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“Don’t you got a mother or somethin?”
He spoke for the first time after a long stretch of silent hours spent laying together, both unsure of what exactly to do instead.
Billy wasn’t all too sure how he’d gotten here in the last 24 hours at all, laying in a slightly musty bed in a motel 10, with the sun slowly rising on the face of a sweet blonde woman beside him.
That strange small smile he was coming to know turned up the corners of Layla’s mouth. “What?”
“I mean don’t you got parents?”
“What, you don’t think I’m old enough to be out after dark or something?”
“I mean… you are, yeah?”
She chuckled softly, looking up at him and tapping his nose playfully.
He’d was starting to not hate being touched as much, strangely.
“Yes Billy I’m an adult, over 21 and everything, Jesus.”
“Thank god. Guess I should’ve asked you that before…”
“Yeah well, not much time to ask for specifics when you’re kidnapping someone so.”
Billy shrugged uncomfortably, not meeting her eyes. “I’m sorry about…”
She stopped him with a finger to his lips. “Shhh.”
“I just meant, shouldn’t there be someone out lookin for you?”
Layla pulled away slightly, sitting up.
“Not really. I have a mother I mean, I live with her, but we haven’t spoken more than a few words to each other since I was 17. I don’t come home most nights honestly, she never cares.”
Billy could hear the soft hum of the air conditioner in the silence, and he waited for her to say more.
“And my dad, well, he fucked off a long time ago so.”
She didn’t cry, but he could sense the tone of quiet, mournful acceptance in her voice that could only come from someone with a fucked up childhood.
“Ok.”
She shrugged, brushing at her nose. “Yeah, it’s ok. I’ve got you now, right?”
Billy chuckled without smiling. “You’re stuck with me is more like.”
She laid down again, large doe eyes meeting his as she traced lazy patterns on his chest.
“I don’t feel stuck with you Billy.”
More white noise from the air conditioner and the sounds of the town slowly waking filled the silence.
“Layla?”
“Yes Billy?”
“Why weren’t you more scared of me?”
“Hmm. I felt more sorry for you at first, I guess. I mean yeah I kinda thought you were a piece of shit when you kidnapped me, but when you asked me to go try to impress your parents instead of raping or murdering me right away… it sounded more like you needed a friend, not a victim.”
She giggled. “And I had every opportunity to run by the way. You’re kind of a lousy kidnapper.”
“Oh yeah? Well fuck you.” But he looked at her softly as he said it, and his hands were stroking her hair.
“Fuck you too Billy Brown.” But she grinned as she said it, still looking at him with those eyes that made him feel like he was worth something.
“You got any cigarettes?”
“No I don’t have any cigarettes Layla. I got out of prison 24 hours ago, why would I have cigarettes.”
She stuck her tongue out, and Billy pressed his lips to her forehead to smother the smile tugging at them.
He’d have to get used to that one day he supposed. Actually smiling in front of her.
“Well come on then.”
“To do what?”
“Get cigarettes dummy!”
“And then what?”
“And then… the rest of our lives I guess?”
He didn’t answer as they walked out into the cold daylight, he didn’t really know how to.
He guessed they could spend the rest of their lives together. Things would get better, he could probably get a job at the bowling alley, rent some little place for them both to live. Maybe they’d even get married one day.
He’d never thought that far before, not even with stupid Wendy Balsam. It was… weird.
“It’s weird isn’t it Billy?”
“Hmm? What?”
He looked over to where Layla was walking along balancing on a concrete parking block.
“Us.”
He let himself smile at her, just a little bit.
“Yeah. Yeah it is.”