Love Me, Again?

Chapter 35: A Little Too Late

Chapter 35: A Little Too Late

“Leila! Wake up,” her mother shouted as she shook Leila lightly. “Come on, Jason’s on the phone.”

Leila groaned lightly as she reached out for the phone. “Hello,” she croaked groggily.

“Hey! Did you get my text from yesterday? Can you please meet me at Julian’s Café in an hour? I need to tell you something important,” At the sound of his voice, her eyes snapped open.

“I-uh….” Leila struggled to find an excuse for her not to attend.

“Please. It’s really important,” Jason pleaded as his voice started to crack.

Leila sighed and gave in, “Okay. I’ll meet you there.”

“Oh and Leila?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for everything,” Leila felt her heart squeeze at the tone of his voice. It sounded like he was crying!

“I should be the one thanking you. Thanks for always being there for me, Jase. You’re like a second brother to me,” she smiled, looking over at one of the pictures of them on her nightstand.

“You do know that I love you right?” Jason laughed lightly, his voice still sounded a little hoarse.

“As I love you, brother.” Leila bemused, already looking for her towel and clothes.

“Right,” he paused and let out a huge sigh. Taking a deep breath, he continued, “You should get ready now. See you there!”

“Bye,” Leila clicked the phone shut and threw it onto her bed.

Slowly, she made her way into her bathroom and took a warm shower. She chose to pick out a plain red shirt and denim shorts. She ran a comb through her wet hair and made her way downstairs. With ten more minutes to spare, she rushed out of her home and into her car. Leila had the route to Julian’s Café imprinted in her head. That’s where her family used to go for breakfast every Sunday.

She pulled into the parking lot and looked at the familiar green building. Grabbing her purse, she walked towards the café and was hit by the mouthwatering scent of coffee. She fumbled through her purse, looking for a five dollar bill.

“Good morning Leila,” a familiar voice spoke up.

“Oh my gosh! Julian!? You’re here,” she exclaimed, throwing him a hug over the counter. Julian has been a great friend of Leila. He was a great chef and business man. At the age of twenty three, he managed to build and run his own café. Two years later, his business prospered and allowed him to make numerous expansions.

“Of course, you don’t know how stressful everything was. Expanding is such a big pain in the you know what,” he replied, pulling out of the hug. “So how are things with Mason? Are you two getting it on? I can see a baby bump forming,” he wiggled his brows as he placed his hand on her stomach.

She slapped it away playfully and frowned, “We’re going through a divorce. And are you trying to say that I’m fat?”

Julian gasped, taking his hand back. “You two were so in love! What happened? I was really excited to see little Masons and Leilas running around. I was even planning on catering each and every one of their christenings and maybe even birthdays,” he rambled on.

Leila blushed furiously at the thought of having kids with Mason. “Stop it. Just get me my hazelnut coffee,” she handed him the money, hoping he didn’t see her flushed cheeks.