An amused grin claimed her lips as her brother examined the multiple missed calls on his phone from his fiancée. He really never had been great at paying attention to his phone — since Tiffany had been away, she thought he’d at least get a little better with it. It seemed not.<br/><br/>Her gaze cast back over to Victor who sat across from her as she continued to observe him. As she studied him, it played upon her mind just how long it had been since she saw him last. He was so different, yet so familiar. As he began to answer her question, Layla quirked a brow; curious. He gave away the perfect amount of information to pique her interest and feed into her growing intrigue.<br/><br/>“Thank you,” Layla beamed as he complimented her food, her chest swelling with warmth. Compliments about her cooking had always been the way to reach her heart considering it was one of the main methods she used to express her love and desire to care for those she invited into her home. Quietly, she continued to spoon food into her mouth, chewing thoughtfully as she listened to the chatter between Victor and Thomas. Her brother’s distant replies indicated he was engrossed in the conversation of texts — likely something important he had forgotten — either that or he was receiving a scalding from his fiancée for being so irresponsive.<br/><br/>A cheeky grin spread across her lips as she placed the last bite of food into her mouth, before swiftly tidying her mouth with her napkin. “Well, I don’t know about<i>big shot,” </i>Layla mused, glancing over at her brother who still had his nose in his phone, “but I’ve cracked a few cases. It keeps me busy.” She was well known and respected in her unit, but still humble. Work wasn’t a topic she often enjoyed drawling on about, considering the nature of her work was rather grim. It was often a sure way to dampen the energy in the room.<br/><br/>Pale eyes followed Thomas as he exited the room to tend to his future wife’s needs. No doubt he was going to be in trouble if it was that important. Her eyes settled on Victor again, this time her focus was more measured; steady, instead of inquisitive. The topic of work always caused her to stiffen up.<br/><br/>“Yeah, I enjoy it, it does occupy a lot of my time. But it can be very satisfying and rewarding,” she paused a moment, as if deep in thought, “Dangerous, yes. I have chased down a fair few people who I would have rather have not known about. There have been a few close calls,” the woman briefly lifted her right arm, exposing a long, faded silver scar that stretched from her elbow to her wrist. “A lot of the people I have worked with have scared the living shit out of me,” Layla confirmed, a soft chuckle following her attempt to lighten the mood.<br/><br/>Before she could continue, Thomas re-entered the room. “Sorry guys, I just have to duck back home for a bit. Won’t be too long,” he announced, plucking up another rasher of bacon before traipsing towards the door, “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!”<br/><br/>Layla shook her head at her brother’s commentary as he made a quick exit. He didn’t live far from them, she knew he wouldn’t be long, but she couldn’t help feel slightly awkward to be left alone with Victor. Even in their childhood years, she’d not spoken to him much aside from the odd passing comment or general chit chat. Well, there was no better way to get to know a person than to spend one on one time with them.<br/><br/>“So, how about I give you the tour, Vic? I’ve had this place for 6 years now, but have only just finished renovating,” Layla said, attempting to divert conversation away from her work life, as well as strike up a new conversation. She rose from her seat and motioned for him to follow her.<br/><br/>The far wall of her home was a reddened brick, housing a dark grey lounge suite, an old oak bookcase with dozens of worn books and a TV nestled into the corner. Her apartment was modest, but it was homey. Certainly big enough for her and the odd guest that stayed the night. Industrial windows were evenly spaced across all of the walls.<br/><br/>“Well, this is the main lounge room. Before renovating, it used to have mint green walls and checkered laminate flooring. It was hideous,” she laughed softly, shaking her head. The walls were a deep charcoal, with oak, matte floorboards. To the left was a black staircase in which she began to ascend.<br/><br/>“Up here, two bedrooms and a bathroom,” Layla continued, “similar story with the mint green walls and laminate floors. Whoever was their interior designer should have been sacked.” The memories brought forth a small shudder, as she pushed open the bathroom door to reveal  dark stone tiles lining the shower, a generous sized tub and a marble countertop, with gold furnishings. It was modern, dark and classic.<br/><br/>Layla continued down the hall, “Guest bedroom on the left,” she motioned to a rather plain looking room, white linen decorating the bed. “My room to the right,” the woman continued, slightly opening her door to reveal more large industrial windows, allowing heavy loads of natural light to pool into the room, “Not that I do much sleeping in here.” As soon as the words left her lips, Layla almost wished she hadn’t said them. A hasty blush coloured her cheeks as she realised how suggestive the comment had been — like she had some sort of wildly active sex life. That certainly wasn’t the case. She cleared her throat, “I don’t sleep very well on days I work. My brain doesn’t know how to shut off, apparently.” A nervous chuckle echoed the room before she began to make her way back down the winding staircase to the kitchen.<br/><br/>The woman gathered the dirty dishes and began stacking them in the dishwasher, before beginning to brew another pot of coffee. It’d still be a little while before Thomas returned. Layla poured the man another black coffee, and herself one, before motioning for him to follow her once again, out through french doors that lead to a generous sized balcony. The fresh air wrapped around her body, ravaging her senses as a deep exhale exited her lungs.  Settling herself into a chair on the balcony, Layla sipped her coffee before placing it down onto a small galvanised steel table beside her.<br/><br/>“So what are you doing for work here, Vic? I think you’ll like this city, everyone is so welcoming, and it’s very safe. Not much crime here at all,” Layla commented, lifting her gaze to once again meet his, “It’ll be nice to see you around. Just like old times, hey. Even though Thomas can be a real dick, he really values your friendship.”