breath, I'll want him.

He's helped me to forget my past by promising me a future and living in my present. My entire life flipped upside down when I met him but I don't have any regrets because while he can be unbelievable persistent and annoying: I love him.

Authors Note:
Hello! Thanks for reading lovely people! Have a great day and stay safe!

Just out of curiosity, what has been your favorite moment so far?