Too much to face

Noah and Laila were in bed, and Laila was chuckling as their bodies were still intertwined. "That was quite an enthusiastic lovemaking you showed there mister. If I didn't know any better, I would think you had been deprived of a physical touch for several months instead of a few days." Noah smiled and placed a kiss on the tip of Laila's nose as he gently ran his fingers through her hair. "For me every minute away felt like a day. If it weren't for you being this pregnant, I would have gladly kept it going for much longer than this." Laila chuckled once more before she said, "No, no. Please have mercy on me and show restraint. This was enough for one night." Noah turned himself on his back and said, "As long as you realize the challenges I face, I will continue to hold back until little Dominic is here. After that, all bets are off.", as he stared at the ceiling.

Laila had snuggled up close against him when suddenly she noticed Noah's phone lighting up from the corner of her eye and heard the soft vibrations follow suit. She grabbed his phone from the nightstand on to her left, where he had placed it after getting ready for bed as she was currently on his side of the bed, before handing it to him as she said, "You are getting a call". Instinctively she glanced at the screen and noticed the name, allowing her to answer Noah's question of "Who is it?" almost immediately. The call was from Rebecca, and it was videocall at that. With a bit of grumbling, and Laila's question of "Why would she call so late at night" in the background, Noah answered the call with a strict look on his face. Although this seemed a bit intimidating to most, people close to Noah knew that this was simply his resting face combined with a touch of seriousness as he knew no employee of his would call him late at night for no reason.

When the call was picked up and Rebecca was face to face with scantily clad Noah, she immediately blushed and turned her eyes away before she said, "I am so sorry for calling you this late at night and I hope I didn't wake you, but I wanted to tell you this as soon as possible and I felt it needed to be said in person. Since that wasn't an option considering the time, this seemed like the next best thing." Noah dismissed her worries and said, "Don't worry about it. Just say what is on your mind." While he was talking to Rebecca, Laila used the opportunity to slip her nightdress back on as they would be going to sleep after this call anyways. Plus, there was always a chance she needed to be in frame at some point during this call and she didn't want to have to excuse herself to get dressed then and make the already bashful Rebecca feel more awkward.

With her current identity she had only met Rebecca once and although she had been quite impressive and cool while she was working, the moment she needed to interact with others, such as with Laila, her inner shyness came through. She barely looked at Laila and only smiled awkwardly at her once or twice before returning to her work. Laila's interaction with Rebecca made her wonder how she had managed to confront the people at the restaurant and get any information out of them with her demeaner, but Noah told her that when she was at work, Rebecca would excel no matter what. At the restaurant she was at work, so she would never let her personal problems get in the way of getting the job done. During those moments it was as if she was still at the office and controlling a virtual her in a simulation. It was only after she had gotten what she had came for, that she would allow herself to process her emotions. Be it excitement or calming her heart after realizing the stressful situation she had been in.

Although Laila wasn't in frame or part of the call, her ears were pointed in that direction and she was listening to every word as Rebecca's phrasing had caught her immediate attention. With a shaking voice she heard Rebecca say, "Well, uhm, I called you because I thought you would want to know and because I hope you can support our decision." Noah's curiosity was now drawn as well and he asked with raised eyebrows, "'Our'? Who is 'our' in this situation"? With a stammering voice Rebecca swallowed hard and tried to get her words out in the right order, but her nerves were getting the best of her at this point as Noah was someone she respected, admired and someone she considered as far more than just an employer.

To her she was the older brother she never had and the person who had helped her tremendously when she was at the darkest point in her life, with seemingly no way out. A person that she had been able to rely on, since there was no family that could provide her with someone like that. Because of that, she was feeling both hesitant and excited to tell him. On the one hand she didn't want him to be disappointed or disapprove of her decisions, but on the other hand she was one of the first people she wanted to tell that she had found her person.

She swallowed once more as Noah and Laila were waiting in anticipation, before she revealed her escape from the situation as this one was a bit too much to face alone. "Well instead of telling you, how about I show it to you."