Nadia paced a small circle on the sidewalk, shaking her head.
“No. No, this is exactly what I was trying to prevent.”
“It’s not like that!”
“Then what is it like, Layla?”
Layla hesitated,then said quietly,
“He protected me.”
Nadia stopped pacing.Her eyes softened for a second but only for a second.
“Protected you from what?”
“Everything that happened at school and from Liam.”
Nadia folded her arms again.
“And that makes him safe?”
“Yeah,he hasn’t hurt me.”
“That’s not the point.”
Layla frowned.
“Then what is the point?”
“The point is I told you to stay away from him.”
Layla looked frustrated now.
“You were overreacting.”
Nadia stared at her in disbelief.
“Overreacting?”
“Yes.”
“That man is dangerous!”
“He’s not!”
“He is!”
“He’s not!”
The tension between them thicke
