"Alisha" Alfonso called out to her from the kitchen. She heard him but she stayed still in her bed, she was not ready to leave the warmth of the bed and her duvet.
"Sleepy girl, get up" he said coming into her room.
"Go away, don't you have a house of your own or maybe work to do?"
"Well you are my job, and since you have refused to move into my own house then I can as well call this place my home." He smiled at her while taking off the duvet from her body.
Since she had opened up everything about herself to him, he has chosen to love her and take care of her. She had told him that she did not want to give him false hopes especially since she was still legally married..
He told her he was not going to pressurize her into falling in love with him. Once he had tried to kiss her, she had pushed him away with the excuse that she could not do anything intimate with him for she was still married to another man before the law.
"Then serve him divorce papers" Alfonso had said angrily. Alisha fidgeted, it was the first time she had seen him angry
She turned to sobbing. He held her and apologized.
"You still love him don't you?" Alfonso had asked her slightly disgusted
"No"
"You do, that's why you do not want to divorce him, I understand you still want him because you are carrying his baby.
"
"Shut up Al, you are not getting it, if he finds out I am pregnant, he will take the child away from me as soon as he is born." She had cried.
Alfonso had apologized, and promised her he was going to protect her and the baby, "no one will take your child away from you even if it is the last thing I do."
"A penny for you though?" Alfonso asked distracting her
"Hmm, nothing"
"Get out of bed and come get something to eat."
"I'm not hungry, I do not feel good at all."
"Is something wrong with you? The baby? Did you sleep at night? Are you having an early delivery? It's just seven months, get up, we will go to the hospital now." He said all in one breath, with panic written all over his face.
"I should be alright, it's nothing to worry about." She got up from the bed to use the toilet, but she felt light headed, and sat back on the bed.
Alfonso scooped her into his arms and took her out of her house into his car.
She didn't have so much strength to argue with him, so she allowed him fasten the seat belt around her, and drove her in a rush to the hospital.
"The baby seems to be fine, she is 29 weeks gone, but she is dehydrated, I recommend she increase her fluid intake and I will also give her some vitamins. Also ensure she rests as much as possible." The doctor had said to Alfonso after examining Alisha.
Alfonso had gone with him to get the prescription and also went ahead to purchase the vitamins she needed. She was asleep when he got back, so instead of waking her up so they could return home, he sat by the chair in the ward and attended to some office work on his tablet.
Alfonso had been able to find out who Alisha's husband is, it was one of California's biggest business man, and his direct competitor in the textile industry.
Well not that he was a direct competitor yet, he was close to being on the same level, but that 2. 43% statistics difference between them was hard to cover up, knowing now that this man was the one also preventing the woman he loved from loving him too, he decided to be more deliberate and fierce with his business war. He was determined to not only meet up to Leonardo's level in the business and textile world, but to surpass Leonardo's business record.
"Yes" Alfonso rejoiced with his eyes on his phone screen. A new evaluation in the business digest had been dropped and he saw that the gap between Leonardo and him was no longer 2. 43% but now 0. 98%, his hardwork was paying off sweetly
Remembering that Alisha was asleep before he yelled, he look up from his phone to the bed. She was still sleeping peacefully. Glad that his noise did not disturb her sleep, he went out of the ward to make a few calls.
"Thank you" Alisha said to Alfonso an hour later when he drove her home.
"Alisha, why not move to my house, now you have two hands to run the bakery, you can go in once in a while to supervise them, but I want you to rest and I want to watch you rest."
"Alfonso, stop telling me to move to your house, how many times will I mention that I am still legally married?"
"Fuck the law Alisha, and fuck Leonardo Legend, that son of a gun doesn't deserve to be married to you, he is probably, not probably, I can bet all I own that he is sleeping with every short skirt he sees, while you are here holding unto…"
"Stop the car" Alisha screamed at him.
He matched the brakes and she came out of the car. She started walking towards home. She didn't have her purse on her to take a cab, "an hour walk and I should be home, I'll have a nice shower reward." She comforted herself.
"Alisha" Alfonso called her as he parked the car off the road and followed her with his legs.
"Alisha, please slow down, can you stop walking, the doctor said no stress." She ignored him and kept walking as fast as her legs could carry her, away from him.
"Alisha, I am sorry, I should not have said that about your marriage and him, I'm sorry it is none of my business, I care about you, and I'm just worrying that you want to do so much right for a man who does not deserve it."
She was hearing what he was saying, but she would not get him off so easily. Leonardo has his weakness, but she could not bank on that and do the same, because he was sleeping around while they were still legally married does not give her the liberty to do the same. If she took him to court for infidelity, he could get off the hook, but there was no way he would charge her for infidelity that she would have an escape route. He was Leonardo Legend and he was powerful.
He could probably have someone spying on her, so he could present charges to her when he was ready to divorce her, she didn't want them to have an evidence of infidelity on her, that was why no matter how late, she never allowed Alfonso spend the night at her place, she never even visited his own place.
It was enough she had to worry about Leonardo finding out about the baby and taking him away, she could not stand him charging her also for infidelity.
"Alisha, I was an idiot, I am sorry." Alfonso met up with her and knelt in apology.
"Get up and stop embarrassing me" she said looking around and seeing a few stares their way.
"Not until you tell me you forgive me"
"You can make it up by taking me baby shopping" she smiled
"Really?" he jumped on his feet. He had wanted to take her shopping since she was five months gone, she said she was not ready, and had told him not to get anything for the baby by himself. He was glad she finally wanted to do it with him.
"First you'll need to eat a healthy breakfast." She agreed, but then had told him she did not want to go to his restaurant where she had worked, so he cooked breakfast, while she got ready to shop.
The shopping went smoothly, everyone who attended to them at various sections assumed that Alfonso was the expecting father, he was enjoying this, but Alisha did not like the idea, but she never argued with either of them.
Alfonso was sensitive enough to allow her choose whatever she wanted, he never forced his opinion on her.
They were able to sort out basic clothing for the first two months of the baby's life, they also got to preorder a crib.
He raised the issue of her moving to his place since it was bigger, she had told him the mini apartment was more than enough. He suggested buying her a house more comfortable if she was just trying to avoid staying with him. She also declined.
When they got back to her apartment late at noon, Alisha was very tired. Alfonso had asked her to go in, while he carried in all the bags.
He then helped her massage her feet. While she had her bath a while later, he ordered them dinner.
All he wanted to do was shower also and get in bed with her, but he knew she was no going to allow that, and he'll soon have to go back to his own house tonight.
"Be patient man, you'll have her soon" he whispered to himself.
"Can I pass the night here, I could use the couch" he asked her as they ate their dinner.
"I don't think that is a good idea, why stay in an uncomfortable position when you can go home to your cozy bed?"
"I saw this coming" he said under his breathe
"I choose to put comfort aside and be sure you and the baby are doing well after all the stress you passed through today."
"Thank you Alfonso, you are a good friend, but that won't be necessary, the baby and I are perfect."
His heart ached when she regarded him as a friend. He wanted her to see him for more. To look at him not as a friend but as a man she could love.
"Al?" she called him gently. He loved how tender she was towards him. If only she could love him, and want him the way he wanted her.
"Yeah?"
"You seem bothered about something, is everything going well?"
He was tempted to tell her that things were not well, he wanted to tell her that he was working hard to rank higher than he good for nothing husband, he wanted to tell her that she should file for divorce, he wanted to tell her that she should accept his love and love him back. He wanted to tell her that he wanted to be the father of the child she was carrying.
He was going to be there when she bore her child, so he could look Leonardo in the eyes later on and tell him that he was more of a father to his child and a husband to his wife than he would ever be to them.
"Al" Alisha called out more loudly and concerned.
"I'm fine dear, just tired not sure I can drive anymore tonight" he said hoping she won't have to call a cab just to get rid of him.
"So sorry, you've done so much for me today, maybe you could take the couch for tonight?" she asked him and he danced in his head, things were beginning to take shape for him.
"I'll love that if it won't be inconvenient for you." he tried to be humble so she won't change her mind.
"It's fine, besides it's just one night"
"Thank you"
"You can shower in the bathroom while I clear up all this dishes" she said while she got up to clear the table.
"Alisha, could ..." Alfonso was saying as he stepped out of the bathroom, but the look on Alisha's face was priceless, his body was dripping water, his abs were looking tempting and there he stood in her room with just a towel wrapped around his waist.