Hidden Love by MINK

3

Layla

Iopen one eye when a paw hits my cheek to find Paisley staring at me while sitting on the pillow next to mine. His big green eyes beg me to get up. Who needs an alarm clock when you can have a cat instead?

“It’s our day off.” I yawn, reminding him that we don’t have to be up so early. I snuggle deeper into the bed, not wanting to move. Another tap hits my cheek within seconds of my eyes falling closed. I try to ignore it until he nuzzles his head under my chin, letting out a loud purr. We both know he’s going to win this round. He always does. He’s a persistent little thing.

“Fine,” I huff. I reach out and give him a nice long pet before I sit up. He darts off the bed and out of my room to go pace around the kitchen until I get there. I yawn as I stretch, then throw my legs over the side of the bed. Paisley will have to wait until I at least use the bathroom. Before I can even finish sitting down to pee, he’s poking his head into the bathroom to silently tell me to hurry up.

“I’m coming. Jeez. It’s been two seconds.” He can be so bossy sometimes. I get myself together and head down the hallway. This time Paisley follows behind me to make sure I’m doing what I’m supposed to. I grab him a can of wet cat food and put it in a bowl, then place it on the floor. He sniffs it and turns and walks away.

“What the heck?”

He climbs up his cat contraption thing in front of the window to stare out at the birds in the tree only a few feet away. The sun is barely up.

“Whatever. I’m awake. Are you happy?” Still tired from all of the stress at work yesterday, I drop onto the sofa. “Just because you’re awake doesn't mean I need to be, too. Some of us work and need our sleep on the days we’re home. We don’t have the luxury of lying around the house all day.”

He flicks his tail like he doesn't understand me. I know he does. I don’t care what Gia says. That cat understands everything. He has from the moment he showed up in my apartment. I’d moved in, and there he was. I didn’t really have a choice in the matter of whether he was going to live here or not.

I thought maybe the previous renters forgot him, but when I asked the owner of the complex to check into it, he said they had no idea what I was talking about. Paisley made himself right at home, or maybe it was me who made myself right at home in his place. Doesn’t matter anyway, now that his little furry butt has stolen a piece of my heart.

“What are we going to do today?” I lie down, resting my head on one of my throw pillows and allowing my eyes to fall closed. I peek one open when I hear Paisley jump down from his tree stand. He goes over to the kitchen to finally eat his breakfast. He’s the world's cutest brat.

I must nod off for a moment. When I come to, the room is filled with sunlight. Paisley is fast asleep in one of his many cat beds.

I should take this chance to slip out. I always hate leaving him. He’ll give me the cold shoulder when I come home, but I need to run a few errands. It might be my day off from my full-time job, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have my own stuffed creations to make. Ones that I craft by hand. They’re all custom and stitched with love. I make sure to create each and every one unique.

I make myself get up and head to my bedroom to get ready. I keep it simple with a pair of yoga pants and a baby sweater. It takes more time than anything to wrangle my hair into one of those cute messy buns people put on their head. I never get it right on the first try. Who knew a messy bun could be so hard to get right? It seems to defeat the purpose. I slip on some warm comfy boots before peeking into the living room to see Paisley still out cold.

Quickly, I grab my bag and phone, then slip out the front door. I’m going to have to stop at the pet store and get him something. I lock up, taking the stairs down to my car.

When I turn the ignition I hear a clicking sound over and over. I groan. This can’t be happening. I have to get to the fabric store today. I’ve gotten three new orders for stuffies that I need to fill. These can’t be late. I’ve just started to get noticed. My reviews online have been killer so far. I don’t want to mess this up. I take pride in all the work I do and getting my product to the buyer on time is important.

I try again, but all I get is the same continuous clicking noise. I drop my head forward onto the steering wheel. This is one of those moments that you call your dad or someone in your family to come and help you out. I sigh, knowing that I don’t have that option.

Every time something goes wrong, Gia could whip out her phone and call one of her family members. Her family either comes up with a solution or they know someone who could find one to her problem. It makes me a little sad that I don’t have that luxury. I know that if I call Gia, she will get someone to help me but I don’t want to do that. She’d already helped me out big time yesterday to get me out of the cotton explosion that occurred.

I jump when my phone rings from inside of my bag. I go for it, knowing it has to be Gia with it being my day off. When I look at the screen I don’t recognize the number.

“Hello.” I answer.

“Hey, Layla. It’s Tony.”

“Gia’s brother Tony?” Of course it is. His voice isn’t that easy to forget. His Italian accent is much thicker than Gia’s.

“I might have nabbed your number from her phone. Sorry about that.” He doesn’t sound the least bit sorry. In fact, I can picture him giving me one of those many smiles he gave me yesterday when he fixed that machine and saved my behind from being fired. He stopped grinning at me so much after Gia smacked him in the back of the head a couple times.

“Oh,” is all I can think to say. “Is Gia okay?” The thought suddenly hits me that something might be wrong.

“She’s good. She’s not why I was calling. I wanted to see if you wanted to hang out.”

Oh God. Is he asking me out?

“I can’t. My car won’t start and--“

“I’ll come over and check it out. I’m sure I can fix it. You saw how fast I fixed that machine yesterday.” True. “Text me your address, and I’ll be right over.”

“Thanks,” I say, not wanting to turn down the help but also unsure of what agreeing to this might mean.

“See you in a minute. Hold tight.” He hangs up. I send him my address and wonder if I should tell Gia or not. She told me to stay away from her brother, but if she were here right now she’d probably be calling one of her brothers to come help me.

I fiddle with my phone for a minute and get distracted by a coupon from the fabric store. It’s only good for today. I have to get there. Every dollar I can save matters and brings me closer to being able to work only for myself.

I scream when a tap sounds on my window. All I can really see is a thick leg and equally impressive crotch. I don’t have to see his face to know he’s not Tony. This man is big. He leans down, peering into my window. My eyes lock with a pair of bright blue eyes that hold me in a trance. I’ve never seen eyes so blue in my whole life. I’m lost in them for a few moments.

“Pop the hood,” the big man tells me, breaking me from the spell.

“Ah.” I look around the inside the car, not sure how to pop the hood. He grabs the door handle and pulls, then reaches in and grabs a lever I’ve never noticed before. My hood pops open.

“Sounds like your battery.” His voice is deep, skimming across my skin. I suck in a breath and nod, because I have no idea what’s happening to my body. It’s practically humming.

I watch as he moves around the car and opens my hood, which blocks my view of him. I try to get out but am jerked back by the seatbelt, which causes the entire car to jolt. In the blink of an eye, the hulk of a man is back in front of me, those blue eyes once again staring into mine.

“You okay?”

I nod. What is wrong with me? Why can’t I speak? He continues looking at me, his eyes roaming all over. For some reason, I feel the need to show my hands.

“Seatbelt got me.” I reach down and click the button. He takes a step back so I can get out.

“You’re tall.” I state the obvious as I lean my head all the way back to look up at him. Maybe I should just stick to not talking at all. “Handsome too.” I really need to zip it. I did not just say that.

A slow smile pulls at his lips as my face turns a bright red.

“Layla!” I turn at the sound of my name being shouted. The giant shifts, blocking me so that I'm unable to see anything.

“You okay, Layla?”

“Oh, hey, Tony.” I peek around the man to see Tony standing there, sizing up the man in front of me.

“She’s fine. You can leave.” Again, the man’s deep voice does something to me.

“I’ll let her tell me that.” Tony tries to sound authoritative, but there is no matching this man’s presence. He has a don’t mess with me vibe going on.

“Guys.” I tap the man's arm. I’m not sure what’s going on between them, but I don’t have time for this. I hold up my phone. “I really need to make this sale. Fabric is half off today.”

They both turn to look at me.

I place my hands on my hips, letting them know I’m serious about this. “What?” I shrug. “That's a steal!”