Not Again

"I'm sleeping with aunty Layla." Emma suddenly says and Layla looks over to her at the mention of her name.

"No, she will stay in my room."

"Mom! Emily won't let me have aunty Layla sleep in my room."

"Hey what about me?" Caleb suddenly badges in on the ongoing argument between the girls and everyone's eyes turn to him. 

"What about you? Aren't you a big boy?" Emma's sharp tone makes every eye turn to her shocked.

"Yeah. Mom said no boys allowed in the girl's bedroom." Emily adds, making every adult's eye widen.

"Well if you must know, aunty Layla is my…."

"I think we can work something out right?" Layla cuts in afraid of what is about to come out of Caleb's mouth.

"Right?" She steps on Caleb's foot to get him to agree.

"Of course, I was just going to say she's my housemate so mommy's rule doesn't apply to me." Caleb replies with a wide grin.

"Besides you are right, I'm a big boy and big boys can…"

"Caleb!" Both Layla and Janice shout at the same time. 

"What? They will have to know at some point." He shrugs his shoulders feigning innocence. 

"You know he is right." Darren who has been quietly driving suddenly adds.

"Finally some constructive support!" Caleb exclaims as he fist bumps Darren. 

"Ouch! What was that for?" Darren complains after Janice knocks his head. 

"Stop confusing my babies." She retorts.

"Our babies you mean? Or maybe I'm not their father? Sweetheart do you have something to confess." Darren's eyes move from the road to his wife and back to the road. Meanwhile Janice just rolls her eyes making Layla chuckle.

The atmosphere in the car is somewhat refreshing for Layla, and she is glad she agreed to come. It's like the perfect family trip that she always wanted. So many different personalities in one place. Each bringing a side of themselves that just blends right in making being together fun and fulfilling. And she is glad that everyone just embraced her and she has found herself fitting right in.

"You know we can always jump ship if you hate this whole thing." Caleb whispers right into her ear and she shivers at the sound of his voice so close. A flash of their earlier kiss making her heart skip a beat. 

"I don't think that will be necessary." She takes his hand in hers surprising herself.

"Besides, I kind of like seeing you being put in your place by two little girls." She wiggles her eyebrows at him. 

"Those two devils." He clenches his teeth playfully making her chuckle.

"I think they are perfect." Her eyes fall on Emma and Emily who are strapped in their car seats looking out of the car's window excitedly.

"Would you like some?" He whispers again.

"Some what?" She turns to him and almost bumps into his face that is so close.

"Devils of your own." He grins.

For a moment she is distracted by his closeness and confused as to what he means but she eventually smiles when she gets it.

"Yeah sure, someday…" she shrugs her shoulders.

"Good to know." He moves back a little with a smile plastered on his face.

"You do know we can hear you all the way out here?"

Janice's voice makes her and Caleb look up and they find four pairs of eyes on them with smiles on their faces.

"So you would like some devils aunty Layla?" Emma innocently asks and everyone bursts out laughing. Layla on the other hand is sure she is blushing. She didn't realize everyone was listening to her conversation with Caleb seeing that they were seated way behind in the family car.

"Well.." She fumbles not knowing what to say

"Of course she would." Caleb comes to her rescue.

"Pretty and beautiful devils just like you."

"But we are not devils." Emily is the first to protest surprisingly.

"Of course not sweetheart." Darren chips in as he brings the car to a stop.

"Alright this is our last stop, the next will be the lakehouse. So better get all you need." Darren announces to everyone.

They have been driving for almost two hours already and Layla is beginning to feel the effects. Especially that she didn't get her full eight hours of sleep.

"Shall we?" Caleb offers his hand.

"I uh think I have everything, thank you." She smiles at him.

"No you don't." He retorts, a grin plastered on his face.

"I'm pretty sure I do." She narrows her eyes at him.

"Okay then just trust me and come along." He tugs on her hand and she gives up resisting. 

"Where are we going?" She asks when she notices it's just the two of them now. She didn't even realise that Darren and Janice had already disappeared with the girls.

"Have you gone camping before?" Caleb asks instead of answering her question.

"Well no, but what has that got to do with where we are going now?" She frowns.

"Because right here is where you find every camper's paradise and being the best guide you'll ever find, I'm here to get you the best camping gear.

She chuckles when she sees him puff up with pride.

"Okay, lead the way." 

Caleb grabs hold of her hand and leads her to what looks like a mall that seems quite huge for a town that doesn't look to be densely populated. She takes her time looking around the different shops lined up and oddly enough the place feels familiar. She wonders if she has been here before but quickly pushes that thought away as not possible. She would probably remember if she had been here. 

"You okay?" Caleb stops in front of her and she almost bumps him.

"Am fine." She replies with a smile, making him turn and head wherever they are going. 

After a while they enter a shop and she immediately understands what he meant by camper's paradise. The place is huge and crawling with people that she can clearly tell are campers, with some in their camping attires  while others are dressed casually. 

"It's huge." She says.

"Don't let it intimidate you." He chuckles.

"Tell you what, let me just grab the stuff I need quickly. Can you wait for me here?" 

"Sure." She welcomes his suggestion not wanting to go bumping into people which is likely to happen with how many people are here.

He leans in quickly and gives her a kiss on her cheek before disappearing and she is left blushing, which seems to be her now automatic reaction whenever he does that. 

After composing herself, she decides to look around and entertain her eyes while she waits for him. There are people shopping for all kinds of stuff. Others with expressions on their faces that she would expect to see on a kid's face in a candy store. 

She smiles as she averts her eyes to focus on something else. A familiar figure that's about to walk out of the same shop piques her interest. They have their back to her so she can't really tell why they seem familiar, until they turn almost fully in her direction.

Same long brunette hair, same manner of talking, but the smile is what is a dead give away.

Layla pinches herself just to make sure she is not dreaming this time. And when the sharp pain registers in her head she starts moving towards that woman as her heart thunders in her chest. All reason within her has flown out of the window and all she is thinking about is getting to her. She bumps into someone and stumbles a bit before getting up.

"Am sorry," she says before searching for her target, but when her eyes land on the last spot she saw her, she finds it empty.

Where is she?" Layla is frantic as she looks around trying to find that woman. 

"No, no, no not again." She decides to go out of the shop thinking the woman could have exited the shop since she was near the door.

Her eyes move from her left to right searching everyone's face but none of them are familiar. 

"Who are you looking for baby?"

Simon's voice surprises her but only

for a moment as she is still too distracted to care. 

"My mother." She replies without paying much attention. 

"Are you sure?" 

"she was here. I saw her." Layla's eyes go all over trying to spot her.

"Oh Layla."

Simon pulls her in for a hug and she fights him to get out but he holds her tight.

"Let me go! I need to find her." She is now crying and hating Simon for keeping her here.

"Baby are you okay?"

"Of course I'm fine." She sneers.

"Just let me go. I know what I saw." She hits him on his chest wanting out.

"Am sorry to tell you this, but your mother died when you were just a little girl." 

Layla just looks at him with her teary eyes. He is right but she also knows what she saw. 

"Are you sure you are alright?"

Simon looks at her as if she were crazy and she doesn't like it.

"Just...Let me go." 

"But you don't seem fine, I can get you help, the best there is."

Layla frowns at him when he makes it look like she needs to be in a loony bin.

"Am perfectly alright now let me go." She sneers again. She is getting frustrated when Simon keeps holding he in place.

"But you don't seem...."

"She said let her go..."

A third voice makes them turn around and Layla finds Caleb standing a few metres from them with clenched fists.

But Simon just holds on to her tighter with no intentions of letting go.

"I'm her fiancèe. I just want what is good for her and right now I think she needs help."

Layla scowls at him and wonders what he is on about.

"Well as her doctor, I will be the judge of that."

Caleb holds out his hand to Layla but Simon keeps holding on defying Caleb's words. 

They stay like that staring each other down until a flash of light breaks them apart and Layla takes the moment to scoot towards Caleb.

"Stay away from her Dawson!" Caleb growls. His tone surprises Layla. For someone who is usually on the bubbly side, he sure does sound very mad.

"Oh what Young? You can't possibly expect me to let my fiancèe stay in the arms of another man." Simon retorts, sounding defiant.

"You don't want to know." Caleb warns before pulling Layla closer to him and turning to leave.

"She's mine Young." Simon shouts after them and Layla feels Caleb stiffen before stopping.

"Please, let's just go." She pleads with him, her voice sounding shaky.

"Why do I keep seeing her? I mean why now? Is Simon right?" She makes known what is plaguing her mind.

"No, don't even think about what that jerk had to say."

"But..."

"Hey look at me." Caleb turns to her and she reluctantly looks at him. 

"We'll find out what is going on but you are not crazy. No single part of you is crazy I assure you."

Caleb's words make her feel better but she can't help but feel that maybe Simon is right. Because everything doesn't make any sense in her head.