I almost die when I have to leave Lucas. My throat is dry with need when he stops his car by my building and turns to look at me.

"Bye." His lips stretch into a slow smile, as if he knows exactly what's going on in my head.

"Bye." I narrow my eyes at him.

Instead of replying, he lowers his gaze down to my lips, parting his mouth just for the tip of his tongue to run over his bottom lip. Subtly, his square jaw shifts and Adam's apple bobs before he drags his slow, dark gaze back up.

"Yeah bye." I push the door open and fly out, sighing in relief for the cold air on my face.

I walk to my apartment but look over my shoulder only to find him staring, not at all embarrassed for getting caught. I roll my eyes, but smile as I walk ahead only to curiously check again and find him still staring.

It's not until I go inside and shut the door that he turns on his car and finally drives off.

I lean against the door and close my eyes as the fantasy of him appears in front of me. Pinned by a possessive glare with arms by my sides, telling me I'm his and not going anywhere.

"No." I slap myself. "Bad Layla, bad."

I stomp to take a cold shower, which accidentally turns into a hot one. Wink wink.

"Miss me?" He texts later at 10 PM when I'm in a silk babydoll on my bed, watching 'Sense8.'

"No."

"Too bad. Cause I miss you."

"Federico! Your father is torturing us!"

Federico is facing the wall to think about his career plans, because I'm not comfortable with him staring at me when I'm half naked.

"It's okay... I'll handle it." I drawl, feeling guilty for bothering.

I lie on my back and bend my knees in a feminine angle, snapping a picture from my chest down to my legs. The image is dark blue with a small source of red light which... admittedly is from a sleeping puppy night light that I bought from the kid's section.

"Hopefully not too much." I send along with the image and get an immediate reply.

"Fuck..."

"Oops." I smirk.

"You're killing me..."

"Good."

"What are you doing in that?"

"Waiting for my other boyfriend, Ignacio."

During the two minutes he doesn't reply, I worry about my blood pressure and wonder if I'm too young to buy one of those machines that measures it.

"Alright. I'm on my way." He finally texts.

"What???"

"To kill him."

And they say romance is dead.

"Why? I like him."

"Then I'll kill you too."

And now I'm laughing at a death threat.

"Good. Then you'll rot in jail and finally experience anal."

~

He calls the next morning at 10 AM.

"Morning, beautiful. Are you still in bed?"

"No?" I scoff. "I've been up since 6 AM, working."

"Wow..." He drawls sarcastically. "I forgot I'm dating a military dictator. I'm so sorry Sergeant. Please, forgive me."

"You can't switch from monster to Sergeant..." I smile, totally forgetting what I was just typing. I grab a strawberry from my unfinished oatmeal, stretching my legs under the coffee table.

"How come you don't have any nicknames for me?" He asks like it's been on his mind.

"I do."

"What is it?"

"Satan."

"Thanks."

"Peasant, slave, puppy, ugly, chimpanzee, curly nose hair, sticky butt scratch. I got many."

"Thanks, babe. Thanks."

"You're welcome homie." I smirk and he sighs.

"Anyway, what are you plans today?"

"Why are you so obsessed with me?"

"I just want to know where you'll be so I can avoid going there."

"Then why would I tell you..." I laugh.

"Listen... I'm going to be prepping at the restaurant for... well until it's ready to open. You're welcome to use it as a working spot. There's WiFi and everything."

"And you." I note to emphasize why exactly he's offering it.

"Exactly, and me. Do you want me to pick you up?"

"No, I'm fine. I'll come there myself."

"Alright, no need to chop my head off. When will you be here?"

~

I wanted to sport a cute hobo look so I went to the mall and spent too much money on an oversized blue sweatshirt to look like one.

I also wanted to be sexy so I got black leggings with mesh sides. And since I mean serious business, I put my hair in a high ponytail.

I'm seated by the wall with my laptop and notebook on the table, Lucas is across the room behind the island, testing recipes for his menu. He's playing music on his phone but I have my headphones on to focus on this spectacular data chart on my screen.

Until my phone alerts a text message and I open to see a picture he just took of me. I had no idea I look so angry when I'm focusing.

Lucas just smirks under his lashes when I take my headphones off to give him a 'what the hell' look. The sun from the open window next to him highlights the warm browns in his hair and casts a golden glow on his skin.

"You look like a grumpy kitten." He teases, scrunching his nose, but as he lifts his hands to type on an invisible laptop, he flinches back.

I get up to ask if he's okay when he just takes his shirt off and starts to violently whip the air.

His abs and biceps flex as he fixates a mean glare at an invisible thing while I wonder where the mop is so I can clean my drool off the floor.

"Are you murdering a bee?" I asks when he looks down after the last victorious whip.

"Yup."

"Ignacio!" I gasp, running to the crime scene. "He came to rescue me!"

"Well, he's dead." Lucas says a bit too seriously and picks Ignacio with a paper towel, tossing him in the trash while I wave goodbye.

"May we meet in the afterlife..." I say to my brutally murdered lover when my brain registers I have a half-naked Lucas next to me.

"Why are you blushing like that?" He smiles and I sheepishly giggle while stepping back.

"No reason." I hide my hands behind my back as he smirks at me knowingly. My gaze lowers to his neck then. "Would you like a leash?"

Lucas just graces me with 'is this poodle for real' type of a blink and I curl my finger at him.

"You know, so I can pull you down on me whenever I wish."

"Is that so..." He says calmly, pacing towards me. I'm quick like a tiger to make a run for it, but somehow he catches me from the back of my sweatshirt.

"That's new and expensive." I warn with my leg frozen mid-air which I expertly whip back for a kick in his stomach, but because he's more flexible without a shirt, he catches that too.

He laughs like a maniac and jerks my leg to the side, making me latch onto the counter.

"Let go!"

"What are you going to do now, huh?"

I bend my leg that he's holding and hop with the standing one to punch his chest but he grabs my wrists too.

"You can't touch me!" I yell, bouncing pathetically on one leg.

"This is self-defense." He chuckles at my ridiculous state. "You're the one attacking me."

I try to bite his hand that's gripping my wrists but he lifts it over my head and makes me lose my balance. "I'm going to fall!"

"Good." He lowers me on the ground, laughing as I fight to cling onto him.

"Ew! I don't want to be on your nasty floors!"

"You should've thought of that sooner." He chuckles and bends to violently tickle my stomach, which unleashes my psychopath alter ego, causing me to kick him in the nuts.

"Holy..." He drops beside me, holding his goodies.

I cackle — first quietly, then increasingly louder — like Yzma from 'The Emperor's New Groove' when she's a kitten holding the poison.

"What's wrong with you?" Lucas chokes out, face red and distorted.

"Marine training my ass." I wipe my hands as I get up. "I told you don't touch me."

~

Tuesday.

"Do you have an Instagram for this place?" I ask Lucas across the room as I scroll online.

"No... I need to get on that." He says, focusing on the lasagna he just took out of the oven.

"You should. Because you're already famous on TikTok."

He freezes. "What?"

I open the video I took of him yesterday while he was cooking shirtless and mosey to the kitchen to show him.

"See, it got two hundred thousand views since yesterday..."

"You took a video of me shirtless?" He yells as a very sexy video of him expertly tossing a pan plays on the screen.

"You looked so good in the sunset light." I say, smiling as the video replays. "Besides, it's good marketing. I got a lot of inquiries about when you'll be opening."

"Wait, you promoted the restaurant?" Lucas looks at me incredulously and I sober up.

"Yeah..." My voice becomes timid. "You don't have a presence on social media, so it'll be hard to get customers. Besides with this space aesthetic, every influencer will want to visit which will spread the name like a virus."

Lucas grabs my phone to read through the comments, knitting his eyebrows together.

"I should've asked..." I peek at his serious face.

"Doesn't it bother you that I'm half naked?"

"No... you're competing with other Italian restaurants in the area and need to stand out. Those owners are fat dads..." I bite my lip slowly and look at him under my lashes as he scowls at me. "You're a hot daddy."

He turns to give me with a half tired and half annoyed face — one of my favorites.

"Don't be shy, daddy. Your milkshakes bring all the girls to the yard."

"I swear... I'm going to kill you." He pinches the bridge of his nose and I giggle, lifting his shirt up his chest.

"Use what your mama gave you!" I motorboat him, blowing raspberries.

"Am I interrupting something?" A familiar female voice says behind me and I turn to see it's shocked Fiona by the door.

"Mom!" Lucas jerks his shirt down. "No, Layla was just being dumb as usual."

"Excuse me." I grumble, but shut up when his jaw tightens.

"Relax..." She rolls her eyes, stepping inside. "Don't act like you weren't enjoying it."

"Mom!" His cheeks flush and I try not to laugh.

"Are you torturing my son?" Fiona smirks at me before wrapping me in a hug.

"I posted a shirtless video of him cooking and now people want to know when his restaurant is going to open." I gloat as we pull away.

"That's incredible!" She praises, then hugs Lucas, kissing his cheeks. "Of course it went viral, my son is so handsome!"

"My God..." Lucas kisses her forehead before escaping into the supply room. "Both of you need help."

Fiona turns to me with an unfazed, cheeky grin. "Want to have coffee?"

~

We hang out with Fiona and she comments on Lucas's menu, explaining certain ways to organize it so the customers read more easily. She also advices how to put it based on the prices so it doesn't appear too expensive.

It's fascinating how much psychology goes behind mundane human decisions.

I tell them how my dad has reached out to congratulate me on starting my own business and offered his help if I ever needed it.

"I told him he can hire me then promote me on his LinkedIn." I smile. "He has a huge following and that'll bring in a lot of traffic."

"Good for you." She agrees lovingly. "It'll also be nice for the two of you to spend time together, right?"

"Sure..." I look down at the white cappuccino cup in my hands. "It's up to him to get to know me though, I'm done putting so much effort."

"He will." Lucas says, eyes cold. "And if he doesn't, then he's stupid."

"Lucas..." Fiona warns behind the rim of her cup.

"What? I'm sorry, but he's been an ignorant jerk to her for way too long, let him sweat a little."

"He's right..." I say, slightly embarrassed. "I'm just glad he made an effort after I set boundaries. It's going to be nice to not have to pretend anymore."

She reaches to hold my hand. "You should never have to pretend, especially around family."

~

When Fiona leaves, Lucas and I get a couple of more hours of work done until dinner. Thankfully the kitchen is full of food he has cooked, so we get a free buffet. We're about to sit to eat when someone taps on the open door.

"Give me your money, motherfucker!" Lev snarls, standing with Shushan, then he notices me. "Layla! How you doing, girl?"

"Hey, bro." Lucas walks up to him and they do a one-armed hug with a back pat while Shushan comes to give me a real one.

"Just wanted to stop by and see if you needed help with anything." Lev looks at Lucas before his eyes wonder to the table filled with food. 

"Are you... guys hungry?" Lucas asks.

"Oh no.. it's fine." He waves his off then aliens land outside. Wait no, that's his stomach.

"Honey..." Shushan chuckles nervously and Lev apologizes under his breath.

"Please guys, take a seat. I'll go grab you some plates." Lucas drags two chairs from the table next to us and brings them over.

"Are you sure?" Lev says with worry, staring after Lucas as he retrieves to the kitchen.

My chest flutters nervously when I realize why Lev looks like that.

I hope Lucas doesn't gets triggered when he realizes that he's kind of about to host.

"Of course!" Lucas scoffs, pulling plates and utensils from a cabinet before coming back. "There's so much food, besides, I need the opinions. Sit." He beckons, taking a seat.

Lev and Shush give me a small smile before they carefully sit next to us, afraid to break whatever spell has taken over Lucas.

Lucas lifts the containers from the center and brings them over to each of us so we can scoop onto our plates, explaining what the dishes are.

Childlike enthusiasm brightens his face as he talks to us. The corners of his eyes wrinkle as he laughs. His chestnut eyes glow. His dimples deepen with a contagious smile.

I swallow the lump in my throat and glance at Lev whose eyes are glazed. Shushan is staring at Lucas and laughs tearfully when I catch her. I notice Lev taking her hand under the table as they exchange some silent words.

"Everything tastes incredible, man." Lev clears his throat, tone full of affection and pride.

"And plated so beautifully too." Shushan sniffles, quickly covering with a cough. "Damn, allergies."

Lucas's smile fades slowly as he reads the room. He gives a half-hearted chuckle and lowers his eyes on his plate as realization dawns on him like an unexpected cloud. He tries not to show it and pretends to eat, pushing his fork around absentmindedly.

I reach my hand under the table to rest it on his thigh, brushing my thumb to tell him that he's okay and I'm here for him. I hope he also feels his dad next to him, telling him how proud he is of him right now.

My heart swells when he lowers his hand under the table and intertwines it with mine, holding it on his lap as he looks at Shush and Lev.

"You guys are welcome anytime."

~

"Baby..."

My hair is gently brushed as I stir awake. I raise my head from my folded arms on the table and squint.

"Did I fall asleep?" I mumble, breaking into a tired yawn that makes him yawn too.

"Yeah..." Lucas is seated next to me, almost trapping me between his spread legs. "You knocked out while I was cleaning up."

"When did Lev and Shush leave?" I look around the dark restaurant illuminated with pendant lights. The dreamy fairytale is back.

"A while ago." He stands up. "Come on, I need your help."

"With what?"

"I need you to taste my desserts."

"Desserts?" I rub my eyes and he beckons to the kitchen.

"Hop on the counter." He says when we walk around the island. I comply, because I like when my feet dangle, plus I don't have to break my neck to look up at him.

Lucas stands tall and delicious in front of me and I fight the urge to open my legs for him.

"Am I going to be blindfolded?"

He raises an eyebrow. "You want to be?"

"Might be fun."

His lips twitch with mischief. "As you wish."

~A/N~
Ready for some dessert?
Also, can you tell we're almost at the end? I think 1-2 chapters away. I'm seriously so sad, but so grateful to you guys, for supporting Layla, Lucas, and me along the way ❤️