Chapter Ten

After a long day of work, Marcus decided to fetch his wife from her workplace. He goes straight to her office. He didn't have any scheduled meetings for the rest of the day, so they already agreed that they would come home together.

He finds his spouse sitting in front of the computer looking very serious.

"Hey, are you ready?"

Deianne looked up, "Hey. I am. Just give me a few seconds." She then turns her attention back to the computer, shuts it down, and stands up from her seat. She walks to the door while Marcus is looking at her blankly.

"Come on, don't you want to go home?" She asked, then walked again as the man followed her behind.

The whole drive, they just remained silent, even until they reached their home. However, Marcus couldn't hold it anymore.

"Okay, did I do something wrong again?" He finally asked when they reached their living room.

Deianne looked at him as innocent as she could. "I'm sorry, what?"

Marcus sighed, "You have been acting like I did something wrong. I feel like you are ignoring me."

Deianne turns her body toward the kitchen. "I am not, though. You have done nothing wrong."

The man followed her.

"Then why are you acting like this?"

Deianne, still back facing Marcus, took something from the fridge, then finally faced the man, "Like what? What do you mean?"

Marcus lets out a frustrated sigh.

"I feel like I've done something terrible."

Deianne stays silent. She sits and drinks the orange juice that she just took from the fridge, trying not to look at the very frustrated man next to her.

"Isn't it supposed to be me who should be mad at you?" Marcus asked in the end.

She looked up at the man, dumbfounded. "Eh? Why should you be mad at me?"

"Because you didn't answer any of my messages or calls."

Deianne lets out a snort and a smirk. "I'm busy, okay? In case you forgot, I also have a busy day at work."

"Yeah, but you could have sent me a reply, even a single text with one letter like K."

"I told you, there are times that I will be very busy, so I won't have time to respond." Deianne rolled her eyes inwardly. She might look annoyed with this, but the truth is that she is quite happy that Marcus is being like that to her.

"Because I don't want to get worried about you. What if something happens to you and the public sees it? What are they going to say about us? About me? They would talk bad about us, especially to me. And you know that will be a disaster for the company. "

She let out a sigh, her eyes looking down. "And I thought he was just being caring, but he was just being careful that people would talk bad about them and affect their marriage and the company."

"Well, I'm okay, and don't worry. For your peace of mind, I will always text you where I am next time." She said.

Marcus took a deep breath. He knew that if he followed his temper, things would only get worse. Furthermore, he would never get angry with his wife, who was sitting while looking down at her cup cutely.

"Look, I just don't want us to mess up, okay?"

Deianne remains silent.

"I'm sorry; I know we agreed not to meddle in each other's affairs. I should know that you also wanted to have your me time and..." Marcus paused for a while, then touched his wife's arm softly, making the woman look up at him. "I guess I'm being my silly self. I apologize for that. Would you forgive me?" He continued.

For a second, Deianne was lost in those innocent and deep eyes, before she let out a smile as she nodded her head. This time, the man replied with a smile, showing his famous dimples.

"I'm starving. Did we have something to eat?"

"Yeah, we have. I think we still have some leftovers. I'm reheating it, wait..."

But before Deianne could finish what she was about to say, they heard their doorbell ringing in front of their main door. They looked at each other.

"Who would come up tonight without prior notice?" She asked as she walked to their main door. She was being followed by Marcus, who was also curious about their unexpected guess.

And when she opens the door, she finds her cousin, Hani, standing in front of their door with an exhausted face.

*****

Marcus, Deianne, and Hani sit in the living room. Hani's hand holds a cup of honey tea that Deianne made. They all waited for the woman to speak of her own accord.

"I had a fight with my husband," she finally opens up.

"What? What did you fight about?" 

"I don't know. I'm not sure. It's a long story. I got mad, and the last thing I knew was that I drove my car to your house." Hani looked at the both of them.

Marcus and Deianne both didn't know what to say.

"Look, I'm sorry that I disturbed you without prior notice. But if you would allow me to sleep only for a night here, I would be very grateful." The woman looked at them again with pleading eyes. 

Deianne looked at Marcus, knowing that if Hani slept in with them tonight, they would be uncomfortable because they were no longer alone in the house. However, they can't just say no to the woman. It would be rude, and she doesn't have the heart to see her cousin sleep in her car tonight.

"Alright, I'll prepare the guest room." Marcus finally said as he stood up and went to one of their guest rooms. 

After he cleans it, he goes back into the living room, where he finds his wife still having a chat with her cousin.

"The guest room is ready. You can sleep here anytime you want, Hani." Deianne looked at Marcus, surprised, but she knew it was only because the man was trying to be nice to her cousin.

"Thank you so much, Marcus."

Deianne rolled her eyes; it's very rare to see her cousin being this nice and polite.

"Well, it's almost midnight. You must be tired, Hani," she said to the woman.

"Is it okay if I sleep first?" the woman asked, unsure. She doesn't want to be a rude guest.

"Please, just pretend that this is your house, too. You can sleep whenever you want. Since when did you become this awkward around us?"

This time, the woman let out a smile. "Okay. Thank you once again, both of you. I'll sleep first." Hani then stood up and was about to leave the husband and wife, but she turned again and said, "Oh yeah, if you don't mind, try not to get too loud tonight. Okay?" Her cousin lets out a smirk and an evil laugh, leaving Deianne blushing furiously while Marcus bends his head slightly lower and just sits there, suddenly feeling awkward.

*****

After Hani went to the guest room, Marcus and Deianne ate something for their super late dinner. Then, both of them silently head to their room. They took turns taking a shower. Once Deianne was done with the shower, Marcus went to the bathroom to wash up, while Deianne was already in bed, playing with something on her iPod. After the man came out of the bathroom, she looked at him awkwardly. This is not the first time they have slept together in the same bed, but it still feels awkward.

After a while, Marcus went out of the bathroom, all cleaned up. He went straight to his side of the bed and lied down. 

"Good night!" he said as he turned off the lamp on his side.

"Uhm, good night!" Deianne said softly as she turned off the light on her side.

They both stayed silent, but none of them had already slept. Marcus looked up to the ceiling, while Deianne was lying on her side, back facing the man. Marcus peeked in once in a while. He looks at his wife's slim body, imagining how it would feel skin-to-skin. He couldn't help but smile because of it.

Feeling the man's stare at her, Deianne turns her body, still laying on her side, but this time she is facing Marcus. The man was a little taken aback when he saw her and caught him looking at her. But the dark room hides his shocked face. The man then moves his body, so he lies on his side, facing his wife.

"Can't sleep?"

Deianne only nods. They stared at each other for a while. And then, something in Marcus' mind commands him to move forward a bit. She could see how the man's face was getting closer to her, but she didn't move away. She doesn't want to. Deianne stayed still until Marcus' face was just inches away from her. The man's eyes are looking at him deeply.

The next thing she knew, Marcus' lips were tasting hers. Her eyes automatically close, trying to enjoy the taste of their kiss. The kiss is slow without a rush. Both of them were just enjoying how their lips pressed on one another. 

Neither one of them left each other's gaze until Marcus reached for her hand and slowly pulled her into his embrace. She is shocked at first, but the warmth of his body makes her relax. After that, Deianne puts her head on the man's chest, feeling his heartbeat, and slowly but surely, she drifts off to sleep because of the heartbeat and Marcus' hand gently stroking her back.

*****