Layla stared back at her professor. She forgot about greeting any of the other people in the room. She forgot about Victor standing next to her, and she forgot about the glamour of the room; she forgot about how much she hated Elijah Johnson. Instead, she noticed nothing but the dark look in his eyes, overcome by sadness. Was he drunk? She wondered. She wanted to embrace him and tell him everything was going to be okay, but she also wanted to slap him, if simply for something that was not his fault. Actually, it was Victor's fault, she remembered. He had not told her who else was going to be showing up this evening. She certainly had not expected the professor to be present at a simple study group meeting.
"I thought I had been invited for an academic discussion, but it seems more like a social gathering than anything else," Layla said, turning towards Victor with a sharp look in her eyes, but a smile on her lips. "Of course, I should have expected nothing else from you, Victor."
"She seems to have observed you quite well," the man behind the bar – Aiden - grinned at Victor. "Whatever do you have to say to defend yourself?"
"Oh, nothing, nothing," Victor bowed his head in playful defeat, "I am afraid she is quite right about me."
"Any excuse for an evening of drink," the other woman – Mira - laughed, "a man after my own heart." She got up from her position on a barstool, walked over to Victor with a drink in her hand, and kissed him on the cheek. "Should I not go make us some popcorn?" She gleefully jumped out of the room, almost in a skip, and Layla noticed the men's gaze following her. Of course, she herself was no better, as her eyes followed her every bit of the way as well, until she was out of sight.
"Charming," Layla said, but immediately regretted it, afraid that it had sounded sarcastic, when she in fact had fully meant it.
"But I will have to defend myself a little," Victor continued, "after all, our curriculum is discussed, which of course is why Elijah is here."
"I would like to think you consider me a friend as well, Victor," Elijah commented, looking up towards him, though he had been engaged in conversation with the third stranger to Layla - Thomas.
"Of course, professor," Victor said with a wink.
Victor turned back towards Layla, "Elijah is a family friend, though we did not exactly grow up together; he is like an older… cousin to me at least."
Layla nodded, trying not to show how strange she considered it. Was this why Victor received such attention in class? Why Elijah allowed him to interrupt him constantly?
"But please don't inform the rest of the class," Victor said, scratching the back of his head, "it wouldn't look good. You understand."
Oh, she understood it alright. Finally, she had something on him, on both of them, but she would not reveal this information to anyone just yet – better save it for a rainy day.
"You will have seen Mira and Thomas in class, and Aiden is Thomas' brother," Victor continued, explaining the connections. "They are family friends as well."
Layla nodded, "I see," she said with a neutral smile, "and do you have any friends of your own, Victor, or do they all belong to your family?"
The men laughed, and even Elijah sported a smile at the corner of his mouth.
"Funny," Victor said, "I hope I can count you as my friend in the future."
She was not so sure about that, though it did seem rather luxurious to be a friend of his.
"Oh, we belong to no one dear," Mira said as she entered the room with a tray stacked with popcorn. "We are free souls, destined to float wherever the wind takes us." She gave a dramatic sigh as she put down the tray.
"Mira is quite the actress," Thomas said with a smile towards her, "everyone's adorable, little doll."
Mira posed to fully embrace the description he gave her. "Now, I think we should get started with the drinking. After all, no one has work tomorrow." She jumped over to the bar and mixed a glass with not unnoticeable skill, before walking over and handed a pink drink to Layla. "Have a taste."
Layla put the glass to her lips and gently sipped it. A sweet taste spread over her tongue, flavours of strawberry and flowers, a light feeling to it, and with just enough of a punch to it, that you could drink it and forget you were drinking. A dangerous combination, she thought, and lowered the glass. She noticed that she had already emptied half of it.
"Do you like it?" Mira asked her face a little too close for comfort.
Layla was careful not to step back. "Yes, wow, it tastes amazing."
"What did I tell you?" Mira said, turning towards the rest of the room, "I can guess anyone's preferences."
"Touche," Elijah said, raising his glass to Mira, "you have great taste."
"Great tastes in friends as well," she said and turned towards Layla. "And I think we shall be the best of friends."
"Now," Victor interrupted the conversation, "shall we start the competition?"
"Competition?" Layla asked.
"Oh," Victor said, "I must have forgotten to tell you – our discussions are always a competition. You will learn."
"With consequences," Mira said and whispered into her ear. "Have you ever heard of strip-poker?"