“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 used Kelvin’s driver.They manoeuvred into another corner and she blurted out, “If I give you my new number, will you stop talking?” Carlson slowed the car but maintained a leisure pace. “Is that a yes?”“It is.”“Good,” she said. “Just drive, no more talking.”A few metres ahead, Leila asked him to stop. Carlson volunteered to help with her bags but she refused. After rushing out her number to him, she began the long trek to her house. One, there was no way she would have let him drop her off at her house. Two, she was staying away from public transport until the end of today.The load of the bags weighed her down but she trudged on. Her bag vibrated at intervals. It had to be her husband but she didn’t look. Minutes or maybe hours later, the top of their building came into view and Leila hurried her steps.At last.Her heart pounded as she neared her apartment elevator. She tried to think up excuses for her husband. Would he be mad at her? Did he have any right to be? How was this supposed to work?There was a figure pacing in front of the elevator with his head bent over his phone. He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed heavily. As if sensing her presence, he raised his head.“You’re back,” Kelvin said by way of greeting.She nodded. “Yes.”“Why didn’t you use the driver?”Because she was mad at him for acting like he didn’t know her in the office. She didn’t matter to him but he could have at least tried to be nice to her.A flood of emotions rolled through her. Why did she even care? Knowing she could have avoided the scenario with Carlson if she used his driver made her more annoyed at him.“Do you have any idea how worried I was?”“Sorry, Sir.”Kelvin sighed again. “Sorry isn’t the answer.” Leila had no words for him. “Just call me if you will be late again and next time, please use the driver.”“Okay.” She didn’t want to speak to him but he was not just her husband, he was her boss. He held her future. His eyes narrowed at the bag in one hand, she raised it to explain. “Stopped by to get ingredients for soup so I could make us dinner.”Kelvin frowned. “You are making dinner?”“Yeah.” Was she wrong to make dinner for them? He didn’t stop staring and it made her uncomfortable. Her hand dropped to her side and she offered him a faint smile. “Sorry I missed your calls.”“It’s fine.” He collected the bag from her before she had a chance to refuse, and she sucked in her breath as his fingers brushed hers. “I’ll help you with this.”Kelvin didn’t say another word as they stood there, waiting for the elevator. The elevator slid open and they both entered. They stood on opposite sides like strangers, both of them quiet.The air thickened with awkwardness. She stole glances at him and pursed her lips. This man was her boss’s boss. Her husband.Her phone rang, startling both of them. “Sorry,” she mumbled under her breath. Apologies seemed to be the only thing she did around this man. Leila took out her phone and frowned at the caller.She didn’t have this number saved on her phone.The call ended and the phone rang again.“Aren’t you going to pick?” Kelvin asked.Without thinking, she swiped up and pressed the phone to her ear. “Leilani. It’s me, Carlson.”“What do you want?” she asked through gritted teeth. Kelvin quirked a brow, she turned away so she was facing the other side of the elevator.“We got off on a bad note but I would like to make it up to you. A real date this time. No lies.”“Not interested. Please stop calling me.”Leila ended the call and blocked this number. A thicker wave of awkwardness settled over the couple as they waited to reach their floor.“Trouble with the boyfriend? Ex?” Kelvin asked.“None. I don’t have a boyfriend.”Kelvin took off his glass. “If you don’t want to speak to him, you can tell him you’re married.”How did he know it was a him? He shrugged at her blatant stare and she pushed down the urge to flick a finger over his forehead. Telling Carlson she was married should solve the problem but Leila wouldn’t give Kelvin that pleasure of knowing his suggestion was welcomed.“Right.” A second later, she added, “Thanks.”“You’re welcome, wife.”“Are those recommended?” she asked when she couldn’t take the silence any longer. She motioned to the glasses tucked in his breast pocket. As kids, she and her friends used to wear fake glasses because it gave the impression of smart students. Kelvin nodded with a half-smile. “Nice.”To that, he said nothing and she watched the numbers on the panel reduce until they were at their floor. A warm feeling spread through her chest when he went straight to the kitchen to drop the bag on the table.He scratched the back of his head as she dragged a stool to sit opposite him. “I can’t cook,” he blurted out.Leila laughed. “Not to worry,” she replied, “I can.”“Thank you, Leilani.”She cringed at the mention of her full name. There had to be some sort of understanding between them. He had no reason to be formal with her all the time.“Kelvin, I know you are my boss,” she said and he squinted. “But you don’t have to be so formal.”They watched each other, she expected him to say something, do something but he gave her a polite smile and stepped out of the kitchen. She fell back to her seat and groaned. Love was out of the equation but they could at least try to be friends or act civilised.Forcing thoughts of her weird husband out of her mind, she set to cooking. She rinsed the vegetables and chopped them, humming a tone that ceased when Kelvin strutted into the kitchen. He had changed out of his suit but he still looked as good as he did in one.From the corner of her eyes, she saw him inch closer to her and she stopped chopping.To talk or not to talk. In the end, she whispered, “Do you need something?”“No. Do you need help?” She shook her head but he took another step forward and carried the bowl on the counter. Spellbound, her eyes followed him as he placed the rice in a pot to boil after rinsing it. He offered her a small smile. “Did I do it wrong?” He did it perfectly well. He pointed to the vegetables, she was halfway done with chopping them. “Are you sure you don’t need help with that?”“No.”“Leila.” Her eyes jerked to his face, he leaned back on the wall, observing her. “Your boss called you Leila.”“Everyone calls me Leila,” she answered.She turned away from him and resumed cutting. “Sarah thinks you deserve a promotion.” The knife stopped moving for a brief second. “Leila? Leila.” He said her name like he wasn’t sure. “I like the sound of that better. Henceforth, I’ll call you Leila.” Without meeting his gaze, she nodded. “You can call me Kev when we are alone.”“Okay, Kev.” It bothered her that he only wanted her to use that name when they were alone but she decided to focus on the positive. A yawn escaped Kelvin, she noticed him struggling to stay awake. “Get some rest, I’ll let you know when dinner is ready.”Kelvin didn’t object. He staggered forward and she smiled when he paused briefly at the door to say, “Do you really have to make us dinner today? I could just order in and you will cook some other day. You haven’t even had a change of clothes.”“I want to,” she replied. It had always been her routine as a single lady. Make dinner, bath, eat, then go to bed. “Just go, Kev. I’ll call you soon.”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
Leila was almost done with her toast when Kelvin’s phone pinged. “The driver is here,” he told her.Kelvin stared at the new Samsung phone on the table for a minute or two, then slipped it into his breast pocket. The short conversation they had about the phone already told him she wouldn't accept it. She was still as dogged.She finished the rest of her food in silence and he watched, doing his best to cover up the discomfort brought by her presence. She was pretty. The kind of pretty that you appreciated better after a second look with a tiny birthmark on her jaw he wanted to kiss. He didn’t expect her to agree so easily to his proposal. He had been prepared to use other means to entice her but he was glad he didn’t have to go that far.“All done.” Leila’s voice broke him out of his trance.Kelvin looked up and the table had been cleared. In his opinion, his beautiful wife stressed too much but that was a conversation he wasn’t willing to have with her.“Let’s go.”“Together?” she sq
So far so good, Leila thought until her husband’s hand slipped into hers. She almost dropped her hand bag. For a split second, she had no idea what to do. He squeezed her hand and something warm exploded in her chest.She was near her floor when he released her. The elevator pinged when she arrived at her floor. Lily stepped out before her and Leila delayed getting out. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to do or say to him and they weren’t alone. In the end, she walked out without saying anything to him.If the Uber driver had not taken a different route that made them stuck in traffic, she would not have met him here. Who was the lady with him anyway? She was pretty. Too pretty and Leila wasn’t sure if to be jealous.“He’s not so bad,” Lily was saying to her as they turned into the corner of her office. “And he’s sexy.”“Yeah,” she answered because she was required to say something.The office was calmer than yesterday, only now, Susie was at her table. Susie looked up at the sound of
Leila gulped. She had not done anything wrong.Had she? Was he mad at her for not sending him a thank you note for the flowers? But she didn’t ask for it. Leila arranged her files and shut down her laptop. Her steps were slow as she meandered to the elevator.Lunch just ended and she didn’t get a chance to eat. Her stomach reminded her of her negligence and she winced. The door opened but there was no one out front. Leila was about to dial Kelvin when she saw Amara. The lady stopped in front of her. No smiles.“Hi,” Leila murmured after a few seconds of awkwardness. She didn’t know if to ask this lady about her husband. What would she state as the reason? Finally, she said, “Can I help you?”Amara chuckled. “Yes, you can.” Leila offered her a tight smile. With Leila’s short heels, she towered over the woman by a few inches. Turning her back on Leila, she said, “Follow me.”Leila hurried to catch up to her. The woman talked and walked as fast as she spoke. “The boss wants to see you ri
The car stopped a few metres from the office complex. They had been silent since they entered the car. Leila looked at her husband for an explanation.“You don’t want people to see us together, right?” Her head automatically bobbed. “You can get off here and walk the remaining distance to avoid any suspicions.”Leila couldn’t consider it a distance because it was less than five minutes on foot but she appreciated his thinking. They shared another glance, he wasn’t smiling but he wasn’t frowning so she did the unthinkable. She kissed him on his cheek.“Thanks, Kev.”Her husband was stupefied. She giggled. That was payback for his morning kiss. Her grin widened when she noted Amara’s small smile. Leila didn’t let it bother her. Kelvin already assured her so she had nothing to worry about.She skipped the remaining distance to the office and her smile fell once she glimpsed the time. Five minutes more until her presentation. She rushed into her office to pick her things but Lily blocked