The Heart System

Chapter 801: Chapter 801

”Where are you looking?” Layla asked.

I realized I had been staring toward the floor while reading the interface. Since she couldn’t see any of it, I quickly waved a hand.

”Oh, I thought I saw something.”

Layla glanced toward the floor as well before looking back at me.

”And?”

”Nothing.”

I was about to continue when I noticed a small dark patch spreading across the front of her shirt. She followed my gaze downward and immediately realized what had happened.

”Oh, no.”

Her breast milk had started leaking again, leaving a visible stain across the fabric. She quickly covered herself with both hands and leaned forward, clearly embarrassed.

”Sorry,” she muttered. ”This has been happening a lot lately.”

”Don’t worry about it.”

I took off my jacket and stood up, carefully draping it over her shoulders so it covered the front of her shirt. Layla pulled it closer around herself and gave me a grateful smile.

”Thank you,” she said. ”I hope it doesn’t smell like milk when I give it back.”

”That jacket has been through worse,” I joked. ”Don’t worry about it.”

She laughed quietly and pulled the jacket a little tighter around herself while we waited for our drinks.

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WOMEN - INTERACTIONS

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Jasmine: Interest: 40 / 60

Kayla: Interest: 38 / 40

Tessa: Interest: 40 / 60

Kim: Interest: 100 / 100

Delilah: Interest: 100 / 100

Cora: Interest: 100 / 100

Mendy: Interest: 24 / 40

Nala: Interest: 100 / 100

Penelope: Interest: 25 / 40

Minne: Interest: 38 / 40

Ivy: Interest: 65 / 80

Eleanor: Interest: 25 / 40

Amelia: Interest: 14 / 20

Esme: Interest: 72 / 80

Carrie: Interest: 4/20

Layla: Interest: 15/20

══════════════════

Oh, five points from her. Nice.

A few minutes later, the waiter returned with our drinks and placed them carefully on the table. She gave us another warm but somewhat rehearsed smile before turning around and heading back toward the counter.

Layla grabbed her drink with one hand and took a sip. I watched her for a moment before picking up my own glass and taking a drink.

”Cupping therapy,” I began. ”What exactly does it do?”

”Supposedly, it drains the dirty blood and gets rid of all kinds of problems,” she replied, making a dismissive gesture with her hand. ”Blah, blah, blah. I stopped doing it anyway. It doesn’t really do anything.”

”Really?”

”Yep.”

I wanted to ask what had happened between her and her former partner, but I decided to leave that subject alone for the moment. This was technically our first proper outing together, assuming it could even be called a date, and I didn’t want to turn the whole conversation into an interrogation. It had also been a while since I had gone somewhere with a woman without Jasmine, Nala, or one of the others being involved. I had gotten so used to my ridiculous relationship situation that I was probably getting rusty at normal dates.

”You’re the only worker there?” I asked. ”Whenever I visit the sex shop, you’re always behind the counter.”

”Yeah.” She sighed. ”I usually close early on weekends, though. That makes things a little easier.”

”Still, that sounds like a tiring job for someone who’s pregnant. Have you considered hiring someone to help?”

She shook her head and pulled my jacket a little tighter around herself. ”I’m barely getting by as it is. Hiring someone would probably bankrupt me.”

”Hmm. That must be tough.”

”You have no idea.” She smiled before taking another sip of her drink. ”What do you do?”

”I’m an assistant,” I replied. ”I work at TechForge. Maybe you’ve heard of it?”

”Oh, the Project Phoenix thing.” She nodded. ”I heard about it on the news.”

”Yeah, that one.”

”Assistant to who?”

”Nala Nolin.”

”Wow, Nala Nolin?” Layla raised her eyebrows. ”I’ve seen her on the news a few times. They also said Beldenwary was going to back the project after Anotta stepped down. Is that actually true?”

”No comment.” I smiled.

”The backlash must have been bad. Anotta has some seriously dedicated fans. When she announced that she was no longer backing the project, people were posting some pretty nasty stuff about TechForge online.”

”Thankfully, we have Beldenwary now. Does she have many fans?”

”Probably not as many as Anotta,” she said with a shrug. ”Still, she knows plenty of important people.”

She cleared her throat and leaned back in her chair.

”It’s still hard to believe that she was the woman in that car.”

Well, there it was again.

I really had to stop making questionable decisions in places where someone could see me. Having Carrie do that in a car parked outside a sex shop had been particularly stupid, and now I was dealing with the consequences of being recognized.

”Oh, sorry,” Layla said. ”I mean, I didn’t actually see anyone in that car.”

”Yep.” I shifted slightly in my seat. ”Definitely. You didn’t see anyone.”

”Yes, sir.”

I laughed. ”Good, good.”

I wanted to change the subject, but I was running out of things to talk about. The obvious subject was her former partner, and considering how much I had wondered about him, I finally decided to ask.

”I have to ask,” I said. ”What happened to your partner, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Layla gave me a small half-smile before taking a slow breath. ”It’s, well, complicated.”

”Right. If you ever want to talk about it, I’m here to listen. I’m a pretty good listener.”

”Thanks, but I don’t know.” She lowered her gaze toward her drink. ”Like I said, it’s complicated.”

I raised both hands slightly. ”I understand complicated relationships. Believe me, I understand.”

”Mmh. Thanks.”

A group of musicians in the far corner began setting up their equipment on the small platform. I turned my chair slightly toward them, and Layla did the same. The musicians checked their instruments and microphones while the conversations around us gradually became quieter.

About a minute later, they started playing a rock song. The sound filled the room without being overwhelmingly loud, and the atmosphere of the club changed almost immediately.

Layla looked at me, and I looked back at her. We both raised our glasses and lightly clinked them together before turning toward the stage to watch the performance.

”Cheers.”

”Cheers.”

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