i've been in love with love

Layla Nichols • 25 • San Francisco Full-time artist, photographer & dreamer Life is an empty canvas, and you've got the brushes, so make a masterpiece of it..

[laylanichols-blog]

andrewaltmans:

‘‘Now we know what to get him for his birthday. A bedpan.’‘

“Ohhh, he’s gonna love that present.”

[laylanichols-blog]

andrewaltmans:

‘‘That’s– I can definitely do that for you, yup.’‘ Swoop in and save the day? Was she mad? He would probably rip over his own two feet and now she thought that he was this trained firefighter person and he knew he got himself in a mess again. Well, that was it, the least they could do was hope there was not afire anywhere near them. Besides, how often were there any to begin with? He had nothing to worry about. ‘’So what are you up to these days?” Change the topic, asap.

A bright smile lit up Layla’s face at his words, and a warmth spread through her chest. She felt safe and comfortable, despite living in a city where she knew very few people, and she suspected Ray and her group of friends had everything to do with it. “Oh, not much. Just a lot of exploring the city and taking photographs. Would you like to see some of them?”

[laylanichols-blog]

its--izzy:

( “Izzy… It’s not my real name… Or at least it’s not the name on my birth certificate.” )

“Oh, OH! Now I get it. What is your real name, or at least the one on your birth certificate? Because I’ve only ever heard people call you Izzy.”

[laylanichols-blog]

its--izzy:

( “I love weddings! They’re so much fun! Plus who turns down the chance to get all dressed up, drink champagne and dance until you want to take your shoes off?” )

“Well, when you put it like that, anyone who doesn’t like weddings must be crazy, and that’s coming from me.”

[laylanichols-blog]

atticuskingsley:

“My bed and I have a very unhealthy relationship. Every morning I leave it for other things, but I always come back at the end of the day. It’s time to change. So I’ve decided… I’m staying in bed forever. That’s my two kay eighteen resolution. Starting tomorrow.”

“What happens when you’re hungry? Or you need to use the bathroom?”

[laylanichols-blog]

its--izzy:

( “I will literally never get used to writing 2018 on anything, I’ve already had to redo this damn paperwork twice because I didn’t put my real first name on it the first time and now I’ve got to do it again because I’m still living in 2017.” )

“... What name did you put if not your real first name?”

[laylanichols-blog]

its--izzy:

( “You gate crashed a wedding without me? Without even telling me? Without even consulting your wardrobe choice with me? Are we even friends? – Who even are you?” )

“I’m sorry, I didn’t plan it! I was just out and it kinda happened. ─ I didn’t know you liked weddings so much, though!”

[laylanichols-blog]

andrewaltmans:

Andrew looked at her and thought how cute she was, so surprised. He wasn’t sure if Layla was a shy person or not, but he knew that whatever it was, he liked it reflected in her reaction. Raising his eyebrows at her comment, he was dumbfounded – did he look like a firefighter? Placing his hands on his hips as he thought about the way to go about his response, he shook his head, and reluctantly at that. ‘’Uh, no, no, not a firefighter…’’ Unfortunately. He scratched the back of his head. ‘’But–’’ Andrew added, rather quickly. ‘’I did, uh, had some training. You know, at work.’’ More like, when he was in the elementary school but potato, potahto. ‘’We had the fire drills and all. It was very exciting and a bit, you know, demanding.’’ And he broke his thumb trying to be on top of his game and hated anything that had to even remotely do with P.E., for the rest of his life.

Although saying she knew Andrew or any single one of Ray’s friends would have been a stretch since Layla hasn’t been around all that long, there were some things she was starting to notice more. Like, the way Andrew would straighten up, maybe even puff out his chest a little in the process, when there was someone new around. Almost as if he were trying to impress, and she found it adorable. Resting her chin on the inside of her palm, Layla smiled at Andrew as he explained the tough, demanding training that came with his work, and she nodded her head, inspiration and awe taking over her features. “That’s amazing! In case we ever have a fire, it’ll be good if we have you with us. You can swoop in and save the day.”

[laylanichols-blog]

andrewaltmans:

Turning around, Andrew wasn’t even aware that Layla was there the whole time, listening. ‘’Layla!’’ He exclaimed in surprise, a little hint of embarrassment settling within him. ‘’No no, please don’t worry about it. Luckily, I was well-composed and… equipped for this kind of a situation so as to leave the scene unscathed.’’ Realizing how he made it look like there was a fire when there was not, he chose to add. ‘’By having a fire extinguisher, of course.’’

Andrew’s tone of surprise went right over Layla’s head: she was too concerned about his well-being to notice anything other than whether or not he was okay. Of course, he managed to sway those worries with reassuring words and she let out a relieved breath. Relieved, and piqued at the same time─ did Andrew have some training in firefighting or was she just so silly to assume it from his words? “Oh, oh,” she chuckled, the awe on her face shifting into amusement, her cheeks hot as she covered her mouth. Good thing she hadn’t said anything. “For a moment I thought you were also a firefighter or had some training.” Right, hadn’t said anything until just then.

[admemoria]

[dailydeutch]

[laylanichols-blog]

Layla entered the coffee shop, immediately spotting a familiar head sitting on the couch. She still didn’t understand how it was possible, but one of her friends would always be sitting there at any given time of day, which was awesome for Layla who─ once again, forgot everything but her camera when she left the apartment. “So, I just crashed a wedding,” she beamed as she plopped down on the couch. “I think it was Greek, too, if that movie was true to the culture,” she wondered out loud, obviously talking about My Big Fat Greek Weeding. “How was your day?”

[laylanichols-blog]

andrewaltmans:

‘‘Yeah, it’s official. This year has been going so well that it just almost ended in a damn fire of the apartment that’s not even mine to burn in the first place and not to mention my insurance would never cover it since I literally just tripped, broke the candelabra and ruined my own holiday. Happy Hanukkah, everybody!”

“Oh, no!” Layla gasped, her hand covering her mouth as she listened to Andrew’s horror story. “But no one was hurt, right? I mean, you look to be in one piece.”

[sansasmargaeryinactive-deactiva]

[laylanichols-blog]

atticuskingsley:

“I am a perfect person! Ezra says I could be a catch if I learned to talk to women, whatever that means. Izzy says I need to work on my pick up strategy…maybe it did have something to do with my tone! Wait, that’s impossible, I was so nice to them. Womenfolk are unpredictable.”

Layla’s eyes widened, then genuine shock took over her features, until finally she burst into laughter. “See, calling us womenfolk doesn’t help you make your case, Atti! I think you might have to listen to Ezra and Izzy on this one.”

[laylanichols-blog]

its--izzy:

( “Usually. I mean you tend to play it a little safe but it works or you. Oh this? This is my gym wear. Galaxy print leggings are very in right now.” )

Layla didn’t think her style was safe, if anything people have looked at her like she was crazy about some of the things she wore, but who was she to question the fashion authority around here? She shrugged her shoulders. “I love the galaxy, but wearing it on your legs is just bonkers.”

[laylanichols-blog]

andrewaltmans:

Andrew found it quite an accomplishment that Layla didn’t roll her eyes at his attempt at a joke – it was quite the opposite! Did he just manage to make her smile? Bet next time he could make her laugh, that’d be a whole new level of his ego inflating for a change. ‘’Right, right, see, that’s a good point. But how difficult can it be to get divorced these days? It’s like, it’s almost like a fashion statement.’’ He wondered if ‘fashion statement’ was the right call, because he wasn’t sure how they called that these days. ‘’Nah, Ray’s really sweet, which you already know, there’s no way that she would kick you out. Did you meet anyone else apart from me?”

Layla didn’t know much about the legal hoops she might have to go through to get divorced, honestly, it hadn’t even occurred to her. Her little marriage stint had accomplished one thing fully, and that was assure her that she never wanted to try it again. But bureaucracy... She wanted to do that even less. “I wouldn’t know, I’m neither fashionable nor well versed in divorces,” she shrugged her shoulders honestly. Why pretend to be anything else? “Yeah, she’s a real sweetheart. Makes me wonder why my parents kept saying such bad things about their families when Ray is like the sweetest ever!” Layla sighed out, still puzzled by some of the decisions her parents had made. “Oh, I’ve met a few others, like Ezra, and Izzy and Atticus.”