There was a knock on the door and I had a feeling it was Lelo, she wanted to come over last night and when I texted her that Damon was here, she promised she will be here bright and early today to get the full coverage. I don't understand how she's still a banker when clearly she should have been a journalist.

I walked to the door already practicing my smile for the moment her dark down eyes pierced into mine, but the moment I opened the door, a different pair and colour of eyes were staring at me and I frowned a little

“Aren't you going to invite me in?”, his brows rose, and I stepped aside while opening the door widely for him to come in. I noticed he had a traveling bag with him, meaning he was going to stay for a couple of days and sighed after I closed the door behind him. When I turned to face him, he had his arms folded across his chest, looking at me with a hint of disapproval in his eyes.

“So, are you going to hug me or what?”, I laughed nervously, noticing his expression didn't change at all before he took a step closer and pulled me for a bone crashing hug

“Don't ever do that to me again, I thought something happened to you, I was legit worried”, he said during the hug as I struggled to catch my breath. “I was even thinking of calling the police thinking maybe he did something to you”

When he finally released me, I could feel my rib cage expanding, inhaling all the oxygen back inside

“Quinton, I'm a big girl”, I walked to the kitchen, and he followed after me. “I can look after myself”

“What was I supposed to think?”, hr put out both his hands. “You were not answering any of my calls or responding to any of my texts”

“Don't you think it's time for you to get a girlfriend?”, I rose a brow at him, and he rolled his eyes a little. “Someone who will appreciate you blowing up their phone every 3 hours”

“Layla, I care about you. The last thing I want is for your life to be in danger”.

“I know that and I'm fine. I'm sure those two guys you hired to follow me around everywhere can vouch for me”.

He facepalmed before shaking his head. “You noticed you were being followed? I thought I asked them to be invisible”.

“I know you mean well, but really I'm fine”, I smiled at him. “Really fine”

He paused for a second, studying me with his eyebrow raised. “I take that you and Damon are back together again”

“Not really but at least we're on talking terms”, I shrugged a little before punching him lightly on the chest. “He also told me you were giving him a hard time, shame on you”

“Ow”, he winced in fake pain. “He deserves it after everything he put you through, I should have done that and more”

“You do recall we're talking about a guy who beat you to a pulp on top of other stitches you had”, I held back a laugh as his face changed

“That was then and besides, I'm not afraid of him anymore. I've been hitting the gym”, he said proudly with a smirk on his face.

“I knew something was different about you”, I held his arm with both my small hands. “You're a lot bigger than I last saw you. Impressive”, I nodded my head, giving him an approving look.

“Oh why, thank you”, he grinned, walking out of the kitchen with his chest out

“So, how's Amy?”, I plobbed next to him on the couch and his face dropped a little in disappointment

“I don't know”

“What's going on?”, I asked, and he shrugged his shoulders again

“I just found out she got engaged”, he breathed out as he looked at me

“Oh Quinny”, my shoulders slumped down in disappointment before taking his hand in mine. “I'm sorry”

“No worries, she looks happy with the guy, so I'm good”, he forced a smile. “Anyway life is about moving on isn't it?”

“She never knew how you feel about her”

“I did tell her, and she turned me down way before she met the other guy, she didn't feel the same way about me”, he said, and I was about to engulf him in a long hug, but he quickly stood up to his feet

“Let's get drunk tonight”

I stared blankly at him before laughing a little. “Are you serious?”

“Dead serious and this time we have extra security around us, we should be safe”

“Well, I don't see why not”, I stood up to refresh up but suddenly remembered something. “Hey, do you mind if Lelo tagged along?”

“Nope, the more, the merrier. Besides I like Lelo, she's quite the character”, he laughed, and I smiled at him before going to my bedroom.

“Layla, are you sure you're okay?”, Quinton asked me for the 5th time when I just gulped down my 9th shot

“Could you relax?”, I slurred a little and burped, causing me to laugh a little. Okay today I was drunk, had a few drinks accompanied by shots and I could safely say I was a mess. What a way to end my anniversary day.

“Lelo, I think we should take her home”, Quinton said and Lelo agreed with him. Surprisingly, they both were very much sober, each of them still stuck on one drink since we got here at the bar

“No, no”, I shook my head. “You said we came here to get drunk”, I pointed out to Quinton. “And yet you're very much sober”

“Yeah the idea was to get drunk, not to die of alcohol poisoning”, he exclaimed worriedly, and I rolled my eyes

“Layla sweetie, I think you've had enough for tonight”, Lelo tried pulling me up from my seat

“It's not even midnight yet”, I whined

“I know, but we need to get you back home. This has gotten a bit out of hand”, she said, and I pulled myself from her grip.

“Here you go sounding like Damon, telling me what and what not to do. I'm a grown ass woman and I can do whatever I want. You don't own me, neither does he”, I sneered at her and her jaw dropped a little. I was about to continue, but I was interrupted by Quinton picking me up bridal style and carried me out of the bar to the car, and I was yelling and hurling insults at everything.

“Layla, pull yourself together”, Quinton reprimanded me as he placed me on the couch, I didn't even realize that we were home already

“Quinton, I think I should spend the night, I can't just leave her like this”, Lelo whispered to Quinton, and he nodded his head

“I'm going to make us coffee, she really needs it”, Quinton walked to the kitchen and Lelo knelt next to me on the couch

“Layla honey, I think we should get you to bed now”, she was saying softly as if she was talking to a little child

“I think I'm going to get sick”, I suddenly sat up, feeling something coming up my throat

“You want to throw up?”, she asked before I bolted to the bathroom, and she followed me. When I got in, I just knelt in front of the toilet because nothing came out.

“Are you okay?”, she asked worriedly, and I nodded my head

“I'm sorry”, I started crying and her features softened a little as she engulfed me in a hug

“Are you two okay in there?”, Quinton knocked on the bathroom door

“Just give us a minute “, Lelo told him, and we heard his footsteps moving away from the door

“I messed everything up”, I continued crying and Lelo kept rubbing my back

“It's okay sweetie, let it all out”, she said and the waterworks worked wonders, I cried so hard I don't even recall the exact moment I fell asleep

The next morning, I felt like I had multiple stab wounds in my head, struggling to peel my eyes open, and I groaned out in pain, attempting to get up, but I was experiencing a piercing headache. I feel like hell, like a train ran me over and then reversed to finish me off.

I'm never touching alcohol again in my life

“Look who's up”, Lelo and Quinton chorused together as they walked into my bedroom and I groaned a little at the sight of them, pulling the covers over my head and buried myself underneath

“Did you manage to sleep whatever that got into you off?”, Quinton placed a tray of breakfast besides me and as much as I was starving to death, I wasn't in the mood for chewing at the moment because I felt tired and drained

“Eat”, Quinton ordered, placing the food on my lap and Lelo sat next to me on the bed

“I can't”, I rubbed my temples softly to ease the throbbing, mind stopping pain. “I think I have a hangover”

“Then you need to eat so that I can give you some pills for that hangover”, Lelo added, and I blew a raspberry. Quinton phone rang, and he looked at the caller ID before excusing himself to answer the call.

“I feel horrible”, I whined. “Why didn't you stop me?”

“I tried but didn't want any more bruises on my body. You know you bit my hand after I tried to stop you from taking your 6th shot?”, she showed me her hand, with teeth marks on it and I covered my mouth with my hand.

“Oh my God, I did this?”, I breathed out in disbelief, taking her hand in mine, and she nodded. “I'm sorry”, I kissed and caressed her hand softly. “Why didn't you slap some sense into me?”

She laughed. “Oh trust me, it did cross my mind the moment you jammed your freaking vampire teeth into my hand but beating the shit out of you that moment would have been totally worthless, you probably wouldn't have felt a thing”

She was right, I was immune to physical pain when I was drunk. I hope I didn't do anything else that's stupid last night.

“Damon”, I answered his call curtly the second I was far enough from the girls and I wasn't actually thrilled about getting calls from Damon these days

“You never learn, do you?”, his voice was cold, full of anger and resentment

“What?”

“A few hours with Layla, you're already getting her drunk, again”

How in the hell did he-

“What's the fucking matter with you Quinton?. You know what happened the last time you and Layla planned to get drunk”.

“Listen, I don't know what you've heard, but nothing bad happened last night, I wasn't even drunk last night"

“But she was”

“I don't know where you're getting all of this but-”

“She called me”

Jesus Layla...

“She what?”

“Yeah, she called me to remind of how much of a selfish, arrogant bastard I am”

Well she's not wrong bout that

“Shit”

“Listen to me Quinton, I think you've forgotten me and what I'm capable of doing to you whenever you jeopardize Layla's life”

“Spare me the threats okay?”, I clicked my tounge. “From now on, nothing bad is going to happen to Layla under my watch, she's safe with me”

I hung up on him just when he was about to say something, and I know would piss him off a little

“You called Damon?”, I asked her when I walked into her bedroom and her eyebrows knitted in confusion as she and Lelo exchanged looks

“I did?”, she looked so confused it wasn't even funny. “Why?”

“I don't know”, I shrugged my shoulders. “You tell me”

“I personally don't remember calling Damon-”, she paused as she remembered something, her eyes widening a little as she looked at me

“You remember now don't you?”, I asked and her eyes widened as she placed both her hands on her face.

“What have I done?”

It wasn't the first time I heard those words from Layla, and at first they didn't even spark a reaction from me, but yesterday

I don't know, it's like they were some sort of sword meant to pierce through my soul or something. I know I'm probably overthinking, but I'm really bothered by all of this. Layla wasn't herself when she was drunk, yes, but you know what they say about drunken words being sober thoughts or whatever, meaning that people become more honest whenever they're drunk.

Does she really hate me? Or was she just saying all of this to hurt me in order to make herself feel better?

But that wasn't like Layla, she's not like that, I know she changed, and I played a role in that but that doesn't certainly mean that she turned mean overnight

I need to get to the bottom of this

The pills Lelo gave me made feel sleepy all over again, and I fell asleep within minutes after I took them. I recall Lelo kissing my cheek and whispering that she was leaving and will call later to check up on me before I completely passed out, but then I was woken up by my phone vibrating under my pillow and I lazily answered it without looking at the caller ID.

“Hello?”

“This is a call from the Sun City Correctional Services, please press 1 to accept the call”

Correctional Services?

I pressed one and awaited to hear who would speak on the other line

“Layla?”, the voice asked, seemingly relieved that I accepted the call

“Yeah, who's this?”

The person drew a sharp breath before answering, “It's me, Daniel”