Leila roused slowly. The first thing she noticed was that she was on something soft and firm. Her eyes flew open. She was on the bed. How did she get here? Kelvin's side of the bed was cold. He didn't sleep here.
The second thing she noticed was her dress and it somehow saddened her. Was he so mad at her he didn't change her out of her work clothes? If he had done that, she wouldn't have minded. A yawn escaped her. By the time she freshened up, changed and checked the time. It was 3 am. She would have loved to return to sleep but her mind was busy.
On a whim, she dialled her husband's number. He must have come back to the house but she couldn't say for sure if he stayed back or left. A ringtone from the house had her shooting to her feet. She pulled her robe tighter around herself.
The sound was coming from the guest room.
Her footsteps echoed throughout the house. In front of the guest room, she took a deep breath and pushed the door open. Kelvin was sprawled on the bed with his feet planted on the floor and forearm over his eyes. He was still in his suit. Leila's heart melted. He must have fallen asleep.
Was he still mad at her?
She got on her knees and pulled off his shoes. He moaned in his sleep while she unbuttoned his shirt, she paused only briefly but he continued sleeping. He must be tired. Kelvin was not a heavy sleeper. Her hands hesitated on his buckle; to unbuckle or leave it be?
The answer came when Kelvin grabbed her hands and his eyes fluttered open. They stared at each other.
There was no hint of recognition in his eyes. "Hey, it's me," she said and he let go. "Leila."
No words came out of him, his eyes closed and his breathing fell into a steady rhythm. She chose to believe he was sleeping. Kelvin was only in his singlet and briefs when she was done. She put his phone on silent mode to avoid any further disturbances.
Dragging him to a comfortable spot was the hardest part, she expelled a relieved breath when he was finally in the best position and slipped in beside him. His hand wound around her waist, he muttered something inaudible and she snuggled closer to him.
His alarm woke her up. She got out of the bed as quietly as she could and turned it off. The time showed 5:30 am, a little too early for her but she snuck out of the room to prepare his favourite meal. After that, she took her bath and changed into the black lingerie. Her courage almost failed her as she examined herself in their bedroom mirror. She was ready to take the next step.
Kelvin was still asleep when she returned to the guest room and it worried her. It wasn't normal to meet him in bed by a few minutes to seven. His first meeting was by 10 am. She set another alarm for 8: 45 am and got back in bed with him. He groaned, she squeezed her eyes shut but he drew her close to him once more. Heat warmed her cheek when he kissed her cheek and she could only hope it was a sign she was forgiven.
The next time Leila woke, Kelvin was already awake. He stroked her hair and she moaned in satisfaction. She missed this. Leila looked up to his face to see his eyes closed, then the scalp massage stopped.
"Good morning, you slept well?" she asked. His arm fell to the bed, and his head rolled to the other side. Leila was not willing to give up on him. "Kev, I made yam pottage."
The lingering silence stung harder. Left with no option, Leila straddled him. If words didn't work, maybe this would. Kelvin's eyes registered the shock at her sudden boldness but that familiar aloofness soon replaced the shock. Desperate and defeated, Leila placed a kiss on his lips.
At first, he responded. Kissing her back with a savage need, cupping her butt and giving it a firm squeeze.
Moisture pooled in her core, trailed down her inner thighs. They kissed and kissed like two horny teenagers. She tasted him and he tasted her. Their breath mingled until they were inhaling the same air. Leila slipped her hand into his briefs to caress his manhood and the spell broke.
Kelvin flipped her under him. Her heart broke when he moved away from her to sit on the edge of the bed. She tried again to reach for him but he waved her off. Her lips met the spot behind his ear, she peppered frantic kisses on his neck, his shoulder and his back.
"Stop it," he snapped. Pushing one leg on the bed so his upper body was angled in her direction, he levelled her with a cold stare that sent chills down her arms. Tears fell out of her eyes and his glare softened only a little. He didn't reach out to comfort her. She sniffed and hugged herself. This new Kelvin was mean. "Leila. Please, stop crying."
His voice sounded strangled like it had taken a lot for him to utter those words. Without meeting his gaze, she whispered, "I'm sorry." She was still kneeling on the bed. The distance between them was small but it only served as a reminder of how much had changed in their relationship. "I don't know what else to do to get you to forgive me."
A sigh fell from him. "I'm not mad."
Daring to inch closer to him, she sandwiched his hand between hers. "Then why won't you forgive me, Kev?"
Silence reigned over them, Kelvin wiped the tears drying on her cheeks and smiled at her. Now they were close, she realised the distance was more emotional than physical. Her outburst broke their growing bond.
A band aid covered his finger, and she paid attention to it instead of the sadness heavy in his eyes.
"Because the first chance you got, you labelled me something I wasn't. Someone set me up and I can not even count on the support of my wife." His smile was sad. "To you, I was guilty. I didn't deserve a chance. You didn't even let me explain, Leilani."
"I was upset," she said in her defense.
"And I had just gotten back from the clinic." He had more points than she did so she said nothing. "I was at the clinic because I ate something you gave me, Leilani. I ate it to make you happy and look how you welcomed me." His voice held no anger or accusations but they pierced through her heart like broken glass. "You didn't care to know how I was feeling. You didn't call."
"I did. I called you." Leila was back on her knees, she rubbed her knuckles on his cheek and he closed his eyes. She wanted to fix this. To make him stop calling her by her full name. "A lady picked, Kev. Mia."
"Okay."
That monotone response was worse than his silence. She was going to cry again. Her hands lowered to her knees. "I thought we were friends. Aren't we friends?"
"We are."
"Friends forgive each other," she said. She and Freya had their differences but at the end of the day, they always came back together. It had been a week and Kelvin wasn't letting up. "They understand that mistakes will be made. They give each other a chance to make those mistakes and grow from them. Kelvin."
"I'm not mad at you."
"Then give me another chance." Her stomach muscles clenched and a bout of pain hit her. She waited for it to pass before she murmured, "I won't let you down."
"Okay."
It might have been the way he said it that made her question his statement. If he wasn't mad at her, he would have continued to kiss her. She wanted him to make love to her. To kiss behind her ear and neck. Or her forehead, her knuckles.
"Okay," she repeated. They shared one glance, she held his eyes, hoping and praying he would reach out to touch her. To kiss and love her with his lips. But nothing happened. Her lips twitched, and another sigh of defeat escaped her. "Okay, Kev."
Defeated, she climbed out of the bed to use the bathroom. The insides of her thighs were sticky. But she didn't want to entertain the thought that assailed her mind. It couldn't be her period. It wasn't due until next week.
On getting into the bathroom, she grimaced at the dried streaks of blood on her legs. Great. Her period was here unannounced.
It was too early. All that stress from starving and worrying about Kelvin was affecting her.
Her eyes darted to the door, what if she had stained the bed? Now, she appreciated Kelvin's stubbornness. It would have been awkward to start bleeding in the middle of a make-out session. She got out of the shower without rinsing off. Her tampons and sanitary pads were in their bedroom.
Leila wasn't sure how long she stood in front of the door waiting for the sound of Kelvin leaving the guest room but nothing happened. A knock sounded on the bathroom door, and she jumped back. She wanted him to leave so she could make her escape for a pad and a change of clothes.
The doorknob jerked and she rested her weight on the door. "Leila?" Kelvin had stopped trying to force the door open. "You are scaring me, Leilani. Are you okay?"
"Stop calling me Leilani." A heartbeat later and she sighed. "I'm not okay, Kev. Well, I am but not really. I just. . ." Closing her eyes, she said, "I need to go to our room."
"Then come out."
Leila shook her head. There was no way she could do that. "I need you to leave the room first."
"Why?" he asked. Leila didn't know how to tell him she was stained. She pressed her forehead to the door, willing him to grant her request. "Alright, I'm leaving."
The sound of a door closing made her peek into the guest room. It was empty. The bedsheet was clean. She tiptoed to the master bedroom, finally relaxing on seeing it empty.