I'm Yours Tonight
until i found you.
LAYLA'S POV
A tall, skinny figure that had called out my name began walking over to us. I didn't recognise who he was until he was about two metres away.
“B...B-Ben?” I could barely let those three letters leave my lips.
Ben? Why was he here, in Melbourne of all places? He was one of the reasons Charlotte and I escaped Sydney.
“Layla, you're here! I've missed you so much!” he exclaimed, pushing past Charlotte and coming towards me. His arms were wide open, as if he as about to hug me.
“No no no...” I mumbled. I wasn't going to let him into my life again. I ducked under him and ran. I had no idea where I was going – I couldn't even see where I was going because of the tears flooding my eyes – but I knew it was away from there, and away from Ben.
CHARLOTTE's POV
Shit.
Ben had shown up, so Layla ran away.
I had to do something, and FAST. I turned to Brad, Sam and Andy, who looked just as confused as I felt.
“I know you guys have no idea what's going on, and you haven't known us for that long, but I need your help.” I was speaking very quickly, because Layla needed to be found before she did something crazy.
“Sure, what do you need us to do?” Sam asked, suddenly sounding genuinely worried about Layla. I wasn’t expecting them to be so eager to help, but I was glad they were.
“I need you, Sam, to go look for Layla. She really does idolize you so much, so she'll follow if you get her to come back. Chances are, she hasn't gotten very far. Is that okay?” I said.
“That's fine. I'll be back soon then.” he said before he walked off to find her. It felt nice knowing that somebody we had only just met was nice enough to help us in our time of need.
I turned to Andy. “I'm gonna need you to go get some ice cream. I know that sounds like a pretty silly job, but ice cream always helps in situations like this and we just ran out.” I instructed. He nodded before saluting me and walking off to complete his assigned task.
“And now, for Ben...” I purposely didn't assign Brad a mission, so that he would have to remain with me.
Ben stood in front of Brad and I, a sly grin plastered across his face. I was trying my hardest to hold in all my anger I felt towards him.
“Ben, why the hell are you here? I thought we made it clear during our last encounter that we didn’t want to see you again.” I spoke calmly, even though really I just wanted to scream at the stop of my lungs. I felt much safer being in the presence of Ben knowing that Brad was standing behind me.
“You should have known I couldn’t stay away Layla.” The sound of his voice sent chills down my spine. I was so incredibly frightened of the guy, but I tried to make myself seem as intimidating as I could.
“Oh, Ben. Do you remember back in Year 11 when I broke your nose?” I asked. He didn’t say anything, just continued to stare me down. “Just so you know, I have gotten a lot stronger since then. And I’m sure you wouldn’t want end up in hospital once more, now would you?”
“Is that a threat, Charlotte?” he said, taking a step closer to me so he was towering over me. I held my breath but didn’t risk tearing my eyes away from his.
Brad then stepped in, forcing Ben away from me and causing him to stumble over only a little. “Dude, you wouldn’t hit a girl, would you?”
“It’s never stopped him before…” I mumbled under my breath, but I got the feeling that Brad had heard me, because he then approached Ben.
“Mate, I think it would be a smart move if you left now and stopped causing trouble for these two ladies.”
Ben took the warning and began backing away, raising his hands innocently. “This isn’t the last you’ll see of me!” he shouted before turning around the block and disappearing from my sight.
I almost immediately let out a massive sigh of relief, feeling my breath regaining its normal pace. I gently massaged my temples – encountering Ben was always stressful, but trusting Sam to locate my best friend was just worsening it all. There was silence between Brad and I for a few moments while I was still taking the time to calm myself.
“Hey, are you alright?” he grabbed onto my shoulders so I was facing him, and he looked directly into my eyes. “Don’t let him get to you. He can’t hurt you. C’mere,” he pulled me towards him and hugged me, squeezing me tight. A sense of safety washed over me, and I felt calm within that moment. I had never thought Brad would ever be hugging me, or even talking to me for that matter. It all felt like a dream, but a perfect dream at that.
I wished that moment could’ve lasted forever.
SAM’s POV
I was generally the kind of person to take risks, and often would do anything to help someone in need. I had only known Layla for a brief period of time, and in that short amount of time she had surely made an odd first impression, but my conscience was telling me that I had to help her. I could feel that she was in danger, so I wasn’t going to just leave her.
I hadn’t ventured very far away from the apartment building when I saw her sitting beneath a large Oak tree. She was hugging her knees, wiping tears away from her cheeks. I hurried over to her, kneeling down in front of her as soon as I got to her.
“Layla, thank God I found you. You had everyone worried!” I exclaimed, brushing the bits of dead leaves off her knees. She didn’t even look up at me.
“Why would you be worried? You don’t even know me…” she mumbled into her lap, tears still slowly dripping from her hazel eyes.
“Because I know what it’s like to be so scared, you just want to run away.” After I said that, she looked up at me. I could see the fear and the pain in her eyes when her gaze connected with mine. “And I can say from experience that running away is going to get you into danger. C’mon, let’s go back. Your friend is so worried about you.”
I stuck my hand out for her to grab, and she just stared at it for a few moments. Soon enough she extended her own hand, taking hold of mine and pulling herself to her feet. With her arm extended towards me, I could see her whole arm, including little parallel lines scarred into her skin. Some were darker than others, some were raised. Some looked like the scars had only just formed.
I was still holding onto her hand, staring at her scars. There were much more than just a few, and it was surprising that she was wearing a short-sleeved t-shirt that showed her arms out in the open like they were.
I realized I had been staring for too long when she pulled her hand out of my grip, hiding it behind her back and suddenly getting really shy. I hadn’t ever thought her, the girl who was absolutely mental and loud when I first met her only moments earlier, would ever be quiet for this long.
“Sam, I…” she began. She wouldn’t look me in the eyes, almost like she was ashamed of herself.
“You don’t have to explain it. Don’t worry, I get it. Some of us deal with our problems differently. You shouldn’t let Ben get to you to the point that you would do that to yourself. He’s a dick. If you ever see him again just remember that you’re so much better than him in every aspect, and you’re an independent woman that doesn’t need any man!” I wasn’t usually known for giving good pep talks, but I felt that my one to Layla was exceptionally well thought out.
I saw a smile fighting for dominance against the frown that was plastered on her face that eventually won and left her smiling bright. She wiped the remaining tears away from her face, laughing a little as she began walking back to the apartment lot.
“God, I’m such a drama queen. My ex-boyfriend shows up, so of course I have to make a big deal out of it,” she said.
“You only made a bit of a scene. I mean, whenever I see my ex I just laugh at how ugly she’s gotten. But you actually ran away. I’ve never seen that before, I can guarantee you that.” I joked. I was trying my hardest to make good out of a bad situation.
“Yeah, I guess that’s just me. I’m 95% mental,” she laughed. I felt glad with myself that I could make her smile after her little upset moment. “I think Ben just makes it so much worse. I have a pretty bad past with him…”
“You don’t need to explain it to me if you don’t want to. I definitely have some skeletons in the closet I wouldn’t want revealed to people.”
“Thanks for coming and talking to me, Sam. It really means a lot to me.”
And in that moment, I saw one of the most genuine smiles I have ever seen on any girl.
A tall, skinny figure that had called out my name began walking over to us. I didn't recognise who he was until he was about two metres away.
“B...B-Ben?” I could barely let those three letters leave my lips.
Ben? Why was he here, in Melbourne of all places? He was one of the reasons Charlotte and I escaped Sydney.
“Layla, you're here! I've missed you so much!” he exclaimed, pushing past Charlotte and coming towards me. His arms were wide open, as if he as about to hug me.
“No no no...” I mumbled. I wasn't going to let him into my life again. I ducked under him and ran. I had no idea where I was going – I couldn't even see where I was going because of the tears flooding my eyes – but I knew it was away from there, and away from Ben.
CHARLOTTE's POV
Shit.
Ben had shown up, so Layla ran away.
I had to do something, and FAST. I turned to Brad, Sam and Andy, who looked just as confused as I felt.
“I know you guys have no idea what's going on, and you haven't known us for that long, but I need your help.” I was speaking very quickly, because Layla needed to be found before she did something crazy.
“Sure, what do you need us to do?” Sam asked, suddenly sounding genuinely worried about Layla. I wasn’t expecting them to be so eager to help, but I was glad they were.
“I need you, Sam, to go look for Layla. She really does idolize you so much, so she'll follow if you get her to come back. Chances are, she hasn't gotten very far. Is that okay?” I said.
“That's fine. I'll be back soon then.” he said before he walked off to find her. It felt nice knowing that somebody we had only just met was nice enough to help us in our time of need.
I turned to Andy. “I'm gonna need you to go get some ice cream. I know that sounds like a pretty silly job, but ice cream always helps in situations like this and we just ran out.” I instructed. He nodded before saluting me and walking off to complete his assigned task.
“And now, for Ben...” I purposely didn't assign Brad a mission, so that he would have to remain with me.
Ben stood in front of Brad and I, a sly grin plastered across his face. I was trying my hardest to hold in all my anger I felt towards him.
“Ben, why the hell are you here? I thought we made it clear during our last encounter that we didn’t want to see you again.” I spoke calmly, even though really I just wanted to scream at the stop of my lungs. I felt much safer being in the presence of Ben knowing that Brad was standing behind me.
“You should have known I couldn’t stay away Layla.” The sound of his voice sent chills down my spine. I was so incredibly frightened of the guy, but I tried to make myself seem as intimidating as I could.
“Oh, Ben. Do you remember back in Year 11 when I broke your nose?” I asked. He didn’t say anything, just continued to stare me down. “Just so you know, I have gotten a lot stronger since then. And I’m sure you wouldn’t want end up in hospital once more, now would you?”
“Is that a threat, Charlotte?” he said, taking a step closer to me so he was towering over me. I held my breath but didn’t risk tearing my eyes away from his.
Brad then stepped in, forcing Ben away from me and causing him to stumble over only a little. “Dude, you wouldn’t hit a girl, would you?”
“It’s never stopped him before…” I mumbled under my breath, but I got the feeling that Brad had heard me, because he then approached Ben.
“Mate, I think it would be a smart move if you left now and stopped causing trouble for these two ladies.”
Ben took the warning and began backing away, raising his hands innocently. “This isn’t the last you’ll see of me!” he shouted before turning around the block and disappearing from my sight.
I almost immediately let out a massive sigh of relief, feeling my breath regaining its normal pace. I gently massaged my temples – encountering Ben was always stressful, but trusting Sam to locate my best friend was just worsening it all. There was silence between Brad and I for a few moments while I was still taking the time to calm myself.
“Hey, are you alright?” he grabbed onto my shoulders so I was facing him, and he looked directly into my eyes. “Don’t let him get to you. He can’t hurt you. C’mere,” he pulled me towards him and hugged me, squeezing me tight. A sense of safety washed over me, and I felt calm within that moment. I had never thought Brad would ever be hugging me, or even talking to me for that matter. It all felt like a dream, but a perfect dream at that.
I wished that moment could’ve lasted forever.
SAM’s POV
I was generally the kind of person to take risks, and often would do anything to help someone in need. I had only known Layla for a brief period of time, and in that short amount of time she had surely made an odd first impression, but my conscience was telling me that I had to help her. I could feel that she was in danger, so I wasn’t going to just leave her.
I hadn’t ventured very far away from the apartment building when I saw her sitting beneath a large Oak tree. She was hugging her knees, wiping tears away from her cheeks. I hurried over to her, kneeling down in front of her as soon as I got to her.
“Layla, thank God I found you. You had everyone worried!” I exclaimed, brushing the bits of dead leaves off her knees. She didn’t even look up at me.
“Why would you be worried? You don’t even know me…” she mumbled into her lap, tears still slowly dripping from her hazel eyes.
“Because I know what it’s like to be so scared, you just want to run away.” After I said that, she looked up at me. I could see the fear and the pain in her eyes when her gaze connected with mine. “And I can say from experience that running away is going to get you into danger. C’mon, let’s go back. Your friend is so worried about you.”
I stuck my hand out for her to grab, and she just stared at it for a few moments. Soon enough she extended her own hand, taking hold of mine and pulling herself to her feet. With her arm extended towards me, I could see her whole arm, including little parallel lines scarred into her skin. Some were darker than others, some were raised. Some looked like the scars had only just formed.
I was still holding onto her hand, staring at her scars. There were much more than just a few, and it was surprising that she was wearing a short-sleeved t-shirt that showed her arms out in the open like they were.
I realized I had been staring for too long when she pulled her hand out of my grip, hiding it behind her back and suddenly getting really shy. I hadn’t ever thought her, the girl who was absolutely mental and loud when I first met her only moments earlier, would ever be quiet for this long.
“Sam, I…” she began. She wouldn’t look me in the eyes, almost like she was ashamed of herself.
“You don’t have to explain it. Don’t worry, I get it. Some of us deal with our problems differently. You shouldn’t let Ben get to you to the point that you would do that to yourself. He’s a dick. If you ever see him again just remember that you’re so much better than him in every aspect, and you’re an independent woman that doesn’t need any man!” I wasn’t usually known for giving good pep talks, but I felt that my one to Layla was exceptionally well thought out.
I saw a smile fighting for dominance against the frown that was plastered on her face that eventually won and left her smiling bright. She wiped the remaining tears away from her face, laughing a little as she began walking back to the apartment lot.
“God, I’m such a drama queen. My ex-boyfriend shows up, so of course I have to make a big deal out of it,” she said.
“You only made a bit of a scene. I mean, whenever I see my ex I just laugh at how ugly she’s gotten. But you actually ran away. I’ve never seen that before, I can guarantee you that.” I joked. I was trying my hardest to make good out of a bad situation.
“Yeah, I guess that’s just me. I’m 95% mental,” she laughed. I felt glad with myself that I could make her smile after her little upset moment. “I think Ben just makes it so much worse. I have a pretty bad past with him…”
“You don’t need to explain it to me if you don’t want to. I definitely have some skeletons in the closet I wouldn’t want revealed to people.”
“Thanks for coming and talking to me, Sam. It really means a lot to me.”
And in that moment, I saw one of the most genuine smiles I have ever seen on any girl.