No Looking Back

Chapter 3

Layla's POV:

That was Faiz? That was not Faiz.

He looked so... different than when he had left.

His gray eyes were much darker than before, he was taller, he had a jawline, and God he was so much more... muscular.

His shirt was so tight that I could even make out his six-pack figure, Astaghfirullah.

My thoughts were interrupted by none other than Reyna, the other person in the room.

"Hello! Earth to Lee! Layla, girl, where were you just now?"

I shook my head from such haram thoughts. I can't keep thinking about Faiz, he probably thinks of me as a little sister anyhow.

Although the teasing and flirting downstairs said otherwise.

God, did I have a crush on him?! I mentally prayed I didn't.

"Layla! God, my wall isn't that interesting!" Reyna says with an exaggerated huff, she falls back on her king-sized bed.

I had to shake my head to clear my thoughts again.

I send Reyna an apologetic smile,

"I'm sorry, Rey, I was busy all week, with my dad's health and his company and- I just really needed this."

She smiles softly, coming over to sit with me on her furry, light blue carpet. She leans on me and gives me a side hug. We sit like that for a pretty long time.

After a while, she turns to look at me, "Hey, how about we get our PJ's on? Then we can get downstairs and watch a movie with the pizza that's gonna arrive soon; then come back up here to do face masks, hair, and nails; and then watch another movie or two, or binge a TV show. That was the plan I had for tonight."

I smile more and more at every word she said.

"Sounds amazing! Let's get our sleepwear on, then," I say, getting off Reyna's comfy floor. She gets up after me, and I hug her one more time.

"How did I get so lucky to be best friends with you?" I say, starting to tear-up a bit now.

She shakes her head in playful exasperation, "Oh, stop, we literally just did this on the floor."

I laugh a little, the threat of tears still in my eyes, my face balancing on her left shoulder. Her jet-black, wavy hair smells of strawberry and mint, just like it always did.

I sniff, "Oh my God, why the hell am I getting so emotional?"

She scans my face, probably to make sure I wasn't crying about something else.

She smiles softly, "Ok, enough already, Lee, PJ's, now!" She says authoritatively, letting go of me and getting my duffel bag.

She unzips it and digs through it, looking for my sleepwear. I had only brought my black, fitted sweatpants and a tye-dye, oversized t-shirt. She gives me a look.

"What?" I say defensively, "They're comfy!"

She pulls them out, and throws them at me, rolling her eyes with a smile. She then goes into her closet and takes out a pair of gray sweatpants and a light-blue oversized t-shirt with little white stars patterned all over it.

We both quickly change into our clothes. I put my hair up in a messy bun, letting some strays of hair out to frame my face, and put on my prescripted, basic black-framed glasses from Dolce and Gabbana. She just decides to put her hair up in a high ponytail.