Page 29 of The Life Experiment

With her stomach stuffed with ravioli and aching from laughing so much, Layla grabbed her coat from the back of her chair. ‘I’m so full, I can barely stand,’ she said.

‘Me too, but we need to leave. They’re going to kick us out,’ Angus replied.

Glancing around, Layla realised he had a point.

She and Angus were the last people in Bella Vino and had been for a while.

The waitstaff had politely started tidying around them half an hour ago, but in the last ten minutes their movements had become more aggressive.

Layla could hardly blame them. It was after eleven, they wanted to go home.

But that meant Layla and Angus had to leave too.

It meant ending a night that, if she was honest with herself, Layla wished would never end.

‘Thank you again,’ Angus said to a passing waiter, who smiled widely in return.

Layla suspected it was because of the tip Angus left.

Layla hadn’t seen how much it was – Angus had been adamant about paying for dinner – but from the way the waiter’s eyes widened with delight, she guessed it was sizeable.

Layla loved that Angus tipped generously, mentally adding another tick to the chart she pretended she wasn’t keeping in her head.

With his hand resting gently on her lower back, Angus guided Layla through Bella Vino. Layla had no idea how her legs were moving. Her brain certainly wasn’t telling them to – it was too busy focusing on the fireworks exploding where Angus’s hand touched her skin.

It had been like that throughout dinner. Every innocent brush of hands as they reached for a drink, every moment their eyes met for a second too long, made Layla lose the ability to think.

This is bad. Bad, bad, bad, her brain flustered as Angus opened the door for her. Layla wished she could shut the voice out. How could something that felt so good be bad?

But Layla knew the answer to that. She was dying. In two years’ time, to be precise.

No, she could not let herself go there with Angus. Dating was messy. Complicated. More drama than Layla could handle right now.

Plus, Angus was not a fling. He was not a one-night stand.

He was… well, he was more than Layla had words for.

Dinner had only cemented what Layla had come to suspect – one kiss from Angus and she would never be the same again.

When her death date had thrown so much of her life into chaos, it wasn’t a risk Layla could take.

Standing on the street outside the restaurant, Layla braved a look at Angus, then wished she hadn’t. It was easy to pretend that she could stick to her ‘friends only’ rule with her back to him. But one glimpse of that crooked smile and those twinkly eyes? Well, she was done for.

‘I should go,’ Layla said at the same time Angus said, ‘Would you like to go for a drink?’

Biting her lip to try to control the ferocity of her blush, Layla lowered her gaze. ‘I’d better not. I have work tomorrow.’

‘Work. Of course. Me too.’

A moment of silence rang out, disturbed only by the sound of traffic passing beside them.

‘I wish we could stay out, though,’ Angus admitted. ‘I feel like I’ve only scratched the surface of knowing you.’

Although she willed herself not to, Layla flicked her gaze to Angus once more. Her knees almost buckled as their eyes connected. Fuck, he was handsome.

The perfect distraction from death , her brain chimed, but Layla stamped out that thought. She would not – could not – invite romance into her life.

Pulling her phone from her pocket, Layla ordered an Uber. ‘Two minutes away,’ she said, keeping her gaze on the phone because it was easier than keeping it on Angus.

‘That’s quick,’ Angus replied.

As the time turned to one minute, Layla gulped. She looked up, staring deep into the eyes of the man who made her laugh so hard at dinner she’d snorted.

‘I had a wonderful time tonight, Angus,’ Layla heard herself say.

The smile that took over Angus’s face was dazzling. ‘Me too. Tonight might go up there as one of the best nights of my life.’

‘One of the best? Not the best?’ Layla teased.

‘Top five, at least,’ Angus replied.

As their smiles widened, Layla felt her resolve waver.

It would be easy to cancel the Uber and head for a drink.

Or, if she were feeling extra bold, cancel drinks and head back to her place.

Rhi had a night shift, so they would have the apartment to themselves.

All Layla had to do was be brave and suggest it…

But ever since opening Saira’s envelope, all Layla’s energy had been zapped. Feeling so drained took more out of her than she could admit.

As her phone pinged to announce her Uber’s arrival, Layla shrank into herself. Standing on tiptoes, she kissed Angus’s cheek, her face warming when her lips met Angus’s skin. ‘Thank you for tonight.’

As she pulled back, meeting his eyes, Layla cursed herself for closing the gap between them. Up close, the scent of Angus’s aftershave was intoxicating. His mouth was so close that if she tilted her head slightly, she could meet it with her own. All it would take was one small movement…

‘Good night,’ Layla said, rushing away before Angus could say it back.

Blindly, Layla entered her Uber. As it peeled away from the pavement, she braved a look back at Angus. He stood on the pavement, staring at the car as if dazed. Slowly, his hand raised to wave goodbye.

Only when her Uber rounded a corner did Layla force herself to turn around in her seat.

Breathing air into her lungs, Layla looked to her phone. With shaking hands, she sent a message:

I’m feeling a 1 out of 10 right now

Within minutes, Saira was calling.

‘I’m sorry to contact you so late,’ Layla said as soon as she heard Saira’s voice.

‘Please don’t apologise. My job is to be here whenever you need me. It’s a good job I don’t sleep much,’ Saira joked, then she paused. ‘Is everything okay?’

‘I…’ Layla began, but she had no idea how to answer that question. ‘Yes. No. I don’t know,’ she admitted. ‘I’ve just had the greatest date of my life.’

‘I see. And why is that a 1 moment?’

‘Because I’m dying, Saira. I was shown a glimpse of happiness straight after finding out when my life will end. How is that fair?’

The Uber driver glanced at Layla in the rear-view mirror, alarm flashing in his eyes. Layla tried to offer him a reassuring smile, but her features wouldn’t obey.

‘Layla, the purpose of life isn’t to focus on death,’ Saira said. ‘It’s to focus on the journey in between the beginning and the end.’

‘I guess,’ Layla admitted, her shoulders falling. ‘Is it selfish to want Angus to be part of that journey?’

‘I’m not sure selfish is the right word. Many people believe that the key to happiness is surrounding yourself with as much love and connection as possible, no matter how long it lasts for. If that’s the case, then having Angus in your life could be the greatest gift of all.’

Settling into her seat, Layla looked out the window. Everything about Angus’s presence in her life felt karmic – like he was sent at a time when she most needed to recognise how great life could be. Layla just wished she had more time to enjoy it.