Leila was floored. She pinched her thighs to wake herself up from this nightmare but the man didn’t disappear.
“Hi,” he murmured. “I’m Carlson.”“Hi,” she replied. Pulling out her phone, she tapped on Carlson’s Tinder profile and zoomed in. “Um, I don’t mean to be rude but I’m waiting for this person.”Leila slid the phone to him so he could see the man on her screen. A tall, handsome man with blue eyes that saw into her soul, not this short man over here with brown eyes and a scalp that was almost balding. He didn’t even have a beard.The fake Carlson laughed. Was his name even Carlson? It could be but he wasn’t her Carlson?“Yeah, that’s me, Leila.” Her heart rolled to her feet. The urge to slap off the smirk on his face grew and she clenched her hands under the table. No, this was a prank. “You work an eight to five job. Your friend owns the pet you used as your profile picture.”Right. “I don’t believe you.” He laughed again. Her misery must be funny because why the hell was he laughing? She grabbed her phone, stared long and hard at the man on her screen, then back at the different man seated across her. “We had a video call.”“With my cousin,” he supplied.Drumming her fingers on the table, she said, “So this person is real but it’s just not you?” Carlson nodded again. His confidence annoyed her. He should be on his knees, grovelling and begging for forgiveness. Not like she would forgive him. She lost interest the minute he waved at her from the door. “You’re short.”Her face squeezed in horror but she didn’t take back the words. He lied. He lied about everything. Even his face wasn’t the same.“Am I?”“Your bio says you’re 6 foot 4.”“Does it?” He laughed through his reply and her hand closed around her milkshake. She should pour it on him and call it a mistake. This date was a mistake. “Oops, must have meant to write 5’4.”Leila was 5’8.Unlike him, she didn’t find this funny. And when the dumbass finally noticed, he asked, “Does that bother you?”“Yes. A lot, actually.” She gathered her things, shoved her phone into her handbag. Bringing out some dollar bills to pay for her drink, her glare froze Carlson in place when he offered to pay. Leila slapped the bills onto the table. “I can pick my own tab, Carlson. Thank you very much.”For once, he looked uncertain. Did he really think she would have laughed this off? He must be out of his mind. Him and his stupidly handsome cousin.“I’m sorry,” Carlson murmured.On her feet, she replied, “Yeah, me too.”“You’re leaving?” No. She was getting ready to sleep here. One more stupid question out of him and she would smash his face with her handbag. “I thought you said appearance didn’t matter.”“Appearance doesn’t matter when the man you’re chatting with looks like your cousin,” she said.His expression crumbled but she felt nothing but pity for herself. Appearances didn’t matter as much to her like she told him earlier. But for him to blatantly lie to her and expect her to forget everything, now, that was the height of this.“Thank you for showing up,” she told him.After one last fake smile directed at the waiter approaching their table, she stepped out and inhaled Carlson free air.Stupid men. Stupid Tinder. Stupid her.Walking to the gates with no clear destination in mind, her steps slowed when her phone rang. She knew before she picked the call, it was Freya. Leila kept close to the curb, the honks of cars zooming past her muffled by the earbuds she plugged in.“What about your date?” her friend asked.The wallet caught her eyes as she pulled out her purse from her handbag. It would be a miracle if she found the owner. “He died. Where are you?”“He died! How?”Leila paused so she could think up a better reply. People brushed past her without so much as a glance in her direction and she hugged her bag tighter to her chest. What about her date?“Did I say die? I mean, he...he couldn’t make it.”“Leilani May Collins.” She winced at the use of her full name. She had to do better as a liar since she was terrible. “What happened to your date?”“I’m going to say this only once.” With two fingers raised up, she flagged down a taxi. The taxi stopped in front of her, she moved her bag to the other hand and opened the backdoor. “I got catfished.”A sigh escaped her as she settled into the backseat of the taxi. She pulled the phone from her ear to be sure Freya was still on the line.“Where are you?” Freya whispered.“In a cab.”The driver clapped again to get her attention and she held out a finger to signify patience. Freya was yet to laugh. Why wasn’t her best friend laughing at her?“I’m at Total Gardens. Come. Join me.”The call ended before Leila could protest. With a big forced smile, she told the driver, “Take me to Total Gardens.”On the ride there, Leila reported Carlson’s account. The idiot had left her a message there. Shaking her head, she blocked him on all social media platforms. A minute before Leila arrived at the location given to her, she sent her best friend a text.Freya was waiting for her when the taxi drove to a stop. Her friend engulfed her in a hug and Leila mumbled into her shoulder, “I’m deleting that app.”“Don’t.” Looping her arm through Leila’s elbow, Freya tugged her in the direction of the reception. The wedding was over. “He was just one guy and a fucking liar. Doesn’t mean the rest of them are.”“I doubt they are different,” Leila murmured.They entered a garden decorated with flowers and Leila bent before a bouquet hit her square in the face.“Keep it until the end of this year.”“Year?” Leila cried out in horror. “Hell no.”The tables had been set, chairs arranged around them in a circular pattern. An aisle divided the tables. Beside the makeshift stage, a band played soothing music that tugged at her heart. She still couldn’t believe Carlson was a catfish.Freya guided her to a table and pulled out a chair for her. “Fine. What about a month?”“No, a week.” Taking out her compact mirror, Leila smacked her lips and added another layer of red lipstick. “I’ll go on one more date and I’m done.”“Fine.” Leaning closer to her best friend, Freya whispered, “Some of the guests are hot. Just wait.”And Leila was uninterested in them. Being single wasn’t the end of the world. “I don’t care, Freya.”Freya laughed. “You will once you see them and you might have no use for Tinder anymore.”Out of curiosity, her eyes scanned the garden as Freya tapped on her phone, probably chatting with her husband. The place was empty except for them, the band and the caterers setting up the meals.Oh. There was one other person.A man.The man’s head was bent over his phone. His grey tux fit snugly to his body and each time he moved, his biceps tugged on the material of his suit. He must have felt her eyes on him because he lifted his head. His fingers ran through his hair like he was angry at something and Leila blushed.He was hot. Hotter than Carlson’s cousin.He arched a brow when she continued staring and she looked away. Her cheeks warmed, she picked her phone and pretended to type into it. He was familiar. She should know him but at the moment, she couldn’t place his face.Freya stood. “I have to get something outside.” Leila could feel the stranger’s eyes on her but she didn’t look. Freya adjusted her hair and gown. “How do I look?” Leila gave her best friend a thumbs up. As always, Freya was stunning. “Thanks. Have fun without me.”She could try but fun was more of Freya’s thing. And she was still traumatised from Carlson.One of the servers dropped a bottle of wine on her table and Leila muttered her thanks.Faint voices filtered into her ears, the band changed song as the bride and groom walked in. The man smiled at his wife and she grinned back. Leila didn’t know them. They were friends of Freya.She felt those eyes on her again and she peered from under her lashes to get a better look at him.Thick brows. Full lips. Chiselled jaw. Delicate nose. Short hair that was constantly falling over his forehead. She wanted to walk up to him and smoothen the hair out of his face.The MC said something Leila didn’t hear because she was focused on this stranger but it made the guests laugh. The stranger’s lips quirked like he knew the effect he had on her. Her cheeks warmed, she returned to her Tinder app, determined not to give the hot stranger the satisfaction of meeting his gaze again.Her brows furrowed at her screen. She had been paired with someone. A Kelvin. That was odd. It usually took a while for her to get paired, thanks to her bland profile. Carlson had been a lucky match.The guy’s profile was almost the same as hers. Short and uninteresting. His display picture didn’t show his face but a toned body and the mouth-watering six packs made her hesitate.What if the body belonged to Kelvin’s cousin?Throwing caution to the wind, she hit the accept button and a message popped in immediately.Kelvin: Hi.Tempted to reply immediately, Leila opened the candy crush app instead. She didn’t want to give off the impression of being desperate.Someone laughed in the crowd. The garden had filled up now and they were raising a toast to the couple. Leila reached for the glass of wine on her table and cheered to the air.Where was her best friend?Nearly everyone in this garden was paired except her. One more reason she hated attending weddings.Another message came in from this Kelvin guy and she didn’t take her time to reply to this one.Kelvin: Are you busy?Leila: Kind of. I’m at this wedding my best friend forced me to attend.Force was not the best word to describe the true story. But Leila could bet her left ankle that Freya would have dragged her out of her house if she went there instead of coming to this wedding.Kelvin: same. In my case, I lost a bet so I had to come. I’m bored out of my mind. Weddings are not my thing but a single man has no say in such matters. My sister is trying t
A normal person would have said no but Leila stopped considering herself normal the moment she signed the contract with Kelvin McKenna. They only went on two dates for God’s sake. Her best friend didn’t even know because he convinced her to do it before telling Freya. And she agreed.She said yes.Did she make a mistake?Leila was still thinking about this as she entered her work building, she pulled the door to her office open and paused.Everyone was here.She stole a peek at her wristwatch, she wasn’t late. It was only five minutes past eight. She walked briskly to her table and set her bag and files down.Her head raised when someone sat on her desk. Lily. They were not best of friends but she preferred her to that witch staring at her from across the room. Samantha’s mission in this office was to make her life miserable but Leila was bent on avoiding her as best as she could. Already, it was working. Last month, she received the best staff of the month award for the third time in
The department was louder than before as male and female staff discussed her husband. Leila was mortified as Susie broke down into a commentary about his looks.Bile rose to her throat and she forced herself to take a sip of water from her flask. One of the rules of their firm was this: No inter-staff relationship. It was forbidden and highly frowned upon, so most of what they were saying would only happen in their dreams.Still, their thoughts nauseated her. She wasn’t breaking the rules by being married to the boss but she felt like a criminal as she listened to them ogle and try to picture Kelvin without a shirt. He was her husband and she hadn’t even seen him shirtless yet.Susie was the loudest of the gossipers, her comment about Kelvin’s lips between her legs bothered Leila and she scowled at their backs when they laughed at her remark. Her cheeks warmed when she remembered their near kiss from this morning.Kelvin was perfect as he was.Lily dragged a seat close to Leila’s tabl
“Carlson,” Leila breathed out.“Leilani.” He smiled. Those familiar emotions of anger that she had buried since their failed date bubbled inside her. “I didn’t think I would be seeing you anytime soon.” Neither did she, she should have looked first before hopping into his car like a rabbit. “I’ve been trying to reach you.”“Oh.” What was the kindest way to tell someone she blocked him? Her fake smile became faker. “I changed numbers. Might be why you couldn’t reach me.”“Sweet. Can I have your new number?”“What?” she squeaked out.“Your new number. I’ll give you a call later.”Today he was wearing a beanie so she was spared the sight of his thinning hair. When his head tilted to get a fuller view of her, she froze.“Look, we got off on the wrong foot. I apologise.”“It’s okay. Can we just go?” she asked.“Where to?”“Straight ahead. I’ll let you know when to stop.”Carlson burst into a string of apologies as their ride began. Leila cursed her fate over and over again. She should have
Minutes later, the food was ready. Leila set the tray on the table, her smile, big and bright as she marched to the study to get her husband. She met him on a call. His voice was so low she barely heard a word he said. She leaned on the doorframe, a small smile on her face as she watched him massage his forehead. Even when disturbed, he looked cute. They might get along.The call ended and he turned to her. Leila smiled, ready to speak but he cut her off. “What do you want?”Wow. His words were like ice poured over her, she took a subconscious step out of the study. Her hand curved in the direction of the dining.“Dinner is ready.” She tried and failed to smile but his reaction hurt her. Here she was, trying to be a good wife and he was being rude. “I came to tell you that.”She was a few steps out of the study when he called her. “Leila.” She stopped but didn’t turn. If he would be rude to her, she didn’t want to be around him. “Sorry for raising my voice.”Hiding a smile, she nodded
Leila’s heart jumped to her throat. Masking her fear of the unknown, she nodded. Kelvin’s gaze swept over her and she hid her hands under the table. For once, she didn’t want to know what he was thinking. Her mind slowed as she replayed the events of today. She had done nothing wrong.“Today at the office...” Kelvin started.“I get it,” she interrupted. “We should remain a secret.” Her cheeks burned when she remembered how he acted towards her and she shrugged. Too bad she wouldn’t be able to exchange husband tales with Freya. “I understand. I can do that.”After four rigorous years at Tech Valley, she didn’t want her success to be attributed to him. Most importantly, she didn’t want him to go out of his way to please her. Only real couples did that and their marriage was one of convenience.Kelvin smirked at her discomfort. “I was about to say… I didn’t mean to make you nervous.” Oh. She stared at her feet, embarrassed by her forwardness. “I didn’t say anything about us because we ha
Leila rose to her feet slowly. Her husband had not moved an inch, he was staring at her like he couldn’t understand why she hadn’t joined him on the bed yet. They might be getting along now but she wasn’t ready to be intimate with him.He was still a stranger to her, a familiar stranger.Her heart beat faster, she found it difficult to breathe as she dragged one foot in front of the other. Kelvin’s phone rang before she reached the bed, they stared at each other and she sent him a soft, pleading smile to leave the room.Furrowing his brows, her husband shot out of the bed. “I have to take this,” he said. “One second.”The words to reply to him failed her, he gave her a curt nod and her chest deflated with relief once he stepped out of the room. After one last look at the door to be sure he wouldn’t be back soon, she hurried to the wardrobe to get her pyjamas.A polka dot long-sleeved pyjamas. Scowling at her nightwear, Leila questioned her fashion choices. The pyjamas made her look li
“Yes. But I need to go get ready.” Leilani rushed to the door of the bathroom, then stopped. Her eyes closed, she took a deep breath. “I need to make breakfast first.”She felt a presence behind her and her spine stiffened. He was so close to her she could smell his cologne. She didn’t turn, she couldn’t. Her body was reacting to his presence in ways that were unfamiliar to her. She held onto the door frame for support when he placed a hand on her shoulder. She had to get a grip.“Don’t worry about breakfast. I made something.” She cocked her head a little to get a glimpse of him. He made what? Kelvin nodded and her heart clenched in fear and surprise. “I’ll wait for you so we can eat together.”A smile broke out on her lips, she hopped into the bathroom without a reply to him. As soon as the door closed, she leaned on it and placed a hand on her chest. Her heart was beating so fast, so hard. Her husband was making her feel things, things she didn’t want to feel.Laughter from outside