The office was still buzzing with activities when Leila left. It was already closing hours and she wasn't in the right frame of mind to engage her colleagues. Instead of going home, she flagged down a taxi and gave him directions to her best friend's house.
She rang the doorbell of Freya's house. No response on the first trial and on the second ring, the door opened. Freya was in an oversized t-shirt and leggings, she pinched Leila's cheeks and dragged her friend in.
"To what do I owe this visit?" Freya asked, her voice an octave lower in an imitation of a cartoon character.
Leila hissed. She wasn't sure anymore. She had not been thinking when she called the cab. They continued to the kitchen and she pulled out a stool to sit by the island. Freya took the opposite stool and resumed stirring the batter.
"What are you making?"
"Cake." Her fingers circled the rim of the bowl to catch the batter dripping down the sides, she licked her fingers clean and continued stirring the cake mix. The innocent act made Leila remember her tryst with Kelvin. She looked away at the scratching sound to find the source of the noise at her feet. Blu was curled around the foot of her stool. She winked at the cat and it scampered out of the kitchen. "Darren had a bad day."
"Is he home?"
"No." She helped her friend butter the pans and set them into the oven after she finished putting the batter. Freya returned to her seat wiping her hands. "He could really do with some cake." Her friend's smile didn't touch her eyes but Leila kept mute. If it was something Leila needed to know, she wouldn't need to ask before Freya told her. "Did you tell your husband?"
Her brows drew together in confusion. She and Freya talked about a lot of things and it was hard to keep up sometimes. Noting her confusion, Freya laughed.
"About Darren's project." Her lips moved into the shape of an O. Too much had been going on between them, the conversation hadn't come up. "You didn't."
It came off strong, almost like an accusation. "I'll tell him," Leila promised.
As the promise left Leila's lips, she couldn't help but wonder if Kelvin would agree. Her friend was requesting a meeting with her husband and Darren so they could discuss the future of his project. With his staff, Kelvin was formal. With her, he was nice but Leila couldn't confidently say he would extend the same niceness to her best friend's husband but she smiled at Freya.
"What's going on with you?" Freya asked. "How's the hubby?"
"Fine."
The side glance from her friend made her sigh, she reached for the bunch of bananas on the counter and peeled one of them. Her friend's eyes followed her moving lips, she sank into her seat with a frown.
"I don't understand men," Leila said. She finished her banana before saying another word. "We fought again." Could she call that a fight? It was so meaningless. "Over something so stupid. I don't get that man."
Freya dragged her stool closer to her. "What did he do?"
Her cheeks pinked. She wringed her hands and made a show of squeezing her lips. Freya flicked a finger over her forehead but she refused to talk. When her friends pulled her hands into her lap, she relented.
The words tumbled out of her lips freely. She told Freya a summarised version of last night's events and this morning. Talking about it to her friend made her relieved. She sniffed and allowed her friend to console her.
Kelvin confused her a whole lot. She had improved since their marriage. The last time she kissed any man was in her last relationship. These things were new to her but she was trying to open up to him.
"Men like bolder women," Freya murmured when she was done. "Women who know their bodies and what they want. It's okay to tell him you are horny. It's natural."
Leila blanched. She couldn't do that. "But I'm trying."
"Maybe you need to try harder," her friend replied. She rubbed Leila's cheek with the back of her hand. "It will strengthen your bond." Leila frowned. Freya wasn't making sense. There were more non-sexual ways to bond. Poker was one of them. "It's a great way to communicate."
"Do you need to tell Darren when you are horny?"
"Sometimes because he's not a mind reader. Other times, words are not needed," Freya added with a wink.
A smile lifted the corner of Leila's lips, her best friend released her hands and she swiped them over her face. She would rather ask the ground to swallow her than tell Kelvin she was horny. He knew more about these things than she did and he should take the hint.
"Whatever. I want cake."
"Yes, madam." They laughed. "Tell him your needs, Leila. The worse he can do is say no."
No? Freya's confidence startled her. Hearing no would be worse than asking him to touch her. The timer of the oven went off, saving Leila a reply. They sat down waiting for the cake to cool off when Freya gave her a banana. She made to peel it but Freya shook her head.
"Have you given him a..."
The look on Freya's face had Leila squinting. "A what, Freya?" Closing her hand around the banana, Freya made a slurping motion and moaned. Leila recoiled in disgust. "What are you doing?"
Freya facepalmed. "A blowjob. Have you given your husband a blowjob?"
She sputtered out a reply. "No." Rotating her shoulders in a careless shrug, she continued, "I don't know how to do it." She and Charles never got that far, they agreed to wait until marriage to explore every sexual exploits. "Stop looking at me like that."
At that, her friend erupted in laughter. To Leila, it wasn't funny. Marriage didn't come with a manual on how to give a blowjob. Leila kicked her friend and she straightened up but the comical expression remained.
"It's not funny."
"Oh, Leila." Handing her a banana, Freya gently peeled off the skin. She inserted an inch of the banana into her mouth and her tongue swirled around the tip. Leila cringed. "You have to take it in slowly. Try it."
A shiver ran down her spine. One stern look from Freya and she took an inch of the banana. On Freya's instructions, she swallowed more of its length. She could not do this with Kelvin, she would flop. Her eyes watered, she pulled out the banana to take a breath.
They went at it again and again until her gag reflex improved. When Freya sent her out of the house to practise on her husband, her eyes were red from all the crying she had had to endure during the learning process.
The streets were quiet as Leila found her way down a familiar path. She kicked a pebble in the way and hummed a tune under her breath. The moist cake Freya gave her was intact. Kelvin wasn't allergic to cake but she couldn't say he liked it either. But it wasn't his cake preference that bothered her.
Knowing how to give a blowjob was one thing, practising it was another. They had to talk. About the pictures her superior showed her and the car incident.
The alley she ventured into was too quiet for her liking. It was a last minute decision to walk some distance to clear her head before taking a cab but she was starting to regret that. She held her bag tight and quickened her pace, a few more steps and she would be out of here and on the road. Back to the regular pedestrians route. She took out her phone to order a ride but a voice from the end of the alley stopped her.
"Stop there," the voice ordered. "Your phone."
The silhouette moved closer to Leila. Her eyes darted around the alley. They were alone. If she screamed, no one would hear her. She backed away from him slowly while considering her available options.
To run or give him the phone.
Giving him the phone sounded much better. The hand holding her phone trembled. Her screen lighted up with Kelvin's name at the same time the male figure stretched out his hand for the phone. She gulped audibly and took an uncertain step backward.
The man cocked his gun and her mind blanked. Her heart stopped, a wave of fear crashed over her. Leila didn't realise when she gave him the phone, her eyes clenched shut and she fisted her hands, staying in that position until she heard the sound of fading footsteps.
It felt like hours since he left but she couldn't move. A groan echoed in the alley and her eyelids fluttered open. She was not alone anymore. There were three people. She winced when the third person punched the guy who mugged her. The gun in his hand clattered to the ground and a kick to his knees sent him flying to the ground.
Leila's chest constricted. She wanted to run but her feet failed to move.
Another groan escaped the thief, the man towering over him continued to rain kicks to his ribs. Leila's heart palpitated, sweat rolled down her temple as the other person started towards her. She had to leave. Now.
But she was still rooted to that spot.
Why were her feet not working?
Doing the only thing she could think of, Leila closed her eyes and screamed.