Dazed

The next day, Clay made his way to his kitchen for his usual morning cereal before his early morning run. On approaching the kitchen, he perceived the enticing aroma of chickpea curry in the air and walked in on Lorraine making breakfast. He was surprised to see she was an early riser; he fathomed she'd sleep in till late in the morning, giving him enough time to go for his run and sneak out before she ever woke up. Lorraine turned with a spatula in her hand, flipping pancakes and caught his gaze; for a brief moment, she felt admiration from him. Thinking she had impressed him, she called him over for breakfast

"No, thank you" "I have an early meeting and can't make time" Lorraine felt awkward, realizing he was trying to avoid their brief moment last night

"Is that why you're in your joggers?" she asked, catching him in his lie

"They look cute, by the way", she teased and smiled, and Clay felt embarrassed,

"Are you sure you don't want these delicate pastries?" "I promise they don't taste bad; I'm a good cook", she persisted

"I should be heading out", Clay replied, avoiding her question; he turned towards the door, stopped and walked back into the kitchen

"Mark mentioned that you don't have a car, so I'll help you with the initial down payment" "As I'm sure you already know, uber and hired lifts are not permitted in this neighbourhood, you should get a car that'll be registered with the security at the entrance, so you don't have to trouble my assistant," he said, placing his black premium card on the table.

Lorraine stared at it and then refused. He had done enough already. Besides, she didn't want him to think she was a charity case; being broke didn't mean she couldn't contribute or take care of some of her affairs.

"No, thank you" "I don't want to be a burden", her response indicated a hint of annoyance, and Clay noticed just how he had sounded,

"I didn't mean to disrespect you," he said

"I just think it'll be easier if you owned a car" "if you can't get one right now, I'd like to help out."

Lorraine wanted to say no yet again, she wasn't particularly fond of handouts if she couldn't repay, but he was right; she needed a car. The daily commute from Edensville to her work was quite long, and relying on public transportation would only raise her bills and add to her time. Besides, she was married to him, and even though he was still a stranger, she could enjoy some perks from the marriage. After all, it was all legal.

"Thank you," she said warmly. Clay double-tapped on the kitchen counter and walked out.

Lorraine surveyed the supplies in the house and decided it needed a few more things. Since she didn't have to work that day, she decided to use her day off to go grocery shopping and, if time allowed, stop by an automobile shop to pick a car.

Shortly after, she arrived at her favourite cafe/grocery shop in the city's heart - Joe's Morning Café. Joe was a proper turn head for journalists. A small local Pakistani boy whose true success wasn't in his business but in how he soon grew to be loved by all of The Bay and Manhattan. As the bells rang, Lorraine walked into the shop,

"Good morning Joe", She called out, slightly out of breath

"Hey, Lorraine. That 8 a.m. traffic got you out of breath again, huh?" Joe quipped

"You know how it is, Joe", she joked and headed to the fourth aisle. She searched the shelves for her usuals; potatoes, peas, bread, jam and butter. It was all she could afford under a budget.

Suddenly her phone beeped, and Lorraine looked at her notification. It was an email from her company, and as she read it, she realized she had gotten fired. There was no guess who could be responsible for her sudden termination, Shawn, the name crossed her mind, and she cursed him under her breath. Packing up her cart, she called Mark and headed home.

As she walked through the front entrance, she dumped the groceries beside the closed door and slumped to the ground, finally letting out the tears she had held back. She tried calling Maia, but her phone instantly went to voice mail, and then she recalled today was her best friend's big presentation. Packing the groceries, she placed the bags on the kitchen counter and entered her bedroom. There was one thing that could calm her in this situation, and quickly she went through her storage and set up her canvas.

She recalled an old picture in the hallway - a touching image of a woman and a boy holding hands and decided to paint a mural. After hours of splashing colors on the canvas, she was finally exhausted, and the weight of her termination began to lift, slowly replaced by serenity.

The day stretched into night, and Lorraine waited anxiously for her husband. She had tried calling him several times, but each attempt went straight to voicemail. She went to the living room, waiting to see him immediately he walked through the door. Clay had informed her that he'd be back by 8p.m, but it was some minutes past 10p.m, and he still hadn't shown up.

Lorraine's anxiety escalated when she called his office line and his secretary informed her that he had left an hour earlier but didn't say where. She decided to call the police if he did not return before midnight. Shortly after, she called Mark, and he did not answer either. And just then Clay staggered into the house, clearly drunk

"Are you drunk?!" Lorraine yelled

"Ahh, keep it down", he mumbled, squinting his eyes and massaging his forehead

"You're drunk, aren't you!" She exclaimed

"You could have at least answered your phone, Clay. I was worried sick!" She yelled, and Clay smiled

"I'm sorry, is this funny to you?!" Her voice got louder, and she started pacing about,

"I'm fine, aren't I?" Clay replied

"Oh, you're fine walking through the door by..." she looked at her phone time "10:37 p.m!" She couldn't believe he was turning her into a nagging wife three days into marriage. She ruffled her hair out of frustration, but Clay calmly approached her

"You know I don't care as much that you're drunk; you should have at least sent me a text or answered my bloody calls, Clay!" she raged on. Clay walked up to her, held her hand and pulled her in; as her body pressed against his warm broad chest, she instantly felt relief

"Clay..." Lorraine tried to speak, but Clay gently brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear. She was petrified, enchanted by his charm. Even though he was drunk, he was still hot. She looked up at him, and their eyes locked, forming an unspoken connection between them. Clay leaned in, and Lorraine's breaths grew heavier. She wanted to pull away but couldn't will herself to, and then their lips met, passionate at first but quickly igniting into a deepening kiss.

Clay's hands traced her jawline and settled on the small of her back, unwilling to let go. Eventually, he pulled away, leaving Lorraine breathless and dazed

"You remind me of her", Clay said before passing out.