Yeah, I Hate You Too, Sweetheart.

Chapter 26 - Justin

Emma had somehow managed to beat me up the stairs, I noticed, as I propped open their bedroom door with a foot. She was already curled up on the bed she shared with Laila, her shoes tossed across the room, fast asleep. 

   I gently laid Laila on the bed, away from Emma, and carefully slid off her sandals, placing them down on the floor beside the nightstand. I hesitated leaving, taking a deep breath, before I turned back and pressed my lips against Laila's for a moment before I quickly left the room, shutting the door behind me. 

  I wandered back towards mine and Nick's room in a bit of a daze and had to resist the urge to slam the door shut behind me. Nick was already stretched out across his bed with his arms behind his head, staring up at the ceiling with glassy eyes.

   Kicking off my shoes, I flopped down onto my bed without bothering to change, burying my face into a pillow. As unmanlishly as it was and a bit stupid, I couldn't keep back a giggle.

   "What's with you, man?" Nick demanded from his side of the room.

 I smiled into my pillow.

     "Best. Day. Ever."

 It was well after eleven in the morning when I finally managed to drag myself out of  bed.  After I yanked on a pair of jeans and a button down shirt, I made my way down the stairs for breakfast. I stopped short on the staircase when I heard the sounds of someone singing, belting out the words with feeling. And I had to admit that whoever was singing definitely could sing.

  I peeked around the corner and saw Laila Hayes herself doing this dance routine while singing, a spatula in her hand, dressed in her trademark Batman pajamas. 

   The song she was singing sounded like it would've been extremely popular in the 50s, but she made it work, since this was the 21st century, after all. 

   I hated to interrupt her, since she obviously thought that she was alone and she sung like an angel, but my grumbling stomach thoroughly disagreed with this. 

  "Sweetheart, what are you doing?"

Laila froze, banging into a kitchen counter, whipping around to see me standing in the kitchen doorway with a widening grin on my face. Her face instantly flooded with color and it looked like she wanted to sink right through the floor, but she started laughing nervously. 

  "Uhm? Nothing?" she said breathlessly, adverting her eyes.

I gave her a look, heading towards the fridge. "It didn't look like you were doing nothing."

  She turned the color of a lobster, if that was possible. 

I rummaged around in the fridge and came up with an orange that I started to peel. 

  "You sing pretty good, sweetheart," I told her as I bit into an orange slice. 

"Thanks," Laila muttered, dropping the spatula on the counter.

   "Why didn't you mention you sing?" I asked her curiously.

"Why didn't you mention that you sing?" Laila fired back pointedly.

  I shrugged a shoulder, eating another orange slice. "Because, I don't sing very well."

She threw back her head and burst out laughing, clutching at the kitchen counter for support. 

  "You've got to be joking, Richards!" she sighed, a hand at her forehead. 

I leaned back against the fridge and gave her a look. "And what is that supposed to mean?"