The only pleasure

The bell rung and Laila let out a deep sigh as one of the staff members went to open the door. When Carson came around the corner to announce who was at the door, Laila didn't need to wait for him to speak the words to know the name of her visitor. She nodded with a tired smile and soon after Olivia walked inside and Laila put on her mask. With a big smile she greeted her 'friend' and welcomed her for high tea she had let the kitchen prepare.

As they sat down and Laila enjoyed some of the wonderful pastries Frank had made, while Olivia simply stared at them like they were some kind of untouchable decoration, Laila informed Olivia of her busy schedule for the next few days. She did this in order to already set the stage for her upcoming rejections for whatever invite Olivia might come up with. She could never be too prepared or clear with a woman like Olivia. Despite her being as clear as she could be and upfront about her being unable to meet up with her for the next couple of days, she was certain that Olivia would come by the house while she was away and pretend that she knew nothing about it at all. Her pretending to be unaware that Laila wasn't home, was Olivia's perfect excuse to come visit Noah while he was alone and, in her eyes, defenceless.

However, it seemed that Olivia could not be pleased either way. Because even though Laila being away from home meant that she would have a chance at obtaining Noah's affections, her leaving also meant that she would have no one to look down on or insult. It left her without a plaything and with Laila not nearby, she also couldn't keep an eye on her. So, when Laila told her of her not being home much in the next few days, Olivia responded as follows.

"Oh really Laila! How come every time I see you, you tell me you are going away. You have not been this unavailable since the day we reunited. Not even when you had a fulltime job did I see you so little as I do these days. All of a sudden you are visiting your parents, your in-laws, you are going away on romantic trips. When will you be taking time to hang out with your friends?!"

Laila pretended to not know what Olivia was talking about and smiled as she replied, "What do you mean? Aren't we hanging out now? Once the baby gets here I recon I will be much busier than I am now. So, I am taking advantage of the time I have left until then. I doubt I will have much time for a romantic getaway after giving birth. Much less time or energy for something like a girl's night. So, we should enjoy these days while they last."

"Oh come on. Don't be so dramatic. You are only having one child. Not an entire bloody army. You will find the time to hang out with your closest friend. I demand it."

Laila chuckled at hearing Olivia talk about herself like that and was amazed at how blind to reality she was. She too of course didn't think that her life would take such a dramatic turn after her son was born. Sure her and Noah's life would change. Both individually as well as their lives together. But in no way would it be such a negative thing as she was making it sound at the moment. Nor did she think that there would be no time left for herself or for them as a couple. But getting Olivia all riled up like that was the only pleasure she could have while hanging out with her.

With a smile on her face Laila replied, "I will do my very best but I can't make any promises. After all, it was you who told me that I should be treating Noah better as there are plenty of women who would be happy to have him. Being a good mother and a good wife take up more time than you might think. Unless of course, you find yourself a cute niece or nephew, or maybe even a nice husband who has a child, and we combine us hanging out with the chore of being a good mother." However, this suggestion only got Laila an unhappy glare and a lecture.

After voicing her complaints and dragging the tea out for as long as she could, Olivia got up to pretend to leave. She would always wait until it was just in time for Noah to arrive and for her to put on a pity act. Today was no different and in no time at all Laila found herself standing by the door along with Olivia, who was suddenly pretending to make haste as to not overstay her welcome.

When the door was opened, there was Noah in his suit and holding his briefcase, getting ready himself to open the door. At first Noah looked surprised but when he saw who was standing by the door, yet again, he smiled in a way that said 'Of course' while his eyes fought the urge to roll. Behind Olivia's back Laila mouthed the words 'I'm sorry' hinting at the fact that she wasn't able to get her out of the door before his arrival. Now they knew what would happen next and it was something neither of them looked forward to.