CLAUDE
I dragged myself out of my chair when the clock hit six, signaling the end of another draining workday. I’d rather be picking up Sia from school right now, but I had a meeting I couldn’t skip. Since she started college, it became my routine to fetch her every evening.
Sure, we had a driver who could do it, but I couldn’t stand the thought of someone else picking up my wife. We even argued about it once. So, even though I couldn’t always be there, I cherished the times when I could bring her home.
“Mr. Robinson, they are already waiting for you in the conference room,” my secretary informed me as she appeared at my office door.
“I’m on my way,” I said, sliding my phone into my pocket. I left my office and joined the meeting, which wrapped up in an hour.
Just when I stepped inside the conference room, I immediately noticed one person whom I didn’t expect to see.
Haven.
I went straight to my chair and signaled to one of my staff who will lead the meeting to start. I choose not to mind her presence for now since I still have a lot of work in mind and that alone is already a lot to handle.
After the meeting, Haven rushed over to me.
“Wait up, Claude! Please!” she gasped, trying to catch her breath.
I stopped reluctantly, surprised to see Haven there.
“I am here to represent my dad,” Haven explained, still catching her breath.
I nodded and started walking again, expecting her to follow along.
“Are you going home now, or do you still have work to do?” Haven asked.
“I’m going home. Why?” I replied, a bit puzzled.
Haven’s face lit up. “Let’s grab some coffee together.”
I hesitated. I really wanted to get home in case Sia was already there.
“Please, just for a bit. My treat, how’s that?” Haven insisted, grabbing my arm like she was coaxing a kid.
I scratched my head, weighing my options. “Okay, but we can’t stay long. I need to get home soon. My wife might be waiting for me,” I said, hoping to discourage Haven. Yet I failed again.
We agreed not to drive to the mall together, I was hesitant to let Haven ride with me. I am worried she might pull some more tricks.
I had to ditch the idea of chasing skirts and be satisfied with my wife’s company. Every night with her was like hitting the jackpot, and I even got used to snuggling up with her when we slept.
Back in the day, I wasn’t big on showing affection to the ladies I hooked up with. Sometimes, I didn’t even feel like kissing them. I preferred to keep things casual. But with Sia, I found myself doing all the mushy stuff I used to avoid. I couldn’t figure out why I wanted to hug and kiss her so badly.
I also had a habit of getting bored with women real quick. None of my flings lasted long. The longest one probably lasted three months, and it was all about the physical stuff. I treated all the women I got with like they were just casual partners.
We’d been married for two months, but I still felt the lusts for her. I wasn’t tired of her body at all. In fact, I was even more into her now. I couldn’t get her out of my head, even when I was at work or behind the wheel. If I could, I’d scoop her up from school and take her straight to our love nest. Lucky for me, I still had some self-control, but I knew I was hooked on my wife.
Funny thing was, that’s what I was afraid of getting too wrapped up in one woman. I didn’t want to end up like my friends, who seemed like puppets on strings when it came to their wives. I didn’t want some woman, including Sia, calling the shots in my life. So, deep down, I hoped I’d eventually get tired of her and her body.
When I got to the coffee shop, I was surprised to see Haven already chilling at a table near the door.
“Why’d you pick this spot? Weren’t there other tables?” I asked, scanning the joint.
“I wanted you to spot me easily. Are you cool with it?” Haven shot back.
“Yeah, sure,” I said, sitting down. I still felt a bit uneasy about being there, but I had to keep my cool. I sighed and took a seat across from Haven. “Yeah, whatever.”
“I ordered coffee and cake for us. We just gotta wait for it,” she said.
I raised an eyebrow, realizing Haven had decided everything without asking me. Classic move from her, always liking to be in control just like her mother. But I let it slide, knowing it wasn’t worth the hassle of arguing with her.
As we waited, Haven kept chatting and throwing questions my way. I played along, even though some of it made me uneasy. Haven was a talker, that’s for sure. Without us realizing it, our convo started to get interesting.
When our order finally came, my face lit up at the sight of the coffee. But my smile faded when I saw the blueberry cake next to it. I wasn’t a fan of that stuff too sweet for my taste. I wished she’d ordered a sandwich instead.
With each sip of coffee, Haven kept pushing me to try the cake. I felt like I had to go along with it, not wanting to upset her. But deep down, I couldn’t help but wonder if it’d be better if it was Sia feeding me instead. My mind drifted to Sia, and suddenly I felt worried. Had she made it home okay? Maybe I should’ve sent a driver from the mansion to make sure she got there safe. Now, I couldn’t shake the feeling of wondering if she was home yet or still at school. And I couldn’t give her a call without Haven noticing, as she kept an eagle eye on me, pushing me to finish off that cake she’d ordered.
Despite my growing irritation, I made up my mind to eat all of the cake in front of me. If it weren’t for not wanting to upset Haven, I would’ve left ages ago. As we finished our coffee, I noticed the time-it was already eight-thirty. We should’ve just gone for dinner, considering how late it had gotten.
When we got to the parking lot, Haven and I went our separate ways. Just as I was about to hop into my car, I felt a tap on my back, causing me to spin around in surprise.
“What the heck! Monte, is that you? Why’re you trying to freak me out?” I exclaimed.
“Did I actually scare you, Chaos? Maybe you’re getting rusty from being out of the field for so long. Maybe you need some practice and action. How about joining Elio on a few ops?” Monte teased.
“You’re nuts, Monte! I retired to focus on my dad’s business, and now you want me to join Elio. Are you crazy?” I shot back, brushing off the idea.
Monte shrugged dramatically. “Nah, just reminding you. Neither of us can easily shake off our old jobs. It’s why we still think and act like soldiers.”
I just nodded, getting his point. “So, what’re you doing here? You’re not on a date with Nova, are you?”
Monte’s expression turned serious. “No, I’m not with Nova. She took the kids to Singapore for her cousin’s wedding. I was supposed to go, but there’s some trouble with my job, so I had to stay. They’ll be back at one in the morning. So, I came to grab some grub at the mall. Didn’t want to eat alone at home.”
“I see. Well, at least you got your meal. I just had coffee and cake,” I replied.
“Huh? Why just that? Are you on a diet or something?” Monte asked, raising an eyebrow.
I gave my friend a look. “No, I’m not on a diet. I was with my childhood friend who’s really into coffee. That’s all we had.”
“Ah, got it. Heading home now?” Monte asked.
“Yeah. Sia is probably waiting for me” I said in a daze.
Monte raised an eyebrow, grinning mischievously. “Who’s Sia? Your new girl?”
I let out a sigh, deciding not to answer that. “I’m gonna take off now, man. We’ll catch up another time.”
As I was about to open my car door, Monte suddenly pulled me into a side hug. “Bro, you’re dodging the question. I was just asking who Sia is. Seems like you don’t wanna talk about her. Got a new flame, huh?”
I gave Monte a serious look as I pulled back from the hug.
“My bad, bro. When Sia and I got married, I didn’t invite any of my buddies. It wasn’t a typical wedding we planned ourselves. Our folks set it up.”
“Hey man, it would’ve been cool if you’d told me sooner. Total shocker. Since you kept it under wraps from the crew, I’m gonna grill you now. Let’s grab some grub and chat about what went down and the fact that you’re hitched.”
I had to roll with it, considering Monte was dead set on getting the scoop about Sia.
“So, you’re saying you don’t have any feelings for your wifey?”
I just gave a thumbs-up.
“You sure? What’s she look like? Do you find her attractive?”
Instead of replying, I pulled out my wallet from my back pocket. I took something out and plonked it on the table.
“Whoa! Is this Sia? Why does she look so young? She could pass for a high schooler.”
“Yep, that’s my wife. She’s already in her last year of college, man. Not a high schooler.”
“Huh? Hard to tell, ’cause she genuinely looks like she’s still in high school.”
“That’s one reason why I’m not feeling it. She’s too young for me. That’s why we’ll probably split up after a year. We’re just not on the same wavelength.”
Monte’s eyes widened in surprise. “You’re planning to break up too? Be careful, man. Sometimes, you might end up falling in love with her before the time you mentioned arrives. Don’t become like Pyro or Vaughn, who realized they loved their wives after they left them. It’s a difficult situation.”
I was left speechless, unable to find the right words.
“Hey! Are you speechless now? Don’t tell me my warning is coming true.”
I let out a sigh. “How can you tell if you truly love a woman?”
Monte grinned.
The conversation with Monte had been so lengthy that it was already midnight by the time I finally returned home. However, I still couldn’t believe what my friend had said. Monte claimed I was starting to fall in love with Sia. I refused to let that happen. I would control myself. I didn’t love Sia; I only desired her physically. I didn’t want someone like her to be my lifelong partner. She was too meek and reserved. That wasn’t what I wanted.
When I entered my room, Sia was already fast asleep. I headed straight to the bathroom to take a shower and change. As I climbed into bed, I intended to turn away from my wife. However, when I caught a whiff of her fragrance, I couldn’t resist pressing myself against her back. I found myself embracing her, savoring the feel of her soft body and the scent of her fragrant hair.
Damn it, Alessia, you’re driving me insane!