"Are you sure she isn't going to mind?" Victor's eyes squinted, trying to avoid the sun, its rays spilling in through the windshield. The normally smooth curve of its surface was splattered with the dried innards of various bugs, save for the spots the vehicle wipers could reach. Lynard Skynard blared through the radio speakers,  Ol' Ronnie belting out vocals over a cacophony of electric guitars and drums. Vic averted his gaze over to the driver. Thomas had one hand gripped tight to the wheel, its leather cover worn down from years of overuse and tight grips. His free hand tapped against the top of it, drumming along with the song.<br/><br/>Victor reached for the radio knob and turned it to the left, the song fading out to barely more than a whisper. "What the fuck, Vic? That was the best part!" Thomas reached to crank the knob to the right but Victor promptly slapped his hand away. "Nuh-uh! I asked you a question you asshat."<br/><br/>Thomas let out an exasperated sigh, one of annoyance and frustration. "Why are you so nervous anyway? You act as if you've never met her before. Why would she care? It's Layla, you've known her for years."<br/><br/>"Did you<i>at least </i>let her know that I was going to be coming with you?" Victor questioned. He was met with a half grimace/half grin that he assumed was supposed to be comical but Victor found no humor in it. "You've got to be fucking kidding me." Vic slouched in the seat and exhaled deeply.<br/><br/>"You're being weird, Vic. Don't tell me you still have a crush on her." Victor stayed silent a moment, flashes from years past flickering through his mind like a slideshow. Some of the images were of him and Thomas racing their bikes down suicide hill as kids. The two of them screaming like demons, their balls sucked up into their bodies, yet neither willing to slow or back down. Then there was Layla. She was older than them, assertive and everything an older sister should be. Vic hadn't been the only one that had a crush on her, though he<i>was </i>Thomas's best friend, which meant he spent a good deal of time at his house. The next picture was one of Layla. It had been from a night he had spent the night. Victor wasn't even sure she had noticed, but Victor saw her coming out of the shower. They'd of collided in the hallway had Victor not stopped, his curiosity urging him to stay silent and watch from afar as she made her way to her room. He could still remember the towel wrapped around her, though the color of it had faded over time. The scene then shifted to that of a woman. It wasn't quite Layla, but she bore a close resemblance. She too was wrapped in a towel. The color was white but there were splotches of deep crimson stained all over. Across the young woman's throat was a wide gash, the torn flesh gaping with jagged and torn edges.<br/><br/>"Earth to Vic. You alright over there? C'mon, don't tell me you still have a thing for her." Thomas jabbed his forefinger against Vic's temple. "Listen, man, there is one rule. No fucking my sister. Got it?"<br/><br/>Victor shook his head and scoffed. "Shut up! I don't like or want to fuck Layla." A blatant lie, but neither his voice nor his action hinted at the truth.<br/><br/>"Good, your dick is probably too small anyway." Thomas spat. It was meant as a joke but when Victor didn't respond Thomas took a softer approach. "It'll be fine, brother. She'll actually probably be excited to have someone other than me over. I don't think she gets a lot of people time other than at work. That doesn't count though." Thomas paused, shifting his focus to the side mirror as he flipped his blinker on and passed a station wagon in the fast lane. It was a family. Two children sat in the backseat, strapped to car seats. They slept soundly as mom and dad occupied the front, likely heading to some far-off place for a vacation, or so Victor surmised. "You're little 'Vicky', remember?" Thomas laughed again as he switched lanes once more.<br/><br/>"Naw, I'm not man. I'm different." The words were spoken quietly and held a grim weight that Thomas didn't pick up on.<br/><br/>"It'll be fine, Vic, I promise. Look, we're almost there." Thomas turned back up the music and exited the highway.<br/><br/>The closer they got, the more nervous Victor become. He'd spent years obsessing over Layla. The prospect of seeing her again had always been a certainty but even that foreseen conclusion proved not to be enough to quell the rumbling that stirred deep in his belly. Years of preparation and growth had brought him to this moment and yet he still didn't quite know how things would play out. That unknown factor both exhilarated and terrified him.<br/><br/>"Here we are." Thomas pulled up into a long driveway and threw the car into park. Victor looked over the house, his eyes taking in the details of it. As soon as the engine shut off the boys both emerged from the car. Victor took a moment to stretch his legs a bit and attempted to straighten out the creases of his clothes. He was a tall man, lanky yet well built for someone weighing in at a modest 180lbs. His hair was dark and medium-length, the tufts styled back, the sides of it tapered up to blend in perfectly with the mane up top. His light green eyes were deep set while two bushy black brows lined the top of them. He didn't have a full beard but his jaw and neck were both lined with thick stubble which was shaped appropriately.<br/><br/>The two men approached the door and Thomas knocked. Victor stood back some, examining the frame of the door. A figure appeared through the frosted glass and when the door swung open Vic felt his heart skip a beat or two. Layla was everything that he had remembered, though for some reason the reality was much better than the fragments held within his mind.<br/><br/>"Hey, you!" Thomas beamed and embraced his sister, giving her a solid squeeze before letting go. "This isn't just anyone, Layla. You remember Victor, right? Little Vicky?" A shit-eating grin spread across his face and Victor gave his childhood friend a look that could kill. Victor chose to speak for himself at that moment before Thomas could embarrass him anymore.<br/><br/>"It's Victor, or Vic. Either is fine." He then made eye contact with Layla and smiled some, his thin lips parting as he spoke again. "Long time no see, Layla. How are you? I hope you don't mind that I tagged along.."