Sugar Sweet

Layla woke up around ten-thirty. She had her grocery list written, and she wasn't going to wait on Abbie to wake up. So, she quickly showered and threw on some clothes. She made a quick note for Abbie to let her know where she went just in case she woke up.

On the way to the store, she had the sunroof open and the windows down, her hair flying in every direction becoming a tangled mess. Layla didn't care; she loved the feeling of wind through her hair.

She made her way through the aisles of the store scavenging out the items on her list. She was so occupied with looking at the large section of breakfast cereals, that she didn't notice that she bumped her cart into to someone else’s. She looked up instantly to apologize and met eyes with someone she hadn't seen in two weeks. John O'Callaghan.

"John! What a coincidence to bump into you here." She said with a laugh.
"Yeah, long time no see, Miss. I come to your brother's party and never talk to you again." John said with a smirk.

Layla bit her lip, "Yeah, sorry about that. I figured I'd come off to strong if I talked to you like the next day or something." And this was the truth. Layla was always scared to be the first to contact someone after she met them. She feared she'd send the "desperate for someone to talk to" vibe.

"Layla, we're buds. You could call me every second of the day, and I wouldn't get annoyed." John reassured her. "And I really needed to talk to you about something anyways."

"Can it hold off for like thirty minutes? I'm starving in a grocery store. So, this isn't going to end well. Let me finish my shopping, go home to put this stuff up, and let's meet for lunch. Sound good?"

"Perfect." He smiled.

She grabbed a box of Apple Jacks off the shelf. "Pick a place and text me." She told him as she started to make her way off the aisle.

"Will do!" John replied as he headed the opposite direction.

-

The two ended up meeting at Chipotle.
"Okay, so what did you want to talk to me about?" Layla asked after taking a bite of her burrito.

"Uh, it's about Shane."

Layla looked at him confused, "What about Shane?"

John scratched his head, "Well basically, he wants me to fix this issue."

John wouldn't get to the point, and Layla was getting a little aggravated. Her facials told him to continue.

"What I'm trying to get at is, he's crushing on Abbie, and he asked her out on a date, but Abbie told him that you had rules and that she couldn't. And he thinks she's just blowing him off, and he is kind of bummed." John sighed.

"Oh, wow." Layla laughed softly as John looked at her like she was crazy for laughing at such a “serious” issue. "So, Abbie got the wrong message from this talk we had. I didn't tell her she couldn’t date, I just told her that life wasn’t all about boys, and that she just needed to slow down and stop doing the things she was doing back in Chico."

John nodded his head and took a sip of his drink, "So, with the promise that he won’t bang your sister, will you please let them go out on one date?"

"John! Don’t say that, gross." She threw a balled up napkin at him, and he looked at her like he didn’t do a thing.

"Layla, I can read you like a book. I know you’re going to say 'yes', so go ahead and let it out." John teased.

"You’re an odd one, O'Callaghan. But yes, they can go out on a date, and we'll just see what happens from there."

"So, I was already told that I was going to be the chauffer on this date if it happened." John laughed.

"Good, so I assure that you’re not going to allow any hardcore make-out sessions in the back of your car."

"Layla! Don’t say that, gross." John mocked. "If the little man wants to mack, he can mack."

"John!"

"Layla, I'm kidding. I've got it all underneath control. I'm going to keep it G-rated." John assured her.

Shockingly, Layla believed him.