Chapter 2

Surely, we all agree that Sunday is the perfect day to laze around. A day where Alyssa can lounge from morning until night without worrying about work. Even ambitious women like her, approve of that. Just look at her, emerging from her room when the clock already shows half past noon.

Still wearing a white satin kimono robe, she stepped out of her room, walking toward the kitchen with lingering drowsiness. Alyssa barely slept last night due to dealing with the chaos created by one of her artists.

As she reached the ground floor, she immediately spotted Brent sitting in the living room with a laptop in front of him. The man looks neat, even in a plain black T-shirt, his usual attire when at home.

Alyssa was not too surprised by the sight of her husband being super productive. After all, they’ve been living together for a year, so it’s become normal for her. Although initially, her ego was scratched because she found someone else more productive. She even vowed to compete with Brent’s productivity at first. However, in the end, Alyssa realized that Brent wasn’t her rival. It’s not because he’s overly productive, but his factory setting is just like that.

She then walked to the kitchen and poured water into her glass. While sipping the water, her gaze is directed at Brent. It’s been almost a week since that evening conversation, and she hadn’t done anything yet.

Not because Alyssa gave up, but because for the past week, she has been so busy with her work that she forgot about the plan she once made. Consequently, when she had a lot of free time today, a brilliant idea emerged to realize her plan.

The first thing she will do to Brent is nothing other than make him uncomfortable in this home.

Throughout the years together, it’s not just her who feels the freedom without interruptions from her husband. Brent also enjoys it, he finds all the tranquility in his life because Alyssa never disturbs him. She followed the basic rules Brent wanted, such as not bothering him while he was working, not doing anything that could tarnish his reputation as a public official, and a few other things.

But this time, Alyssa will start crossing all of Brent’s boundaries. She will make him lose his peace and comfort so that he will reconsider the divorce proposal she submitted.

“It’s still an assumption. But if you want to prove whether Mr. Brent is really gay or not, it’s easy. Just try to get close to him. If he avoids or looks uncomfortable, then it’s probably true.”

Alyssa removed her kimono, revealing her shoulder and a white satin nightdress. Without hesitation, she walked to the sofa where Brent was conducting his online meeting. she sat next to him, leaving only a little space between them. Brent remained calm until Alyssa suddenly rested her head on his shoulder, and only then did he respond.

“Sorry, just a moment.” Swiftly, Brent deactivated his camera and microphone during the call.

Out of the corner of Alyssa’s eye, she could see Brent glancing in her direction. For a moment, she realized he was observing her sleeping face on his shoulder. Perhaps noticing her tired look due to a sleepless night.

Alyssa guessed Brent might be aware, surely having heard the commotion she caused in her room.

“Grace.” Still so calm, Brent called her middle name.

A little note, this wasn’t a special or affectionate call that Brent usually gives her. Instead, it was her home call, which Brent reluctantly attended at his mother-in-law’s request.

“I’m in a meeting,” Brent continued as there was no response to his earlier call.

A quiet murmur escapes Alyssa’s lips, "Sleepy," sounding like a whine. Unaware, she found herself taking Brent's hand and embracing him, seeking the most comfortable position.

Brent calmly asks, "What time did you sleep yesterday?" She was somewhat surprised by his response. Alyssa thought he'd quickly move away, knowing he wasn't one to appreciate physical touch.

Even more surprising, there was no shocked or tense reaction from him when she suddenly embraced his hand. It was as if he wanted to convey that her touch meant nothing to him.

“I don’t know,” she replied.

“In that case, go back to sleep in the room. I still have a meeting. Your current position is not appropriate to be shown.”

If Alyssa weren’t on a quest to find out her husband’s sexual orientation, one raw expletive would fly at Brent. His words trigger her emotions. She despised it when a man dictates what's appropriate for a woman.

“No, I’m comfortable here,” she muttered, cursing Lewis's idea. How could he ask her to behave like a cheap woman who always lurks around Brent?

“Well, if you want to stay here, move a bit, over here,” Brent says.

Surprised again, Alyssa lifted her head and looked at him. “Where?” she quickly asked.

Still calmly, Brent answers her question with a hand gesture, tapping his right thigh a few times.

“Are you... serious?” Alyssa was at a loss for words. “Aren’t you bothered by this?”

“As long as you don’t move and make noise. I want to continue the meeting for a moment.”

Without asking for permission, Brent pulls Alyssa’s shoulder and directs her head to his lap. Then, Brent continues his interrupted meeting. Of course, after adjusting the laptop’s position so that the camera captures only his figure from head to chest.

“Sorry, there was a slight interruption earlier. Our discussion had reached the point about….” Brent continued his meeting with Alyssa lying in his lap.

Brent remained unusually calm during this unusual moment. Even amidst the meeting, he took the time to adjust Alyssa’s kimono robe to cover her exposed skin, leaving her speechless, except for silently cursing the man in Alyssa's thoughts.

Crazy. Brent had truly gone mad.

***

Alyssa was annoyed to the core because this afternoon, she fell asleep on Brent’s lap, not even remembering when he moved her into the room.

“I swear I’m so annoyed with you,” she said to the figure across.

“Well, why blame me?” Lewis defends. “You’re the one who’s too comfortable near Mr. Brent. It’s been a while since you’ve been pampered by a man,” Lewis remarks.

“Damn! I was just sleepy because I stayed up late last night. Lisa caused a stir again on social media, tweeting about the government. You know Lisa doesn’t really understand politics, but a little speaking up, and then she gets mixed up with the social media crowd, and becomes trending topic number one again. If I hadn’t calmed it down with an apology from Lisa, plus immediately shifted the focus using Devis’s hot news that I originally saved for next week, I’m sure Lisa’s brands would have demanded withdrawal.”

"That’s why you should have a phone and answer when your boss calls. You’re getting paid for nothing!” Alyssa retorted.

Lewis grinned, “Sorry. Besides, that was outside working hours. I have my own busy schedule.”

“Yeah, busy squeezing my new talents into tight schedules,” she replied.

“Well, at least I’m not busy causing trouble with my own husband to get a divorce.”

Alyssa snorted, “You’re annoying! Anyway, back to the topic.”

“Well, I can’t give any response. Instead of taking the opportunity to get closer to him, you end up sleeping,” Lewis said.

“But just imagine, he can be so calm even though we’ve never been this close before,” she said.

“Sure?”

“Sure about what?”

“Are you sure you’ve never been that close to Mr. Brent?” Lewis asked. “It’s just unbelievable. You’ve been married for a year, and you’ve never done anything? Okay, maybe you haven’t slept together, but no kisses? At least hugs?”

“Never,” Alyssa replied unequivocally.

“If that’s the case, then there’s definitely something wrong with Mr. Brent. Either his character is too flat, or he’s a hundred percent gay!” Lewis said. “That’s why, if you want to test, don’t do it half-heartedly. At least go for a kiss or be naked in front of him, so you can see his reaction. If you just do that, it won’t have much effect.”

“That’s easy. I’ll handle it later. Anyway, I’ll do everything to make him uncomfortable around me, even disrupt his work if needed, so I can just get a divorce,” she said before ending her conversation with Lewis.

Having discussed enough, now Alyssa had to take action. The day was still long, and she had decided to dedicate her day off to disturb Brent’s peace.