by Linda Verji
Quickly averting her eyes, she murmured, “Sorry.”
“You don’t need to be sorry.” He crossed the room to the vanity. “You’re my wife.”
Unconcerned by her presence, he reached for his moisturizer and squirted it into one hand. When he reached for the corner of his towel as if to take it off, Eve quickly escaped to the en-suite. She closed the door behind her and took in deep breaths to calm herself down.
Eve had no idea when or how she’d fallen for him. Perhaps it was from the moment he’d agreed to marry her even without knowing the reason why she needed him to do so. Perhaps it was because despite the icy wall she’d built between them, he was still the Carter she knew; nice, loyal and caring. Perhaps it was because he always did little things to protect her; thing like lying to their parents as he’d done tonight.
Either way, his silent kindness and loyalty even in the face of her persistent rejection had gotten to her. However, she’d never let him know that. Why? Because if her plan to ruin his mother succeeded, then he’d get hurt. It was cruel to add to that hurt by making him have feelings for her too. It would be much easier for him to hate her if he didn’t already love her.
Sighing, she walked over to the sink. While there, she started on her nightly routine. First her wig came off then she tied a silk scarf over her cornrows. Next was her makeup. She’s just started removing her falsies when the door opened and Carter walked in. He’d now traded the towel for sweatpants but still wasn’t wearing anything at the top.
Her Q-tip poised above her eyelashes, she turned to frown at him. “You can’t just come in here like that.”
“Sorry,” he apologized but didn’t leave the room. Instead, he walked further in to the room and settled on the edge of the tub.
Watching him through the mirror, she asked, “Aren’t you leaving?”
“No.” He shook his head.
She thought of asking him why but decided that that would just lead to a lot of talking. With a shrug, she went back to taking off her makeup. Silently, Carter watched her as she took off her lashes then washed her face. Eve wanted to pretend that he wasn’t there, but the awkward silence and his watching her got to her.
Fortunately, he broke the silence. “You were with my mom before you came up here, right?”
Eve’s heart jumped in her chest. Did he know something? Contrary to the sudden racing of her pulse, her voice was calm as she admitted, “Yes. I was with her.”
“What were you talking about?”
Eve thought of lying but realized that this was something they’d have to discuss sooner or later. Sweeping on toner on her face, she said, “She asked me about children.”
Carter’s eyebrows shot up. “Children.”
“She wants a grandchild,” Eve explained.
He watched her for a long silent moment before asking, “Did you tell her why we can’t give her a grandchild?”
“Of course not.” She poured a few drops of essence into her palm. “I just said that we were trying.”
“We’re not trying,” Carter reminded her.
“I know.” Patting her face with the essence, she added, “But you could.”
He frowned. “What does that mean?”
She turned to face him, “You’re always traveling and you meet many women. Haven’t you met any that you were attracted to?”
Carter blinked then blinked again. Confusion gleaming in his eyes, he said, “I’m sorry. I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
“All men sow wild oats.” She turned away from him to grab a bottle of serum. Forcing herself to sound blasé, she suggested, “Haven’t you considered it?”
It took him a moment to get what she was suggesting, and when he did shock flashed his eyes.
“Are you telling me to cheat on you just so I can give my mother a grandchild?”
“It wouldn’t exactly be cheating.” Eve reminded him, “We’re not in a real marriage.”
“Who said so?” He folded his arms over his chest as he watched her with narrow eyes. “We got the license, didn’t we? And we did it in church, right? That means that we’re married in the eyes of God and man.”
“Yeah, but we don’t even have sex.”
“We could change that.” He stood up.
When he moved towards her with an odd look in his eyes, Eve’s breath caught in her throat and she turned to face him. “What does that mean?”
“It means-” He stopped a foot or so away from her. “-I’m tired of this sexless marriage.”
“So?” She swallowed to get rid of the sudden tightness in her throat. “Do you want out?”
“No.” He shook his head as he watched her with unwavering eyes.
It took all her effort to keep her breath even as she asked, “Then what do you want?”
Carter took a step forward, closing the distance between them. Though he wasn’t touching her, he was close enough that she could feel the heat of his body. Close enough that she had to look up at him. Close enough that when he whispered, “I want you, Eve,” she heard him loud and clear.
Everything in her froze. Her blood, her senses, her limbs… they all stilled in shock. It took all her effort to stutter, “Wh… what?”
“I want you, Eve.” He set his palms on either side of the counter behind her effectively trapping her between his arms. “I want you.”
It was almost as if someone had pressed the slow motion button. She saw his eyes darken, saw how they lowered to her lips. When his face started coming towards her, she watched in horrified fascination. Her brain told her to shove him away from her. But her lips tingled and the rest of her wondered what it would feel like to let him kiss her. Would he taste amazing? Would his lips feel soft? How would it feel to brush her tongue against his?
It was tempting. He was tempting.
But not enough.
Just as his breath whispered against her nose, she turned her head to the right.
He immediately got the message and stopped moving his face towards hers. But he didn’t pull away. Instead, he murmured a pleading, “Eve.”
“No.” She lifted both hands and shoved him away from her. Carter staggered backwards with the force of her push. When she met his eyes, his gaze held disappointment. It would’ve been enough to weaken any other woman’s resolve. Not Eve’s. She shook her head. “No.”
Carter didn’t say anything more. He puffed loudly before stalking towards the door. It was only after the door slammed behind him that Eve took her first easy breath. My God! That had been close. For a split second, she’d forgotten why she’d married him. She was here for Sharon, not for him. No matter how attracted she was to him, she wouldn’t let it blind her to her real goal.
She crossed over to the tub and filled it with water. A bath would give her the time she needed to calm down before she had to face him again.
Sure enough, soaking in the warm water for thirty minutes was enough to calm her racing heart and to strengthen her resolve. After her bath, she used the connecting door to get into the walk-in closet. Sufficiently armored in an ice-blue, silk nightie and a matching nightgown, she opened the double-doors. Another surprise awaited her when she emerged in the bedroom.
Carter was tucked in the bed.
If they were a normal couple, this wouldn’t be odd. But they weren’t a normal couple. From the day they’d gotten married, Eve had made it clear that she wasn’t interested in sex. Though they’d never discussed it, Carter spent his nights on the couch whenever he was home. For the last five years that pattern had never changed. The bed was hers, the couch was his. In fact, when decorating their suite, she’d made sure to get a comfortable couch just for him. So what the hell was he doing in her bed?
Still standing by the closet’s doors, she demanded, “What are you doing in my bed?”
He turned in the bed to face her. His gaze unflinching, he said, “Correction, it’s our bed. And as you can see, I’m sleeping.”
So many things rushed through Eve
’s mind in that moment. Was he pouting because she’d refused to kiss him? Was this his way of forcing the issue or just a silent protest? Should she demand that he leave the bed? The determined expression in his eyes said that that wouldn’t work. It would lead to an argument about their marital status. She wasn’t interested in having that argument again.
Fine! Without another word, she crossed to the large, white armoire that stood next to the couch. She opened the door and pulled out a pair of sheets and covers.
When she shook out one sheet and spread it over the couch, Carter sat up in the bed. “What are you doing?”
Eve didn’t answer. She just finished setting up the couch. When she was done, she shrugged off her nightgown and slipped between the sheets. Before pulling the covers over her head, she called out to him, “Put the lights out when you’re ready to sleep.”
This was fairer anyway, she thought as she closed her eyes. She was the one who’d dragged him into this marriage then turned it into a sexless relationship. If anyone deserved to take the couch, it was her. Assuming that the issue was resolved, Eve drifted off to sleep.
It could’ve been minutes later, or hours later. She woke up to the feeling of cold air biting at her arms and legs. Muscular arms slid beneath her back and legs and lifted her.
She opened her eyes only to find herself looking up into Carter’s face. Startled, she demanded, “What are you doing?”
“Just shut up,” he ordered. His expression fierce, he carried her to the bed. Given how angry he seemed, she wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d just dumped her there. But he was surprisingly gently as he set her on the bed then pulled the covers over her.
Without another word, he stalked to the light-switch and flicked it to plunge the room into darkness. He walked back to the couch and settled on it.
See, this was why she’d fallen for him. Even when he was angry with her, he still cared about her. As she burrowed deeper into the bed and sunk into the remnants of his warmth, Eve sighed. Why couldn’t he be as cruel to her as she was to him? If he wasn’t so nice, then she wouldn’t have to feel any guilt for what was to come.
* * * * *
A DAY LATER, Carter still couldn’t believe that Eve had actually floated the idea of him cheating. Regardless of how bad their relationship was, the thought of bringing other women into it had never crossed his mind, and he couldn’t believe that it’d crossed hers. If he was to have a child, it would be by her.
Though he was now on vacation, Carter had never been the ‘stay at home and binge on Netflix’ type. He had a few evening meet-ups with his friends planned, but nothing much to do during the day. So he decided to visit the company. After grabbing lunch for his mom and Eve, he headed to La Belle.
The company’s headquarters was a ten-story high-rise that sat smack in the middle of the city and was easily recognizable. Unlike the surrounding buildings that had monochromatic windows, this building’s large windows were saturated in bright colors; green, yellow, black, orange… every color was included, giving the building a rainbow-like vibe. The words ‘LA BELLE’ hang high up on the roof and were large enough for half the city to see them.
Though Carter hadn’t been in the building for some time, several employees recognized him at first sight. Even the receptionist greeted him by name.
“Hello, Mr. Welling.” The thirty-something, white woman smiled at him.
“Hello,” he said simply because he had no idea who she was.
Carter had never taken much interest in the business because they’d all assumed that Arthur would take over from Sharon. Arthur was the one who’d worked part-time at La Belle while getting his business degree. After he was done with his schooling, he’d taken a management position at the company. Because Arthur was the designated heir, Carter was free to follow his passion. Carter had majored in film production then gone straight into documentaries.
After Arthur had died, Sharon had automatically turned to Carter, but he’d refused. He was neither qualified nor interested in running La Belle.
Carter assumed that the company was one of the reasons why his mother liked Eve for him. Eve was a natural at business and worked in the same field as them. Also, she was already family even before the marriage. From what Carter had observed, it seemed like his mother was grooming Eve to take over La Belle. And he had no problem with that. Eve was the perfect person to take over. Not him.
“Are you here to see Mrs. Welling?” the receptionist asked but didn’t make it clear whether she was asking about Eve or Sharon.
Carter answered anyway, “Yes.”
Holding out a guest pass, the receptionist offered, “They’re both in the office.”
“Great.” He grabbed the pass. “Thank you.”
Both Eve and Sharon had their offices on the top-floor. Eve’s office was the closest to the elevator. However, when he got there, her assistant let him know that she was still down in the labs. Rather than head down again, he headed to his mother’s office.
There were two desks at Sharon’s reception; one for her executive assistant, Ryan, and one for Benisio. After greeting both of them, Carter let himself into his mother’s office. As soon as he stepped into the large office, two long, white sofas facing each other met him. Between them was a circular coffee-table which had a large, working clock beneath its top glass surface. Right ahead was the large mahogany desk. Behind the desk was a row of gigantic floor-to-ceiling windows that curved with the wall and looked out to a spectacular view of the city’s skyline.
His mother was seated at the desk signing documents. When she saw him, her eyes lit up and her mouth widened into a grin.
“Honey,” she said, “I didn’t know you were coming over.”
“I was bored at home, so I decided to bring you and Eve lunch.” He lifted up the bag he was holding to show her.
“That is so nice of you.” Sharon reached for her phone. “Let me call Eve and tell her to come over.”
“Don’t bother.” He sat down one of the couches. “She’s still down at the labs, and you know they don’t allow phones in there.”
“Ah. Then let me tell them to let her know that we’re here when she gets back.” Through the intercom, Sharon gave the instructions to her assistant. Once she was done, she stood from her seat and came over to the couch.
Carter pulled out their food from the bags, and set it on the coffee-table. As they ate, they talked about several mundane topics. Out of the blue, Sharon suggested, “If you’re that bored at home, why don’t you come and help out here? There’s a lot of stuff to do here and we’d appreciate the help.”
Carter laughed and shook his head. “No, thanks.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t want to give you ideas.”
Sharon frowned. “What ideas?”
“You know…” He rolled some spaghetti around his folk. “… I don’t want you thinking that I’ll quit my job and come and work here.”
“Trust me, I’m done thinking like that.” His mother scoffed. “You made it clear that you’re not interested in La Belle. I’ve set my hopes elsewhere.”
“Elsewhere? Where?” Carter asked.
He expected his mother to say Eve, but she said, “In your child. I’m planning to get to him before he gets as thick-headed and as stubborn as you.”
Her mention of a grandchild brought up the memory of last night’s conversation with Eve. Becoming more serious, he asked, “Is that why you asked Eve about a grandchild last night?”
Sharon’s eyes immediately widened. “She told you about that?”
“Yes.” Carter nodded then said, “Mom, I don’t want you pressuring her about kids.”
“I wasn’t pressuring her,” Sharon defended herself. “I was just asking-”
“Asking is a kind of pressuring.” He added, “If you want to know anything about kids, don’t ask her. Ask me.”
Anger flashed in his mother’s eyes but as usual, she didn’t blow up at him. Instead, she cal
mly said, “Okay, I’ll ask you then. When are you giving me grandkids?”
“Soon.” To take the burden off Eve, he lied, “We’re already trying.”
His mother’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
“Really.” He nodded. “But don’t ask Eve about it anymore. It will happen when it does.”
“Okay.” Sharon nodded eagerly. “I won’t ask her anymore.”
It was almost as if Eve knew that they were talking about her because she chose that moment to walk into the office.
Sharon was all smiles as she welcomed her. “Eve, you’re right on time. Carter brought us lunch.”
“He did?” Eve glanced at Carter before giving him a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Thank you.”
“Come and sit by me,” Sharon eagerly motioned her over. “You like steak, right?”
“I like steak,” Eve confirmed as she settled next to Sharon.
All through lunch, Carter couldn’t take his eyes off his wife. Meanwhile, Eve, it seemed, couldn’t look at him. Her gaze was always on his mother or on the food. The only time she met his eyes was when he asked her a question directly and even then it was just a quick glance.
Though the coldness and avoidance wasn’t new, he had to wonder if last night’s episode had worsened it. Had his attempt to kiss her widened the chasm between them? He hoped not. But even if it had, he wouldn’t stop. Why? Because he was determined to break her icy shell.
To his surprise, Eve offered to walk him out once they were done with lunch. But as usual, she was quiet once they were alone.
Maybe it was because he wanted to break the silence. Maybe it was because he wanted her to smile. Or maybe it was because he just wanted her to realize that he still cared for her. But as they walked to the elevators, he said, “My mom won’t be asking you about grandkids anymore.”
Eve turned to him with a frown. “What do you mean by that?”
He explained, “I talked to her about her conversation with you last night, and asked her to stop pressuring you about kids.”
Eve’s steps screeched to a halt. Tensing up, she turned to face him. “You did what?”
