Apparently, her nap had quite an effect on her bedtime. If normally her eyes could quickly be closed by midnight, she would sleep even later that day. The drowsiness didn't land on her at all, though it was past eleven at night.
Helena had tried to sleep. For almost an hour, she had been moving in her bed, trying to close her eyes, and hoped the sleepiness would come soon. This method usually was quite successful. She would relax her body and mind to enter the dream world at ease.But, this time not, her body refused to sleep despite the above methods. Actually, there was a feeling of tiredness because she had only rolled back and forth all this time without success. Giving up, at last, she chose to get up, turn on the nightlight, and find something to do.At first, she thought watching the drama was a good idea. But, suddenly, that desire disappeared before she even thought about the title she was going to watch. Too many times, she ended up awake until morning due tHelena should not have tried. Indeed, what did she expect from a pair of lingerie? Nothing more than a sexy nightgown to seduce and tempt men, as happened to her husband. Luckily, Aaron let her go after lunging at her with a merciless kiss. Well, although his hands were wildly groping for her body anywhere. Yet, her greatest fear did not come true. It should relieve her. That was right, wasn't it?He was even kind enough to let her hide all morning. Oh, imagine how embarrassed she was! She, who had not wholly given her body to touch by him—Aaron knew that well—had actually challenged her own luck by standing half-naked, nearly naked, in front of him. So, she could not blame him if it ignited the embers of lust. And frankly, the fire burned inside her too. But before it was too late, she managed to stop it.Helena smiled sarcastically. Did she really do it? Wasn't her husband the one who had control over everything from the beginning? Her passion rose because of
"May I join?"The question, without further ado, just came out of the sweet mouth of a woman whose presence still left a surprise on Helena and Aaron's faces. Without waiting for an answer, the woman immediately sat down next to Aaron. Yes, next to Aaron so Helena could clearly see who the person that arbitrarily interfered with her quality time with her husband.Wanted to guess who? Yes, that was right. That woman was Beatrice, the person who the past few days had ruined her peace of mind and heart. Just look at her behavior at the moment. Beatrice shamelessly sat down beside her husband, even before being invited. That was rude, wasn't it?"Hello, Mrs. Houston."Only when their eyes met that Beatrice greet her as if her presence had just been noticed. Really, it was a fearless attitude. More desperate than the last time they met.Helena threw her body back and let the back of the chair keep her back straight against the woman with big guts. Beatrice had ma
Helena ushered Beatrice away with a triumphant smile on her face. Her eyes follow Beatrice's movements so that when the secretary turned around—Beatrice did it several times, maybe, because it was too hard for her to let go of the opportunity—Beatrice would see her happy expression also the scene of Aaron still holding her hands. She even waved her hand the last time Beatrice looked at them before leaving the restaurant.Only when Beatrice had completely disappeared, her attention was returned to the man in front of her. She cast a sharp glare at him as if that man was the suspect. But, it was true, wasn't it? Aaron was the source of the problem here. If her husband wasn't the man behind Beatrice's bold attitude, sure, she wouldn't feel this way. It felt like she was going to explode right away!The object of her annoyance could only be silent. Aaron knew that she was angry. The previous situation had clearly provoked her and made his wife's mood worse. He woul
"What do you want to watch?" asked Aaron from the kitchen. He was washing the cutlery they had just finished using for dinner. Yes, this was his daily activity while at home. He would share the housework with his wife. If Helena chose to cook, then washing dishes, glasses, and other cooking utensils was his part."What do you want to watch?" Helena asked back. Actually, they were both in the kitchen area with her sitting in the dining room and were busy peeling the fruit."Hmm..." He mumbled while thinking about what movie to watch as their Friday night joy. "It's up to you," he said, ending without success and leaving the decision to her instead."Hmm..." She followed him, muttering and sorting out the films she wanted to watch. Watching movies together had been their habit since they were dating. Correction. Even when they were still friends, they often spent the weekend watching movies together. The difference was that they had to go to the cinema and watch a film
Helena grunted. Suddenly, her frustration that had been subsided was back. What was the point of Aaron distracting her if he reminded her back of the source of her resentment? And should he ask the question that she believed he had known the answer to?His gaze was so intensely fixed on her. However, Helena did not do the same. No, she didn't dare to look back at him. She was afraid to fall on the charm of those eyes, so that tore down her defense and made her show her fragility that always wanted to lean on her husband's chest. But, this was not the right time to do it. She needed her pride to remain steadfast in this absurd situation. Ah, she couldn't even describe her condition. There were too many emotions mixed. Angry, upset, disappointed, hate, exasperation, and great love for her husband.Unfortunately, she was not the type of person who felt uncomfortable being looked at that way for long. Aaron seemed to express all the feelings of his love through his gaze. There
Helena didn't know since when she no longer considered weekends as special. She had forgotten what it was like to enjoy days off after five days filled with all kinds of things that made her body and mind tense. Her reason for becoming a freelancer had changed her perception of weekdays and weekends. She could work on weekends, and vice versa. Ah, to be honest, she couldn't really be called working because there was hardly any pressure and obligation there. She only channeled her hobby of cooking and writing though the mood to do that rarely appeared.However, everything had changed since her first cafe was founded. She also intervened to build the place. There was no way she gave the execution with no control from her, right? Although that person was Rachel, who incidentally was her trusted assistant, she still wanted to know the ins and outs of the business and future developments.But, again, she didn't have a fixed schedule for running her cafe. She only came two or th
"What do you want me to cook?" Helena asked after being reminded of her recent activities. She planned to make it a habit. Creating a menu list for the following week. This week, she had explored several types of Thai food, though not all of them were carried out. And before this week ended, she had to determine another menu to enjoy with her husband. And unexpectedly, this method made it easier for her to make a shopping list."It's up to you," Aaron replied, entirely putting his choice on his wife."Don't be like that. You'll also eat my food later. Or at least give me a recommendation. Asian? Western? African?"A wrinkle appeared on his forehead as he heard the last word spoken from her lips. "Do you know African cuisine?" he asked doubtfully. Of course. Some people rarely talk about this type of cuisine. It was so rare.She smiled clumsily. "No. But I can find out," she said while showing her grin. "Do you want to try that?"He shook his head. "Next time
Helena watched Aaron lighting three small candles that he had deliberately placed in the middle of the dining table. Her eyes followed his husband's movements as he walked over to the light switch, turning off the light source on the first floor and leaving only the dimly lit lamp in the kitchen. Then the man walked back into the dining room. He pulled a chair that was directly opposite him then sat there."How is this? Looks romantic, doesn't it?" he asked, satisfied with the results of his work. Oh, of course. He prepared everything, from cooking their dinner meal to setting the table with simple decorations. He only put the little candles there, and he was done. Their romantic dinner was ready to begin.Helena giggled as she saw everything, how his efforts to prepare everything. Actually, from the beginning, her hands were itching to help his husband. However, he stopped her and told her to sit back and relax. So, since then, she had had no other job than to pay attenti
She knew she shouldn't be upset or angry. But she couldn't hold it in anymore. It was all because of Beatrice.The dinner, which she thought, would be fun, suddenly became a nightmare since Beatrice's presence. She wanted to refuse and kick her out for making such an unreasonable request—offering herself to join with no one inviting her. Unfortunately, she wasn't the host. She was the same as her, just a guest who, after permission was granted, was able to become part of the small gathering that night. She was trying her best to keep herself from exploding right away. And after dinner ended, and she was alone with Aaron on the way to their room, she changed her face completely. No smiles or friendliness. There were only groans and annoyance."Honey," Aaron called in the softest voice possible. He followed her broad and brisk steps towards their suite room. Needless to say, he knew what his wife felt because he had it, too. It annoyed him to see his secretary appear without notice. It w
"It's nice to finally meet the new Mrs. Houston," commented a young man when he saw Helena's presence by Aaron's side.Yes, this was the dinner that Helena agreed to this afternoon. Because of that, she immediately recognized the man and woman they were approaching. Mr. and Mrs. Graham. They both still looked young. She estimated that their ages were not very far from her. Maybe about five to seven years older.That meant they were in their mid-thirties."Thank you, Mr. Graham." Helena gave a broad smile to her interlocutor. "I'm also happy to meet you and your wife. Thank you for the dinner invitation," she continued. A bit too much courtesy and pleasantries seemed needed in this situation. All of those were for the sake of maintaining relations between them. It was not only a matter of work but also a relationship as ordinary human beings.Ah, that was a wise sentence. In point, their relationship would affect many aspects."It's just a casual dinner since the honored lady is in Bal
What are you doing here?It felt like Helena wanted to shout the question as loud as possible. It was in line with the shock that befell her. How came? She saw Beatrice in front of her with a medium-sized suitcase beside her."Why are you here?"Fortunately, Aaron had replaced her to express her confusion. Oh, Helena was sure that her husband also felt the same way. What was Beatrice doing here?"I replaced Mr. Todd to accompany you to Bali." The answer flowed smoothly from Beatrice's lips as if she was supposed to be here, at the departure of Soekarno-Hatta airport on a sunny Thursday morning.Helena could not speak. Beatrice was indeed a formidable woman. Her presence could not help but disturb the beautiful plans of her honeymoon with Aaron.Helena was now unsure if their trip could still be called a honeymoon with Beatrice's appearance among them. She really hated that woman."What happened with Mr. Todd?" Unknowingly, she said it loud. Oh, shit! Beatrice must be happy to see her
"Wow.""What, wow?" Helena responded quickly with slightly pursed lips. She knew well why that reaction appeared on her laptop screen, showing Sophie's face. Only, she wanted to feign ignorance to save her embarrassment."You." Short and firm, Sophie answered her friend. "I didn't expect you to be that brave," she commented at the end of her sentence. All of her words referred to one thing. The scene inside Aaron's office. That was after Helena shyly told her about it. Her best friend was utterly unpredictable."I did nothing wrong," Helena replied, still in the same way."Yes, you're right. There's nothing wrong with making out with your husband." Sophie emphasized their discussion. She knew Helena purposely did not mention the incident anymore. But, she wouldn't let it happen because this was something that rarely happened. "But you know how it is in Indonesia. Beatrice must be shocked to see both of you."Yes, Indonesia differed from western countries. Ma
"Oh, sorry, Beatrice, you have to see us like this."Helena really wanted to hide her face right away. She was clearly caught in an embarrassing position!Even though these scenes were in the plan drawn up shortly after Beatrice returned her greeting, it didn't dispel her embarrassment. Although the person who saw them was none other than her greatest enemy, she was still… embarrassed."You can put the drink on the table," she said again, trying her best to maintain confidence in her voice. She should not be afraid or nervous. She must be able to uphold her ego at the highest peak. Only this time.From the corner of her eyes, she saw the secretary walking into Aaron's room. Her steps seemed hesitant, surprised, and rushed. While her face showed a similar expression, plus the lines of displeasure that appeared on her forehead. Of course. The woman could not do anything in front of the view presented to them.How about a protest?Beatrice had no ri
Keeping her promise, Helena visited Aaron's office this afternoon with a large bag containing their lunch. She made it, of course. She was still experimenting with a Mexican cuisine that she hoped would suit her husband's taste.She stepped excitedly. She didn't know why she was so happy. Her brain did not stop playing a pleasant rhythm that often turned into a slight hum on her lips. Even, for now, that tune was still there and made her cheeks raise, holding back her smile."Good afternoon, Mrs. Houston," said one of the security officers, who stood close to the escalator."Good afternoon," Helena replied with a friendly smile."Want to meet Mr. Houston, ma'am?"She nodded. The question reminded her of her first visit to this place. They knew and could guess the purpose of her arrival. How could Beatrice not realize that? "Yes. I have an appointment with my husband." She put her tote bag down beside her and began to dig into her sling bag. "And I have to le
This morning, Aaron woke up in an unusual state.Do not be too happy yet. Everything didn't turn out the way you expected. But you can be pleased a little because the progress of their relationship was improving.The beautiful view that was presented in his room satisfied his eyes. A rare sight that was previously only his wish. Helena. Of course. The woman made his morning so pleasant that a big smile appeared on his cheerful face.Oh, their sex didn't happen—if that's what you expect. Helena and Aaron only slept together and in the same bed. Just that. But apparently, that fact had brought a warm swish to his chest. Finding his woman fast asleep beside him made his heart relieved.He glanced briefly at the clock on the wall before leaning his body closer toward his wife. There was still enough time for him to enjoy this situation. Slowly, he slipped one of his hands between Helena's body and the bed she was sleeping on while his other hand rested on her s
Helena's fingers danced beautifully on top of the keyboard, pouring all her thoughts into a row of words lined up neatly on the laptop screen. Sometimes, she pressed the backspace key and repeated the sentence. Not infrequently, she also stopped for a moment to find the correct series of words to include in her writing.Helena had been struggling with her laptop for quite a long time. She hadn't written in a long time. Also, Helena hadn't looked at her blog for a long time. She didn't know how was it now? Was it getting more and more readers, or had it turned quiet because it had been left on for too long?She wrote the recipe that would be included in her blog. She also added the story behind the making process to make it more interesting. No less important, she also wrote a review from her husband so that the spice of the drama was more pronounced.Helena closed her worksheet as she felt she had had enough and had nothing to add to it anymore. What she had just writ
"How?" Helena asked with eyes that looked expectantly at Aaron. Currently, the two were sitting side by side, enjoying dinner at their minimalist kitchen table.Aaron closed his eyes, trying to taste the food in his mouth after having previously been tempted by the smell that emanated from the food served before him. "Hmm," he mumbled as he chewed slowly the dark-colored piece of meat that was rich in taste. "Have you ever failed at cooking?" He asked after swallowing his food."I have, although rarely," answered Helena, still showing the same look when she looked at him. "It doesn't suit to your taste, does it?" she asked doubtfully and worriedly.He turned to her and looked at his wife for a long time. Then a smile appeared on his face. "This is delicious. I've never eaten this dish. What's it called?" He spoke a series of words. He shoved another bite into his mouth again.A soft sigh escaped her lips. She was relieved that her experimental cooking was success