One day Charlie had been shooting hoops in his backyard, when he heard a little girl crying. Charlie went to investigate. It turned out that Layla's little sister, Summer had fallen off her bicycle and had a scraped-up knee. "Hey, that looks like a pretty bad scrape your little sister has there. Do you need any help?" Charlie had asked Layla as he approached.
" Sure," Layla said, giving him a big smile. They became instant friends and it wasn't long before they became the best of friends. Charlie shared with her all his secrets about his grandfather and their constant fighting, and Layla soon confided in Charlie about her dad's drinking problem and her sadness over having lost her mother. A strong bond developed between them; and even though time had passed and Layla had gone on to Yale to pursue her dream of becoming an author, Charlie still thought of her as his one and only best friend.
They hadn't kept in contact as well as Charlie had hoped since Layla had left Palm Beach , but that was mostly his fault. He wasn't much for hanging out online, emailing, or making phone calls. He had pretty much been caught up in his various relationships with girlfriends. None of them had went well. In fact, his most recent one had ended about six weeks ago, and he wasn't looking for another anytime soon. Women seemed to want too much from him. He had a hard time developing an emotional bond in his relationships. His last girlfriend had accused him of only being interested in her for sex and it wasn't long before he told her to hit the road. Perhaps it was true. Charlie had trust issues and most of it stemmed from his bad relationship with his grandfather. Because of his upbringing, he had a difficult time sharing his inner-most thoughts and feelings. Only Layla really knew him and she was the only person on earth he truly trusted. How he missed her. He missed tickling her and making her laugh. Nothing had been the same since she had been gone.
As he rounded the corner, carrying a tray of food to table five, he had to do a double-take, seeing a familiar face at the far table in the corner, the table that Layla had always deemed "Hers." "Layla!" he called out, setting the tray down absent-mindedly as he ran to her, picking her up in his arms.
He swung her around, his excitement evident as he laughed deep in his chest. He then set her down again on the bench as he continued to grin. "God, I missed you!" he said. "When did you get back? And why didn't you tell me you were coming? And are you back to stay?"
Layla was a little out of breath when Charlie grabbed her up in his arms with so much enthusiasm. She was ecstatic that he was so happy to see her. He looked so good and it was great to be held in his strong arms again. She gazed into his eyes, her own smile brightening her face. "I missed you, too. And I wanted it to be a surprise," she answered. "And yeah, I'm back to stay."
"Things haven't been the same without you here," Charlie told her. "We have so much to catch up on. After I get off work, I will tell you everything."
"I have a lot to tell you, too," said Layla.
"I gotta get back to work now. I'll be right back to take your order," Charlie promised, suddenly remembering his duties. He rushed off to take the tray of food to table five, then he returned to Layla's table.
"What'll it be?" he asked. "The usual?" Charlie knew what Layla's favorite was. She loved the chili, served with finely-grated cheddar cheese and a side of crackers.
"Yep, you know me so well," said Layla, a huge grin on her face. "And I'll have a glass of iced tea with that. Lemon of course."
"Of course," he said with a wink. "Be right back with your drink."
When he came back with the tall glass of iced tea with lemon, he sat down opposite her. "I'm on my break now. So tell me, where are you staying here in Palm Beach? You're not staying with your dad and sister, are you? I really think you should stay with me... at my place. I have plenty of room. And you will like it there. A nice view of the beach. Nothing like watching the sun rise on the ocean in the morning. Say you will stay with me. I missed you so much, Layla," coaxed Charlie, practically begging.
