So This Is Love

1. Laila

Laila

I silently curse myself for not grabbing my jacket before stepping outside in the cool October air, but I don’t dare to go back inside to find it.

I’d rather be out here shivering than accidentally run into Martin, my boss, before my shift starts.

I only have a few minutes before I’m supposed to clock in but I savor these moments of calm before what I know will be a long night.

With each exhale my breath is visible for a moment before it disappears into the air.

My phone buzzes and I pull it from my pocket to see an incoming FaceTime from my best friend Zara. As soon as the call connects and she fills the screen she is speaking, her words tumbling out quickly.

“Hey, do you know where my black knee high boots are? I’ve looked everywhere and I can’t find them.”

From what I can see Zara is standing in the bathroom of our apartment as she gets ready for the concert.

Her makeup is flawlessly applied, accentuating all of her features.

The false lashes and gold shimmer in her eyeshadow makes her round eyes pop and the brown gloss draws your attention to her full lips.

“I’m not sure,” I answer. “Did you check under your bed?”

Zara leaves her phone propped up on the bathroom counter while she goes off screen and back to her room to check for the shoes. When she comes back a moment later she triumphantly holds the boots in her hand before she bends down to put them on.

“Okay how do I look?”

She does a slow turn so I can see her outfit from all angles. She’s dressed in a black mini skirt and a small black halter top, minimal jewelry and the boots that she called me looking for.

“You look fine as hell you know that!” I reply, hyping her up.

“Thanks boo,” she says, blowing me a kiss and giving me a small wink.

I laugh at her, switching the phone from one hand to the other so that I can use my hand to rub my arm against the cold.

“You got all dressed up just for the concert?”

“The girls and I might go out after too but also who knows he might see me from the stage and instantly fall in love with me,” Zara replies.

I shake my head at her and giggle. “Well if he picks you out of all the thousands of other girls, just let me know what color I’m wearing to stand up there next to you at your wedding.”

“My chances could be high, its his hometown show” she says as she leaves the bathroom to get her jacket and purse.

I still think her chances are less than none, but I keep the thought to myself. If it were to happen to anyone, it’d be Zara. She has a magnetic energy about her and I’ve never met anyone who didn’t like her.

“You are coming out with me and the girls tonight right?”

“I can’t, I have a paper that was due tonight that my professor gave me an extension on but ---”

“Oh shit the ride share is downstairs,” Zara interrupts as she frantically moves around the apartment gathering her things to leave, damn near giving me whiplash from her frantic camera movements. “Okay, I love you, I’ll see you later tonight!”

Just as quickly as she appeared, she’s gone, the call ending.

I lean back against the building, feeling the coolness of the brick seeping through the back of my T-shirt.

I fold my arms over my chest, rubbing my hands over my bare arms to try to generate a bit of warmth against the brisk wind.

I only have a few more minutes before I have to be inside so I try to enjoy the silence, even if I am freezing my ass off in the process.

I only last outside in the cold a little while longer.

With a deep sigh I grab the handle to the door and yank it open to go back inside.

Inside the building is still cold, no doubt to try to combat the body heat of all the people here to see the concert.

I used the back hallways to get to this specific door to go outside in an effort to get away from the growing crowd arriving for the show.

I’m sure most people don’t even know these hallways exist, seeing as they’re usually empty.

In the distance I hear voices but I can’t make out any of the words that are being said.

I reach the end of the first hallway and round the corner to the next one that will lead me back to the general areas of the building when a door on my right flys open.

The sound of door slamming against the wall startles me, and I freeze right where I stand.

A guy storms out of the thrown open door and another follows close behind, both of their backs to me.

“That contract is fucking bullshit, and you know it Bryan!” the man yells, anger radiating off of his body.

He’s dressed in a dark gray hoodie and joggers. The hood is pulled up on his head, so I can’t see his face, but even from how far away I am I can tell he’s tall, over 6 feet.

I press myself up against the wall at my end of the hallway in an attempt to not make myself more noticeable than I already am. I want to give them privacy for their heated conversation, but since the only way back to where I need to go is past them, I’m stuck here.

“I know, I know and I’m working on it,” the other guy, Bryan, says calmly. He’s in dress pants and loafers with a button down shirt, the top few buttons left open and the sleeves rolled up.

“Then get it done,” the first guy seethes. “Don’t come to me with these bullshit offers.”

“The team and I are doing everything we can to get you what you want, but you have to work with us and give us more time to do our jobs,” Brian tries to explain.

“Bringing me these low ball offers is not doing your damn job. Don’t tell me you’re trying, either get it done or I’ll find someone else who will.”

Bryan tries to speak but the other guy holds up a hand to stop him.

“I don’t give a fuck what you have to say right now. Just give me a fucking minute aight?”

Bryan gives a curt nod before he goes back through the door that they exited earlier, pulling it closed behind him.

I let out a small chuckle in disbelief before I look away, pulling my phone out to check the time.

“What’s so funny?”

My head snaps up at the voice of the man, shocked that he heard me. I turn my head to look behind me because he surely can’t be talking to me. But when I see that there’s no one else but the two of us, I realize that he is.

He walks closer to me, closing the space between us until he’s no more than an arms length away.

From this close I have to look up to see his face.

I take a moment to take in his features, my eyes darting across his face.

Light brown skin, dark, thick eyebrows, and low cut facial hair.

His deep brown eyes stare intently at me waiting for my response to a question I don’t even really have an answer to.

He seems familiar to me even though I’m certain this is the first time we’ve ever met.

“What’s so funny?” he repeats, cocking his head to the side.

That’s when I realize why he seems familiar, not because we’ve met before but instead because it's his face that’s on the banners outside the arena for the concert that’s set to start in a few hours.

He’s Sonny.

Singer. Songwriter. The guy thousands of fans are preparing to watch perform tonight, my best friend included. The realization makes my throat go dry.

“Uh nothing,” I finally stammer out, in answer to his question. I motion in the general direction of the exit and start to step around him to leave. “I should probably just uh -”

I feel Sonny’s hand on my arm and I stop, turning back to look at him. The warmth of this hand on my skin causes flutters in my stomach. His touch is gentle but firm and though in other circumstances this very action may have felt aggressive, with Sonny it doesn’t.

“Nah shorty, you had something to say so let's hear it,” Sonny says with amusement in his tone.

His body towers over mine but I don’t let our size difference make me feel small. I look him directly in his eyes as I speak.

“You were being an asshole. Which is ridiculous by the way.”

“And why is that ridiculous?”

I scoff. “If you don’t understand why treating the people who work for you like shit is ridiculous, then you have bigger problems than a fucked up contract.

And with all of the money you make I’m sure you pay him and the rest of your team to do what you want so there’s no need to be an asshole about it. ”

“So you hear one conversation and think you have it all figured out,” he says, his tone rough.

“No,” I retort. “I think that just because you have money and power it doesn’t mean that you get to treat people like shit. All the money in the world doesn’t give you a free pass to be an asshole.”

He stares at me blankly before his expression morphs into amusement, he throws his head back in laughter. His laugh is deep and warm, echoing through the empty hallway.

When he finishes he looks back down at me, a hint of a smile left on his lips. “You know, I can’t remember the last time someone talked to me that way.”

If I’m being honest I’m not sure why I even spoke to him that way. Not because he didn’t deserve to hear it but still I’m just… surprised.

“Maybe that’s your problem.”

“So you do know who I am.”

“Well no, I don’t know you,” I reply. “But I recognize who you are now, yeah.”

Sonny takes a few steps back away from me and I think he’s going to leave but instead he crosses his arms over his chest and just looks at me.

“I didn’t catch your name,” Sonny says after some moments of silence.

“That’s because I never said it,” I say with a small chuckle.

“Are you here for the show?” He tries again.

“No, I’m actually working tonight.”

“Me too.”

I crack a smile and roll my eyes. “You’re performing in front of a sold out crowd. I’m serving beers and nachos to pay for college before going home and doing homework. Not exactly the same line of work.”

“What are you in school for?”

“Marketing.”

“That’s amazing,” Sonny says with a smile. “Are you cold?”

“What?” I ask, confused by the question.