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
After a day as an official couple, Kali was settling into the new turn of her relationship. Of course, they were taking things slowly. She kept to her side of the bed all night, but they didn't sleep as far apart. There was no doubt they were doing things backwards, dating after they were already married, but there was nothing wrong with that. Their life was one big series of oddities, so what was one more? Like with any relationship, she would take things one step at a time. Nothing was drastically different from what it was a day ago.She got up before Samuel to prepare for the day. As she worked, the maids handled the cleaning and other chores around the house. Kali rarely let them cook unless she was out of time or too tired to do it herself."Ma'am?" She turned to the door as the youngest girl, Vella, walked in.
When Samuel returned from work, he was shocked to see the flowers gone. His keys went on the plate, and he called out to Kali. The house was silent, but the lights were on, and her car had been in the garage. He knew she was home. "Kali!" "I am coming." She appeared on the stairs, wrapping her hair into a bun as she skipped merrily. "I guess there are no dinners on the patio today." Kali stuck her tongue out at him, understanding that he was teasing her for her appearance. "We are having dinner inside, in the living room today. I ordered." "Hmm. What's on the menu?" "Junk." She threw herself into his arms, and he caught her with a huff. With her feet dangling above his, she held fast to him by his shoulders. "Burgers, pizzas, hot pockets, fries, tasty fried chicken." "Wow. What are you trying to eat away now?" "The disaster of this morning." She kissed him, and he set her down on her feet. "I told you it
Giovanna walked into the house, and Kali nodded in acknowledgement. The girl was a wreck. Her face was dampened by what Kali believed to be tears. But Giovanna looked more composed than sorrowful, so she must have collected herself on the way there. "Go to the patio. I'll be with you soon. Grab my jacket. You look cold." Giovanna followed his instructions without a fuss. Kali stood from the floor and walked to Samuel so she could whisper. "Why is she here." "I don't know, but she came with a bag." Her eyes widened as Samuel dragged a suitcase into the house. "No. No." She argued beneath her breath, uttering each word through clenched teeth. "Does she want to move in with us or something." "Beats me.” He replied. "I'll hear her out, and we'll figure things out from there. Calm down." "Samuel!" She called after him, but he only repeated she should remain calm. Nervous, Kali returned to the table, picked up the plate she had neglected during their conversation and climbed up to th
"I am on my way to the house now." "You've picked her up already?" "No need to waste time," Samuel replied, turning to the rearview mirror. Giovanna sat in the back, strapped in with her headphones on and her eyes glued to the screen of her phone. They had decided that he would pick her up from school so they could talk at home and sort things out. He promised she could stay as long as she wanted, so long as they spoke to their parents. "Alright. Be safe." "You too." As the call dropped, he checked in on Giovanna again. She had not said a word when he picked her up from school, but from the whispers, he picked from her friend, he had learnt there was more to the story than she told anyone. For some reason, her friends at school were surprised that her "boyfriend" didn't come to pick her up again. For whatever reason, Giovanna decided to kiss Vincent to convince her preppy girlfriends that they were dating. He didn't touch that topic yet. They could discuss it when they got ba
Kali played with the peas on her plate, using the fork to roll them around. She had opted out of sitting in the office cafeteria because she wanted a place with more privacy. People didn't talk like they used to when the magazines accusing her of marrying for money came out, but there were still whispers. She had enough on her plate with what was going on at home.So, for the next few weeks, she decided she'd eat at different cafes around the office until she found the most suitable. Something private, usually empty in the afternoons where she could enjoy a meal and video chat with friends."Madden." She snapped up as Winston pointed at the free seat in front of her. "Anyone?""No, please, help yourself.""I haven't seen you in here before."