Samuel sat on one of the sofas in the VIP section of the hall. Most of his family were out socializing, and he had taken the time to sit by himself, nursing a cup of whiskey. Ember had whisked Kali and June off to meet some friends who were in attendance. Samuel appreciated having the space to himself. He needed time to dig his mind out of the pit it was throwing itself down.

"You are sulking again." Kali appeared, taking a seat, apparently done with the introductions.

Samuel shook his head. "Just enjoying the party."

He wasn't. He still thought back to the dinner, trying to figure out what happened at the table. What was still happening at that moment?

If there was one obvious fact about Kali from the first moment he met her, it was that she was a beautiful woman. She had an air about her and a confidence that further enhanced her features. She had striking eyes, a unique light brown that stood out on her tanned face. It gave her a captivating gaze. Her beauty had never been in question.

On that table, his awareness fledged into something frightening. He stared at her as she spoke to the family, explaining her desire to construct an image in her workspace after his mother tried to undermine her. He looked at her face. Her softly round face had dimpled when her sister spoke fondly of their youth. His eyes moved from her face down her slender neck and bare shoulders. The dress she wore was strapless, exposing her prominent shoulder bone and spotting a lengthy chain that disappeared in the bust of her dress, drawing his gaze to the soft swell of her breast.

Still dazed, as if he was discovering her beauty for the first time, he followed her movement as she lifted her glass for a toast, the twinkle of her laugh seeping through his ears. A sound he heard thousands of times called to him at that moment. Then placed the rim against her blood-red lipstick.

Her eyes had met his at that moment, and he jerky looked away, embarrassed at being caught observing her so closely. What seemed like a mindless moment didn't stop nagging. It grew worse when she came to give her support and ear for him to share what was bothering him.

"Do you want to leave?" She asked, bringing him back to their conversation.

"No. I am sorry. My mind just got crowded. The party is one of the bests we have been to. We don't need to leave."

"Is your plan to sit through the rest of this party? Or are you enjoying observing the various couples and families present as you meditate into your glass?"

He scoffed, lifting the glass in question to her. "I am tuckered out of socialitiies. I came to recharge before I thrust myself back into it."

She scooted closer, "makes sense. You've had a rough week because of work and the incident with my sister."

"Don't!" He immediately set out to stop her. "Don't bring your sister's incident into things. It's work and nothing else. You were more stressed out regarding that issue than I was."

"So, it's only work?"

"Work...and everything else that has been wrong the past few months."

Jazz filtered out of the speakers, and the dance floor began to clear as a few couples moved to the floor. Kali sat up and slapped his thigh before standing to her feet. He watched her stretch her hand out, then stared at it like a foreign object.

"What?"

"Let's dance. It would be a fun distraction."

His eyes skittered up her face before he looked back at her hand, warning shots firing in his brain. He had no explanation for how he was suddenly so hyper-aware of her. The night of her sister's recovery in the hospital, he held her against him and felt nothing more than tenderness and understanding. They had sat in front of each other for breakfast in the morning, and it had been the same as always, light-hearted and fun. But something happened between then and dinner, something wrong, and it spelt disaster.

"You just gonna stare at me, or will you take my hand and dance with me?"

"I am not the greatest dancer, and I have had enough of my mother's eyes on me for the night." He replied softly, not meeting her eyes.

She scoffed, leaning and snagging his hand from his lap. He grumbled as she pulled him to his feet. Not giving him a chance to voice his discomfort, she spun around, holding his hand against her hip as she dragged him towards the dance floor.

Still, even as warning bells rang in his ears, he allowed her to pull him along.

Once they were splat at the end of the floor, the part with barely any lighting, and an obstructed view from where his family sat, she turned to him. The double strands that hung in front of her face hell sideways as she tipped her head to look at him, spreading his fingers over her waist while sliding her hand over his shoulder to his back.

"How's your sister finding the party?" He asked, fighting to regain the normalcy he had lost along the line.

"She loves it. I am happy that her first experience is this one. People are nice and good-natured."

"Mrs Obed is a nice woman. She always throws the best of parties. They are far and in between but memorable."

She chuckled, interlacing her finger at the back of his neck. "Is it wrong that I am also starting to appreciate these? I shouldn't fit into this easily, but I seem to be enjoying these more and more."

"All of them." He asked, trying to fall back into their usual banter. "Even the prissy rich folk that only show up to flash their wealth? I thought you changed, Kali."

"Don't be silly." She chuckled, threading her fingers through his hair and yanking it in retaliation. "You know that's not what I mean by fitting in. A lot of the ladies I have spoken to you are nice, and more than a few of them have expressed interest in getting to know my work. They had such passion when they spoke about their various lives and careers."

"You were talking about work? At a party?"

She grinned, tugging his hair again, earning a warning growl from him. "Don't tease. I didn't bring it up; they did. Some of the women are daughters of friends of your family, and they had some interest in what I do for a living. It was nice."

"Most of them are."

Her other hand slipped out of his, and she interlaced her fingers behind his neck, leaving him to rest both hands on her hips, drawing him closer.

They were spending too much time together. That must be the problem, he thought. They shared the same room. He shared a huge part of his problems with Kali and vice versa. Somewhere along the line, his affection and care were trying to morph into something else. And he needed to nip things in the bud before they flowered out of control.

"Peter is having fun," Kali spoke softly, her voice almost lost in the music.

"Where?"

With her chin, she pointed to a spot on the dancefloor where Peter danced with an animated Giovanna. Peter had her off her feet, spinning her around by the waist as she, no doubt, plead to be let down.

"Don't think I have seen her so happy. She is always so busy staring me down with her signature disapproving frown."

Samuel sighed. "I don't want to sound like the enabling family member, but Giovanna isn't all bad."

"Yes. You do sound enabling. Most of her bad habit is expressed towards you."

"I know. The thing is, so were the rest of them. Peter and Ember were the same growing up. My dad favoured me a lot, it wasn't about his love, but they were harsh with me because of it. Nothing cruel, just jesting, taking jabs at me."

Kali's eyes stared into him, the warmth in them burned through him. "I can't imagine Peter or Ember like that. They are the only two aside from your father that seems to genuinely care for your well-being."

"They grew out of it. All it took was time and Dad assuring them there was no need to be envious of me because he would never discriminate between us. Giovanna, however, never got the message. She didn't get the chance to grow out of it, and Mom didn't help the situation."

"Why am I not surprised to hear your mother has something to do with it. It's terrible that she thrives off misery. Did you see her at the table? I know she owes me nothing, but it wouldn't kill her to pretend to be a decent person."

"She has her moments." Kali's expression flattened. "You're right. She is just terrible."

Her teeth flashed. Behind him, her hands travelled down his back, drawing them closer. "Thank you. Make no excuses for her. She and Giovanna make a great team when it comes to that."

"Giovanna doesn't listen to anyone but my mother, which is funny because she worships my dad."

Kali caught his jaw between her thumb and forefinger. "She has been on her better behaviour this past month, but even I don't know what to make of things. Maybe she'll change, maybe she won't, but your solution can't be to put up with things until either of the two happens."

Advice, support, care. They spent the better part of their life together, looking out for each other. Samuel could barely remember the last time he harboured any hostile thought towards her. At first, he couldn't stand the idea of being near her, sharing a house or a room.

He still disliked being married to her, but he didn't dislike her. First, they came to an understanding and began a friendship to make their life together bearable. It did. Soon, he began to admire her for her tenacity and outspokenness. She was a flirt. There was nothing new with that. She complimented him as easily as she breathed. It wasn't anything that unsettled him.

Appreciation and admiration; both were fine. Attraction, even the slightest bit, was a dangerous road to follow.

"Are you listening to me?"

"Yes. I am, and I appreciate the advice, Dr Kali. I'll keep it in mind."

She pouted, slapping his chest hard enough to hurt. "I can never talk to you without you teasing."

The music stopped, and he dropped his hands. Another song came on, but before Kali could suggest they dance again, Ember swayed over and asked to borrow her. Before leaving, Kali patted his cheeks.

"Don't go back to sulking. It doesn't suit your pretty face."

"I won't. Go on."

They disappeared into the crowd, and Samuel decided to join his father by the bar. He didn't want to rouse any more of Kali's suspicions than he already had. He was grateful she didn't pick up on his discomfort, but he knew he couldn't let his momentary lapse in judgement ruin the beautiful arrangement they had.

"Hey. Want anything?" His father asked when he got to the bar.

"No, thanks. Just came to keep you company."

"Ah. That was a fine idea. How are you enjoying the party? Saw you dancing. Kali seems to be having a blast."

"It's her first time at an Obed family gala. She's enjoying the not-so-subtle difference the atmosphere has compared to the others."

"I bet she is. I am glad you guys are coming out to these more and more."

Samuel nodded. His father was happy for him, and usually, it unsettled him to deceive his father, and his joy made him uncomfortable. This time, it made him afraid. Afraid he was also losing himself in his mother's carefully constructed deception.

It was the first time since they married that he felt he was betraying his love for Flora.