Birds Of a Feather

14. Layla Estelle Boulais

Layla entered the kitchen and placed the bag on the table, then quickly arranged groceries and food on the respective shelves in cabinets and into the fridge. With her jacket still on, she ran to her room and smiled at the sight of her suitcase in a corner, then picked it up and spread it open on her bed before going getting a shower.
She put on a pair of joggers and an Astro Boy t-shirt and was drying her hair with a towel when Sara joined her, going to sit on her bed with her arms folded and looking at her in a scolding way.
"Hey!"
"We've been married for what, a month?, and you're already leaving? I thought it would have lasted a little more, at least until New Year's Eve"
"Hehe, I'm not leaving you, my love. I'm just going to Boston for the weekend, as I already told you" the girl explained, starting to select clothes for the trip.
"Great. You're not just cheating on me, you're doing it with that asshole! If it was with someone else I'd have chosen to overlook"
"Someone like who?"
"Uhm I don't know... I heard Jack The Ripper and Ted Bundy have got no plans for the weekend, they'd sure make a more enjoyable company than David" Sara suggested with a wink.
"Apart from being two of the cruelest serial killers in history, I'm pretty sure they're both dead, Sara"
"So draw your conclusions, darling" the girl grinned at Layla, making her roll her eyes "Oh, come on! You can't go! How can I survive without you?"
"How did you do before I moved here? It looked like you were doing great" Layla pointed out, folding a blouse and then putting it into the suitcase.
"Not as great as it looked. For example, what the hell will I eat?" Sara whined.
"I went to the grocery store this morning, you won't starve"
"Grocery? D'ya mean vegetables? How am I supposed to cook them?"
"A salad has no need to be cooked, the same's for fruit"
"Salad? Fruit? I'm not a fuckin' rabbit, El!" Sara retorted and took a couple of nighties out of Layla's suitcase.
"Hey! Cool down, hubby, I also bought some snacks and frozen food and all the other junk I know you like" Layla replied, taking her clothes off her friend's hands.
"Oh. Ok. But do you really have to go?" the other girl asked with puppy eyes.
"I don't have to, I want to" Layla answered with a genuine smile.
"Why on earth would anyone mentally sane fly for five hours to be with that jerk?"
"Because I love him and I miss him... I miss him so much" Layla sighed and resumed packing up her stuff.
"... I said mentally sane" Sara added playfully, but immediately shut up when her friend snapped a "Sara! Cut it out!" in an irritated way.
"Anyway... wasn't he supposed to come here to visit?" she asked after a while, feigning disinterest in Layla's reply.
"He will! He'll come to Seattle for Thanksgiving, I told you. I want to see him now though, that's why I took the weekend out" the other girl snorted and explained, hoping that this time her boyfriend's promise will be kept.
Layla had always been understanding with David: he didn't just have college duties and a part-time job, he also had basketball trainings and games. And Boston wasn't exactly round the corner. She had more free time and it was just easier for her to visit him, that was all. Sara saw it in a total different way – she thought he was being mean and probably cheating on her. Layla knew her friend was just being protective, but sometimes she went too far.
"I'm waiting for him with open arms!" Sara said with a dramatic tone in her voice, stretching out her arms.
"Yeah, and I bet you'll have a knife hidden up in your sleeve"
"... Fuck, you know me so well"

Surprisingly Sara helped her friend packing up, making only a couple of jokes about her lingerie choices. Since Layla was about to go anyways, the other girl didn't want to argue with her before she left. Layla was about to go back to the bathroom to get the hair dryer when the doorbell rang.
"Someone's at the door!" Sara shouted, as she was sitting on Layla's suitcase trying to close it.
<A load of clothes for a couple of days out of town, she won't wear half of them... As far as I know that dumbass, she won't wear anything most of the time... ugh!>
"I heard that, thank you so much" Layla smirked and went to the door.
When she opened it she instantly felt hideous. A tall and slim girl with blond curly hair, piercing blue eyes and red heart-shaped lips was standing in front of her, wearing a short leather jacket and a skimpy skin-tight floral dress which barely covered her ass.
<What kind of tv commercial does this one come from? Is it a candid camera?>

"Hi!" the girl exclaimed with a totally gratuitous enthusiasm in her voice.
"Ehm hi... do I know you?"
"Not yet! Is Jeff home?" the girl squealed.
"Oh no, it's-" Layla was about to clear things up when her roommate appeared behind her back.
"Oh my god... I'm sorry, you-you didn't hear the news?" Sara told the girl with a contrite voice.
"News? What news?" the hottie asked, tilting her head to one side.
"Yeah, which news?" Layla echoed, fearing the upcoming reply from her friend.
"The news about the sect. Shit, it was terrible"
"Sect?!" Layla was barely able to suppress her laughter.
"It ain't no fun, El. There was nothing funny in the Bloody Hardcore Skaters Sect. The mass suicide scene was horrible, rollers and knee pads everywhere... horrible! I just wanna forget!" Sara went on, maintaining a serious expression while her roommate was laughing her ass out and the unknown girl was looking at both of them with a puzzled look, but still wearing a wide grin. The contrast made Layla laugh even more.
"Haha don't... she's just joking, this is not Jeff's apartment, he lives right there" Layla finally pointed out at the opposite door and elbowed Sara before she could say anything else.
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" the girl said slapping her forehead.
"It's cool, it happens. And it'll happen forever, at least as long as they'll keep on putting names under doorbells instead of pictures or identikits. I mean, we're in 1990, when will they finally understand?!" Sara theatrically said, despite Layla's small kicks on her foot.
"Uhm yeah... Gotta go, thank you!" Jeff's friend turned on her heels and rang Jeff's doorbell.
He opened the door in a couple of seconds, Layla supposed he was waiting for her. Her supposition was confirmed by the way he welcomed her. She threw her arms around his neck and Jeff bear hugged her. As he was squeezing her, he noticed his neighbors still standing at the door and grimaced a bit. He was probably wondering why those two were there like an audience, but instead of asking them any explanation he placed both hands on the girl's butt and lifted her in his arms, sticking his tongue almost down her throat, while she was eagerly responding to the kiss and wrapping her legs around his waist. Soon the two of them stumbled back into the loft and closed the door.
"Wow..." a shocked Layla said turning to her friend "Jeff's girlfiend is a knockout!"
"Tsk, girlfriend... that was only one of his many courtesans, that guy has no respect for women" Sara snapped and closed the door of their apartment.

♣♦♣

"Oh, I read there's The Crucible at Boston Theater this weekend; you can't miss it, pumpkin!" Mrs. Jane Boulais beamed on the other side of the telephone line.
"Ok mum, I'll see what I can do"
Sara had already left to go to work and Layla called home in Olympia to know if everything was alright and to inform about her weekend in Boston, just in case they would need to contact her right in those days. That never happened, but Layla was known for being a meticolous person, the sensible one of the family. As usual, her mother was making a list of all the cultural places and events of interest in Boston she should go to.
"You don't sound so convinced, babycake"
<Will she ever stop calling me silly names? If it was for her, someday there'd be some nickname on my tombstone too...>
"It's just... you know, David is not that much into theater" Layla explained. Not as much as her and her family at least.
"But you are, lovely! Doesn't he always drag you to basketball games and stuff? The world surely won't come to an end if you two do what YOU want to do for once" Jane remarked.
<Well, actually he doesn't even take me to basketball games anymore, we barely leave his room when we meet... but that's a detail I'm not gonna share with my mother>
"You're right, mum, I'll make him change his mind this time!" Layla tried to sound sincere this time, but having a mother who's a professional actress doesn't help when you're trying to fake.
Her family was a really arty one.
David used to call them the Arty-Farty family, much to her dismay – she preferred to define it as The Crazy Bunch.
Her mother was a theater actress while her father, François Boulais, was a stage director and, for the last five years, the artistic director of the Olympia Theater.
This office hadn't made him or anyone in the family less nomadic. Both still in full activity, Layla's parents were touring in the States or even abroad most of the year.
Their three kids used to follow them until they were no longer children. Growing up they started growing apart – at least in a physical sense – whereas they were really tight and loving and supportive with each other.
Her older brother, Eugene, was a classical musician and played the violin in the Chicago Symphony.
Lorraine, her younger sister, followed her two main inclinations – drawing and shopping – and was now studying to become a fashion designer in New York.
Layla was in the middle, and she was a vet. Her parents and siblings had never shown any sign of criticism against her career of choice, but she had always felt like the untalented black sheep of the family.
Her forte was studying, she had been fond of natural science since she was a kid and had always excelled at school, but Layla had always felt like that wasn't enough for her parents; she felt defective, like she was lacking something.
"Well said, honeybucket! And what about Sara? How's she? How's this cohabitation experiment going?" Mrs. Boulais pretended to believe in her daughter's sudden stance and changed the subject.
Jane had met her friend several times and had been immediately enchanted by her wit and spontaneity. She was glad Layla was socializing with interesting people, not just jocks like David.
Jane had nothing against David as a person, she simply hated him for entering her daughter's life. She and her husband had never wanted their kids to follow their same steps, they just wanted to give them the opportunity to know and experiment every field (artistically speaking and not) so that they could find their own path.
Eugene had been keen on music since he was a toddler and Lorraine was basically born with a pencil in her hand.
It was more difficult with Layla, who was neither bad nor excellent in anything in particular. She liked music but regularly gave up any different instrument they made her try, the same was for singing lessons and ballet.
Well, she had actually had a point with ballet, 'cause her teacher had told a 8 year-old Layla that she was 'Too big and too fat to become a ballerina'. The old bitch had been rewarded with a spit on her face by her daughter and a severe reprimand by her husband.
Apart from that accident, the girl used to grow tired of everything soon, except for swimming (water was her natural habitat and she had also won some competitions).
But Jane knew there was something special in Layla too – a sparkle, a gift – not necessarily in an artistic sense. She was both a rational girl and a dreamer at the same time. Layla's main qualities were being caring and helpful with everybody and her ability to easily make friends, being social and making people love her. She was also curious about everything, determined, had a deep sense of justice and was always ready to stand up for herself and the others.
When it came to David, though, she seemed weak, harmless and submissive. When she started dating him in high school she slowly gave up swimming and all her extra-curricular activities – and sadly also friends – to have more time for him.
If he didn't like somebody for some reason she'd later stop hanging out with them, if he didn't like something about her she would quit, just to please him. Like she did with the diary she used to keep: he found out and said it was childish, so she threw it away.
Layla was utterly scared of losing that jerk of a boyfriend, like she couldn't find someone better... like she didn't deserve it.
Jane didn't care about the fact she wasn't an actress or a singer or a writer, she was proud of her daughter, a doctor, a vet, a beautiful and strong young woman. She only wanted Layla not to be afraid of being herself.
"Sara's fine and this living together thing is working great, she already misses me and my cuisine" Layla joked and at the same time thought that maybe Jane would have preferred having a daughter like Sara instead of her.
"You can cook? Since when?" her mother asked surprised.
"Since I was home alone as a kid and had to cook for Lorry and Gene when you and papa were away, mum"
"I know that, princess, I just didn't know you were good at it"
"Well, I didn't know either... it's good for Sara, though" Layla shrugged, not surprised by the fact her mother doubted she was good at something. She was skeptical herself.
"That's the most important thing! What about Thanksgiving and Christmas, cherie? You already have plans, right? 'Cause we won't be home, you know..." Mrs Boulais asked.
"Surprise-surprise"
"I'm sorry, cutiepie but-"
"Hehe, I know, you're busy with a play, don't worry, I'll be here in Seattle with David and Sara. And other friends, maybe" the girl answered. Apart from Sara and her ex flatmates, she didn't really know anybody.
<Oh, and apart from my new neighbors and their gang... can I call them friends? I don't know, but they're fun to hang out with. And Eddie's so sweet>
"Perfect! The more people, the better!" her mother exclaimed. When David got his scholarship for basketball at Boston University Jane was happy, since she believed that he and Layla would have finally broke up and lived their lives, that her daughter would have lived her college life at full, making friends and experiences. And why not, dating interesting guys... instead she got stuck in a 8-year long distance relationship with little social connections. Hearing about other friends made her enthusiast.
<I hope there are men among these new friends, possibly cultivated and charming>
"Yeah. Gotta go now or I'll miss my flight! Say hi to dad and everybody for me, tell them that je les aime y me manquent"
"We love you and miss you too! Enjoy your flight and your weekend, kitten!" Jane said, making Layla roll her eyes for what she hoped was the last time of the day.

♣♦♣

David was sound asleep on the couch of his in campus-apartment when the phone rang. He slowly opened his eyes and woke up, trying to figure out who and where he was. And when.
11 o'clock.
"Shit, Layla" he muttered when everything came up to him. He stood up from the couch and paced the room looking for the cordless phone.
"Hello" he got it and answered after about a hundred rings, relieved, since each ring was like pounding a nail into his head.
<Dave? I'm here, ehm... why are you still there? I thought you'd come and pick me up> Layla asked from a phone booth at Boston Logan Airport.
"Fuck, I'm sorry, babe! Trainings worn me out and I fell asleep like a dork... I'll come and get you right now" he tried to apologize to her. Well, trainings surely were hard, but what made him tired the most was yesterday's party at the Delta Delta Delta sorority. And the wild girl he hooked up with, who kept him awake all night.
<Don't worry, it's already late, there's no need for you to come up here at this point, I'll take a cab> Layla sighed. It was already snowing in Boston and she didn't like the idea of waiting for her boyfriend forever after a 5 hour flight.
"Are you sure?" David asked, hoping she was really sure. It felt so warm at home, he wasn't exactly impatient for going outside.
<Sure, babe. I'm coming>

<I'm afraid it will soon be my turn to fall asleep> Layla thought as she was finally walking through the dormitory hallway with her suitcase, while David was waiting for her in his room, now wide awake after two cups of black coffee.
She knocked at his door and was immediately welcomed by David's arms circling her waist.
"Layla!"
"Davey!" Layla responded lifting herself on her tiptoes to wrap her arms around his neck as he leaned over to her. She wasn't short, but David was a giant, it was one of the things she liked the most about him. She felt protected.
While he was hugging her, David took the chance to look around in the hallway behind her back to see if someone he knew was around. When he determined it was all clear he quickly pulled his girlfriend inside and shut the door, then took her in his arms and rushed all the way to his bedroom, finally throwing her on the bed.
"Hahaha, Dave! Wait! My suitcase!" she laughed as her boyfriend was already jumping on her.
"Shit" he murmured, then went out of his room and took the suitcase Layla had let fall outside his door.
"You're back!" Layla exclaimed, taking off her coat when David came back to the bedroom, placing her luggage on a chair.
"And you're still fully dressed. Why?" he smirked, before jumping on the bed.

"Where are we going this early, Davey?" Layla yawned as he was driving her who knows where, basically at dawn.
"I wanna take you to a nice place, babe, for breakfast" he smiled at her, not having the slightest idea of where he was going. He just needed to take her as far as he could from the campus and from whoever he knew and might have come across.
They ended up in a small cafè in Newbury Street.
<Not bad David, not bad at all> he thought, feeling proud of himself for his casual choice.
"I like it! Do you come here often?" Layla asked as she was eagerly examining the menu.
"Uhm, not that often, you know, I usually go to closer places in the university area, but today is special" he grinned, taking her hand on the table and she smiled and tangled her fingers with his.
"You're special" the girl replied in awe and kissed him.
They had their long breakfast together, Layla quickly mentioned a couple of funny stories which happened to her at work and the rest of the time was filled by David's summary of the basketball championship.
<I missed him so much, I'd listen to him talking about anything for hours>
The rest of the day was surprising for Layla. They stayed out all day and visited the city; David immediately rejected the idea of theater, but they visited monuments: he took her to the Museum of Science and even the Museum of Fine Arts, then they enjoyed a romantic walk through an enormous park and had dinner in a fine restaurant. Layla was amazed and overjoyed.
<I hope she's tired now> he thought as he drove back to campus.
"What are we doing now?" she asked in excitement.
<What?!>
"Well, going home... aren't you tired, babe? We've been walking all day"
"Oh come on, let's do something! I'm not that tired, and you neither" she replied pouting.
"I am!"
"Shut up! What are your friends doing tonight? We can hang out with them a little, maybe"
<Shit>
"They're all with girlfriends or not doing anything special. Plus I'd rather spend some quality time with you, alone" he explained taking his left hand away from the wheel and placing it on her thigh.
"I love our time together alone, but... It's been almost four years and I still haven't met anyone of your friends"
"Not a big deal, they're idiots" he joked.
"C'mon Dave, seriously..."
"And that's not completely true, you met Frank"
Frank was his roommate, the only one at college who knew about his longtime high school girlfriend and had kindly gone out of town to leave the two lovebirds alone.
"One person in years" she repeated, still upset.
"Ok, we'll go out with my friends. Tomorrow night. What do you think?"
"Mmm ok, deal!"
They spent Saturday night and most of Sunday in bed, sleeping and fucking as if there was no tomorrow. Then David eventually spent Sunday evening faking a bad cold at home, with Layla as a personal sexy nurse.
He didn't feel guilty or sorry for her: after all, he was an athlete and he was in college, how could she believe he was totally loyal? And what about her then? She had even had a guy as roommate for a while!
<Well, maybe I feel guilty, just a little bit>