Leila walked out on her husband while he was still talking. She slammed the door so hard it echoed in the empty corridor.How dare he?How dare he tell her who to talk to? He was gone for nearly two weeks and the next thing he wanted to do was police her movements? Never. That she agreed to this marriage didn’t mean she signed off her rights of freedom.She stopped at the reception to catch her breath. For a silly moment, she had thought Freya was right and they could actually be friends. She was trying to open up to that man.Finding an empty spot in the reception, she lowered herself to one of the long benches. Her fingers pressed to her temple, she rubbed them in circular motion to ease the building headache. Leila stared at her boots and her body slightly vibrated in anger. She was still in her travel outfit. He didn’t give her the chance to change before coming off at her.A familiar ringtone cut through her thoughts. The sight of her best friend’s name on her phone’s screen lift
When Leila woke, it was with an arm around her waist. Her smile was instant when she located the arm of the owner. Kelvin. It was her first time seeing him in bed. He looked peaceful and younger than his actual age. The worry lines on his forehead were gone. Leila wasn’t thinking when she placed a kiss on his cheek.Kelvin didn’t stir from his sleep so she snuck out of the bed and did her thing in silence to avoid waking him. A gentle breeze rustled the curtains, it was the only sound in the room as Leila changed into a gown.The sexy, black gown. It hugged her body, and showed off her slim waist. Leila found herself wishing Kelvin was awake to appreciate her figure. She was combing her hair in front of the mirror when Kelvin finally woke. He stretched his hands and a smile took over his lips when their eyes met in the mirror. She looked away.As far as they were concerned, their last conversation didn’t end well. Leila walked out on him and he met her talking to the man he said she s
Leila patted the wooden surface twice, thanked the receptionist and left for the hotel’s diner. Lily asked her to meet them there, they would go to her room after having breakfast. Leila pulled out her phone to check the time. Some minutes past ten.The two were already seated when she arrived. They waved at her and she marched to them. She pulled out a seat and dumped her bag on another chair. Left to her, she wanted to be in the room with Kelvin.Kelvin would order breakfast, they would eat and try to get to know each other but it would raise brows. Lily already asked her twice about her relationship with Amara. She couldn’t remember what she said.Susie was quiet as Leila took her seat. That was odd but she didn’t comment on it. The less the woman talked, the lower the chances of Leila fumbling.“We are having scrambled eggs and some toast,” Lily said. She slid the menu to Leila. “We didn’t order for you because we did
Leila groaned for the hundredth time that evening. She would be lying if she said she wasn’t enjoying the girls company but this game of cards was so stupid.“Alright. Time to show your cards,” Lily yelled.The three of them sat cross-legged on the floor and the coldness of the tiles helped to keep Leila at alert. Her competitive side had been struck awake and she would win.She must win.Leila squeezed her eyes shut to let the first wave of dizziness pass. It had been a while since she was challenged to a drinking contest.“Fine,” Susie murmured. Among all three, she was the most relaxed. She waved her card in the air and winked. “You asked for this, losers.”She slapped her cards to the floor and a combined groan escaped Lily and Leila.Royal flush. Again.Leila stared at the cards and their arrangements. Her eyes lowered to the bottle of scotch and the glass shots lined beside it. She smacked her lips at the thought of taking another shot. She wanted nothi
Leila jerked awake. The back of her hand went over her eyes to shield the light pouring in through the opened window. Kelvin noticed and closed the curtains. He returned to the bed with a glass of water and a pill.She frowned at his hand. “Take this, you will feel better.” Leila sat up and collected the pill, her throat bobbed as she swallowed and Kelvin looked away. He was remembering the softness of her lips, her body pressed into his while he changed her. Fuck. “Leila?”Her lashes fluttered, she puckered her lips and made a sound that made Kelvin shoot out of the bed before he lost control. Underneath her robe, there was nothing. His hands itched to touch her delicate body, explore every inch of her femininity.With his back to her, he asked, “What happened last night?” The Leila he found knocking on the door of the restroom was someone else. A disoriented drunk. Kelvin shoved his hand into his pocket to hide his growing bulge.
Leila fell asleep on the flight home. She woke in Kelvin’s arms but didn’t move for fear of him asking her to walk. They got into the car and he cradled her to his chest like a baby, dishing out orders to the driver. She fell asleep again to the sound of his heart.The next time she woke, they were inside their room, on the bed. The lights were too dim for Leila to tell what time of the day it was. How long did she sleep? She darted a worried look at Kelvin and he smiled.“Hey,” she said. Her voice was scratchy like it had been out of use. She pulled the cover over her leg and rolled to the other end of the bed. “What time is it?”“No idea,” he replied. He propped his elbow on the pillow, taking in every move she made. “Are you okay?”“Yeah. Just tired, I guess.”Her clothes were still intact unlike last night and she was glad he didn’t change her. The memories from that night were
They stared at each other for another second, Leila was ready for his kiss as his lips inched closer. His lips caressed hers when his phone rang. They froze. Leila waited for the ringing to end, only for it to start all over again. Kelvin’s phone stopped ringing and hers started almost immediately. They groaned in unison.His face mirrored the disappointment on hers. And a feeling of loss crept into her chest when Kelvin walked to the vanity to pick his phone. Her eyes lowered to his briefs, her cheeks heated as she took in the contour of his manhood. She couldn’t tell his size from looking alone. But the thought made her hot. She pressed her legs together. Seconds after he picked his call, she scurried to the bathroom.Her chest rose and fell. She stared at the person in the mirror. It looked like her but it wasn’t her. She hadn’t been this frazzled or affected by a guy since that night. A flicker of disgust burst through her. Leila shook her head
A long sigh and a nod later, the two friends walked out of the house. Leila had no idea where Freya was taking them but she allowed her friend to order an Uber.It felt right to spoil herself silly after years of hard work without a break. Kelvin was right about her needing to take a leave even if it was only for a day.But what was the point?All those years she never took one because there was no place for her to go. She could go home but it didn’t feel like home anymore. It hadn’t felt like one since she found out the truth. Her eyes stung from thinking about that night, the memory was still fresh.Leila looked out the window when she felt Freya’s gaze on her. Freya knew part of the story, she couldn’t tell her everything but she was grateful for her constant support.The cab slowed down in front of a store. A gasp lodged in her throat at the name written in glitters.“What the—?” she was saying to Freya who