to touch her if just for a second. My heart yearns to just be next to her.
“We need to get a couple of shots of the four of us,” Nico says. “Let's go over there.” He points at the photo station setup.
I don’t know how long I spend there posing for pictures. The girls have us changing places and then switching around, and I am about to snap when she finally says, “I think I got it.”
Without listening to anything else, I just walk to the dance floor and look around the room for her. I turn in a circle as I look for her everywhere. I finally spot Candace walking back into the venue and run to her. “Where is Layla?” I ask. She looks down and looks back up again, and I can see the tears in her eyes.
“She’s gone,” she says, and my stomach sinks. “I just walked her out.” Her voice is low. “She had a headache.” I nod at her, and I know she wants to say more, but she doesn’t.
“Okay.” I turn around and make my way out of the room. Walking out of the building, I hope that maybe the universe will work in my favor for once, but it won’t be tonight.
I walk back into the hotel and make my way up to my room. There are people everywhere, and thankfully no one stops me. Taking the card out of my pocket, I hold it up to the lock, and the door opens. I walk over and sit on the bed in the dark room. The only light coming inside is from the open curtains.
I put my head back and get up, shrugging off my jacket when I hear the sound of people yelling and counting down. Then the sound of fireworks going off out of my window. I walk over and look outside. “Happy New Year, gorgeous,” I say to the sky.
My phone pings in my pocket, and my heart speeds up thinking it could be her, but it’s just from my parents saying Happy New Year.
I open my Instagram to post when I see her picture. She is right next to Grandma Nancy. Her eyes look wet from crying, and the tip of her nose is red. I wonder how old this picture is. I look down and see it was posted twenty-seven seconds ago. I also see that it’s from Grandma Nancy’s account. I started following her the day after our “date.” I also see there are more photos, and when I swipe right, I have to sit down. It’s another selfie, but this time, she is looking at the camera with her thumb under her eye, wiping a tear as she tries to smile. I notice it’s the same shirt she was wearing tonight. I can’t stop staring at the picture. I can’t stop thinking of how she looked tonight. My chest tightens even more when I see the caption.
New Year… New Beginnings
Chapter 35
Layla
I walk over to the outfit I wore last night. The outfit I picked out especially for the night. I was going to bite the bullet and go to him. I bend over, grabbing the dress and the top, and throw it in my walk-in closet in the corner.
I picked out the outfit and did my hair. My stomach was in my throat as I made my way there. My hands shook when I walked into the ballroom. My eyes found him right away, and my heart broke when I saw him dancing with someone else. I lifted my hands when he looked at me and smiled. In the end, I want him to be happy, and if she makes him happy, then I have to accept it.
I left within ten minutes. Candace saw my face and knew I needed to get out of there. She ushered me into a cab, and I went to Grandma’s house. She opened the door for me, her smile dropping off her face when I tried to block my sob with my hand. I toasted the New Year with her and made a decision that it was time for me to leave. When I got home, the emptiness screamed out, and I knew deep in my heart that I couldn’t stay there.
Grabbing my jeans, I slide them on and huff out when I see they are a bit loose. I walk over to the bag in the corner and take out the Dallas jersey that the radio station gave