Marissa: i think he’s going to ask you out when you get back
Lachlan tenses. I look up and find his eyes narrowed and dark as he looks from the screen to me. I ignore him.
Me: it’s not gonna happen obv. I’ll have to talk to him
Lachlan signals for me to hand the phone to him. I look up with a frown but hand it to him anyway, because I’m curious to see what he’s going to do next.
Me: mar, it’s lachlan, do me a favor and tell him to go fuck himself
Marissa: LMAO i can’t do that
Me: tell him she got back together with her ex and that he proposed and they got married right away and she’s very very very happy
“That happy, huh?” I ask, amused.
He shoots me a look and types again.
Me: tell that shit head wade the same thing
Me: and whoever else i didn’t meet and wants to fuck lyla
Marissa: LOOOOOLLLLLLLL youre insane but i’ll tell them if i see them again before i leave
Me: thanks
He hands back the phone. I stare at him for a moment and put it away. Regardless of what happened, I was going to tell them both about Lachlan, the moment I got back. That was before things escalated so quickly. They’re going to be shocked when I tell them that not only did I get back with my ex, but we got married. I can’t even blame Lach for wanting to put an end to their advances. If the tables were turned, I’d do the same. I look around again but still don’t see Jameson. We remain seated during lunch and afterward, as we wait for dessert. They bring us glasses of wine — red or white. They’re already poured, and on the trays, so I pick red, even though I doubt I’ll drink it. Lach does the same and also sets it in front of his plate. Another server comes back with water and tops mine off before he continues to the next table. I take a sip of that instead. I’ve been drinking it the entire time, and it’s been fine, so I’m not worried. The dessert is placed in front of us — a slice of chocolate ganache cake that looks amazing. Neither of us touches it.
“Have you seen Coach Bev?” the volleyball coach asks me, as she digs into the slice of chocolate cake.
“Not yet.” I look around.
“She’s at the very last table over there. The same one we’re in, but on the opposite side.”
“I’ll have to say hello.” I smile a little.
“I’m sure she’d love to hear all the amazing things you’ve been up to.” She smiles.
My gaze drifts over to where Coach Bev is sitting. Banks is the only person I recognize at the table. I wait a few more minutes before scooting my chair back and rising from my seat. Lach follows suit, so we politely excuse ourselves and head to the lobby. One of the men traveling with us is walking the lobby and turns to acknowledge us.
“I have to go to the bathroom,” I say, loud enough for him to hear. “Do I turn this off?”
“You don’t have to,” he says, his lips pulling into a smile. “Trust me, there’s nothing in this world we haven’t heard.”
I look at Lachlan and shoot him a look that amuses him, but he has the sense not to laugh. I don’t want to leave the mic on while I’m actually in the stall, but I’m more scared than I am embarrassed. At least, I think I am. The doors beside us open suddenly, and we turn to see my father step out, jaw dropped when he looks at me.
“I thought it was you,” he says, his voice hoarse as he walks over to me.
Before I can even say hello, he throws his arms around me and hugs me tight. I’m not sure what I expected would happen when I saw him again, but it wasn’t this kind of greeting. He showed me indifference for so long that this doesn’t feel real. I know it’s genuine, but it doesn’t feel real. When he pulls away, he holds me by the shoulders and looks at my face again, tears brimming in his eyes.
“Oh my God, Lyla.” He shakes his head, blinking back tears as his hands leave my shoulders. “Where have you been?”
“In med school.”
“Med school?” He blinks, brows shooting up. “Wh-how?”
I know what he’s asking is, “with what money?” He’d be right to have that question, since he paid for everything I’ve ever had. I may have been ignored many times and shown indifference to others, but money and the things it could buy were never something I lacked. That included school. When I left, I forfeited all of it. Since I didn’t want to be found, I didn’t even get into the bank account that had been set up for me as an infant. I’d borrowed money from Prescott and Marissa.
Even though they’d been adamant about not paying them back, I did. Of course, paying them back meant I could only pay the bare minimum of my school loans, but I couldn’t complain about the financial struggle I was experiencing for the first time, when so many lived paycheck to paycheck their entire lives. Dad’s still staring at me like he can’t believe I’m real. I study him just as intently — his light brown eyes, smooth dark complexion, and the natural waves in his short hair. He’d always seemed larger than life to me, and in stature, he still is, but right now, I feel bigger and stronger than him in every other aspect. I clear my throat when I realize we’ve just been standing there, staring at each other.
