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Layla's POV
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"Alright, just- hold still. I don't want to cut you by accident." I instruct Reece, standing before him with a pair of scissors in my hand as he sits on the edge of my bed.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" He questions, staring at the scissors as I bring them up to his shoulder.
I roll my eyes, "Do you trust me?"
"Of course," He replies without hesitation.
I smile, "Good."
We decided it would be best to try getting out of these costumes after we have dinner, so we ordered pizza and now we're here. There's no way Reece will be able to get his shirt off without cutting it. But that's alright because it's just a cheap costume that he'll probably never use again anyway.
I bring the scissors up to the collar of his shirt and carefully begin cutting through the cheap fabric. I cut down the seam along the top of his shoulder until the shirt stops at his upper arm.
"There," I finish, standing back and placing the scissors down on my desk, "Now you just have to unbutton your shirt."
"Thanks, Sunshine," Reece murmurs, reaching up to start unbuttoning his shirt, "But what about you?"
"Well, the only part of this which is actually a costume, is the pants which I can take off. This is just a tank top... so I guess I'll just have to stay in this until we get these handcuffs off." I explain with a shrug.
He nods, shrugging off his shirt, leaving him shirtless. He looks down at himself for a second before asking, "Uh, problem. I can't exactly put another shirt on now and we're gonna have to sleep next to each other, is that-"
"It's fine, Reece," I laugh, shaking my head, "Don't stress." Turning around, I grab my dad's grey sweatpants that I grabbed from his room before coming in here and hand them to Reece. I then pick up my own grey sweats. "Uh..."
"We'll face back to back. I promise I won't turn around until you tell me to," Reece says, smiling.
"Pinky promise?" I ask, sticking out my pinky to him.
Reece laughs but doesn't hesitate to lock his pinky with mine. "Pinky promise."
With that confirmation, I turn my back to him and when I'm sure he's not looking, I shimmy out of my orange pants. I then pull on my sweatpants with some difficulty as I have one hand locked with Reece's. But soon enough I'm finished.
"You done?" Reece asks as I'm attempting to tighten the drawstring with one hand.
"Yeah, I need this hand," I mutter as I turn around to face him, bringing our joined hands closer so I can use both hands to tie up my sweats. Reece chuckles, turning around as well and letting me drag his hand over. Once I've finished, Reece sneaks his hand around to rest on my hip as he brings his other hand up to his mouth, covering his yawn.
I chuckle, bringing my free hand up to gently brush his hair back from his face, "Aww, is Reecey tired?"
He nods, smiling lazily down at me, "Very."
"Good," I grin, using our joint hands to drag him over to my bed, "Because sleepy Reece is very cute."
One we're in bed, I instinctively curl myself into his chest, resting the palm of my handcuffed hand over his heart. Reece's arm rests behind me, letting me use his shoulder as a headrest. His hand gently rests on my hip with fingertips just brushing against my bare skin.
I let out a quiet, content sigh, "Goodnight, Reece."
He whispers his reply, "Goodnight, Sunshine."
~
"Sunshine," A deep, husky whisper breaks through the dream I've been having. The details seem foggy now, but it was amazing, I'm sure. Something about cotton candy and... trampolines...? I don't really know, but it seemed to make sense at the time. I guess most things do when you're dreaming.
"Sunshine," That same familiar voice repeats that word again, trying to pull me out of my slumber. Somewhere in my subconscious, I know who it is that's talking, but in my half-asleep state I have no idea.
"Sunshine, you need to wake up," The voice speaks more clearly this time before I feel something soft press against my cheek. It's warm and only there for a few seconds. It feels like a kiss.
"Sunshine," Another kiss. To my forehead this time. Just as soft but a few seconds longer. I curl up against the person, wanting to be pulled back to sleep. They're warm and bare-chested. My hand runs down his back before curling around his waist as my other arm stays where it is, seeming to be stuck. I bury my head in the crook of his neck, attempting to cling to this source of warmth for as long as possible.
I hear his deep raspy chuckle before he presses another kiss to the top of my head, his hand rubbing my back soothingly. If he's trying to wake me up, that is not helping. "Sunshine, Liam found the keys. He brought them over for us."
That pulls me into reality.
I untuck my head from the crook of Reece's neck and slowly blink my eyes open. He's looking down at me with those gorgeous turquoise eyes and an equally gorgeous smile showcasing his dimples.
"Good morning, Sunshine," He whispers, eyes scanning my face.
I smile, sitting up a little and rubbing my eyes, "Liam found them?"
He nods and leans over to my nightstand to pick something up. When he holds out his hand to me, I see a set of silver keys sitting in them. "Yup. They were in a bag of peas apparently. He'd gotten up to have a midnight snack – don't ask me why he chose peas, I have no idea – and then he found them. He just brought them over then went back to his place. It's still super early in the morning. But I wanted to tell you so that you wouldn't be worried if you slept in."
My smile widens and I shuffle closer, resting my head on his chest, "Thank you," I whisper.
"You're welcome," He replies, his voice just as soft as mine. He brings our joined hands up and used his other hand to unlock the handcuff around my wrist first. When the metal drops from around it, I see how red and irritated my skin is.
Once Reece has undone his handcuffed hand and set the handcuffs and keys on the nightstand, he turns his attention back to me. His eyes go straight to my wrist and he reaches his own hand out to gently rub it, easing some of the irritation.
I relax back into his bare chest, resting a hand over his heart so I can hear it's fast but steady beat beneath my palm. And I slowly fall back asleep to that familiar rhythm, feeling safe in Reece's arms.
~
It's now the 6th of November. Friday night. And I'm sitting alone in my room, crying in my bed with suitcases open and strewn around my room half-filled with my possessions.
This past week of school I have been cherishing every moment I have left with my friends.
Reece went out of his way to pick Bella and I up every morning so that I could spend just a little more time with the Carter family. We have fallen into a routine so quickly. He picks us up then we drop the youngest four Carter siblings plus my sister off at the primary school and middle school. Then Reece and I have the short drive to Northwood High alone together since Anna goes with Liam to school so Bella and I can fit in Reece's car.
We spend that ten minutes together talking and laughing and singing along to the radio. Or some days we would sit in a comfortable silence, just enjoying being in each other's presence.
Some good news is that Anna and Liam finally got together! Apparently after Reece and I left the day we spent looking for the keys to the handcuffs, Liam finally kissed Anna and asked her to be his girlfriend. Finally they're together!
Nothing else super exciting has happened. School has been pretty normal. I went to all my classes. Reece and Liam showed up to all the ones they had with me. That always made me smile. And at lunch times I pushed all thoughts of New York to the very back of my mind so I could just enjoy the chaotic mess that lunches always were.
After school was awesome. Every day this week, Bella and I have gone home with the Carters and spent hours with them. Liam and Amanda and Mark always came too. We baked cupcakes on our day off on Monday, on Tuesday we all went out to a diner for dinner, on Wednesday we had a water fight in their backyard after school and on Thursday night we binge-watched as many Friends episodes as humanly possible.
As much as this was amazing, it also hurt. Because every night, I would go home, and I would cry. Because the Carter family has become like a second family to me. My friends are my family. And I don't know how I'm supposed to just up and leave for New York and live the rest of my life without seeing them every day.
Phone calls and FaceTime aren't the same. I don't get to give the twins piggybacks. I can't beat Max in Mario-Kart from the other side of the country. Having long, animated talks with Cody about books just won't be the same over the phone, because I can't see the way his eyes light up in happiness. I won't have any more girls' nights with Anna and Amanda and Claire. I won't have Liam sitting beside me in English class, making Amanda and I laugh with his commentary about the teacher. Mark won't be there to show me memes throughout the day and give me his fries at lunch time.
And then there's Reece.
No more hugs or kisses on the cheek or running my hands through his hair or listening to music together or drives before school. No more falling asleep together watching Friends or stealing his food at lunchtime. None of that. Only hearing his voice and seeing his face through a screen.
And that is why I am currently crying at eight o'clock on a Friday night.
Reece has boxing tonight. Liam's parents have come home for the first time in months so he's seeing them. Amanda is at Mark's football game which she asked me to go to, but I declined. The Carters aren't busy tonight and they asked me over for dinner, but I declined that too. I wanted to have a night to myself.
Turns out that was a horrible idea because I am now sitting alone, crying in my room with nobody else home.
Another loud sob racks my body and I curl up into a ball, pushing my hair out of my face. I've probably been crying for an hour now.
That can't be healthy.
I hear my phone go off and I rub my eyes before reaching out to check it. I sigh. Just a notification telling me I need to update my phone. Fantastic. My eyes go to check the time and I realize it's just past eight. Reece will still be training. But he usually finishes at around nine. It takes about twenty minutes to get to the gym from his place. Maybe I can go and see him. He will only have about half an hour left by the time I get there. And I don't mind just waiting for him.
I really just don't want to be alone.
I know that's stupid because I could have gone to the football game or to the Carters', but I thought alone time is what I wanted. Clearly it's not.
So I pick myself up and make my way to the bathroom. I grimace at my reflection. My eyes are all red and puffy. Luckily, I took my makeup off before, so I don't have mascara running down my face. I made that mistake Monday night.
I quickly wipe my face and get out my concealer, quickly attempting to cover up some of the blotchiness on my face. It still look like I've been crying.
Deciding that's as good as it's going to get, I re-tie my ponytail before going back into my bedroom. I grab my phone and go to stick it in my pocket before remembering I'm wearing leggings. I sigh and decided to just carry it. I slip on my Vans, not bothering to throw a jumper on over my long-sleeved shirt before I leave the house.
I'll probably regret that later, but oh well.
Twenty minutes later, I have successfully made it to the gym. Luckily, I remembered the name of the gym so I plugged it into Google Maps. Otherwise, I wouldn't have a clue where to go.
I step out of my car and hurriedly make my way towards the gym. Bad memories around this parking lot. Bad memories.
I open the door to the gym and step inside to instantly be greeted with warmth. I hear the sound of multiple people hitting punching bags, but before I can turn to look into the gym, my eyes catch sight of something else.
"Princess Sunshine!" Ariella's familiar voice squeals before she launches her body into my arms. I laugh, stumbling back slightly but managing to catch her.
"Hi, Princess Ariella. How have you been?" I ask, beginning to walk forward when I see Gunner talking to a woman holding a little boy in her arms.
"Good! I haven't seen you in forever!" She emphasizes, staring at me with wide eyes.
I chuckle, "I know, I'm sorry."
"Layla, it's good to see you again," Gunner interrupts, and I look at him with a smile.
"Nice to see you as well, how are you?" I ask, setting Ariella down on the ground.
"I'm good," He turns to the woman standing beside him and smiles, "This is my wife, Paige and my son, Arlo."
I stuck my hand out to her which she shakes, "It's nice to meet you," Then I look at the little boy who can't be older than two, "And you. You're just adorable!"
Paige laughs, "Nice to finally put a face to the name. Reece talks about you a lot," She's Australian, just like Gunner.
My eyes widen, "He talks about me?"
Gunner's the one to reply, laughing, "Of course," Then he frowns slightly, "He told me about you moving away. He all but smashed one of my punching bags to pieces the day after he found out."
I smile sadly, "Yeah, I leave in a few days."
"Sunshine?" I whip around at the sound of Reece's voice and smile.
"Hey, Reece," I greet him as he walks over to me. I look behind him and notice that all the people in the gym seem pretty young, between the ages of about 13-16.
When he stops in front of me, his hands come up to cup my face as he scans it, a look of worry crossing his features. "Is everything alright? You've been crying."
Dammit. I knew that wouldn't get past him.
I nod, meeting his bright turquoise stare, "I'm alright. I just wanted to see you."
He smiles slightly, his thumbs brushing over my cheeks, "I'm not complaining."
I smile wider, "Good." Then my eyes move to the kids behind him, "Why are all of them so young? Is this a class or something?"
"Uh, yeah," Reece takes a step back, reaching a hand up to rub the back of his neck as he blushes, "Sometimes I teach the kids boxing. Teaching someone kinda helps you improve, y'know?"
I grin up at him, "Aww, that's so sweet."
He shakes his head, smiling slightly before his face turns serious again. "Why have you been crying Sunshine? Did something happen or-"
"No, Reece, I'm fine," I cut him off before he can worry himself any further, "I was just overthinking, and I needed to get out of the house. The first place I thought to go to was here to see you,.
His eyes widen slightly, a slight blush tinting his cheeks as he lets out a quiet, "Oh."
I smile, beginning to walk towards the main gym area, "Come on, you're supposed to be teaching, right?"
He quickly falls into step beside me, stammering, "Uh, well yeah, but-"
"Don't stop because of me, Reece. I'll be fine waiting over here 'till you're finished," I assure him, taking a seat on a bench, looking out towards the kids who are still busy punching the punching bags.
Reece sighed reluctantly, giving me one last look before heading over to one of the kids. I watch him as he surveys his punches before stepping forward and beginning to speak. I can't hear what he's saying, but whatever it is makes the kid stop and listen intently. He can't be older than thirteen, but he looks mature, standing tall with a serious face. He nods to what Reece is saying and when Reece slowly swings his arm out in a punch to show his technique, the boy copies, staring intently. It seems he got it right as Reece smiles and pats him on the back before moving onto the next kid.
I can't help but smile as I watch Reece teach. He's so good with them and so patient too. He never snaps at them and instead calmly explains things until they get the hang of it.
Soon enough, training is over, and they all start heading out. As each of them walk past Reece, they stop to say goodbye. I watch in amazement as Reece shares a short moment with each of them. Some of them he high-fives or fist-bumps, but others he has made up handshakes with. He seems to really know them.
The last kid to leave is a girl. She's the only girl in the class, not that that's surprising considering boxing is a male-dominated sport. She smiles up at Reece when she stops in front of him, holding her hand out. They exchange a short handshake before he pats her on the shoulder.
"Nice work today, your form was better than most of those guys," He tells her, and I can tell he means it.
The girl grins, "I know. See you next Friday," And with that, she leaves the gym.
Reece lets out a quiet sigh as he starts walking over to me again. He flops down beside me, his arm going around my shoulders to pull me closer. I let myself curl into him, resting my head on his chest.
"Are you gonna tell me what you were thinking about that got you so upset, Sunshine?" He whispers, resting his head on mine.
I wrap my arms around his waist in an attempt to get closer to him as I reply. "I was just- I was thinking about moving to New York and all the things I'll be missing. All the things I won't get to do. And I got really sad, that's all."
"That's all?" Reece asks incredulously, "Sunshine, that's not nothing. If it made you sad, of course it's something. Stop brushing it off."
"I know," I sniff, feeling tears well up in my eyes again, "But I'm trying to be strong because it could be worse. I mean, I'm still going to be in the country. And I'll still talk to you every day."
"Sunshine. It doesn't matter if it could be worse. If it hurts, it means something. Don't wave it off because some people might have it worse than you. For you, this is big. And it's making you upset. That means something," He says, lifting his head off mine and gently using his hand to lift my head up so he can meet my eyes. "It upsets me too," He whispers, "But we'll get through this, okay?"
I nod, feeling a tear fall from my eye. Before I can even think about brushing it away, Reece uses his thumb to gently wipe it away. His hand stays there, thumb brushing over my cheekbone as he surveys my face.
I suddenly pull away after a moment when I realize what I must look like. My face is already red and blotchy and now I'm crying again. "Sorry, I probably look like a mess."
Reece sighs quietly, shaking his head, "How many times do I have to tell you you're beautiful for you to start believing it?"
I take in a sharp breath, meeting his eyes. He means it. I can see it. Not knowing how to answer that, I just whisper, "Thank you." I rest my head back on his chest, listening to his quickening heartbeat as he pulls me further into his embrace.
~
A/N -
Hello amazing readers!
What are your thoughts on this chapter? What do you think will happen next?
Question: What's your favorite genre of book or movie? My favorite genre of book is romance, but my favorite movie genre is action.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story! I hope you have an incredible day!
~ Pink Flamingo