OFF-LIMITS

34.

Chapter thirty four | Layla
Pain.
That's the first thing I feel the moment I open my eyes, it's all over my whole body, starting with my head and ending in my legs, "hey sweetie?" A nurse smiles genuinely beside me and replaces my cannula.

"Hey...how long have I been passed out for?" I ask, my throat dry and my voice raspy, I don't remember much, the last thing I remember is..fuck, the accident, the gunshots, I turn my head to find the nurse pressing her lips in a tight smile like she's contemplating whether she should tell me or not.

"Three months."
Three. Fucking. Months.
The words ring in my ears so loud it hurts, she passes me some water and I gulp it down, and my hands shake a bit, she smiles "it's totally normal, your body is still adjusting, also do you want me to call any of your family?" She asks and I immediately nod.

She nods and makes a call to someone, "alright they'll tell them, your boyfriend was here every day, and he'd stay with you until midnight." She says sweetly and my heart beats painfully in my chest, Adrian, I miss him, even though it feels like it was yesterday, "it was so sweet, everyone gossiped about it." She whispers and I smile.

"You can sleep now, get some rest." She says, "thank you." I say softly, my throat is still dry, and the words are barely audible but she smiles and walks away, and moments later, my eyes flutter close.

✿ ✿ ✿

"Layla!" An excited voice catches my attention and a smile spreads on my face when my eyes meet Octavia's, she takes me in a bear hug, tightly holding me, "I missed you so much." She whispers, then sniffs, I pull away, as pain forms in my chest, "it's okay, I'm right here." I say and she smiles.

"I have a surprise for you." She whispers and I raise my eyes to her, "what is it?" I ask, a silly smile still spread on my face, she opens her mouth to answer me but her words seem to vanish the moment the door opens.

Nash strides in, and the first thing I notice is how exhausted he looks, he has lost weight, dark circles surround his eyes, and he's paler than usual, he hugs me and we stay like that for a moment, our arms tight around each other, drowning in his scent, he caresses my hair and presses a kiss on my temple, "I love you." I say and he smiles, finally.

"I love you more." He says and pulls away, running a hand through his hair as he takes a seat beside his wife, a moment later, Ezekiel walks in, he holds a bouquet of flowers which makes him look comedic, I laugh and he raises a brow, amusement flashing across his face.

"Good morning, princess." He says grinning up at me, I raise a brow, "it's night." I say and he waves a hand, "you're a mood killer, kid." He says and I roll my eyes, "give me those." I motion at the flowers, he raises a brow and passes them, "boss will kill me if he knew that I got you those, tell him that it was Octavia." He mumbles under his breath and I laugh again,

he leans down and whispers just for me to hear, "he almost made everyone cry when you weren't here, he was crazy." He says and my eyes widen before I push him teasingly, "don't call him that." I say and he raises a brow, I laugh at his stunned expression.

"I don't remember him being this funny Layla, he's one of the most boring and scary people I've ever met." My brother mutters, his eyes wide like he's surprised by our interaction, "oh come on, he's not boring, scary okay, but did you play chess with him?! He's a certified cheater." I exclaim and my brother smiles, "we missed you, Layla." He says and I smile,

"Can we not make this emotional please, I didn't bring my tissues." Ezekiel interrupts and Nash glares at him, I clear my throat and ask what's been on my mind since the moment I woke up, "where's Adrian?" I ask, Ezekiel's head snaps in my direction and he raises an amused brow, "outside." He says.

"He won't come inside?" I ask, my brows furrowed as my stomach drops, "he will." Ezekiel answers not giving me any more information, for god's sake, "where's Melissa by the way? I missed her too." I say and it feels like the room's temperature dropped ten degrees.

"Layla, a lot happened when you were in a coma, we'll talk about her later," Nash says and my face drops, before I even think about her the door opens, and my heartbeats go erratic as I take in the sight in front of me, he's here.

"We'll wait outside." Nash says and grabs Octavia's hand, pulling her away, and Ezekiel follows them, Adrian takes a step closer and drops down on the bed, "hey, darling." He says softly, it feels like all the thoughts I had in mind vanished the moment my eyes met his.

"I missed you so fucking much Layla, it aches." He whispers and I put my hand on his, he immediately interlocks our fingers and starts caressing the back of my hand with his thumb, it still seems that I'm at a loss of words so he goes on.

"The house felt like a prison when you weren't there, it was so fucking lonely, no late nights where I cooked for you, no more smiles of yours, I missed when you would keep babbling about random things, I missed your voice, your scent, your smile, and your eyes Layla, the eyes that captured my heart the moment I laid eyes on them." He whispers and I suck in a breath, my hand shakes in his and he kisses my temple.

"I love you."
Three words, and those are the first three words I manage to say the moment I open my mouth, his lips part and his eyes look like they caught fire, then slowly, his face breaks into a huge smile, one that reaches his gorgeous eyes, "fuck, say that again." He whispers, pulling me closer to him.

"I love you, Adrian." I say before crashing my mouth on his, his hands come up almost immediately, cupping my cheeks before pulling away, our noses touching, his breath on my lips, his scent filling my nostrils, "and I'm so fucking in love with you I couldn't live when you weren't here Layla." He whispers and my heart breaks,

"I'm right here," I whisper and kiss him again, "I'm not Letting you go, you're mine." He whispers, "and so are you." I say, a small smile forming on my lips, "I've always been yours, darling." He says,

✿ ✿ ✿

Two days later
"Oh come on! What's the surprise?" I ask, Octavia puts a finger on her mouth as if she's contemplating whether she should tell me or not, apparently, everyone here knows and it's pissing me off, "I'm pregnant." She says and I gasp then yelp excitedly as I hurry to her side.

"What! I—WOW you're gonna have a cute little baby, oh my god! Oh my god!" I clap excitedly, she grins up at me, "I knew it! You're gonna be the best aunt ever." She says still smiling, "oh yes." I say so confidently, moments later Adrian and Nash walk inside, "oh darling," he says in a displeased tone and I roll my eyes.

Adrian has been extremely protective since I got out of the hospital, and that's an understatement, he was mad that I washed two dishes yesterday since the doctor said I need to rest, I'm in love with an insane man.

I'm still processing the fact that I'm going to be an aunt when I drop down beside Adrian, "they're having a baby, that's so adorable! I want one." I whisper and he raises a brow, and a smirk pulls at his lips, one that I know quite well, "oh? I think I know exactly what I have to do." He whispers and kisses my neck slightly, I push him playfully.

My cheeks getting red, Adrian is so used to doing this in front of people and I'm the total opposite, it just feels that everyone is watching our every single movement, but in reality, they don't care,

They still haven't told me about Melissa, they say they found out two weeks ago, and for some reason, I don't want to know what happened now, I don't think I can take that much now, so they decided they'll tell me eventually.

"Layla." My name from Adrian's lips pulls my thoughts away as I focus on him, "remember when you asked what it feels like when I ride a motorcycle?" He asks and excitement rushes through my body, I think I know where this is going, I nod.

"You'll know how it feels tomorrow." He says and I grin.

People were actually going to kill me if I didn't bring her back soon, so we're gonna focus on them rn.
A vote is really appreciated myls