It was a warm morning. The blanket felt heavy and Alec tossed and turned for a while in the bed. The room was filled with scent of musk and sex. The sun rays were peering through the curtains in a failed attempt to light the room.

It was a warm morning. His hair around the back of his neck were still damp with sweat. His eyelids were refusing to open. He was beginning to feel the sweat layering his skin underneath the blankets. He tossed one more time towards his right and his hand landed on the pillow that Beth used. On it was a small paper, a stick note.

Alec finally opened his eyes to see the alien object on the bed. Beth had written him a note,

Had an emergency at the hospital.

-Beth.

Beth wasn't home. She had left. When Alec got up and sat on the bed, he saw her side had been made neatly. The only thing messy was the blanket, which he was using. She must have gone long time back, because the bed on her side was not warm.

It was a warm morning, but the bed was cold.

•

Standing under the shower, Alec switched on the faucet. He let the cold water fall on his back before he turned his head towards it. He could feel every drop that was falling. His senses had been multiplied to a great extent last night and they hadn't come down from their high.

He poured in some shower gel in his hand. For a moment he was tempted to open Beth's. He could still smell her fragrance. Her sweet, subtle fragrance. But he used his, hoping to rub off some of her's.

He began lathering in his hands and started washing his hands. He had wrapped them around her fragile frame when she had a nightmare. He remembered how she had succumbed to peace as soon as he had pressed her to his chest.
He touched at the exact spot where he had felt her warm breaths. He couldn't feel the lather in his hands anymore, but he began remembering everything his hands had touched the previous night. Her slim waist and her curves, her flushed face and her soft damp hair, her fingers between his.
He could no longer feel the water falling on him, but her warm body around around his.

Snap out of it, he scolded himself. He had to snap out of it because he was spiralling back into the events that took place the night before. His eyes could feel themselves being searched by her's. He had to snap out of it because when he replayed everything in his mind, his thoughts too came back to crash his reality.

He was in love with her.

He had fallen in love with her. And he knew it was love. He knew this was going to complicate things much more than they both had planned but he was in love with her and there was nothing he could do about it, but tell her the truth.

Yes, he wanted to tell her this. He wanted her to know about it. He wanted the entire world to know about it. He was in love with his wife.

And then the anxiety hit him. What about Melissa? Wasn't he cheating on his love? But then how was it cheating when she wasn't here anymore? But she was she here... Melissa was here, she was always here.

He could still sense her presence around the house. He remembered his dream, she was running away from him, he was trying to stop her but he couldn't and she was running away because she knew he was in love with Beth.

He was beginning to forget Melissa. No, he couldn't! He can never forget Melissa. She was the love of his life, the one whom he had dedicated his life to.... But he was forgetting her. He knew if he had to love Beth truly, he had to let go of Melissa. Did he want to her go?

NO! A voice inside his head screamed. No... There would be nothing left without her .... The same voice said. But then what about Beth and the love that was developing for her? The other voice, the voice of reason gave the argument.

What about Beth?

•

Alec had decided to go to Beth's office before going to office. He had to explain her things. She deserved an explanation for his behaviour of the previous night. More than that he just wanted to see her even though Melissa's voice kept screaming how he was forgetting her.

Beth wasn't in her office when he visited the hospital. He couldn't find his mother either. He decided to the reception to enquire about her.

"Oh... Oh hi there!" Lucy greeted him. "I didn't know you were here." She had a file in her hand which she gave to the nurse across the counter and then turned towards him again.
"So what happened? Looking for Beth?"

"Yeah, I couldn't find her. I thought I will enquire about her here."

"Just wait for moment." She turned her attention towards the nurse and explained her the patient details. "This is the details for Mrs. Wandler. I have talked to the family. Give them this, I am discharging her tomorrow." She turned towards him. "Come on... She was somewhere here."

Lucy lead him into a corridor. "She must be finishing with her rounds. We can find her near the ward." She continued leading him until they reached the ward that was assigned to Beth. It had large windows opening towards the corridor. Patients were lying on their assigned beds. Some had heart monitors while a few others wore oxygen masks. All of them were dressed in the hospital apparel. Amongst them, was his wife, wearing her blue scrubs with her stethoscope shoved in her lab coat pockets.

"There." Lucy pointed. "There your wife is. She must be finishing, won't be long."

She was checking on her patient. A lady was standing beside the bed with her child. She looked worried.

"She is so beautiful." Alec blurted out.

Lucy laughed. "Well someone sounds lovestruck to me."

"I am." He confessed.

"Hey, I am just joking." She looked at him. But she sensed the change in the conversation.

"I am not. Lucy, I think I am in love with her."

She looked taken aback for a second and then she gave him a smile. "I amazed why it took you so long to say that."

"I am in love with her. Hopelessly in love with her."

"I can see that. At least one of you is." She looked at Beth again. "Though I don't know she will take this news."

"Me neither." He agreed with Lucy. For Beth, their relationship was nothing more than a deal. A deal she was forced to sign. A deal out of which she wasn't getting benefit. He didn't even know if she would ever love him back. But he still wanted her to know this.

He looked at Beth again who was examining the chest of the patient with her stethoscope.
When Beth finished her examination and started talking to the family, the lady looked much calmer. Beth kept explaining her things, reassuring her to reduce her anxiety. She gently touched the baby lady had in her arms and the the lady offered her to hold the child.

That was when he saw her.
He saw the mother Beth would be. She gently lifted the child and rocked him in her arms. Tucked him properly in his blue blanket.
She pressed her fingers on the child's chin and he stared her with his big eyes. Just like Alec was looking at his wife.

Beth was a woman with so many characters. And today he saw one of the most enchanting character she possessed, the motherly affection that brew inside her. She looked so comfortable with the child, the child looked happy with her.
Alec had never seen someone at so much ease with a child.

"She is so good with children." Lucy looked at her with what Alec felt was pity. "She loves children a lot. Shame she-" She stopped mid sentence.

"Shame what?" Alex's curiosity increased.

There was a sudden change in her tone, "shame you wouldn't see her with the child again."

"Why?"

"Because she is coming here." Lucy winked and left as Beth came out of the ward.

"Alec? What happened, why are you here?"

"I just ....." Alec found himself stammering. "About last night..."

"Oh. Look let's just... You know let's go in there first. " She pulled him inside an on call doctor's room.

It was a small quaint room furnished with a bed, a table and an attached toilet. There was just enough space to stand. And to make things worse for him, she looked directly in his eyes. All the memories from last night came back.

"Look, whatever happened.... " She was finding words to speak. She stayed uncomfortably for a minute before even she reciprocated his emotions. " We shouldn't have come here. "

"Yes." It came out more hoarsely then he had expected.

"It's-.... Oh dear god!"

She pulled his face towards him and kissed him. His hands cupped her face, pulling her towards him. This wasn't like the kiss they had the night before. It was a kiss of desperation and need. A war between their emotions and their lust and it was lust that was winning.

He held her face a little more roughly than he wanted to but she didn't protested. He kissed her jaw and was almost about to push her on the bed when her hands pushed him away.

"We.... Can't..... " She panted. "Not here."

"What-"

"It's not right." She was still short of breath but she continued anyway. "Home."

"When does your work finish?"

"It will be a little while before I am free."

"I don't know how long I will be able to resist myself."

"It-"

He gave her a peck on the lips. "I will wait for you tonight." He winked and walked out of the room, fixing his hair.

They had passion and chemistry and after a long time, Alec didn't mind being the lustful lover.

****
Old habits die hard, late updates can never be quicker. I am sorry. Just life gets too much, I guess.

Anyway, here we are, new chapter, new emotions but no knew twist. Because that will be coming up in the next chapter. What is it? Well I can assure you that you won't have to wait long.
This chapter was longer than I expected it to be, so I had to divide the story for this chapter into two parts and I think that is working out better for the story. This also means you will be getting a new update by tomorrow evening. I just hope you guys are a little more patient.

Do write your thoughts about this chapter in the comments. Tell me everything. Don't forget to vote and share.

Also thank you to all of you for such positive feedbacks for the previous chapter. I hope you all will like the upcoming ones even more.

Until then,
Cheerio.

Love,
Alice.

****