In the morning, we take the kids to school together. After the girls dash to their classes, I corner Annie’s mum, knowing we are in El’s line of sight. She flashes me a smile I am forced to reciprocate, I shove my hands into my jacket as my insides knot from trying too hard to stop from cackling. This will be fun.
With Ed back to work, I don’t have to resume early. I can start the day at ten, rest assured Ed will handle everything in my absence. Buy me more time to annoy Wifey who froze the moment she saw both of us.
“I didn’t get your name,” I tell her.
Her blue eyes crinkle with delight, her mouth moves in the shape of an O. “Elena.”
The missing band on her ring finger doesn’t escape me. I take another step back to create a reasonable distance between us. I might be an ass but I don’t want my wife to be too upset. “Mrs Elena, thank–”
“Oh, stop it.” She slaps my chest. We freeze. Our eyes meet and we look away. An awkward silence settles over us, I scratch the back of my neck and Elena coughs to get my attention. I die on the inside when I catch El’s glare, one hand goes over my mouth to hide my smile. “Call me, Elena. And I am divorced.”
Biting down on a frown, I nod. Elena’s big eyes don’t leave mine, they focus on me like a cursed doll and a shiver runs down the back of my legs. With the adrenaline wearing thin, this feels like a bad idea.
“Thank you for having the girls.” El and I have the weekend to ourselves and it feels like a dream. There are a lot of things we can do. We can fuck everywhere. My excitement is almost dampened by the guilt. I love my little girls but they don’t know the meaning of the word privacy. “We will get them on Sunday.”
Her fingers brush mine, I stiffen and she offers me a smile. “It’s alright, Mr Stark.”
As uncomfortable as I am by her formality, I don’t ask her to address me by my first name. It might be in my head but I know very well when a woman is hitting on a man and she’s doing that. Except she’s this friendly. She touched me twice in the space of ten minutes. We exchange goodbye and go in opposite directions. El is a ball of fury waiting to explode, for the fun of it, I press a soft kiss to her lips and withdraw before she can react. The deadly glare she sends my way earns her a wink, she storms outside.
“Baby, wait up. Wait for me,” I yell at her back. She quickens her pace and the people around us laugh.
Enzo is tapping the steering wheel when I approach the car, El slips inside and slams the door. We share a glance, he passes me a sad look and stares straight ahead. I am on my own. The car doesn’t start, Enzo doesn’t ask for directions. I cast my wife a glance, she splays her fingers on her legs. Maybe I went too far. She allowed me to pick out her outfit today. A suit trouser paired with a round neck long-sleeved shirt.
“Baby,” I whisper.
Her chin trembles, guilt stabs me everywhere. Did I go too far with Elena? I inch closer to her, she flinches and my body glues to the seat. We were okay this morning, I got up before her to prepare the kids. I made breakfast for her and the girls. I place one hand on the space between us, willing her to take it. “Baby. Elna, what’s wrong?”
She looks out the window. “Nothing.”
Unsure if my antics might have contributed to her attitude, I retract my hand and close my eyes. A part of me wants me to listen. If she won’t talk, maybe it’s not worth talking about. On a sigh, I say, “Okay.”
“That’s it? Just okay? That’s all you will say?”
I dart a look at the angry minx curled against the window and press a button on the door. A slab pulls up to separate us from Enzo and provide us with a bit of privacy. I didn’t do anything with Elena. She has no right to be mad about me talking to her when she spent most of yesterday with another man.
As much as I want to ignore her, at least until she returns to her former smiling self, all of me wants to erase the hurt in her voice. I squeeze my knees, count till five. “But you said there was nothing wrong.”
Cold eyes locate mine, I shrivel at the intensity in them. “Because there’s nothing wrong.”
Frustration burns my chest. My hands shoot up. “Okay.” This annoying woman. “Okay.”
Her shoulders are stiff as her gaze returns to the window but I don’t miss the sadness in her eyes. Or the misery that creeps up on me as I look out my side of the car. It’s hard to keep to myself but I manage to.
Lately, it seems I have to be the one to reach out first. She misses us being a family but I have to be the one to beg for it. She thinks we don’t spend enough couple time together and when we get the chance to do that she squanders her time with that man. Investor or not, she shouldn’t have dinner with him.
The car starts, I don’t know our next location but I don’t ask. “I’m going to see Clarissa,” El whispers.
Without opening my eyes, I ask, “Do you want me to come with you?” It is funny we spent a few months together but I never got to meet any of her friends. Same with her, she never got to meet mine because I have none. “I don’t mind.”
“If you want. You can do whatever you like.”
This time, I bridge the gap between us. Her frown deepens into a scowl as I prop her on my laps but I know she’s less upset. Tilting her face, I comb my fingers through her hair. She lets out another sigh.
Cupping her cheeks so she can’t avoid my gaze, I ask, “Do you want me to come with you?”
Her lips part. “Yes.”
Tucking her head into the crook of my neck, my hand runs up and down her arm. She gives Enzo the location, for the rest of the ride, we are quiet. The car stops a few minutes later, I shake her awake and she looks up at me with a small smile that sets my body on fire. My heart somersaults, I bring her slim hand to my chest, right above my heart galloping like a wild horse so she knows what she does to me.
I love her.
We hop out of the car, I smack her ass when we are a few feet from the entrance of the coffee shop and she gasps. Her eyes scan the corners for people, she spanks my butt and we erupt in laughter. We locate her friend, I drag El to my side and we slide into the booth across Clarissa. The Asian lady smiles as she tucks a strand of jet black hair behind her ear and I become conscious. A pink hue rises to her cheeks, El wraps her hands around the mug of coffee Clarissa ordered before our arrival and I pick up the menu.
Is she blushing? Do I make a lot of women blush? With El, I never have to bother about that because her melanin does a great job of hiding her blush. Sophia is an ice cold lady who is no longer affected by my appearance. I am just the same old Brandon to her. Dina and the other female staff manage to keep it cool.
Clarissa levels El with an accusatory glare. They do that weird thing the twins always do, communicate without saying a word with their eyes moving suspiciously. I am left to reread the items on the menu, a bit unbothered. El nudges me, a pleading smile on her face and I place a reassuring kiss on her temple. She’s happy being here with her friend and it’s all that matters. Her happiness will always come first.
Her friend takes over the conversation. “I can’t believe this is our first time meeting. Officially meeting.”
Excitement drips from her voice, a smile touches my lips. El spoke so much about her. We should have met earlier but our clashing schedules made it hard to fix a time that worked for the three of us. I never got an opportunity like this. The smile that crawls to her lips is genuine, not at all creepy like Elena’s.
“Right? It’s nice to finally meet you.”
She nods. “Same here.”
El takes care of our orders when the waiter arrives. I take a sip from the cup and frown at the sweetness that assaults my tongue. The cute, stubborn woman bats her lashes, traces a line on my crotch and I forget my speech. Maybe I should stop letting her order for me. Not all of us have the same sugar tolerance.
“What advice would you offer...”
My attention is redirected to Clarissa. For the most part of our conversation, only our voices can be heard. She has a lot to say, a lot of questions to ask about business and I willingly offer advice. El gives noncommittal responses, I nudge her foot under the table and each time, she responds with a glare.
Moments later, we are sitting inside the car with enough distance between us. The slab is still up so I am saved from Enzo’s pitiful smile. I let out a sigh. I might need to take a course on women because I don’t understand them. Especially this one beside me. What did I do? I was being helpful to her best friend. I gave advice for free and recommended her to experts. She got an automatic pass to see two top consultants.
“You were flirting with her.” She is looking out the window but her words are directed at me.
Annoyance tingles my scalp, I almost pull out my hairs. This woman will be the end of me. I don’t flirt, I fuck. And I want to fuck only her. “Flirting with her? She’s your friend, El. I can’t flirt with your friends.”
“It didn’t stop you from flirting with Ellie.”
Confusion stretches my face into a grimace. “Ellie? Who the fuck is Ellie?”
My reaction elicits a small chuckle from her. “Elena. We call her Ellie. You were flirting with her too.”
“Maybe and I regret it.” That woman is creepy, I am starting to reconsider our decision to leave the kids with her. El squints. “Totally do, baby. She’s too touchy, I don’t like it.” My woman laughs. “She’s not my type. You are.” She mimics me, a hoarse laughter escapes me and I snort. “I wasn’t flirting with Clarissa.”
“Okay.”
El returns to staring at the window, I let out a long sigh and bridge the gap. This is more than the flirting. “Baby.” I take her hand in mine, she stiffens but spares me a glance. “El, what is it? You can talk to me.”
She finally breaks down, her lower lip juts out and her hair forms a curtain around her face. “You did not kiss me in the morning and you are flirting with my friends.” Her chest heaves, she says, “You don’t like me again.” Laughing, I tap my puckered lips. She shakes her head. “Nope. I don’t want to kiss you again.”
“But I want to kiss you again and again,” I protest. My whines don't earn me a kiss, I huff and tickle her until she's wheezing with laughter. “You are right about one thing though, I don’t like you again.” Her laughter dies off, I bop her nose. She's so cute even when frowning. “I love you. I love you, Elna.”