The following morning when Sasha awoke at about a quarter to six, Drake was already out of bed. Curious, she sat up and swung her feet to the floor. It was still dark outside, which made Sasha think that Drake was probably using the bathroom – like she needed to do at the moment. However, the guest room they were staying in didn’t have an en suite, so she would have to leave the room and walk all the way down the hall. This was yet another reason why she was hating every moment of living on Levi’s turf. She had no real privacy. Well, if she ran into Levi, she would simply explain that she was looking for her husband.
She cracked open the guest room door and surveyed the distance of her intended destination. The house seemed quiet enough and with quick steps, she hastened over the white porcelain tiles. However, in her haste, Sasha didn’t notice Drake sitting at the dining room table, reading his bible with a nightlight. He saw when she ran by, but he decided not to disturb her because he too would rather not be disturbed. He was busy filling his heart with fresh revelation from the book of Romans. He hoped Sasha would understand that this early rising was simply a part of his daily walk with God.
Levi’s house was designed in such a way that his bedroom was directly across from the guest bath. And even though there was a bathroom in his bedroom, he would at times use the guest bath to shave. For some reason that particular bathroom seemed to have better lighting. That morning he ventured out of his room, intending to enter into the guest bath. However, he was not going to shave, but was going to put some fresh towels on the shelves for Drake and Sasha. It was only a quarter to six in the morning, so Levi figured he would be able to perform this menial task before they awoke without seeming like he was intruding. As he attempted to twist the doorknob, the door suddenly flew open in his face.
“Sasha!” Even though Levi was startled, he had the presence of mind to whisper because he knew they were not alone. “I’m sorry…I didn’t know you were in there.”
In less than a millisecond, Sasha’s gaze took in the full image of Levi’s body, which was covered only by a pair of gym shorts. She was instantly reminded of those hairy chocolate thighs, but was also introduced to his bulging pectorals, which seemed to be sculpted with the utmost precision. Drake had an attractive form. Not too slim, not too muscular. A great complexion, which was almost the ruddy shade of a ripe mango. But in comparison to Levi, Drake still fell short. With such ungodly thoughts filling her mind, the only thing Sasha wanted to do was escape back to the guest room and lock herself in it and repent.
“It’s fine,” she managed to say. “I’m done using the bathroom.”
She tried to maneuver around Levi but he blocked her by closing in the distance between them. “Stay a little while,” he said to her.
Sasha looked away. “You must be insane…”
“If I’m insane,” Levi said, mindful to keep his voice in hushed tones, “it’s because you’ve made me insane. You married Drake, knowing how crazy I am about you. And I know that you feel the same about me.”
Sasha turned to face Levi, but this time her eyes had a bit of fire in them. “Why did you agree to this?”
“To what?”
“Don’t play stupid. You know it makes no sense having us here.”
“Maybe, but at least I get to see you every day and every night.”
“And what does that do for you except make you miserable?”
Levi felt as if his heart was breaking in two all over again, staring at this beautiful creature who belonged to another man. Sasha was right. He would be miserable over the next three days looking but being unable to touch. But he would rather his lot be that kind of misery than to be alone without knowing for sure if Sasha had moved on. Maybe… just maybe, Sasha was regretting her marriage to Drake and was ashamed to say so.
“Kiss me,” he urged her.
Sasha ignored the plea in Levi’s eyes and spat, “Let me get back to my husband before he comes looking for me.”
“So what if he catches us. He needs to know the truth about us.”
“Now I know that you’ve really lost your mind! Move out of my way, Levi. I am committed to my husband and I will not let you –”
The rest of Sasha’s words were swallowed up in a kiss, which quickly deepened when she felt Levi’s strong arms encasing her against his powerful frame. It was as if an explosion had occurred between them. However, in a matter of seconds, her world came crashing down when she heard Drake’s voice calling out to her. She pulled away from Levi and pushed him back until both of them were in the guest bath. She snapped the door shut and locked it. A second longer and Drake would have seen them.
“Sasha,” Drake called, tapping softly on the door. “Are you okay?”
To buy time so that she could recover, she turned on the water tap. “I will be out in a minute, babe,” she called back. “I’m washing up.”
“Don’t rush. I just thought I heard some unusual noise. If you need me, I’ll be in the dining room. I’m going now because I don’t want our voices to disturb Levi.”
“Okay…I’ll see you soon…” Sasha cringed because she felt despicable lying to her husband. “Love you…”
“Love you too.”
Drake walked away, a sluggish gait which suggested he was a man suffering from a deeply wounded spirit. When he got back to the dining room table, he dropped his chin toward his chest. He had seen with his own eyes, his beautiful Sasha entwined in the arms of his best friend. But whomever had sent that note, he held responsible for the hole he now felt in the center of chest. Had he never read that letter, he would have never suspected Sasha of being unfaithful to him. He probably never would have suggested coming to Levi’s place. Why didn’t she just tell him that she was in love with Levi?
Drake pushed his bible away from him and rested his forehead against the wooden surface. He couldn’t remember the last time he cried, but that morning, his tears collected beneath him into a small pool of water. The door to the guest bath opened and Drake could faintly hear footsteps scurrying down the hall, but he was too broken to face Sasha or Levi at the moment. But what hurt Drake even more was when Sasha hurried by the dining room without checking in on him. It didn’t matter if she assumed that he was praying. The fact remained: Drake did not hold the key to Sasha’s heart, as he’d thought all of these years. They hadn’t even been married a full week yet and Sasha was already in the arms of another man. To Drake, this was the mother of all betrayals.