Chapter 107 - Easy #2
She laughed.
"And this?"
She gestured between us.
I paused.
"Also going well."
"I think so too."
I waited.
She took another drink.
Nothing happened.
Finally she asked:
"Why do you keep waiting for the catch?"
I froze.
Rude.
Accurate.
"I don't know."
She tilted her head.
I sighed.
"I think I got used to things being complicated."
"Work?"
"Work. Relationships. Life."
She nodded.
"I used to think if things were going well, I should prepare for whatever was about to go wrong."
"Do you still think that?"
"Apparently."
She smiled a little.
Then:
"Are you waiting for me to do something wrong?"
That hit differently.
"No."
I shook my head.
"Definitely not."
"Then what?"
I thought about all the answers I couldn't give her.
All the lives she didn't know existed.
All the times good things ended anyway.
"I think I'm waiting for something to happen that makes this stop being easy."
Layla considered that.
"Something probably will happen eventually."
I looked at her.
"We might disagree. One of us might get busy. Maybe we'll discover something annoying about each other."
"Possible."
"But we can deal with it when it happens."
I stared.
She shrugged.
"I don't think we need to invent problems in advance."
I looked down.
"Fuck."
"What?"
"Nothing."
"Good fuck or bad fuck?"
I laughed.
"Good."
"Okay."
Then she smiled.
"I like you, Lia."
I looked at her.
"I like you too."
"I'm having a good time."
"Me too."
"So can we just have a good time?"
Simple.
Offensively reasonable.
"Yeah."
"Good."
"You say good a lot."
"You say fuck a lot."
"Fair."
And then we continued eating.
No emotional obstacle course.
No crisis.
No demand that I explain every scar before we were allowed another date.
I liked her.
Fuck.
I really liked her.
Jane and Chloe met Layla properly two weeks later.
Saturday lunch.
Just the four of us.
Within fifteen minutes, Jane and Layla were complaining about people ignoring written instructions.
Jane said a parent had asked why a student received a certain score even though everything was in the rubric.
Layla nodded immediately.
"I send project timelines three times and someone still asks when the deadline is."
Jane pointed at her.
"THANK YOU."
I looked at Chloe.
"Great. Now there are two."
Chloe nodded.
"We're outnumbered."
Jane pointed at me.
"You have forms."
"Forms are beautiful."
Layla nodded.
"Forms are beautiful."
Jane stared between us.
"Oh, you're going to get along."
"Unfortunately."
Lunch continued.
Layla didn't try too hard.
That was what I noticed most.
She wasn't performing for my friends.
She asked when she didn't understand an old reference.
She had her own stories.
Her own opinions.
Her own conversation with Jane and Chloe that didn't need me in the middle.
She simply fit at the table because she was herself.
At one point, Layla went to speak to the server.
Jane immediately leaned toward Chloe.
"Look at her."
I stopped.
"At who?"
"Nothing."
Chloe looked at me.
Then at Layla.
Then back.
"Oh."
"What?"
Jane smiled.
"You're very relaxed."
I blinked.
"I'm sitting."
"No. I mean around her."
Chloe added, "You're not physically here while mentally reorganizing six companies."
"I don't do that."
Both stared at me.
I reconsidered.
"Not anymore."
Jane nodded.
"Exactly."
Layla returned.
"What did I miss?"
"Defamation."
Chloe smiled.
"We were saying Lia seems happy."
Layla looked at me.
I looked at Chloe.
"That's illegal."
"Being happy?" Layla asked.
"Discussing it publicly."
Jane laughed.
But when Layla looked away, Jane gave me a small nod.
Nothing dramatic.
No interrogation.
No Is she the one?
Just a nod.
I understood.
I nodded back.
Later, while Layla was getting extra napkins, Jane leaned over again.
"She's nice."
"Yeah."
Chloe nodded.
"I like her."
"Good."
Jane studied my face.
"You really like her."
I looked toward Layla.
She was thanking the staff.
Then walking back toward us.
"Yeah."
Jane smiled.
Not teasing this time.
Just happy for me.
Which was somehow worse.
I looked away.
"Don't."
"I didn't say anything."
"Your face did."
Historical problem.
A week later, the business hit another real milestone.
Confirmed orders.
Healthy margins.
Cash actually collected.
No vanity valuation.
No ridiculous expansion announcement.
Just a business getting stronger.
My accountant confirmed everything was healthy.
I stared at the report.
"Are we missing something?"
"Nothing material."
"Receivables?"
"Current."
"Payroll?"
"Provided for."
"Purchasing?"
"Within budget."
"Capacity?"
"Operations confirmed."
I frowned.
"Okay."
She paused.
"Is there a problem, ma'am?"
"No."
That was the strange part.
There wasn't.
After the call, Layla messaged.
Layla:
how's your day?
Lia:
business is doing suspiciously well
Layla:
congratulations?
Lia:
thank you?
Layla:
why are we questioning everything
I laughed.
Lia:
habit
Layla:
you should celebrate
I thought about it.
Lia:
dinner?
Layla:
tonight?
Lia:
if you're free
Layla:
i am. but i want noodles
Lia:
specific
Layla:
i know what i want
I smiled.
We had noodles.
Nothing expensive.
Nothing symbolic.
Just dinner.
I told her about the milestone.
She listened.
Then said:
"That's good."
"Yeah."
"You look happy."
I paused.
"Do I?"
"Yeah."
I could have denied it.
Instead:
"I am."
She smiled.
"Good."
Halfway through dinner, she stole some of my noodles.
I tried hers.
Mine was better.
I told her.
She stole more.
Apparently we were doing that now.
Outside the restaurant, beside her car, neither of us moved immediately.
I knew this part.
Except I didn't know if she wanted it.
Current person.
Current information.
Ask.
"Can I kiss you?"
Her smile softened.
"Yeah."
So I did.
Small.
Warm.
Easy.
When I pulled back, she smiled.
"Okay."
I laughed.
"Okay?"
"Very expressive, right?"
"You're learning."
"Terrible teacher."
She kissed me again.
Also nice.
Very nice.
Then stepped back.
"Drive safe."
"You too."
I walked to my car.
Sat down.
And waited.
Again.
For the catch.
Nothing.
Just a good date.
A growing business.
A woman I liked who liked me back.
My phone buzzed.
Layla:
you forgot something
I froze.
Here it was.
Finally.
Lia:
what?
Layla:
your noodles
I looked at the takeout bag on the passenger seat.
Fuck.
Lia:
they're here
Layla:
then you didn't forget them
Lia:
why did you message me
Layla:
wanted to see if you'd panic
I stared at the screen.
Lia:
i'm breaking up with you
Layla:
we're not officially together
I paused.
Rude.
Lia:
technicality
Layla:
goodnight lia
I laughed.
No catch.
Just noodles.
That night, I opened my notebook.
The earlier pages were still there.
DO NOT REBUILD A MUSEUM.
KEEP THE LESSONS. NOT THE REPLICAS.
COMFORT IS ALLOWED BEFORE I EARN IT.
DO NOT CONFUSE SUFFERING WITH SERIOUSNESS.
And now:
GROWTH DOES NOT REQUIRE SUFFERING.
I picked up my pen.
Added another line.
EASY DOES NOT MEAN NOTHING CAN GO WRONG.
I paused.
Then:
IT MEANS NOTHING IS WRONG RIGHT NOW.
I stared at it.
Business booming.
Family fine.
Jane and Chloe still irritating.
Layla liked me.
I liked Layla.
No triangle.
No one asking me to choose.
No one needing rescue.
No reason to optimize anything.
Eventually, something would go wrong.
That was life.
But I didn't have to ruin today preparing for tomorrow.
My phone buzzed.
Layla:
home safe
Then:
Layla:
i like being with you
I smiled.
Lia:
i like being with you too
No qualification.
No footnote.
Just current information.
Current truth.
Layla:
goodnight
Lia:
goodnight
I put my phone down.
Turned off the light.
And for once, when nothing went wrong, I didn't stay awake waiting for the catch.
I went to sleep.
It was easy.
And I was finally beginning to understand that easy was allowed.