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“I…truth be told. I almost was. But something brought me back. I can only describe it as a tether. It was warm and inviting,” she said, one of her hands moving to absentmindedly tangle themselves in his hair. “It kind of reminds me of you…” she admitted, feeling her face heat up as soon as the words left her mouth.
She stared at Jak as he blinked and his own face flushed. He didn’t respond, but rather looked shocked for a moment before the corners of his lips twitched as if he was holding back a smile. “Oh…”
“Sorry! I didn’t mean to say that out loud. Precursors, I’m so embarrassed,” Layla moaned, covering her face in her hands.
“Woah, hey, you don’t need to apologize. You caught me off guard, but you didn’t upset me.”
She made a noise, and continued to hide her face. “That’s not the point, Jak. This…if it goes beyond friendship, it can’t exist.”
Jak reached out and gently grabbed her wrists, pulling her hands from her face. “And why not? What if I want to be more than friends with you?”
She shook her head. “There’s too much relying on us. The city is in turmoil and our enemies seem to be growing daily. Not to mention you have Kiera.”
“Stop. Last time she saw me, she looked at me with fear. I can’t….I can’t stand that. You don’t care about that, about my darkness. We’ve both seen each other at our worst, but still you stand by me and don’t flinch.”
“That’s what friends do for each other.”
This time, Jak shook his head and he guided her hands into his lap, his calloused hands brushing softly over her own toughened skin. “While you were out…I couldn't help but think of what was to happen should I lose you. And I–I can’t bear to live in a world like that. Plus, something Everly said to me stuck…I care about you. I’m not sure exactly how badly, but I am willing to explore it if you are.”
“I…Jak, do you even know what you’re asking?”
“I do,” he replied, his voice filled with conviction.
Layla stared at him, unable to speak. Never in a million years would she have thought someone had interest in her. Although staring into his face, she knew he was serious about this. But what if things changed? What if he spoke to Kiera more and she decided to be with him? A part of her yearned for this between them. For it to be real. For someone to want her, but she didn’t deserve it. Especially after all she’d done. She’d had a hand in turning her brother into a monster…in corrupting Jak.
“I….I don’t know. There’s so much going on…” she trailed off. She didn’t want to hurt Jak more than she already had. Although she knew that regardless of her decision to test the waters with him, he would inevitably get hurt by her.
“I understand. But do you think you could at least consider? I won’t pressure you.”
She met his gaze and contemplated. “I can do that. I can make no promises.”
“That’s fine, so long as there is a possibility, I’m okay with that.”
She eyed him with a frown. “But what if I decide no?”
“Well…we’ll still be friends and partners. I know that trying to deepen this thing between us could change our relationship forever. And that’s kind of scary, but I think you’re worth it,” Jak said with a soft smile.
Layla looked down at her lap. “You have a much higher opinion of me than you should.”
“And why do you say that?”
She then looked back up to meet his gaze. “You know why. I’m a walking calamity. Everywhere I go, I hurt people. I…I just can’t do that to you. Not anymore than I already have.”
Jak’s gaze hardened and he reached out, grabbing her chin gently in his hand. “Layla, you are not a calamity. And you haven’t hurt me. You didn’t turn me into this, the Baron did.”
“But he wouldn’t have been able to if he hadn’t discovered my brother and I. If I hadn’t convinced my brother to leave the barriers to show him what I could do.”
“Stop thinking like that. The Baron probably would have figured out how to experiment on people with dark eco without you. Sure, maybe your condition helped spur along the idea, but you weren’t the one who arrested me and strapped me to the chair. You didn’t torture me day in and day out, until I almost forgot who I was.”
“Maybe I wasn’t the one who did all those things. But I might as well have.”
“Layla, you are an amazing woman. You're smart, strong, and you care about people. Despite what this world has thrown at you, you still manage to care about it and the lives of innocents. And you’re helping me do the same. Sure, maybe you made some mistakes in your past. Maybe they hurt others, but you want to change. You want to be better. That has to count for something”
Layla stared at him before closing her eyes. “I suppose you’re right. I’m sorry. It’s just hard, knowing that maybe my actions could have prevented so many things.”
“I know. But we need to push on. To do what we can to make the future better for everyone, especially for those we love,” Jak said as he let go of her chin.
“Right…yeah. We need to move on and fight for a better future. For us. And for our friends.”
Jak smiled. “That’s the spirit.”