My feet hit the welcome mat on Maggie's front steps and I take a deep breath.
Relax, Alex. Bryce isn't even here.
I ring the doorbell and it only takes a second for Maggie to answer.
"Thank you so much for doing this on such short notice."
"Of course," I smile.
Maggie leads me up the stairs and I see Layla sitting on the couch playing on a tablet.
"Layla, that's enough with the tablet for today." Maggie warns.
Layla whines but listens to her mother.
"I should be home around eleven, is that too late?" Maggie asks.
"Not at all." I shake my head.
"Layla's bedtime is eight. She's already had dinner but she may get hungry for a snack around seven. She can have some fruit or a yogurt, or there's granola bars in the pantry she can have, she knows which ones are hers."
"Does she have any food allergies or anything I should be aware of?"
"No, nothing like that. I'm not sure what time Bryce will be home from his grandparents' house but he'll definitely beat me home."
I feel my face get warm at the mention of him.
"Okay."
"I think that's everything. You can help yourself to what's in the fridge. I'll see you later. Layla, I gotta head out now."
Layla scurries over to Maggie who bends down to give her a big hug. I drop my bag down next to the love seat while they say their goodbye.
"I'll see you in the morning, okay?" Maggie smiles.
Layla nods. "I love you, mommy."
"I love you too. Be good for Alex."
Layla nods and I'm amazed how well Layla handles Maggie leaving. Most of the little girls I babysit hate watching their mom leave.
The door closes behind Maggie and I'm ready for a sudden screaming fit but it doesn't come.
"Can we play a game?" Layla asks.
"Of course." I smile. "What do you have in mind?"
She shrugs and I laugh.
"Where do you keep the games?" I ask.
"The closet."
I follow her into the hallway and she opens the door she jumped out of the other day and points upward.
"Up there."
I read some of the names to her and it doesn't take long for one to get her attention.
"Sorry!" she cheers. "I want Sorry!"
I grab the box and pull it off the shelf. Layla leads me to the dining room where there's an old card table set up with some folding chairs around it instead of a formal table.
I take the seat next to Layla. "What color do you want to be?"
"Red." She smiles.
"Okay, I'll be blue." I set the box down and open it up.
Layla grabs the board and clumsily unfolds it, whacking herself in the face with it a few times.
"Careful." I laugh.
She finally gets it open and lays it down on the table. I spin it so the red start position is in front of her. She puts our pieces where they belong while I get the cards organized and set up. I let her go first and she's ecstatic.
Our game takes about an hour and Layla is thrilled to beat me.
Four-year-olds really don't know when you let them win.
We clean up our game and I put the box back on the shelf in the hall closet.
"Can we play UNO?" Layla asks.
"Of course." I grab UNO off the shelf and hand her the pack of cards.
Her tiny feet thud on the hardwood floor as she races back to the beige dining room.
I close the closet door and meet Layla back at the table where she already has the cards out of the box and scattered around.
"How many cards do we each get?" I ask.
"Seven."
"Okay." I pick up the cards and shuffle them a bit before dealing us each seven cards.
I let Layla go first again and she doesn't hesitate to make me draw two.
If I weren't so nice, she'd be drawing four.
We play a few rounds and I let her win all of them.
Better to deal with some bragging than a temper tantrum.
Layla hands me some of the cards to put away and they're all facing different directions. I get them organized before sliding them back into the box and putting the box back onto its shelf.
"Alex, I'm hungry."
I look at the clock and read the numbers: 7:01.
Impeccable timing.
"Would you like a snack? Your mom said there's fruit or yogurt or granola bars."
"Yogurt."
"Okay." I open the fridge and see multiple flavors. "Do you want blueberry, strawberry, peach, or vanilla?"
"Strawberry."
I grab one of the red containers and I peel it open for her. She grabs her own spoon which I'm thankful for because I don't know where any of their stuff is in this kitchen.
Layla takes her yogurt over to the table that's so far been used for games and eating and I can't help but wonder what else it functions as.
Is this where Bryce will do his homework when school starts in the fall? Is Bryce even the kind of guy who does his homework? Does Layla do crafts here while Maggie cooks dinner? Does Layla even do crafts? Is Maggie even the kind of mom who cooks dinner?
I look Layla over and her clothes are cute but seem like they may have been handed down from someone older than her. Her long brown hair falls in curls and I wonder if they're natural or if she braided her hair after a shower. I hadn't noticed her eyes before but they're a nice light brown and fit her face well.
She hops up from her seat.
"All done?" I ask.
She nods and tosses her empty yogurt cup into the overflowing garbage can and adds her spoon to the pile of dirty dishes in the sink.
By now it's almost a quarter past seven and she yawns.
"Getting tired?" I ask.
She nods.
"You should go put on pajamas and get comfy."
"Okay." She goes down the hall and into her room. "Alex!"
"Yes?" I yell back.
"I need help!"
"Okay!" I walk down the hall and into her room.
The walls are a bright pink and the comforter on her bed has pink and purple mermaids. Pictures on the walls keep the theme and even the knobs on her closet doors are pink and glittery.
Now I see what parents mean when they say they put their kids first.
"I like your room," I say.
"Thanks."
"What do you need help with?"
"I can't reach my pajamas."
"Where do you keep them?"
"In the top." She points to the top drawer of her wooden dresser.
I pull it open and peek in. "What do you want to wear?"
She shrugs.
"Do you want me to pick you up so you can see what you have?" I offer.
She nods so I pick her up and rest her on my hip so she can pick out her pajamas. Her tiny hands pick up a pair of tiny black shorts and I see that the tag says 3T. Considering she's four, she's tiny for her age. She pulls out a light pink tank top next and I close the drawer and set her down.
"Thank you." She says quietly and I close her door as I leave her room so she can change.
Quite a few minutes pass before she emerges in her pajamas.
"Let's get your teeth brushed," I say and lead her into the bathroom. There's a plain red toothbrush next to a pink one with mermaids and I think I can guess which one is hers.
"I need my step stool." She pulls open the cabinet and takes out a yellow plastic step stool and hops up. She picks up the mermaid toothbrush and a tube of pink, bubblegum flavored toothpaste. I help her squeeze some onto the bristles and watch her brush to make sure she doesn't swallow any of the toothpaste.
By the time Layla finishes brushing her teeth, it's five to eight.
"Ready for bed?" I ask.
She nods so I lead her down the hall and she hops into bed.
"Do you want your blanket on or is it too hot?" I ask.
"Blanket. But put the fan on." She points to an old box fan on the floor by the closet.
"Okay." I pull her blanket over her and flick the fan on.
"Mommy puts it in the door."
I pick up the fan and stand it in the doorway. "Here?"
She nods.
"Do you want me to turn off the light on your nightstand?"
"No! That stays on."
"Okay." I smile. "Is that everything?"
"Yes." She nods.
"Okay," I say. "Goodnight, Layla."
"Goodnight, Alex."
I leave her bedroom and go into the living room. My bag is still next to the love seat so I pick it up and take a seat. The gray cloth is soft and the couch and matching love seat are definitely new.
I wonder if Maggie's ordered a formal dining room table and it just hasn't come in yet or if she only had the money to buy a new living room set.
I open my bag and pull out a brand new book. It's a new thriller, a massive change from the romance novels I usually read, but everyone's been raving about it so I figured it's worth a shot.
I read sixty pages when I hear the lock on the front door turn followed by bodies clumsily bumping into the wall as the door closes. I look over the railing at the foyer and see Bryce with none other than Jessica Myers, the girl Johnny kissed at that party.
Bryce looks phenomenal in his black and white joggers and black short sleeve shirt. Jessica, on the other hand, couldn't look any cheesier in her tight denim skirt and red tube top.
Why does this girl keep taking guys from me?
I have to remind myself that Bryce isn't mine and I clear my throat loudly enough for them to hear me and stop.
"Your mom is gonna be home in three minutes," I say. "So unless you're capable of getting this done rather quickly, you might want to reschedule."
"Alex." Jessica glares at me.
"Jessica." I roll my eyes.
She flips her fake red hair over her shoulder and grabs Bryce's arm.
"You're down to two minutes," I say.
"I'll see you later, Jess." Bryce opens the door for her and she steps through.
"You should be careful with her," I say. "She's kind of a snake."
"I can make my own choices about who I sleep with."
I roll my eyes as I shake my head and I take my seat.
Bryce stomps down the stairs and I close my eyes but a tear wiggles its way out anyway.
A few minutes pass and Bryce angrily makes his way upstairs. "What happened to my mom being home in three minutes?"
"Did I say three minutes? Huh, I meant two hours."
He shakes his head.
"I don't want to hear you have sex, Bryce."
"Sucks."
I roll my eyes.
"What's your deal?"
"My deal?"
"Yeah, Alex, your deal."
"My deal, Bryce, is that I like you. Okay? And I want to fucking be with you."
"If you wanted to be with me that bad, you would."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You know what it means, Alex."
"No, Bryce, I don't."
"If you wanted to be with me, you'd drop Johnny. It's that fucking simple."
"It's not simple." I shake my head.
"Alex, I swore off relationships and changing that decision was real fucking easy when I met you. If you wanted me, you'd leave Johnny."
"And if you wanted me, you wouldn't fuck Jessica Fucking Myers."
"I want you, Alex. But I'm not gonna sit around waiting for you to get your shit together and leave the guy who makes you feel so fucking horrible all the damn time."
"My shit is together, thank you very much."
"We both know you're not stupid enough to believe that."
"Bryce."
"Forget it. I'm making popcorn, do you want any?"
I shake my head and he disappears into the kitchen.
I hear angry crinkling of the plastic bag the kernels come in and the microwave door slams shut.
"Could you try to be quieter?" I ask. "Layla's sleeping."
"She sleeps like she's dead, she'll be fine."
I keep my mouth shut and read a few more pages while his popcorn pops.
He exits the kitchen and sits on the couch, much calmer now. "Mind if I put a movie on?"
"Go ahead." I shrug.
He grabs the remote and puts on a horror movie. I try to ignore it so I can keep reading my book but it catches my attention after just ten minutes.
"I bet she's gonna die," I say.
"No way. She's one of the main characters."
"Doesn't matter. She's gonna be the first to go."
He laughs and shakes his head and I hope he's as done being mad at me as he seems because his popcorn smells amazing.
"You getting scared yet?" he asks.
"I don't get scared," I say and realize I should've said yes. "But maybe you should come sit by me in case."
He smirks and gets up and joins me on the love seat. I steal a piece of popcorn from his clear plastic bowl and he glances over and smiles at me. My eyes connect with the screen just in time to see our girl get killed.
"I told you." I smile.
"They can't kill her."
"They just did."
"She's a main character."
"Not anymore." I laugh.
"That's fucked."
I laugh and steal some more of his popcorn.
"I bet her boyfriend is the killer."
"No, it's definitely the ex." I shake my head.
"Oh, well, since you said it, it must be right."
"Obviously."
We finish the movie and of course I was right and her ex was the psycho killer.
"How do you do that?" he asks. "You predicted the entire movie, plot twists and everything."
"It comes naturally." I laugh and I pick my legs up and lay them on his lap without even thinking about it.
Nothing ever comes this naturally with Johnny.
Bryce shakes his head and exits out of our movie before placing the popcorn bowl on the floor.
"Can I ask you something?" I ask.
"You just did."
I give him a look.
"Go ahead."
"Why her?"
"Why who?"
"Jessica Myers. Of all the girls here, why her?"
"She's hot." He sighs. "That's the only answer I have right now."
"Johnny kissed her at a party this one night."
"While you two were a couple?"
I nod.
"I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"I didn't bring her here to sleep with her just because she's hot."
"What do you mean? Are you two a couple? Are you dating her?"
"God, Alex, no. I knew you were babysitting tonight and I wanted to make you jealous."
"So you brought her here to hurt me?"
"Alex, no!" His left hand lays on my legs. "I didn't know there was history there. I just wanted you to feel what I feel every time I have to see you with Johnny."
I shake my head.
"Alex, why are you with him?"
"I don't want to talk about him."
"Then what do you want to talk about? You're the one who started this conversation."
"I don't want to talk anymore."
"Alex, look at me."
I turn my head and we make eye contact.
"You know you're way too good for him."
I shake my head and start to look away when he grabs my chin and tilts my head back to face him.
"Look at me when I'm talking to you." He orders.
"What?"
"Alex."
"Bryce."
"Alex."
"Bryce."
"Alex."
"If you're planning on kissing me again, now would be a good time. Because if you don't do it soon, I might remember I have a boyfriend."
He pulls me into him and kisses me. His right hand reaches for my waist and his left hand tangles itself in my hair.
He lets out a short breath against my lips and pulls me onto his lap.
I hear the front door open and I freeze when I hear Maggie's voice. "I'm home."
•If you've read the original, you can tell that not much has changed here. Enjoy the very similar chapter 7!
~SS💘