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 lifted her mood. For a fleeting second, she considered seeking Freya's counsel. Was she in the wrong? She didn't think she was.
"Hey," Leila said into the phone. She forced some cheeriness to her voice before her best friend noticed. There was barking in the background, then silence. "What's going on there?"
Freya laughed. "We got Blu a sister." Leila slapped a hand over her mouth at the image of Blu cuddling with a dog that appeared on her screen seconds after. Only Freya would buy a puppy for a cat. Leila returned the phone to her ear, a small smile curling her lips. "I know what you are thinking," Freya said like she could read her mind. "But they get along well."
"If you say so. What's its name?"
"Red." Leila vibrated with laughter. Blu, the cat. Red, the puppy. "I think it's a cool name." Leila hummed in agreement. Another minute of silence rolled by. Freya's voice came on again. "Are you home? I'm in your neighbourhood."
Leila brushed the thin layer of dust coating the arm of her bench. "No." Now, she wished she had excused herself from this sorry excuse of a trip. "I travelled. Impromptu trip. Won't be back until the weekend."
"With Kelvin?" A hint of excitement coated Freya's words but Leila didn't feel nor share in that excitement. "Is it for your honeymoon?"
Honeymoon was for normal couples, not demanding husbands and stubborn wives. Wait, was she stubborn? No. She was only putting her foot down on things she would never tolerate.
"No, it's not our honeymoon." Leila figured long ago they would not have one. "It's a company trip but we are staying in the same room."
The longing sigh that echoed from the other end of the phone almost had Leila wishing she didn't mention the last part.
"Have you done it?"
Yeah, right. With that attitude, they would never have sex. Leila blocked one ear as Freya's fake moans increased. Her friend was cuckoo.
"No," she answered, surprised and disappointed by the flatness of her voice. Kelvin was an ass, she was not missing out on anything. But her body reacted as it always did when she thought about their kisses and the flowers he sent her. "We want to get to know each other first."
"Not a bad idea. How's that going?"
"Great, actually. He's very kind and sweet." Her brain went blank as she tried to think up a follow up lie. "I have to go, Freya. He's calling."
The call ended and Leila released her breath. Freya wouldn't judge her but she couldn't tell her best friend she might have made a mistake by saying yes to a stranger. A hand descended on her shoulder. Mike. He was all smiles as he took the spot beside her. Leila wanted to warn him but how could she do that without sounding suspicious? She smiled back at him.
"Hey, where have you been?"
He had changed out of his journey clothes to shorts and a white t-shirt. A towel hung from his neck.
"My room," she replied. "Trying to get settled."
They sat in silence for some minutes until Mike spoke again. She wanted to be alone but she didn't know how to ask him to leave. Besides, he was in danger of losing his job if he continued talking to her. Something told her Kelvin was not joking about that statement.
"The rest of us are going swimming, want to come?" His smile was flirty, he had a glint in his eyes that said they were going to do more than swim. "Say yes, Lee."
What? He already gave her a nickname. Leila inched away from him to create some distance between them. Her hand rested on the armrest as she took in the man beside her. Appearance wise, he was not bad at all. But she meant what she told Kelvin. As long as their contract and marriage existed, she would not allow herself to have feelings for any man besides him. They owed each other that much.
"Don't call me that again please. My name is Leila." A look of understanding passed between them. "Thanks for the invite but I have got something to do upstairs."
Mike's face fell but she didn't care about his feelings as much as she cared about him leaving this place for his safety. He accepted her reply with a nod and shot to his feet.
"Alright. I'll be off."
"Mike." He looked down at her with a grin she wanted to wipe off. "I have a boyfriend."
Sweeping his hair off his face, he answered, "Boyfriend, not husband. See you around, Leila."
With a wink, Mike was gone. Leila was flustered by his words. It sounded like a challenge. She didn't want to be a challenge and Kelvin was her husband. Leila felt a pair of eyes on her, she looked up to see Kelvin in front of the elevator with a death glare directed at her.
Did he follow her?
Leila made to stand but Kelvin spun and walked back into the elevator that slid open.
Great. Leila yanked out a leaf from the pot of flowers beside her. She didn't want to go up but she was tired of sitting here. Her feet took her in the direction of the staircase, and a groan escaped her when she spotted Sam at the foot of the stairs.
Today was not her day.
Sadly, Sam was also part of the trip. Everyone in the company was required to be here.
"You slut," Sam spat out, a finger poking Leila's shoulder. "Stay away from the boss, he's married."
Leila's gaze scrolled over Sam. For all she knew, Sam was the slut between them. But she kept those thoughts to herself. "Get out of my way."
The lady placed a hand on her hip, one foot rapping into the floor. Leila sighed. She was tired. She needed rest. This was Kelvin's fault. She should be in the room sleeping. She brushed past Sam but never went far.
Sam dragged her by her hair and a sharp pain spread to her scalp. Leila didn't know when she reacted. Her arm flew out and she landed a hot slap on Sam's cheek. Leila didn't stop at that. She slapped, she scratched her until a fight broke out between the two.
Someone pulled her off Sam. It was Mike. Her chest heaved as she glared at the woman on the floor. She had had enough of her nonsense. Leila shrugged Mike's hand off and walked out on them.
Fuck Sam. Fuck Mike. Fuck Kelvin. Fuck everybody.
The suite was empty on Leila's entrance, thankfully. She took a cold bath and snuggled into the only bed in the room. Tomorrow or after her nap, she could worry about their sleeping arrangement.
She was a few seconds away from drifting to sleep when the bed dipped with a new weight. "Leila?" She squeezed her eyes shut. She didn't want to talk to her husband. "Are you awake?" She stayed in position, hoping for him to go away but he didn't. He took her hand and his lips brushed the heel of her palm. "I'm sorry."
Goosebumps broke out on her skin when he placed another kiss on the inside of her wrist. "I was jealous, okay?" She half-smiled knowing he couldn't make out her face in the mini-darkness. "You never laugh that way with me but you were doing that with another man." He sighed softly. "I didn't mean to come off that strong. I'm on your side, Leila. We are a team, wife."
Her lips remained sealed but her heart flipped. Apology accepted. A sense of loss swallowed her when Kelvin released her hand. She had a feeling he might never have apologised if she was awake so she decided not to ruin the moment with her words. He was forgiven.