Afraid

After enjoying their food and the many wonderful cakes and sweets, the group walked around the mall for a little while before they headed back to Maria's house. They had decided to share dinner there and Noah would help Laila pack up for tomorrow, when she would be heading back home. While Maria got started on dinner, with Steve being her assistant and the one to keep her company, Laila and Noah headed upstairs to Laila's room. Once they stepped inside, Laila dropped herself on the bed from exhaustion and Noah placed his jacket and bag on the floor before laying himself down on the bed as well.

As she turned her face towards Noah, Laila asked in a worried voice, "Do you really think that Jake will keep his word? In a way I feel he has been punished enough with his relationship with Suzy being over and having been humiliated like that in public. But on the other hand, with his looks and charming ways, he will have no trouble finding another girl. By attack his other great love, money, you can actually hit him where it hurts." Noah replied while staring at the ceiling and said, "Yeah, either way he goes, there is a lot at stake for him. So, I don't think he will do anything stupid just yet. But I don't know what he will do in the future. That is why I put that clause in there that he will lose all his current and future shares if he ever decides to break his promise. So, I wouldn't worry about it too much if I were you."

Wanting to change the topic from Jake to frankly anything else Noah said, "But enough about him. We have talked plenty about him and to him for one day. Let's focus on more important things." After that he turned his face to the side and looked at Laila before he asked her, "How have you been?" Laila smiled gently and turned her body to the side as she propped her head on her arm. "I've been good. Great even. Just a bit exhausted from all that has happened but I know that I would do it all over again. So, I guess that means that I had a good time, just a bit eventful." Noah chuckled, "Tell me about it. I didn't think a girl's trip would end in a covert op with your ex. How is our little one doing? Did he give you any trouble while I was away?" Laila chuckled, "I didn't think so either but this felt like something we had to do. As for our son, he has been no trouble at all. He was being spoiled far too much by his auntie Maria to cause any fuss."

"Uh oh. I hope you two didn't raise his standards too much. I am just a working man. I can't compete with two superspies who happen to be world's greatest wife and a top chef." Though it was some banter mixed with a bit of silly flattery, it seemed to have worked on Laila who reached out her hand to touch Noah's clean-shaven face. "Oeh, world's greatest wife hmm? Are you sure about that?" Noah could sense where things were going and placed his hand on Laila's hip before pulling her a bit closer. As he stared deeply in her eyes he repeated his words and added some more. "World's greatest wife. No doubt in my mind. And soon you will also become world's greatest mother."

Gently their lips touched and soon parted. In a soft voice Noah asked, "Did you miss me while you were away?" Laila felt that Noah looked very vulnerable in that moment but the look in his eyes changed back to normal very quickly. While stroking Laila's cheek gently with his thumb he added with a chuckle, "Or were you too busy having fun to think about your poor little hubby who was all alone back at home." Seeing Noah like this, trying to hide how he was feeling behind a smile and jokes reminded her of how he was before they had gotten together. It gave her a bad feeling and made her a bit worried. It made her wonder if there was still a sense of insecurity in Noah when it came to their relationship. Was he still afraid of losing her? Was he being such an attentive and wonderful husband because he didn't want her to have any reason to leave? Though she loved how he was as a husband, surpassing any expectations and dreams, she didn't want all his grand acts to be out of fear.

Back when they were younger she had been his only friend and to make sure she wouldn't dislike him, he would go along with almost anything she wanted and hardly ever expressed his true feelings. After a while she started to notice this and began to intuitively try to do the things he wanted. Every now and then she would insist on him choosing or making him voice his opinion on a matter first. That way he wouldn't be able to copy her. But she could tell he didn't like it. Since she didn't want to push him to do something he didn't want to do, she tried to find ways to allow him to be who he was. She had assumed that after all these years, he would have gotten over this. Especially considering the type of job he had and how long they had been together. But it was proven to her again today, that it is never right to just assume.