Waiting to Exhale

Klea paced the sitting room as she waited for her husband to respond to her call. She has been trying to call him for over an hour but he was not picking up.

It was already late in the night and she couldn't help but wonder what may have happened to her newly wedded husband. She was already tired of waiting and was about to pick up her car keys from the couch when someone barged into the house.

It was her husband. He locked the door and took a seat across from Klea. He pulled his tie and his jacket and opened a few buttons on his long sleeve shirt.

"Ahh I had a long day at work" he rested his head on the couch, with him facing the ceiling.

"Aiden are you..."

Aiden interrupted before she could say a word. "Honey I am having a serious headache right now, I need to shower and go to bed. I hope you enjoyed your first time staying at home since you stopped working?" He stood up and picked up his things to leave.

"Not exactly," She said, placing her hand on her waist.

"You would get used to it" he scoffed and went upstairs. "Even if she did, she won't say it. Women will always be women" he murmured as he walked upstairs.

Klea had a lot to tell him but he doesn't seem to be interested in talking to her like he always does. This was the third time he returned home late without giving her a reason, and ignoring her like nothing happened. Now she has become a jobless woman, rather than a housewife just to suit his taste.

Klea went to the kitchen to serve him dinner hoping to talk to him over dinner and went upstairs to their bedroom.

"Sweetie, I've served dinner," she said as she entered the room.

Adien was already in bed. "I'm not hungry" he replied with his eyes fixed on his phone.

"You ate out?" She asked, sliding her fingers into her silky hair and pushing it through it.

"Klea I'm busy" He replied with a hint of anger in his voice.

Today is one of those days in which he refuses to eat. Klea walked out of the room and slammed the door shut. When she got downstairs, she picked up her phone from the centre table and went over to the dining room and sat in a chair across from where she had placed the food. She called her best friend's number.

"Klea" Her best friend screamed.

She smiled. "Ivy, please bring your voice down. You're hurting my ears.''

"Whatever" Ivy chuckled and cleared her throat. "How are you?"

"You should know better," She replied with a low tone and took a deep breath before releasing it and looking at the stairs. "He is at it again"

"Babe just ignore him, cheer up"

"I wish it's as easy as it sounds," Klea rolled her eyes. "I'm tired, months feel like a thousand years already. If this is how marriage feels, then I don't want it"

"Let's go have fun tomorrow," Ivy suggested.

"That would be great," Klea let out a sigh of relief. "I need to go now, I love you" she hung up.

She stared at the dinner she had prepared for Aiden, shook her head, and clicked her tongue before standing up to take it back to the kitchen.

***

The next day, Klea and Ivy were having lunch in a fancy restaurant.

"Why did you pick this restaurant?" Klea asked as soon as the waitress was done serving.

"Why? Is it less than your standard?" Ivy furrowed her eyebrows.

She shook her head and looked around and then turned to look at her girlfriend. "I mean which guy brought you here? This place is cool" she picked up her glass of wine and took a sip.

"Jeez this is unbelievable" Ivy rolled her eyes. "Let's break up" she gently tapped the table.

"Yes let's do that" Klea replied as both of them began to pick up their bags and car keys like they were going to leave. When both of them were about to stand up, they began to laugh hard.

"We can't break up duh," Klea said laughing.

"Hell no," Ivy replied, sweeping her hair behind her ears.

They started eating, Klea paused to stare at her best friend, admiring her beauty and her elegance, and couldn't help but imagine what her life would have been without her.

"I love you," Klea said with tears rolling down her cheeks.

Ivy paused on hearing Klea. "I love you, darling," she smiled. "But you don't have to cry," she tried to console her.

"I know right" she sniffed and tilted her head back like she was going to send the tears back. She cleaned her tears with the back of her hand.

"I think you may need to wash your face honey I don't like you looking all messy"

"Okay excuse me" She replied with a smile, she picked up her purse and headed to the bathroom.

On getting there, she washed her face and stared at herself in the mirror. "You're pretty," she smiled. "He is not worth it I know but I can't walk out or maybe I can" she felt a burning sensation in her eyes again as tears rolled down her eyes.

This marriage wasn't her choice and she didn't even get the chance to pick the kind of man she has always dreamt of. The public would think she has a perfect marriage, and no one except Klea ever cared to ask if she was happy about it or not, even her parents were careless. All they want is for their company to move to the next level.

Klea pulled herself together, washed her face, and redo her makeup before walking to the bathroom.

Klea saw her best friend from a distance exchanging phone numbers with a young man and talking like she was attracted to him. Klea tried to give them a safe distance to avoid unnecessary drama and discomfort when Ivy saw her. She was only four tables away.

"That's my best friend," Ivy pointed out. "come here miss, why were you standing there?" She laughed.

Ivy knew what Klea was doing though she just didn't want anything to seem off.

"I just wanted both of you to have space. '' Klea faked a smile.

Ivy opened her mouth to say something when the guy spoke in her place.

"No it's fine I was about to leave" he bowed slightly, smiled at Ivy, and then left.

"Ohh" Klea raised her eyebrows and then wiggled them as she took her seat and turned to see if the young man had left them.

"Stop it" Ivy tapped Klea's palm playfully.

"A new catch ?" She smiled, grabbing her glass of wine.

Ivy shook her head, clicking her tongue. "Nah I'm not sure"

"He doesn't look like your type but he may be your type, you never can tell unless you find out " she winked.

"But he looks too calmed to be a Dom"

"That's what you thought when you met that nerd" Klea batted her eyelashes and sipped from her drink noisily.