Chapter One
“Layla, the crazy woman is back,”
Layla’s eyes widened, fearing she might lose her job today, seeing how her crazy drug addict of a mother found her once again since she moved here to get away from her and the system for college.
She gave a nod to her manager, who was worried for the sweet girl who had worked for him for the last three years in the back in the kitchen, being the baker and his full-timer, seeing how she was a culinary student at Los Angeles University.
Layla quickly grabbed her mother’s arm and took her outside where they could deal with this problem, seeing how she had no choice but to shut her up and give her some extra cash she had on hand for her food allowance for the next two weeks.
“Lay-Lay, there better be more when I come back; this is an outrage,” her crazy mother had yelled towards her, and she flinched, raising her hands to protect her face from her mother.
She may be only nineteen years old and a young adult with her inner demons and fears that come out when her mother comes around and starts yelling and outraged at her.
Layla quickly hurried back inside to finish her work with her head hung low, trying to fight back the tears of anguish, trying to push away all the pain she had endured all her life alone, fighting to live another day.
With her tiny hands, she wiped her eyes and face with her apron as she began to start her next batch of baking goods, and she prayed that one day she might have her chance at finding her happiness and opening her café.
After a few hours, she looked up at the clock, knowing the pen pal she had been talking to for the last few months would be online soon, seeing how he had been gone with his team overseas for a while.
She quickly gathered her things after closing the kitchen and double-checking everything was off before returning to the tiny one-bedroom apartment she found when she moved here three years ago.
She waved goodbye to her manager and co-workers, rushing out of the small bakery in downtown Los Angeles and heading towards the bus stop that would take her home.
When she saw the bus, she got on, taking her seat near the front, hugging her thin sweater to keep herself warm while her mind was on the marine she was assigned to and how he was so gentle with her when they messaged back and forth.
She felt her heart clench, knowing she had developed feelings for him and knowing the truth about herself. She stood no chance of him ever wanting to meet her or share the same feelings.
She saw her stop coming up and quickly got off the bus with her purse, walking towards her small apartment building in haste, fearing that anything could happen to her even outside her home.
With quick steps, she arrived at her apartment, titling her head down at the small bouquet of pink, white and purple star lilies with a note attached to the ribbon of the flower bouquet.
She gently lifted it into her arms, entered her home and locked the door behind her, still trying to understand who could have sent her flowers, especially her favourite.
She placed them into the vase she had in her tiny living room on the coffee table; taking the small note into her hands, she was surprised to see beautiful cursive saying a few words with someone’s initials, ’I will see you soon, my sweet angel, L.M.’
The next day, Layla was in class working on the next assignment, wearing one of her floral dresses, white tights and flats with her wavy brown hair held back with her ribbon to bake in her apron alongside another student who could not stand her.
“Why can’t you just bloody fucking talk, so we can get this damn assignment done,” The girl she was working with hissed and whined at her with a harsh glare, and Layla sighed, shaking her head as she was mixing all the ingredients in, the large bowel by hand.
Layla distributed the mixture of the mixed ingredients into the two pans to make the assigned cupcakes and placed them into the preheated oven. She started making the homemade icing they were supposed to do, ignoring the other girl who went across the room to be with her friends, and she was okay with that.
She finally got her assignment done with the writing and baking of the cupcakes she was assigned, seeing how she worked quickly alone and did everything herself without the help of her partner.
“Good work, Layla, you may leave,” Layla happily smiled at her professor and cleaned her station before leaving for her full-time job as the baker at Sunny Vale Café downtown LA.
“God, I cannot deal with the new girl; she is annoying as hell,” Layla shook her head with a small smile at her co-worker Talia, seeing how she was on her break and in the kitchen with her.
“Oh, what are you making Layla?” Talia was awed with a grin, seeing Layla mixing something into the mixing bowl with a robust, yummy scent from the oven wafting into the café.
