it's finally up! yay :)
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Laila reached the top of the stairs and stopped just out of sight, curious to hear the exchange between Dario and Jace. She heard the doorbell ring twice more before the door was roughly pulled open.
“What do you want?”
Laila’s hand shot to her mouth as she stifled a laugh. Jace’s rudeness was past the point of ridiculous now, and at the moment it was kind of hilarious. She could just imagine Dario’s face.
Don’t laugh, she warned herself. The last thing she wanted was for him to know she was hiding upstairs to get back at Jace.
“Uh,” Dario paused for a second, probably to adjust his glasses, “I came to pay you and Laila a visit. I’d like to ask a few more questions, if that’s alright.” He waited in vain before reluctantly trying again. “Is she home?”
“Yeah,” Jace replied. A painfully long silence followed, and then finally, “Do you wanna come in?” He asked monotonously. It was completely dull and uninviting, but apparently it was all Dario needed.
“That would be great,” He said enthusiastically.
There was another long silence, followed by an annoyed sigh and the sound of footsteps. These were followed by a second bout of footsteps, which were slightly more hesitant and undoubtedly Dario’s. Laila smiled to herself and decided to get changed in case she was needed to ease the tension downstairs. Knowing Jace’s hostility and uncanny ability to stare Dario down for minutes on end, she would be needed very soon. She quietly walked to her room and gently shut the door against Dario’s nervous voice. She wasn’t sure what he was asking, but at the moment she wasn’t too worried about it. She didn’t plan on joining anytime soon. She leaned against her door and thoughtfully looked around the room. She could always leave Jace to fend for himself, but at the same time that would be more of a punishment for Dario than anything.
“Now I feel kinda bad,” She dropped her bag and pulled out some clothes, wondering if she should stop being a brat and go downstairs. She decided against it and took her time changing back to her original outfit of the day; pink shorts, a cropped white shirt, and thigh high leg warmers. Once she was finished she laid back on her bed. “They’ll be fine by themselves,” She rolled on her stomach and pulled her monologue book from her bag. A few minutes of focused memorization passed before she finally heard someone coming upstairs.
“I’m coming in,” Jace didn’t wait for a response before aggressively pushing her door open.
“Babyy,” She looked up from her book as he walked in, “Did you miss me already?”
“Dario’s downstairs,” Jace spoke a little louder than necessary, no doubt for Dario’s benefit. The underlying anger was exactly what she’d hoped for.
“Oh my gosh! Really?” She dropped her book and sat up, speaking just as loud and even more dramatic. “Why didn’t you tell me!” She closed her book and stood before walking to the door.
“You left me with him,” Jace hissed. “You’re so-”
“Aww, I love you too!” She cut him off, raising her voice so Dario could still hear. “You’re welcome,” She whispered the last part and grinned before prancing downstairs, her ponytail bobbing with each bouncy step. She could hear Jace angrily thumping down them behind her, but she ignored him and rounded the corner to the living room.
“Oh good, you’re here,” Dario looked relieved to say the least.
“I’m so sorry I took so long,” She apologized immediately, taking a seat opposite him. “I would’ve come down sooner, but Jace didn’t tell me you were here. He’s so sweet when I’m studying, he probably didn’t wanna distract me. Right, hon?” She watched as Jace took a seat beside her without saying a word.
“It’s quite alright,” Dario assured her. “I was just asking James some questions about you and the things you’ve been through.”
“What things are you talking about?” She asked sweetly.
“I had no idea your mom almost gave you up for adoption last year,” Dario shifted uncomfortably as Laila’s jaw dropped in disbelief, “That must’ve been very hard for you.”
For she was once rendered completely speechless.
“She was a mess,” Jace readily answered for her. “She’s lucky no one wanted her, otherwise I would’ve run out of time to convince her mum to keep her. It took weeks, almost months. She really didn’t want her anymore. It was sad, really. Really tragic. One of the worst things I’ve ever seen.”
“I can imagine,” Dario murmured.
“Laila, I mean. Not the situation,” Jace clarified. “If I didn’t love her so much I would’ve gotten rid of her, too. But then again who can blame her, I mean--”
“No! No,” Laila cut right into Jace’s speech, having finally found her voice. “That never happened.”
“Yes it did.”
“No, it didn’t.”
“It definitely did,” Jace insisted. “She doesn’t like talking about it.”
“It was an April Fool’s day joke,” Laila blurted. “It just lasted a really long time.”
“She doesn’t like to talk about it,” Jace told Dario, completely disregarding what she’d said. “The therapist said it’s better to humor her denial. I do that sometimes.”
“I’ve never seen a therapist in my life,” Laila was trying so hard to fight back frustration she was on the verge of tears now, which, unfortunately for her, made the story that much more believable.
“I won’t mention it again, love.” Jace promised, patting her leg for fake comfort. “It never happened.”
“It didn’t,” Laila said firmly, trying not to knock his supposedly sympathetic hand away.
“It really did,” He told Dario, though his attempt at a whisper was loud enough for her to hear.
There was an awkward silence while Dario stared for a good ten seconds, seemingly at a loss for words. He finally picked up his writing utensils and began taking notes, glancing up every few seconds to observe the ongoing interaction between the two. Jace was positively grinning while Laila forced a loving smile his way.
“Well,” Dario finally set his notebook aside to look at them, “The reason I’m here is because your wedding is coming up very soon, and I wanted to see how everything is going.”
Laila quickly wracked her brain for an excuse, any excuse, because she had completely forgotten the wedding was supposed to be that very week. It only took a second before she wailed, “My mom didn’t tell you? We had to postpone! School is getting so in the way of the planning we didn’t even have time to finish. I haven’t even picked out my wedding dress yet.”
“And what kind of thing are you busy with?” Dario inquired.
“Practice,” Jace replied. “I have soccer and she has fairy stuff,” He smirked at Dario’s confusion while Laila resisted the urge to smack him in the head.
He just had to throw that in, she thought bitterly. But on the outside she kept up the convincing charade, making her face solemn as she nodded along.
“Fairy stuff?”
“Cheer practice. Our first game is this week,” Jace explained.
“It’s horrible. I was so excited to get my dress,” Laila fanned her eyes as a fresh onset of tears came, this time on purpose. “I’m sorry. I get really emotional,” She was careful not to let the tears fall, somehow sensing that would be an overkill.
“Really,” Dario seemed curious as to why she was so distraught while her fiance remained cooly indifferent, but he didn’t press the matter. “And when are you planning to get your dress?”
“In four days. We’re going this Sunday,” She glanced at Jace before changing her mind. “No. We’re not going, I’m going. He can’t see me in my dress before the wedding because that’s bad luck,” She let out a shaky laugh, hoping it would pass as nerves from the wedding and not from their current predicament.
“Nobody wants an unhappy marriage,” Jace agreed. The two of them exchanged smiles as she took his hand in hers.
“I already know ours is gonna be perfect,” She squeezed his hand, taking the opportunity to make him as uncomfortable as possible.
“So when is the new wedding date?” Dario pressed, pen and pencil poised and ready.
“We don’t know yet,” Laila said sadly. “We’ll have to get a new planner, the one we have now isn’t available for a later date. We have to find a new one and figure out when our schedules will slow down. After the game we have auditions for the school musical, and if we’re both cast things’ll get even more hectic,” She waved a dismissive hand, hoping he would take it as nonchalantly as she made it sound. “Auditions are next week, so it’ll be a while.”
“We’ll get back to you on the date,” Jace concluded.
“Can I plan on an invitation?” Dario’s voice was expectant, as if he clearly knew they had no choice but to say yes.
“No.”
“Jace! Hon,” Laila squeezed his hand even harder than before, “People can’t always tell when you’re joking, remember? He’s gonna think you’re serious.”
“I’m dead serious,” He continued to stare Dario down while the latter nervously adjusted his glasses.
“You just don’t know when to stop, do you? It’s freakin’ adorable,” Laila laughed and dropped a hand to affectionately rub Jace’s leg, though his demeanor remained perfectly impassive.
“So I can’t come..?” Dario asked unsurely.
“Of course you can!” She exclaimed. “He’s not serious. He wasn’t serious about the adoption thing, either.”
“I’m so serious. Her mum didn’t want her and you can’t come,” Jace smiled coldly at Dario’s lingering confusion, and Laila could tell this was the most fun he’d had all day.
“You’re so cute when you do that, Snuggle Bear! I love you so much,” She cooed, squishing his cheek like you would a baby’s and effectively shutting him up. “I like to call him that,” She told Dario. “He loves it.”
“That’s an interesting name,” Dario held back a laugh as she giggled and poked Jace’s nose.
“He came up with it himself. Didn’t you, Snuggle Bear?” She lifted her other hand to squish both cheeks now, “You’re such a snuggly Snuggle Bear! And you’re aaalllll mine,” She played nosies with him for a split second before wrapping both arms around his and leaning against his entire side. She smiled up at him, causing him to force a smile back. She could tell he was too angry for words, but of course Dario couldn’t; he didn’t know Jace well enough to see through the facade.
“You two are such an interesting couple,” He remarked.
“Yeah. We love each other so much. More than anything in the world. He spoils me,” She held up her ring to admire the way it sparkled in the light. “I’ll send your invitation as soon as we’re done making the new ones. I can’t wait,” She squealed in excitement and squished even closer to her fiance, leaving virtually no space between them.
“So excited,” Jace added. He smiled at Laila and she grinned back, clearly seeing the meaning beneath it. It was exactly what she’d hoped for.
“I look forward to it,” Dario collected his belongings and stood. “I really should get going. I just wanted to check the date and see how things were coming along.”
“Good,” Jace said, “Get out.”
“Aww, Snuggle Bear!” Laila laughed and pulled away from him, “You’re so funny. But really, stop.” She kissed him on the cheek before standing to walk Dario out. They exited the living room, and he turned to her the second they were out of earshot.
“He wasn’t serious, was he?”
She smiled and shook her head. “Of course not. We love having you over,” She lied. They came to a stop at the door and she graciously opened it for him, “Come back anytime, it’s always a pleasure.”
“It is, it is,” Dario smiled back and stepped over the threshold, obviously relieved to be free of Jace’s menacing presence. “I’ll be waiting for that invitation.”
“And I’ll be sending it,” She smiled cheerfully and waved before shutting the door. The second he was gone her entire mood changed. She walked back to the living room to see Jace once again waiting with his hands leisurely crossed behind his head.
“Well that was fun,” He smiled mockingly.
“No, it wasn’t! Not at all,” She declared, coming to a stop right before him, “My mom tried to give me up for adoption? I’m in denial and have a therapist? Good, get out? Jace, you’re gonna ruin everything! What the fuck is wrong with you?” Her arms were flailing and voice rising with every word, and her frustration reached an all new level when he started laughing. “This isn’t funny!”
“It’s really funny,” He disagreed. “You can’t even get mad right, you’re still acting like an adorable child.”
“There isn’t a right way to get mad,” She crossed her arms and shifted her weight to one hip, trying in vain to come across with more attitude. She gave up when he started laughing again and dropped her arms. “You know what, fuck this. You’re gonna get deported and lose all the guitars you like more than actual people. You might even like them more than your fucking reflection,” She was trying to be mean, but he only smiled.
“Not possible,” He stood up and she took a reflexive step back, “Nothing’s better than my reflection.”
“Why am I not surprised,” She said dully. His arrogance never ceased to amaze her.
“And I won’t get deported because we’re obviously in love,” He continued, “Who would wanna break up such a perfect couple?”
“Get out,” She pointed to the door, but he didn’t move an inch. “I don’t like you. I don’t wanna look at you. My mom did not give me up for adoption and--”
“Because I told her not to,” He interrupted. She almost screamed in frustration and pushed against his back, moving him toward the door.
“Get out!”
“Fine, I’m going. Don’t get your rainbow knickers in a twist,” He finally started walking, and she followed two steps behind to make sure he really left. He paused at the door to look at her. “See you tomorrow, fairy.”
“I am not a damn fairy,” She nudged him out and slammed the door the second he was gone, grumbling to herself as she stalked up the stairs to her room. She slammed that door shut, too, and dropped on her bed. She reopened her monologue book and was just pulling out her sheet music when a thought finally hit her.
“He thinks I’m adorable?” She tilted her head in confusion, thinking back through their somewhat argument. He’d practically called her an adorable child, which was almost a compliment in his twisted language. “That can’t be right..” She stood and walked to the window, wondering if he was in his room yet. She was more surprised than anything, seeing as that made two almost compliments in one day. She’d never expected anything of the sort from him. As a matter of fact, she was completely used to his constant insults, which made her confusion that much more valid. A couple minutes passed before she sat back down and reluctantly turned to her book. She tried to focus, but despite herself she simply couldn’t stop glancing out the window.
“Ughh why am I doing this,” She groaned, dropping her face against the red comforter. She stayed that way for a minute or two before finally convincing herself to get up. She heaved a sigh and rolled off the bed, taking her book and sheet music with her. She crossed the room and plopped down in a beanbag chair instead. Her new position blocked any view of his room, which was exactly what she needed to get her mind off the asshole next door.