Worth Saving(81)

“Fuck yeah, I want it!” Layla chirps again, her face red from the excitement. “Oh my god, thank you so much, Amanda.”

“You’re welcome, sweetie. You deserve it. You’ve worked your ass off to bring yourself out of your situation, and we just couldn’t be prouder of you.”

The three of them hug, and then all of us chug our drinks. Marlene slams her glass on the table and then asks the bartender to bring us four shots of Patron, which he does without hesitation.

“Okay, so that was part one of the celebration,” she says when we get our shot glasses. “There’s a part two, and it’s so huge and awesome, we had to share it with you guys.”

“I’m not sure I can take too much more excitement,” I chime in. “You guys are hype already.”

“Damn right, we are, and it’s about to get louder in here,” Marlene continues, holding her shot glass up in the air and waiting for us to do the same. “Okay, so, to cap off the night of great news, Amanda and I would like to announce . . . that we’re getting married.”

The three women all scream at the same time. I see a few people’s heads look in our direction, but they don’t say anything. I’m not as connected to Marlene and Amanda, but I join in on the big group hug anyway. They’re awesome people, and they deserve just as much happiness as anybody else in this world, and I’m happy for them.

We all knock down our shots and order more. It looks like I might be taking a cab home tonight, but it’ll all be worth it. I wish Jason and Jordan were here to celebrate with us, but I’m glad I’m a part of this team, and I feel genuine happiness as the four of us take another shot and celebrate all the good news.

For me, the thing I’m celebrating most is how far Layla has come. I remember what she was like when we first met, and I basically had to force her to talk to me. She was so guarded, and trying so hard to keep everybody out. The men in her life had nearly ruined her, but she held on. She fought through all of it and persevered to become the beautiful woman she is now. She isn’t afraid of anything anymore, and I’m honored to be a part of her journey. I’m proud to be able to bring her some happiness, because she deserves it more than anybody. The road she has traveled has been cluttered with bumps and obstacles, but she made it past it all. She survived the long road, and now she’s gliding along smoothly to her light at the end of the tunnel, which keeps on getting bigger and brighter. She’s out of her cocoon and ready to take flight, and I plan on flying right beside her. So, I grab another shot glass and hold it in the air as the ladies follow suit.

“Congratulations, ladies,” I toast. “On the new job, on the engagement, and to Damien finally getting his ass kicked.”

“Hell yeah!” Layla says, and we all down our drinks.





Layla

One Year Later

“So, you nervous?”

“Uhh, I don’t know. Maybe a little nervous, but I feel okay. I mean, it’s been over a year, and I’ve been through enough therapy already. I’ve been through enough recertification training. I’ll be alright.”

“Good, good,” I reply. I grip his hand a little tighter as we walk down Lily Street towards my apartment. It’s seven o’clock in the evening, not exactly one of our night owl walks like we used to take, but that’s because we both have to go to work in the morning. After Just over a year of being grounded, Austin is finally being allowed to fly a training mission tomorrow.

Over the past year, I’ve been in his corner a lot. It’s ironic, really, but the tables kind of turned for us after we got back together. It’s been Austin who needed me to stick by his side while he struggled to get over his PTSD. I knew he needed my support, and there were many nights where he woke up after a nightmare, and I had to be there to comfort him. We’ve walked down this road more times than I can count, but over time, I saw him getting better. He never liked to admit he was having a hard time at night, but I can see the difference now. We’ve been spending weekends sleeping at each other’s houses for a few months now, so I know for a fact the nightmares have stopped, and that’s a huge step for him. I think this training mission tomorrow will be the biggest, most important step he’s taken yet. So, I’ll continue to be there for him just like I have been for the past year.

“I’ll tell you one thing, though,” Austin continues. “I’m glad I had you here with me through it all, babe. I can’t even tell you how much you’ve helped. It’s not something I can put into words.”

“You don’t have to say anything,” I reply. “I know you needed me just like I needed you when we first met. There was no way I was gonna turn my back on you when you needed me most. No chance.”

“Thank you, Layla. I mean that. I’ve very grateful for you.”

“You’re welcome, babe.”

“So, how about you? Anything going on at the school this week?”

“Nothing out of the ordinary, really,” I answer. “We have a fire drill tomorrow morning, but that’s pretty routine. I’m just hoping after the school year ends that I can be moved into that open teacher’s aide position. That would just be too awesome.”

“It would. I know you’ve been wanting that for a long time now. You’re kicking ass in college anyway, I think you’re ready for it.”