Outcasted (AmBw)

Chapter 2

Layla POV

The quiet that swept over the house of late was a strange turn of events. Compared to the constant chimes of Crystal's phone for the last two months, these four days of silent mornings were deafening. The house was still. Crystal was quiet, and I was like a mute, unsure if prying would be to my benefit or detriment. Even though the reign of good morning and good night texts stopped abruptly four days ago, I felt I wasn't the only one feeling the void. All I had were speculations and unhinged theories. Ex-lovers? Betrayal? Abandonment? Espionage? I didn't have anything that stuck, but I deduced that Takanori's 'debt collector like' calling drove Crystal to block his number out of sheer annoyance. If there was one thing I could commend Takanori for was his persistence, I was impressed. His unwavering pursuit of Crystal was almost as intense as Crystal's resolve to act indifferent to it all. Although I didn't know the exact reason for the radio silence, it seemed like there was more to the story as I stumbled on quite a dismal sight.

I watched as Crystal leaned against the kitchen counter, staring at her blacked-out phone screen. She looked sad, which made me wonder if she thought of Takanori. Unbeknownst to her, Crystal's mood had soured since the day the texts stopped. It made me curious about what Takanori did to her that made her so driven to keep him away. From how things seem to be playing out, I may never know unless Crystal or Takanori spill the beans. Unfortunately for me, my sister was more locked down than a stint in Fort Knox, so the only person left to grill for information about what they had gone through was the ever-elusive Takanori Iwata. Of late, he was not the easiest to nail down. Therefore I was clean out of options to find the truth.

Unwilling to put my sister in the uncomfortable position of explaining her sad expression, I chose to bury all my questions and worries. Breaking her tranced stare, I greeted her with the most cheerful good morning I could muster up. Finding relative success, I tried to help her temporarily forget her woes with waffles and bad dad jokes. Before rushing out the door, Crystal gave me an unexpected hug. She didn't share my sentiment toward hugging, so to say that I was shocked was a gross underestimation. The hug caught me so off guard it took me forever to register what it was, and by the time I did, she was already gone.

Seeing her leaving for work happier than she was earlier made me so giddy I skipped around the house, ready to enjoy my first day off in a while. Remembering that 80% of the day was for catching up on z's, I headed to the bedroom. I desperately needed them. The bags under my eyes have gone from off-brands to Burberry and Gucci. Before putting these bags in the closet where they belong, my phone chimed. Diving onto the bed, thinking it was Naoto, I was pleasantly surprised.

Layla: "I'll be damned." I said to myself before responding to the text.

Minutes later, Takanori was patiently waiting for me to answer the door. No longer blonde and dressed to the nines, he tapped his fingers against the door frame scoping out Crystal's place.

Layla: "Takanori!" I yelled, excitedly swinging the door open.

Takanori: "Hey there, trouble. Did you miss me?" Takanori said, tilting down his shades to look at me. "Oh, who am I kidding? I already know the answer." He said before scooping me up in a hug. Giggling as he spun me around, he gave one last big squeeze before putting me down.

Layla: "Where have you been?" I asked once I was firmly grounded.

Takanori; "That's a good question." He said, making his way into the house. "Oh, you know me, here and there." He said, looking around. "An even better question is, where have you been?" He said, turning his attention to me. "How's the 'old man'?" He asked, referring to Naoto.

Layla: "Why do you always call him old man?" I asked. "He's not even that much older than you," I said, knowing their age difference.

Takanori: "I know. It's a force of habit. I've always used it as a term of endearment since he is the eldest member of J soul Brothers. He knows I mean no harm." He said, walking further into the house.