“Ember would be so disappointed in me. She taught me the steps, and somehow I mess it up after a week of her gone.”Samuel laughed. “I mean, you were juggling a lighter schedule then compared to now. Maybe you should return to the drawing board and see how to manage yourself while employed.”“I will. Thankfully, I was able to get something for tonight. Thanks for going with me.”“It was a pleasure.”He set the bags on the coffee table, and she took out the items they bought. First, from the flower shop, she got some hand-weaved baskets and a bunch of flowers to send to her sister on the anniversary of her parent’s death, which wasn’t too far away. She had also stopped by the mall to pick up
The water did little to help him, but he still cupped his hand underneath the rushing nuzzle, all the same. He waited for his palms to fill before splashing the water over his face. Kiss Kali had been a bad call. He couldn't make any excuses. The truth was he wanted to kiss her and saw no reason to stop when she kissed him first. Only he would do something as stupid as that when they needed to spend the entire evening together. She would be beside him because Ember wasn’t around to keep her company, and her sister had school.“You already did this. Don’t be a coward, and get out there.”He dried
"Good evening, ma'am." The young maid greeted them as she took their jackets."Are they already at the table?" Samuel asked."Yes. Peter would be down soon. He is the last one.""Thanks, Mindy." The maid scurried away, and Samuel looked at her. "Try and keep your head.""I promise nothing but to keep my sanity."
Samuel flicked the lights on as they entered the house. Kali walked behind him, pulling the band off her hair and massaging her scalp with a groan. Dinner had gone swimmingly. Exactly how they expected it to go. What was clear tonight was how enthused his mother was with whatever went on at the table. Throughout the dinner, he saw through her façade of disgruntled matriarch to the woman who relished the tarnishing of Kali’s character.“All that time spent on the road reminding me to be calm tonight, and you end up losing your cool.” Kali grinned as they dragged themselves into the living room.
Samuel left for his lunch break early the next day to meet his mother at home. It didn’t surprise him to receive her call. It had taken three days more than he expected, but it came nonetheless. He had arrived on time at the mansion, noticing that none of the other cars were around. The garage was being cleaned, and he couldn’t see any other cars except his mothers. That meant his father and Giovanna had also stepped out for the day.For the next three weeks, there were no dinners or parties planned except for Kali’s birthday. His mother turned down the invitation, claiming she already made plans for that day months ago, which was alright with him. He told Kali she would do that. And no doubt fine with Kali. For the next three weeks, he had
The phone was ringing. Kali moaned, turning away and tucking herself into a more comfortable position in the sheets. She wasn't ready to get out of bed and begin another work day, and from a quick peek at her surroundings, she knew she had more time. It was still dark out, and the weather made it easier to be lulled back into sleep.It took a while for her brain to catch up and realise that the ringing wasn't her alarm. It was someone calling her phone. She sat up, kicking the blanket off and crawling over to snatch her phone from the nightstand. It was Samuel."Hello?""You need to get down here."She dug her knuckles into her eyes and yawned loud and long. "Samuel, it's five thirty. What are you doing out of bed so early?""I heard a noise and came down to check. I need you to come down with the bug spray from the bathroom."She groaned, dragging herself out of bed and walking to the bathroom to get what he asked. "What kind of bug makes e
After a tedious week, nearly ruined by the appearance of Richard, Kali was finally ready to celebrate her long-awaited birthday party. Samuel was, once again, her sister's go-to guy for planning, so he promptly blindfolded her in the driveway of their house. Her fingers reached up, touching his knuckles when she got to her face, and he responded by gently slapping her hand away."Stand still.""Why am I being blindfolded?" She asked for the sixth time that morning, shuffling from one foot to the other. "It's not a surprise party.""If it were a surprise party, blindfolding you will give it away."She stuck her tongue in her cheek, waiting for him to finish while regretting the choice to wear heels on her dress. Kali had no idea he would blindfold her first when she picked out the golden heels she thought went well with the snugly fit emerald green dress she picked for the party. A pair of white sneakers would have worked just as well since she wouldn't see the ground for a time."There
Samuel parked his car as the mechanical doors dragged shut. After all the fun and food they had at her birthday party, the last thing he expected was for Kali to get the urge to cook a gourmet meal at five in the evening. As luck would have it, she was missing an ingredient, and he found himself sorting through the shelves at the mall, trying to find a bottle of oyster sauce.He grabbed the bag from the passenger seat and hopped out of the car. Kali rushed into the house at the same time he did and skidded to a stop in front of him."Hey."She had changed while he was away. Her baggy shorts and sports bra were gone. Replaced with a knitted button-up dress, but didn't have any shoes on. Her hair was out of its bun and flowing down her back with only a hair band to hold any stray strands away f