Picture Perfect

Memories always fade. That's what Layla told herself. Every heartbreak, every tragedy, and every triumph would blur into the background in the painting of someone's life. So, when she was sitting across from her girlfriend of two years, she desperately wanted to hold on to this moment. Mood lighting in a restaurant with a vintage gold neon sign on the front was a glaring hint that tonight was going to be a night she'd hold onto dearly. Surely, she was going to go from girlfriend to fiancée. It wasn't the fanciest place they'd eaten at, but it was on the higher end. They both wanted to be entwined for life, with all the benefits that it came with. Layla pretended not to see the ring box when it came in the mail, or when it fell from its hiding place earlier that week. Anya always loved waiting for the exact right moment. There wouldn't be a better one than right now.

Anya looked up from her meal to smile at Layla. Anya's black cateye glasses fogged up from her meal. "You look so gorgeous tonight, babe."

Layla giggled. "You can't see me right now."

"I don't need my eyes to look at how beautiful you are." Anya took her glasses off so they would defog. "Do you like what you ordered?"

Half of her meal was already gone. Some type of mushroom had been turned into the faux meat for a beef wellington. The balance between a crisp outer crust paired seamlessly with the moist inner core. Fiddling with her fork, Layla looked back up at Anya. This was picture perfect. Nothing could be wrong. A flash of purple red caught Layla's eyes. She looked down at her napkin, and saw the telltale sign of her lipstick staring at her. Cold shot down her spine. The picture started to skew. Looking her best was all she cared about in that moment. "I'm going to go wash up." She stood up before Anya could say anything.

Blaming shakey hands on a tipsy amount of wine, she made her way back toward the restroom. A hand caught her. Staring up at the owner, indignation gave way to a pit at the bottom of her stomach.

"Hey, Layla." Cole tried to be cheery. "Didn't realize you were here?"

Tension grew from silence. His cologne filled her nose the same way it always had. It wasn't strong, but her eyes still watered.

"What have you been up to? How's life?"

Layla's muscles refused to let her move. They were frozen in the same way they were four years prior. "Life's good." Not a lie, but not a secret. Cole wasn't allowed secrets anymore. He didn’t deserve her inner life. Memories seeped in. The living room she couldn't exist in anymore, the dining chairs she left on the curb, the half assed apologies, all of them swirled around her.

"Did you hear me?" Cole's smile didn’t reach his eyes.

"I did not." Curt felt appropriate. Curt and short were safe.

"They were able to get us a table finally!" A sweet and warm voice piped up behind Cole. A woman slipped her hand into his. "Oh is this a friend?"

Layla's gut reaction to compare took over. Patriarchal and shallow comparisons won out on autopilot. The woman was skinner, blonder, and tragically prettier. The bat shaped stud earrings fit the bill for the exact kind of woman Cole dated before Layla.

A head shake and an "I'm so sorry, I need to go," was all Layla could muster before finishing her trek to the bathroom. Horror engulfed her when she saw her reflection in the mirror. Lipstick has rubbed off where her lips parted. Part of it had smeared outside her lips too. She debated on covering it with a black lipstick, but decided better from her purse. Makeup wipes were scattered on the counter, all stained in the same purple red. A clear lip gloss gleamed in the lighting on her lips. She didn't feel satisfied with her handiwork. She shook her head. "Tonight isn't four years ago." She repeated it in the mirror a few times. It wasn't a standard affirmation. Maybe that's why the weight in her throat didn’t subside. Swallowing didn’t fix it either. She huffed and collected the wipes. Disposing of them quickly, she hurried back to her table.

Anya's smile reached past her eyes. "I was about to look for you." She teased lightly.

Layla stared at the plate she loved minutes prior. Nausea bubbled in her stomach. She startled when Anya's hand held Layla's.

"What happened?" Anya could always see through her. It wasn't a hard task. Layla never had a poker face.

Layla tried to figure out how to navigate the situation. She didn't want to lie, but she also didn't want to focus on it. Memories were supposed to fade. Instead the images flashing in her brain were crisp and clear. The mushroom wellington looked up at her, and it turned her stomach even more. "It's... I just don't want to worry about it tonight." Not a lie. She smiled weakly at Anya.

Anya reached out her hand to hold Layla's. Grasping it harder than expected, Layla squeezed Anya's hand. "I love you so much. You mean the world to me." She started to blush. "Layla it's been such a wild ride, and I've been so blessed to spend it with you."

Butterflies replaced nausea in a heartbeat. This was it! This overrode any ex run in.

Cheering interrupted in the restaurant. Layla glanced up briefly only to feel her heart sink. Cole was there on one knee. The woman squealing. An excited yes bounced off the walls. A waiter brought champagne.

Everything started to feel too big. It didn't matter what happened after Cole's proposal. Anya proposing would feel forced or fake. Thoughts buzzed in Layla's head like angry bees. Tonight was spoiled now.

"What's wrong?" Anya turned to see champagne being poured, and the happy recently betrothed couple clinking glasses. Anya turned to Layla. Her hand squeezed again. She tried to read Layla's mind. Eventually a lightbulb sparked behind Anya's eyes. She flagged down the waiter. They packaged up the food after a credit card exchange. "Let's get out of here." She gently probed.

Layla nodded quickly. Numbness set in, but she willed her body to follow Anya's. She made the mistake of looking back. Cole's eyes met hers, and she turned away first.

Before Layla knew it, they were in a minimalist modern ice cream parlor. Cold shot up her arm as she eventually registered a cup of her favorite ice cream order in her hand. "Thank you." Mumbling gratitude felt like the best option.

Anya smiled gently in response.

Layla felt her jaw unclench between bites. She didn't notice it was tight in the first place.

They sat down on black barstools. Neon lights zigzagged around close up photos of ice cream cones.

"You don't need to tell me anything. I'm here however you need me. If you want more ice cream, a hug, or a shoulder I'm here."

Tears dripped down Layla's face. "Tonight is ruined" slipped out.

"How?" Anya's knuckles started to change color in Layla's hand.

A pause lasted what felt like hours. "Your proposal got overtaken by my stupid ex." Shame crept up Layla's face. "This was supposed to be perfect." Admitting felt like losing.

Anya's head tilted sideways. "I wasn't going to propose tonight." She held her hands up. "I have a whole plan, don't worry!" She beamed. "Tonight wasn't the main event. It was just an appetizer."

Silence engulfed them. Anya's hand returned to Layla's and started to play with it.

"What about the ring?" Layla ventured.

"What about it?" Anya's nonchalant tone hit the wrong chord.

"I saw it earlier this week! Why aren't you proposing tonight? Why are you delaying it?" Layla's cheeks burned. "What's the hold up?"

Anya couldn't hide her smirk. She reached for her phone and set it on the table after quickly unlocking it. She opened an app. A gorgeous bed and breakfast appeared in front of Layla. "Remember our first vacation?"

Layla's eyes grew wide. "I could never forget it." She recognized the house. She smiled slightly at one of the display photos. The first “I love you,” they both exchanged happened in front of those rose bushes.

"The jeweler said it could take up to three weeks for the ring to get here. I don't know what strings he pulled, but it arrived in one." Anya looked proud at her accomplishment. "I guess what I wanted to ask at the restaurant was, what are you doing next weekend, and how early can you take off work?"

A wheel of emotions spun in Layla's mind. She looked up at Anya, and only one of them remained. "I love you."

"I love you too!" Now it was her turn to start to cry. "I love you so so much. I want to spend the rest of our lives together." A sniffle was accompanied by a chuckle. "So you better take time off work."

They both laughed. Tonight wasn't the night, but it was perfect anyway.