Perceptions

Chapter 15 {Thriving Feelings}

Layla took a long glance at the mirror, her body blossoming because of the pregnancy, she noticed that her belly was starting to get more noticeable—she had to find an explanation for this soon, she thought.

This was the blessing for the trial that god had put upon her, she thought.

She was tired of drowning in the darkness.

It was time to keep thriving.

It was time to become stronger.

It was finally time to become a grown woman.

She wiped her tears away, which were still streaming down her face as the memories of what caused this belly in the first place appeared in her mind.

It wasn't your typical lovemaking that caused this baby inside of her—No, she didn't meet the love of her life and she didn't decide to make this happen. She was forced into something like this, her innocence was stolen from her, which lead to numbness and damaged wounds in her.

She looked at her curves, noticing that she had gained a little bit of weight since she got out of the hell she was forced in. Her brown skin started to glow, becoming finally alive after everything she had been through.

She put half of her braids up in a bun and kept the other half down, slipping into a honey-ish yellow off shoulder dress. It was already really warm in Rome, so she slipped into her black sandals and reached for her bag as she made her way outside.

••••••••••

Layla began her shift in time, dressed in her uniform, which was a white button up shirt and black pants. She was so grateful that she could choose between pants and a pencil skirt.

She started to serve people at the tables with cocktails, other drinks and snacks. It was so hectic that day, so that her feet already started to hurt—and she hadn't even completed her first shift. On the other hand, the music that was playing in the background managed to calm down her nerves, making her forget the pain for a little while.

Looking at the clock, she noticed that it was time for a break now, doing a happy dance mentally, she served the last couple at the table and made her way outside with her lunch she had packed.

She walked a few blocks down to the park that Valentina had showed her, it wasn't that crowded, which Layla really liked. She sat down under a tree, feeling the grass with her feet as she took her shoes off, giving her feet a little massage. She groaned quietly because of the pain, her feet were almost killing her.

She stretched out her legs, taking her lunch out of her bag, starting to eat her sandwich in peace—or so she thought.

"Having a rough day, huh?" Layla heard a male voice she never failed to recognize, looking up, she saw Luciano dressed in sweat pants and a t-shirt, which was rarely the case. It was the first time seeing him dressed this comfortably, his daily attire consisted of a suit and tie normally.

"Life is just full of surprises, isn't it?" Layla said, taking another bite of her sandwich.

"It really is." Luciano answered, sitting down beside her, "Mind if I join you?"

"Well you already sat down so, no I guess." Layla replied, putting the last bite of her sandwich in her mouth. Luciano smirked, watching her finish her sandwich, her cheeks puffing up like a baby, which Layla noticed immediately. "What?"