The thick smoke swallowed any possibility of a clear view.
The persistent beep was an alert that something had gone terribly wrong.
The events unfolded at lighting fast speed and at the same time; moved at a snail's pace. A split second was sliced into a million sections.
An unidentified bloodcurdling scream echoed throughout but soon he realized it was him. He was trapped... He couldn't breathe. The toxic black smoke invaded his lungs.
There was the most exquisite reddish orange light barreling toward him. It was so beautiful he wanted to touch it.
If he could only touch it, everything would be alright.
There were shards of metal flying in every direction.
He was being sucked in and pulled apart at the same time.
There was a little girl off in the distance, in the middle of the white flame. She was wearing a pink lace summer dress. Her brown braided pigtails swayed unaffected by the heat.
She was talking to him, laughing at him.
He couldn't understand what she was saying but he wanted to call out to her; and tell her to take cover.
The perpetual beep continued resounding in his mind.
He reached out and touched the small picture stuck next to his controls. It was of a beautiful woman and a little girl. It was the girl in the flames smiling at him through the photo. He opened his eyes wide as he caught his reflection in the small mirror next to the picture.
Suddenly his reflection transformed into a young woman. Her features were familiar but he didn't know her.
The persistent beep resounded throughout the cock pit again.
The last images were vivid and familiar... and terrifying.
Through the windshield there was a flying metal bomb hurled directly at them both.
And then there was blackness... followed by a
beep
.
"Aaaahh!!!" Layla woke up gasping and panting. The beeping sound was her alarm making her aware it was time to wake up. She cursed under her breath since she forgot to turn off her alarm the night before.
She hadn't had a nightmare like that in a long time. She was disturbed and disorientated. Her sheets were soaked from sweat. She huffed until her breathing regulated.
After a long cold shower she was able to get back to normal. She felt so drained and tired as if she didn't sleep at all.
It was Sunday and two weeks until the wedding. Sienna and Jason told her that today she was explicatively prohibited from doing anything related to the wedding. Apparently, she had been working so hard, she earned a mandatory day off.
Layla didn't believe in days off when there was a deadline but she had to admit she was grateful for it. She thought she might sleep in and read all day. But apparently the sleeping part wasn't working out for her.
She decided to go downstairs, make a light breakfast and maybe go back to bed. There was a cool breeze so she wore her new purple velour hoodie pants set. She bought it when they were in town one day. It just looked so comfortable; she thought she might wear it in her room.
Today she was tired and it was technically her day off. Despite her better judgment, she wore it downstairs. She grabbed some bread for toast and poured herself some coffee.
There was no one there which she was grateful for. It was still early in the morning and she figured Jason and Sienna were still asleep. That only left Merle.
Merle...
Ever since that kiss she had been avoiding him like the plague. Merle would go one way and Layla made sure to go the other way. But it seemed like he was avoiding her as well... which was fine by her.
She didn't know what had gotten into her that day. Not only could she not understand why it happened, she couldn't understand why she couldn't stop thinking about it. That kiss... She shuddered from the memory. She hadn't been kissed like that in... well never. If he could make her feel that with one kiss; imagine what his talented mouth was capable of. What was she thinking? No, she would continue to avoid him at all costs.
It was just a little odd that Merle would avoid her. Wasn't she the one that supposed to play hard to get? What is she talking about?! Playing hard to get? She didn't mean that. Did she?
Layla sipped her coffee while her thoughts ran wild. She didn't even hear the shuffling as it entered the kitchen.
"Morning."
Layla snapped out of her daze. She looked towards the greeting; even though she already knew who the deep voice belonged to.
"Good morning." She replied quietly. She continued to sip her coffee as she tried to adjust her thoughts. She was surprised how quickly she was affected by just his voice and presence. She felt the moist heat between her legs begin to form.
Merle poured himself a cup of black coffee and sat down across from her. He'd slept horribly and was in a sour mood... even more so now that Layla was there.
He tried to avoid her ever since the kiss but it was damn near impossible.
It was as if her presence haunted him wherever he went. And even now before coming into the room, for a couple of minutes he observed her from the shadows... entranced by her.
Her expression showed her to be deep in thought. He was surprised to see her in casual clothes; he didn't think she owned anything remotely comfortable. Her curvy body was even more pronounced through the soft fabric.
She wore no makeup and looked much younger... and so beautiful. Her plump lips gently touched the mug as she sipped her coffee. He felt his anger rise as he had this unreasonable pang of jealousy with the mug. He could still remember every detail of those sweet lips; he could easily feast on them all day long.
But that wasn't possible. And he was not happy about it.
If only their circumstances were different. It was extremely dangerous to play with this kind of fire. But he was drawn to her like a moth to a flame.
He could not get involved with her, especially since he was undercover. Everything was already complicated and he didn't need any more complications. He needed to stay focused. So the only thing that was left was his frustration.
"Did you sleep well?" Merle grumbled.
Layla looked at him and shrugged her shoulders. "Not really. You?"
Merle shook his head.
Silence.
Merle waited until she finished eating her toast to pour them both another cup of coffee. He got up and said, "Come with me."
Layla looked at him in confusion. It wasn't a question or a request. It was a statement, an order. It annoyed her but she was so tired; she didn't have it in her to make a snarky reply. But above all she was extremely curious. She got up without a fuss and followed him out.
On the way up, he stopped by his room and grabbed a large blanket. He led her all the way up the stairs until they reached the rooftop.
It was still very early in the morning and it looked like the whole island was still sleeping. The soft fog glazed over the spectacular view. The sparkling ocean and mighty cliffs fused together. The whitewashed clustered buildings were huddled together as if keeping each other's company. And it made the bright colors of the sky even more clear.
They were so high up, they could only look down. The height made you feel so powerful but completely peaceful at the same time. Suddenly, a brisk wind traveled through her. Layla didn't mind since this was the most beautiful view she had ever seen... and now she was a little more awake to appreciate it.
