Kelvin was fingering her. He was touching her in ways that made her want to scream. Leila tried to pull out his hand but he threw her a stern glare. They were at another eatery for lunch. An eatery of her choice.
This eatery wasn't as private as the ones she and Kelvin always ate their lunch. The other booths were occupied, there was a couple behind them but Kelvin simply didn't care. She tried to feign nonchalance but he was doing silly things to her body.
"Kev," she breathed out, nails digging into their table with the menu on it.
A waiter came over and dropped their meals on the table, Kelvin's finger curled around her clit and she tried too hard to smile but it came off as a scowl. He retracted his wet fingers as the waiter retreated and pushed them into her mouth.
An old lady at the other corner glared at Leila and she sucked harder on her husband's fingers, much to the woman's horror. Leila could not understand Kelvin's fascination with her sucking his fingers but the smile he offered her each time she indulged him made it all worth it.
Taking a bite of her meal, she fed Kelvin when he didn't start on his. "Did you have anything to do with the promotion?"
It was one question that had plagued her mind. Sure, Sarah gave her great reasons but the CEO's word was final. Kelvin picked up his spoon and took his first bite of rice. She made sure to inform them to bring him an onion-less sauce.
"No. It's all your doing. Congratulations."
His eyes roved the place. It was normal, the kind of place she was comfortable eating at. Plain walls, kind cashiers, waiters and waitresses. Nothing fancy like what she was used to with Kelvin. Their booth allowed them a view of the door and the table gave them some privacy.
Cars rolled past the eatery without care. She took his hand. "You don't like the place?" Her eyes followed his which centred on the ceiling. Cracks appeared on some parts of the wall but it was nothing alarming. "We could change location if you don't like it here."
"It's fine." He planted a kiss on her temple and resumed eating. "Finish your meal."
The meal was finished in silence, and Leila wouldn't let him pay. She smiled at the waiter watching their exchange, already pulling out some dollar bills. Kelvin stopped her again.
"Okay, let's split the bills." She shook her head. It was her treat. A smile appeared on the waiter's lips when she asked him to keep the change and Kelvin flicked a finger over nose. "You're too stubborn, baby."
"But you love me like that." Kelvin's expression changed, and she mentally facepalmed. He was staring at her weirdly like she was the only one here. "I mean, you like me like that, right?"
"Right," he whispered. He grabbed her hands between his and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. His eyes narrowed and her heart leapt. "I like you."
"I like you too."
Kelvin kissed her but it happened too fast for her to enjoy it. She was smiling when they left the eatery, they got into her car and she inserted the key into the ignition with a proud smile. It all came down on her. She had her own car. Granted, it was for the company and she might be asked to leave it should she decide to switch companies but it belonged to her for the moment.
Her fingers ran around the steering, she honked for no reason and Kelvin laughed. Overwhelmed with love and happiness, she turned to her husband, lips puckered.
A foreign look flashed across Kelvin's face, he was staring at her with the same intensity from earlier. He unfastened her seatbelt and hoisted her on his lap. Their breaths mingled, foreheads touched. She moaned at the slight contact of their lips.
"You're so pretty, Leila," he whispered. He peppered open-mouthed kisses along her shoulder, then her jaw and lips. His eyes glazed. "I think I..." Her mouth dried up, and she licked her lips. "I really like you, Leila."
Disappointment crawled into her soul, her smile fell but she recovered. She had been expecting him to say something else.
Something like love.
Did he love her? How would you know if you were in love? Or if they loved you? What she had with Charles didn't qualify as love and Kelvin had never been in a relationship. How would he know if he was in love with her?
"I really like you too, Kev." Unbuttoning his shirt, she slid her hand behind his neck and tried to find that spot with black ink. "Charles has a tattoo like this." A muscle ticked in Kelvin's jaw, she pecked him to reassure him. She had a reason for mentioning it. "When you turned around that night, I saw it. I wasn't prepared to see it and I panicked. It reminded me of him that night."
Kelvin's eyes softened. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be." Leila traced the under of his eyes and smiled. Now, she could handle the sight of seeing the tattoo, that was a huge progress. "You didn't know."
"I can start keeping my shirt on if it will make you-"
"No," she cut him off. "I love your body." A sound between a moan and sigh escaped her husband. She spread her hand on his chest. "You have a sexy body, Mr McKenna."
"You have a sexy body too."
Looking away, she tucked her hair behind her ear. "Thanks." Kelvin tilted her head so she was staring into his eyes. Butterflies danced in her belly. She felt seen. "How did you get tattoo?"
"I'm not telling you."
Ouch. Leila wrapped her arms around her belly, waiting a moment or two for him to change his mind. When his seriousness didn't crack, she asked, "Why?"
"Because you don't want to tell me about your parents."
Leila rolled her shoulders. Her adoptive parents weren't bad people, they should have told her who she was before she found out herself. They shouldn't have stolen her. Yeah, stolen was the right word. They might have adopted her but it didn't feel right given the circumstances of her real parents. It was cruel.
"If I tell you about them, will you tell me about your tattoo?" Her husband nodded. "We have a deal."
A corner of his lips twitched. "Should I go first?" he asked. Lunch break was over but she was enjoying this moment too much to care. "I got the tattoo when I was in Korea."
The mention of the country sparked interest in her. Korea was where her birth parents lived.
Leila massaged his shoulders. "Why? Why Korea?"
"I didn't want to forget." Leila pursed her lips, it seemed like they were about to enter uncharted territories. "I met someone there, a very kind soul."
"Kinder than me?" she teased. He said nothing and it made her throat constrict. "She was your meet cute?" His subtle nod made her wince. Did he have feelings for her? She wouldn't be able to handle that. "Must be nice."
"Yeah." He parted her lips and slipped his tongue into her mouth. His next words were muffled. "I married her."
Leila jerked back. She didn't pick out all his words but she heard bits. "What did you say?" Kelvin stared back in confusion. Maybe she misheard him. "What does it mean?"
"What?"
"The tattoo." This conversation wasn't so appealing to her anymore but she needed to satisfy her curiosity. If that kind soul meant so much to him, why didn't he marry her instead? So far, they had enjoyed their marriage, and she hoped it would continue to be that way. "What does the tattoo mean?"
"Heavenly flower."
Oh. She was a replacement? The thought bothered her but she managed to maintain her facade. Kelvin was watching her so she forced a smile to her lips.
"Her name was Leilani?" she asked.
"Leilani May Collins," he replied.
The dagger in her heart went an inch deeper. He really married her to forget his meet cute. Wow. Tears rushed to her eyes but she forced them down. She was starting to really like her husband. This was unfair.
"She was my namesake? Why didn't you marry her?"
Kelvin laughed. "I did." It was time for her to laugh. He was good at this... this silly joke he was playing on her. She tried to pluck herself from his lap to her seat but Kelvin wasn't having it. "Baby, listen to me. She is you, Leila. It's you. I married my meet cute. My meet cute is you."
Now, he was being mean by teasing her this way. Their first meeting was at that wedding reception. "Liar."
"You helped me at the train station. I lost my phone and everything and you helped. You gave me a ticket."
Her brows furrowed. Hold on a moment. This could not be real. There was a guy she helped in Korea. She had helped so many people but this guy stuck out in particular because he was the first American she was meeting since her arrival in Korea. But that guy was skinny with long hair. She didn't ask his name, he was so invested in repaying her that she didn't have time to do that. He couldn't be her Kelvin.
"Kev, stop lying."
"I'm not lying. You wrote your name at the back of the ticket. You refused to give me your phone number."
Oh, my God. It was him.
"What happened to your hair?" If her memory served her right, it wasn't this colour. "It's you. What happened to you? You look different. I have always wondered if you got home safe."
"I got home safe. Thanks to you." She had no response to that. "I went there the next day and every other day until the end of my trip but I couldn't find you. You have always been on my mind, Leilani."
"Kev," she whispered. She kissed him and pulled away grinning. Her heart was acting funny. "I'm your meet cute?" Kelvin wiggled his brows and she smacked his chest. Such a silly man. "Why didn't you say anything since?"
"I don't know." Lacing their fingers, he rubbed his nose against hers. "I never forgot you, Leila." Her heart beat faster, she was almost annoyed at herself for not remembering him faster. He was cute back then in a boyish sort of way, now he was hot and handsome and manly. "I'm glad you're a part of me and I'm a part of you now. I hope we last more than a year."
Leila didn't make any promises to him but in her heart, she swore they would last forever. "I hope so too."