I blink awake, my eyelids heavy and slow as Bonnie's room comes into view.
The sun is just rising. Did we fall asleep?
I groan, letting out a soft yawn as I open my eyes a little wider and noticing the warm body pressed against me.
Bonnie is cuddled against my body, her nose and lips buried into the nape of my neck as her blonde hair is pulled up into a messy ponytail. I reach down, covering her naked body with the blanket and tighten my arms around her.
My phone vibrates in the pile of clothes next to me, and I free the hand that's behind my head and reach for it, looking at the screen.
And I smile. She's back.
I swipe the green button and hold the phone up to my ear, mindful not to speak too loud so I wouldn't wake up Bonnie. "You finally decided to grace LA with your presence?"
Layla, my best-friend, laughs softly, the sultry sound of her sweet voice greets my ears.
"Well, I thought it was overdue." She jokes back. "I literally just walked in my room. Thank you again for leaving the key under the mat for me. Where are you?"
Layla spent the last two years living in New York but she recently got offered a better job in California so now she was moving in with me until she finds a place of her own. Her stuff arrived first, which I already placed in her room- now she was finally here
The last two years without Layla dragged impossibly slow, and it probably would've been a lot worse if I didn't have Bonnie and the team to keep me company, but now that Layla is back, there was no way I was going to waste another minute of the day.
"I'm coming." I tell her.
"How soon?" She wondered.
I look down at Bonnie who started to stir. "Give me an hour."
"It's barely eight in the morning, what can you possibly be doing?" She wondered.
"I'm with Bonnie." I tell her.
There's a pause. "Oh."
I look down at Bonnie, meeting her sleepy blue gaze and the cute knot between her brows.
"Yeah. I should be there in an hour and I'll bring breakfast." I tell her.
"Sounds good. You know what I like." She says, her voice sounding far away, like she placed me on speaker and was now walking around her room unpacking.
"That I do. See you." I reply.
"Bye." She chirps before the line goes dead and I put my phone down.
"Who was that?" Bonnie looks up at me curiously.
"Layla." I answer.
"So she's back in town?" Bonnie said, placing a manicured hand on my chest as she pushed herself up into a sitting position.
"Yeah, finally." I can't help but smile as I sit up as well.
"Sounds like you missed her." There's something that sounds like jealousy in her tone but that's ridiculous because Bonnie knows Layla and I are just friends.
"You know I did." Why is she being silly?
Bonnie hugs the blanket to her chest, reminding me of the great sex we had just a few hours ago. Her thin, pink lips are slightly pouted and I lean over and give her a sweet kiss.
The pout was still there. "You sure I have nothing to worry about?"
"I'm sure." I kissed her again, this time deepening the kiss until I got a reaction out of her which thankfully didn't take long at all. Bonnie wraps one arm around my neck, pulling me closer and the faint smell of sunshine and lemons still clung to her skin, making her even more irresistible and if it had been anyone other than Layla, I would've definitely gone for round three.
"One of these days, you won't be able to kiss your way out of a problem, Victor Tan." Bonnie says after pulling away.
I grin.
It hasn't happened yet and I doubt it ever would.
"Let's get you washed off." I reply to her before I stand up, letting the blanket drop from my waist and stand proudly naked.
After a quick shower, I dress myself, kiss Bonnie goodbye and head home.
It wasn't long before I killed the ignition of my white BMW in front my apartment building where my best friend waited for me.
I climbed out of the car, making sure to grab the breakfast I bought on my way over before I walked up to the building, enjoyed the elevator ride up to my floor and knocked.
"Did you remember to get ketchup?" Layla asks, reaching for the Mcdonalds's bag in my hand when I opened the door, temporarily leaving me shocked.
The Layla who answered the door and the Layla I visited two years ago was not the same person standing before me.
The Layla I knew was overweight with acne and glasses. This Layla was... different.
I pull the bag out of her reach. "You forgot your manners while you were in New York? Give me a hug goofy." I demand, smiling while still coming out of my shock.
A blush crept up to her honey-brown cheeks. "Sorry..." Layla outstretches her hands. "Hi!" Her arms wrap themselves around my neck and I wrap my own around her back, feeling happier than I have been two years ago since the last time I saw her. I inhale her familiar cinnamon scent and squeezed her a little tighter before releasing her. "Sounds like you missed me."
"You know I missed you." I tell her, twisting my body enough so I can shut and lock the door behind me.
Unlike every single girl in my life, Layla doesn't try to impress me with sexy clothes and makeup and I smile when I take in her black biker shorts that's practically hidden underneath the large white shirt with nineties cartoons plastered all over it like Catdog and Rugrats and her hair is covered in a black satin bonnet.
"I heard you left vice and joined the dark side? You're S.W.A.T now?"
I smile thinking about how crazy my life has been since joining S.W.A.T.
"See what happens when you leave me? I make bad decisions."
"Not all bad decisions... I see you're still with Bonnie."
"Yeah. She's great." I say.
"And you're sure she's okay with me living with you until I find a place?"
"For the hundredth time, yes." I tell her and she looks relieved. "So you plan on telling me the reason for the complete makeover?"
"Yes," she blushes. But first," She pointed to the brown bag in my hand. "I need food. Coffee?"
"Please." I reach for the plastic plate that contained pancakes, sausage, and eggs. I was used to eating a strict diet thanks to S.W.A.T but every once in a while I like to indulge myself. "Tell me about this new job again."
It's been years since we've seen each other, but we managed to catch up every few months over the phone or through text.
"So you're looking at the newest female editor at Dauntless Publishing!" She smiled brightly at the hashbrown she pulled out. "Say what you want about Mcdonalds, but they're food tastes amazing."
"Agreed." I said, taking the first bite of my pancakes. "Notice the insane amount of ketchup I asked for by the way."
"I noticed and this is why you're the best." Layla tells me, eagerly tearing the ketchup packet with her teeth before pouring the red condiment on her hashbrown. This girl added ketchup to just about anything she ate... hash browns, biscuit, spaghetti, chicken. At first, I thought it was disgusting, but now I find myself making sure we have ketchup whenever we ate at my house or asking for it whenever we go out to eat.
"So why the change?"
She stopped stirring the coffee in the mug in front of her before looking at me. "Well, when I was packing to move up here I started thinking about how I haven't really changed since you met me."
"There's nothing wrong with that."
"Maybe not. But staying the same hasn't really done me any good so..." Layla reached up and pulled the bonnet off her head, releasing her hair. Running her fingers through the stands, she combed out any knots until her hair tumbled over shoulders. "What do you think?"
I stared at her before sliding out of my seat and rounding the breakfast bar until I stand in front of her. I reach out and thumb a few soft dark strands in my hand. "You straightened it."
For as long as I've known Layla, she proudly wore her kinky curly hair whether it was ponytails, messy buns, or straight out afro. This was my first time seeing it straightened.
"Yeah," She bit the inside of her cheek. "What do you think?"
"I like it." I admit.
"Really?" Layla smiled relieved. "I know it's completely out of character for me, but I just looked at myself in the mirror one day while I was in New York and I was completely over it. So I went to the salon and had them straighten it. I can't believe how long my hair is." Her brown eyes gleamed with excitement as she talked.
"It's definitely different," I agree. "Hey, where's your glasses?" Being farsighted, Layla always had her glasses on, except for when she was sleeping and when she didn't have them on, she was squinting at everything.
"I was wondering when you were going to notice." She grinned at me. "You know I've always had contacts."
"Yeah, but I also know you have a fear of poking your eye so you never wear them."
"Well, I decided to get over that fear and finally try them out and they're not so bad. Once you get over the scariness and grossness of putting your finger in your eyes, it's not so hard." She tells me. "But I do miss my glasses sometimes, so you'll see them again, don't worry."
"What's going on with you? Why the sudden need for change?" I wonder.
Layla shrugs before placing my cup of coffee in front of me. "Like I said, not changing hasn't done me any good. I'm gonna be twenty-nine next year and I've never had a boyfriend before."
"There was nothing wrong with the way you looked before."
She smiles briefly at me before bringing the cup of her own coffee to her lips. "You're sweet. But hearing you say that is like it's coming from My brother Liam. I want to know what a real man thinks."
What the hell? "I'm a man."
She giggled as she pulled back the yellow wrapper from her egg mcmuffin. "You know what I mean. You're more like a brother than a man."
I frown, not sure that I like that answer for some reason. She went on to take the first bite of her breakfast sandwich and I studied her. There was something different about her and it wasn't just the hair and the contacts. She wasn't clumsy or unsure of everything she did and said. The air around her felt more confident.
And yeah, she still dressed the same way she did the last time I saw her but had those biker shorts always been that short? The material stopped mid-thigh... had her thighs always been that thick?
"You okay?" Layla's voice snapped me back into reality.
I blink. "Yeah, of course."
Layla nods her head once at the same time a frown replaced the smile on her lips. I knew my lack of enthusiasm hurt her feelings and I can't even tell you why I wasn't excited for her. I know how much effort it took on her part to do this. Layla hates change and she definitely wasn't the kind of girl who enjoyed attention. But if she felt like it was something she felt like she needed to do then I was going to support her because that's what friends do.
"Hey," I reached for her hand across from the bar. "You just took me by surprise, that's all. I came over here expecting my goofy best-friend; so the changes are throwing me off. But you look good, I mean it." I reassure her.
"You sure? You're not just saying that?" She bit down on her lower lip.
"Do I ever say anything I don't mean?" I fix her with my stare.
Layla shakes her head. "No."
I squeezed her hand. "Can we eat now? Our food is getting cold and I know you're dying to make me watch The Bachelor."
"You think the women are hot." She reminds me as she carries her sandwich and hash brown over to the living room.
"Just because I think women are hot doesn't mean I want to become a member of Bachelor Nation."
"But he's down to the final four!"
I shake my head. "Damn, how long does it take for a man to decide which woman he really wants to have sex with?"
Layla smacks my chest once her hands are free. "That's not what he's basing his decision off of. He's looking for his wife. I know. A guy who actually wants more than one nightstands and booty calls. What a foregin concept for you."
"That mouth of yours is going to get you in trouble one day." I tell her.
Mcdonalds and coffee in front of us, we settled on the tan carpet with our legs out in front of us before Layla turned on the television. A few clicks on the remote and the distinctive voice of the host comes on, rambling off the summary of the last few weeks, summarizing that this was going to be the most dramatic season of the show so far.
I pick up my coffee cup and take a larger sip of the drink. "What's this about you wanting to date all of a sudden?"
"Don't you think it's a little embarrassing that I'm about to be twenty-nine and I've never been on a date?"
"No." Any other girl, maybe. But not Layla. She didn't need to date. Guys are jerks and Layla didn't need to be hurt by one.
She rolled her eyes. "Says the guy that's in a happy relationship."
"Is there someone you want to start dating?" The off feeling was back at the idea of Layla dating someone. She hadn't expressed interest in anyone and she would tell me if she did.
"No, not really. But I think my chances just went up, don't you think? Now can we stop with the twenty-questions? I want to see who gets the One on One."
"Not yet." I picked up the remote and paused the show. "Talk to me."
"I'm just tired of being overlooked. I want to be noticed."
"There's nothing wrong with you goofy girl." I rub her shoulder.
"I know there's nothing wrong with me. I'd make a great girlfriend, but I'm never gonna get the chance if I don't stand out."
"If a guy don't notice you just because you wear your hair in it's natural state, glasses and hoodies then you don't need to be wasting your time on him."
"You're starting to sound like Rachel." Rachel has been her best friend since they met at freshman orientation at UCLA.
"So I went from a brother to a girlfriend? Nice."
Layla giggled before she pulled me into her and wrapped her arms around me tightly. "You sure you're okay with the changes?"
"If you're happy then I'm happy. That's what best friends are for right?"
"Right." Layla smiles but the happiness in her voice didn't reach her eyes. Before I can analyze it though she picks up the remote and press play, turning her head to watch her favorite reality show.
My eyes remained on Layla long after she started watching the show. It's one thing to get a makeover but now she's talking about dating.
She already has a man in her life.
Me.
But I have a feeling that is going to change soon...
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And we're back! Many of you asked for a Tan story so here it is! This will be a friends to lovers story.
All your favorite S.W.A.T characters will make an appearance, including your favorite age gap couple Mya and Deacon ♥️
Authors Note: This story takes place a year after Mya and Deacon's story ends.
I hope you enjoyed the first chapter!
5+ comments for the next chapter! ☺️♥️