Waited For You

Understanding

      Layla is in my field of view and I am nothing less than shocked. I look over to Landon and he doesn't look like he's going to speak anytime soon.
" I've been wanting to talk to you," she mumbles and Landon takes another step back, he's not defending himself from her though. He's defending himself from the way he may feel once he speaks to her.
" We had five years to talk Layla," Landon calls and she steps closer as he moves one step back.
      " Landon, you know things were different then," she explains and he looks at her in the eyes.
      " Things are different now," he growls and she steps all the way in, looking me directly in the eyes. I try and force a smile after a while even though it comes off as more of an awkward stale face.
      " hey, I'm Joelle," I smile as I get up to shake her hand.
       "Layla," she calls as she looks me up and down lightly.
" Nice to meet you," I proclaim. She's just as pretty in person than the time I saw her in the picture.
" I'll leave you two alone to talk," I whisper and Landon stops me.
" Stay," he demands and I stop. He looks me in my eyes with every ounce of power he has over me. He's asking me to stay, he's demanding me to stay . I move to sit on the couch and Layla looks over to him.
" Things are different.I see," she sighs and Landon nods.
      " I want to talk Landon and I want you to hear me," she calls out and Landon looks at her. He wants the answers of what he should do to spill off her.
       " I've lied to you," she starts and Landon looks at her coldly.
       " Lied about doing drugs, stealing money or sleeping with my best friend," Landon growls out and Layla doesn't budge.
      " I lied about all of it," she calls. "And I lied about loving you. If I loved you Landon, I wouldn't have put you through all of this. I made a lot of mistakes Landon and when I came here, sober, I thought I'd be able to make things right," she stated moving closer and he backs away.
      " If you wanted to make things better Layla, you would of stayed where you were. I stayed up late nights with you while you threw up into the toilet and woke up early mornings to go find you in a back alley. I lied to my family about you to make it seem like somehow it was all my fault. My family knew what you would do to me and instead of listening, I let you do it," he yells out and she tries to interrupt him.
     " I heard you Layla, now hear me," he calls out.
     " I let you break me and I still wasn't smart enough to leave. You had to choose the drugs over me and that's exactly what you did. So, excuse me if you coming back seems like a piece of sh*t to me because nothing you've done had been anything less," he grinds and my eyes go back and forth between them two.
I'm trying to figure out exactly what emotion is floating through the room.
       " I was sick Landon. I wish I could of just woke up one day and not needed them, but it took time. I took that time and didn't stop thinking of you. I wanted things to be okay and I knew it would only be okay if I got better," she cries out and Landon steps closer.
      " Nothing can make this okay. You made it hard for me to love again, hard to trust someone, hard to get over the memories. Nothing you say will make things okay. I watched those drugs take you from me and I walked in on my best friend taking you in my bed for money, for comfort, for you to feel okay about the whole situation. Even through all of that, I've waited for you. I've waited for you all the way up to this moment when I realized I didn't really know what I was waiting for," he breaths out.
      " Do you trust her," Layla asks for the first time acknowledging my part in any of this and Landon looks over to me.
     "  She's made me realize that I do believe in love Layla. She's the one I was really waiting for," Landon breaths out and Layla looks over to me.
    " Tell me everything's going to be okay with you," Layla demands still looking at me, but I know she's talking to Landon.
     " I'm going to be okay," he breaths out and she's still looking at me.
     "Can I talk to her," she whispers to Landon and he yells out a no as I say okay. They both turn to me and I stand up.
       " We're adults, we can talk," I say out loud and Landon walks over to me.
      " I'm in my room," he whispers and I nod.
    " He loves you," she calls and I look at her, I'm hesitant because I know what it feels like to have lingering love.
     " He loved you Layla, but I don't think he can be with you again , you shouldn't want him to,"I call and her face falls.
       " You don't know what Landon and I had. You don't know how much we loved each other in the beginning," she says curtly and I don't hesitate in my movement.
      " I can take a guess. You guys loved each other to a point where love just didn't seem like a word strong enough. It was almost like the movies where things weren't perfect, but seemed perfect enough," I start and she's quiet so I know I'm close.
     " Until one became selfish. You two meant a lot to each other Layla, but some things just need to stay in the past," I finish and her eyes stay on me.
     " I love him," she begins to cry and I pull her into a hug because sometimes words can't fix anything.
     Moments later after we break out of the hug Landon comes downstairs.
       " I care about you Layla, I always will," Landon breaths out and she heads towards the door.
         " You're right. She's the one you've been waiting for."