Dirty Secret: A BWWM Office Romance

by Nicole Houston

  Her phone rang. She picked it up but put it down again on seeing the caller ID. This wasn’t the moment to chit chat with Aine or to tell her about her plans for Friday night. The phone rang again and once more, Skye ignored it. At the end of the second ring, she stretched to switch it off.

  The phone rang a third time. She hurried to check the caller ID, very positive that it could never be Aine as it wasn’t in her nature to call anyone more than twice in a stretch. And she was right.

  She slid her thumb across the screen from left to right. “Hello darling,” she crooned calmly into the phone.

  Finn’s audible voice sounded from the other end. “Hello darling. How are you doing this morning?”

  Skye hesitated. “I’m fine.”

  Her hesitation and low tone gave her away.

  Finn’s voice came alive again. “You don’t sound fine. What’s wrong?”

  Skye exhaled deeply, then as if pushed by some invisible forces, spoke up immediately. “I am pregnant.”

  There was an ice-cold silence from Finn’s end during which Skye kept checking her phone screen to be sure if the line was still connecting.

  “Hello,” she said, seeing that the line wasn’t dead yet. “Are you there?”

  “Sure,” Finn replied.

  “So…” Skye began, her mind quickly thinking of the right words to use in her next question. “What do you think?”

  Finn replied immediately. “I think it’s sweet.”

  Skye smiled. “Really?”

  “Sure,” Finn replied immediately. “I’ve been a father once and I think it would be a great idea to be a father once more. What do you think about the idea of motherhood?”

  Skye thought hard. “Honestly, I haven’t really given it much thought.”

  “It’s okay to be that way since this is your first time. You know what?”

  “What?” Skye asked, wondering what he had in mind.

  “I think you should take out time to think about what you want regarding this pregnancy. Once you have come up with that, we can take things from there. What do you think about that suggestion?”

  Skye smiled again. “It’s cool by me.”

  “Very well then,” Finn replied. “Until we decide what to do, let’s keep the news to ourselves.”

  “Sure,” Skye affirmed. “I wasn’t even thinking of telling anyone yet.”

  “See you in the office?”

  Skye knew that that was a question rather than a remark. “Sure. We’ll meet in the office today. I love you.”

  “I love you more. Bye.”

  “Bye darling.” With that, Skye hung up and threw her phone back on the bed, glad that things were easier than she expected.

  It was a rare lunch break. Skye neither had to order lunch or just sit around her desk, clearing unfinished work. It was one that she could comfortably rest under the warm shield of Finn’s arms while sipping a hot chocolate drink.

  “You know, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking within the past four hours,” Skye began, hoping to get Finn’s attention with those words.

  “Okay,” Finn said, eagerly waiting to hear what she had to say.

  “I kind of find the idea of motherhood exciting.”

  Finn smiled, turning her face towards him to see if there was any iota of seriousness in it. “Really?”

  Skye nodded. “Yes. I’m ready for it. I’ll have the baby.”

  “Great,” Finn commended. “You’ll enjoy every bit of it, I’m sure.

  Skye smiled. She felt more reassured knowing quite well that she had the reassurances of her experienced lover.

  “So, tell me, how did it feel when you had Aine?” she asked and took another sip of her hot chocolate.

  Finn sipped his wine before putting down the glass. “It felt sweet, knowing that I had a little feminine version of me gracing the earth with her innocence and beauty.”

  “Wow! I can imagine the feeling,” Skye said. “I can’t wait to finally experience it firsthand.”

  “You will, very soon,” Finn assured her, squeezing her hands gently.

  “That feels good,” Skye said.

  Finn smiled. “Really? How about this?” he asked and bent to give her a peck on the forehead.

  “Feels better,” Skye replied, smiling. She could imagine his next action.

  “How about this?” he asked, turning her face towards him. He kissed her passionately and then paused to stare at her.

  “Feels best.”

  With that, Finn bent to kiss her again. She reciprocated passionately.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Skye lowered the hand mixer into the butter and watched it vibrate round the mixing bowl in a circular motion. The little noise from the manual machine coupled with the excitement of seeing her white butter turn whiter as it got floppier was the perfect distraction she needed from the throbbing and probing that her mind had subjected her to ever since she set her eyes on Aine.

  Aine brought out a rectangular fruit cake from the refrigerator, the cake on which all the icing would be dumped.

  “That looks delicious.” Skye commended, breaking the icy silence that had crept in between them.

  “It sure is,” Aine replied, smiling. “I took the time to make it with lots of love.”

  “Then, it’s sure going to be super tasty.” Gradually, Skye turned in the icing sugar, allowing the whisk to whisk it to a perfectly floppy state. All the while, she did a good job avoiding Aine’s eyes. Something in her told her that if Aine should look her in the eyes, she’d know she was seeing her dad. Skye’s heart pricked at the numerous secrets which she kept from her childhood best friend. She knew that tonight would be a redefining moment in their relationship. After tonight, a lot of things would change between them either for the better or for worse. It’ll all depend on how Aine would take things.

  Aine’s voice jolted her back from her reverie. “You seem cold, should I turn on the warmer?”

  “That’d be lovely,” Skye replied, smiling, still careful not to look up.

  Aine went over to one of the wall switches. She reached out for the red switch and turned it on. She turned to find Skye looking away.

  “What was that?” Aine asked, wondering why she looked away so quickly like staring were a forbidden act.

  “What?” Skye asked, lost. She had managed to raise her face but still avoided Aine’s eyes.

  Aine stared amused. “I thought I saw you…” Suddenly, she realized that her probing wasn’t necessary. “Never mind.” she walked back to the kitchen table to watch Skye do her magic on the whipped cream.

  This wasn’t the first time Aine would be watching Skye work in her kitchen, but it would be the first time she would be seeing her in such a quiet mood. There was something really off about Skye’s silence, something that gave Aine the impression that it had to do with the environment.

  “Skye, are you okay?”

  Skye smiled, unsure if she could keep on with her game. “Yes, I am, just that I’m getting a bit hot.”

  “Oh then, that shouldn’t be a problem at all. I will turn off the warmer immediately.”

  “That would be lovely. Thank you,” Skye replied, smiling.

  Aine went back to turn off the same switch she had turned on barely five minutes earlier. As she walked back towards the worktable, she became more convinced that something was really off about Skye. First, she had developed sudden goosebumps in a kitchen that was already warm as a result of the oven that was in use. She had then requested for the warmer to be turned on only for her to request for the same warmer to be put off barely five minutes later. Or could it be the weather? Winter had crept in earlier than initially forecast, leaving a lot of people feeling cold at a time they least expected.

  “Is the weather taking a toll on you?” Aine asked suddenly.

  Skye’s mind did a full circle spin in search of the most appropriate response to give. “Yes, it is,” she replied, doubting that her response was convincing enough. Luckily, i
t was.

  They both looked out of the window, into the engulfing darkness whose natural state had been altered by the light rays that beamed from different directions within the driveway and parking lot.

  “It’s beautiful,” Aine said.

  Skye smiled. “Yes, it is. It reminds me of our childhood winter nights.”

  “Do you remember how you used to wish you could play late in the cold, with a bonfire surrounding you?”

  Skye chuckled. “Yes, crazy childhood fantasies.” She breathed in quickly and exhaled at the same speed. “I kind of miss those good old days.”

  “Me too,” Aine replied, tugging her hands into her jeans pockets. She stopped for a while and then giggled.

  Skye faced her for the first time since she arrived. “What’s that?”

  “I was just imagining something,” she said, looking at Skye with the same childhood expression she usually did whenever she was up to some mischief. “I was imagining you sleeping over tonight and us requesting dad to read us bedtime stories just as he used to do when we were kids.”

  Aine had barely finished her statement when Skye burst into laughter. Aine soon joined in the laughter. A short while, another bout of silence crept in.

  Skye’s voice broke the silence. “It’s getting late. We should get back to frosting the cake so dinner doesn’t come up late.”

  “Sure,” Aine agreed.

  They got back to work. Skye used a couple of minutes to apply the initial frosting on the cake. Aine refrigerated it for twenty minutes to lock in the icing after which she brought it out again.

  Skye took time to give it a perfect finishing after which she piped ‘happy birthday Aine’ on it.

  “Wow!” Aine exclaimed on seeing the finished cake. “This is so lovely.”

  The cake was a simple rectangular cake with a white frosting. The birthday write-up was piped using a gold-colored icing. Aine was still in love with anything gold.

  “Thank you,” Skye replied. “Hurry, let’s set the table and go freshen up for dinner. It’s getting late.”

  “Right away, ma’am,” Aine replied.

  They both chuckled.

  Getting the cake to the centre of the dining table and surrounding it with the grilled chicken, coleslaw and spicy brown rice that they had prepared didn’t take much time. With Skye doing as much as she could to ease Aine of the stress of setting up a family dinner, the work was done in a shorter time. The two friends looked back on the table, their eyes roaming the dishes, fruits and drinks for any sign of imperfection. Satisfied with what they had done, they gave each other the thumbs up and hurried to freshen up.

  Aine stepped into the dining room in style, dressed in a simple v-neck floral dress. Skye followed behind her, her phone in hand, ready to take as many pictures of the moment as she possibly could. Aine had always talked about her desire to host a family dinner for her twenty second birthday and she had gone ahead to have it.

  Finn and the housekeeper, who were already seated stood up as soon as Aine arrived, broke into a birthday song immediately.

  Aine stood still, her palms pressed against her chest and her cheeks turning red with blushes. She waited calmly until the song came to an end.

  “Happy birthday my darling,” Finn said.

  Aine smiled as she hurried into her dad’s outstretched arms. Finn held out a small red box to her. “May this new age bring you the best of all things good.”

  Aine took the box from her dad. “Thank you so much. I love you dad.”

  “You’re welcome my darling,” he replied, smiling. “I love you too.”

  The housekeeper held her. “You’ve grown into such a lovely lady with a tender heart. I’m proud of the woman you’ve become. Happy birthday my dear.” With that, she handed Aine a gift. It was a bigger box, well covered with a wrapping sheet.

  Aine took the gift from her. “Thank you so much, Anna. I really appreciate it.”

  The housekeeper smiled. “You’re welcome my dear.”

  “I guess I’m the last man standing,” Skye said as she fetched her gift from her handbag.

  “Last woman, actually,” Aine replied and they burst into laughter.

  Skye walked over to Aine. “Today is not for long speeches, so I won’t bother making one.” She chuckled as soon as she said that. She handed the red rectangular box to Aine. “This is me wishing you a happy birthday and many more prosperous years ahead.”

  Aine, moved by the show of love and struggling to fight off her tears rushed to hug Skye. “You’re the best friend in the world. Thank you so much.”

  Skye smiled as she held tightly to her. “You’re welcome my dear.” In the warmth of their embrace, Skye’s eyes caught Finn’s and she smiled the more.

  When Aine finally released Skye from her embrace, they spent a few seconds looking into each other’s eyes. As they let go of each other to take their seats, Skye began to pray solemnly that her friendship with Aine would continue after tonight.

  “Alright birthday girl,” Finn said. “Come over and cut your cake. Then, make a wish.”

  Aine drew closer to the table. She held the knife, still smiling.

  “Are you ready?” Skye asked, pointing her phone at her.

  “Yes, I am.” The excitement on Aine’s face could be read like the pages of a newspaper. Her joy was Finn’s delight.

  “I’m going to spell your name backwards,” Skye said. “At the mention of the last letter, you go ahead and cut your cake. Afterwards, make a wish.”

  Aine nodded her agreement.

  Skye began the backward spelling. As soon as she mentioned the big ‘A’, Aine cut the cake with the swiftness of an eagle.

  Skye on her part made a short video of the moment while Finn took pictures with his phone. “Go ahead and make a wish,” Skye urged.

  Silence filled the air as Aine took a little while to think of what her heart yearned for the most. “I wish that I will find love this winter and celebrate my next birthday with him.”

  Her wish seemed to excite everyone as they all burst into shouts of jubilation, while cheering her on. When the excitement had died down, they settled to eat. Anna offered to serve the meal but Skye decline.

  “Oh no, Anna,” Skye objected. “You’re off duty today and shouldn’t engage in any kind of work. Let me do the serving, please.”

  Anna relaxed. “Thank you, Skye.”

  “It’s always my pleasure,” Skye replied.

  Skye served Aine first, then Finn. She served Anna next and herself last. Five minutes later, Finn’s voice came alive amidst the sound of the silver spoons as they brushed against the fine ceramic plates.

  “This tastes really good,” he said, spooning some rice into his mouth.

  “It really is,” Anna reaffirmed. “You girls did a great job. Kudos.”

  The two friends smiled. Aine spoke up immediately. “Thank you. We have Skye to thank for the tasty meal. I only prepared the coleslaw.”

  “You’re a perfect cook then,” Finn said.

  Skye smiled. “Thank you.” She was careful not to attach any more meaning to her thanks to avoid having to let the cat out of the bag too soon.

  “You’re welcome.”

  Aine who had never heard her dad describe anybody as perfect threw an astonished look at Finn and back at Skye. Skye’s attention was on her food, so, she missed Aine’s look.

  The meal continued in silence with either Finn or Anna commenting on the taste of the dish. Everyone seemed to finish at the same time. Aine served them chunks of the cakes on a platter.

  “Thank you,” Finn said as she offered him a chunk.

  “This tastes superb,” Finn commended. “It’s really moist and fruity, just the way I like my cakes.”

  Aine smiled, glad that she had been able to appeal to her dad’s taste buds. “I made that myself.”

  “You did a great job, Aine.”

  “Thanks dad.”

  They took slow, thoughtful bites of the cake, occasional
ly stopping to sip their red wine. Skye carefully avoided the wine and drank lots of water instead.

  Aine was quick to notice that. “Skye, you don’t like the wine? I could get you…”

  “Never mind, Aine. I’m okay with the water.”

  “Are you sure?” Aine probed, wondering what was making her decline drinking the wine.

  “Sure.”

  Minutes later, they were completely done with the meal.

  “That was really a good one,” Finn commended. “All thanks to the birthday girl.”

  Aine smiled.

  “Alright ladies,” Finn began dramatically. “Since we are done with the meal, I guess it’s time for me to make an announcement.”

  Skye sat still, her nerves fully tightened. She knew that one of two things would happen in the next few minutes immediately after Finn’s announcement – either everyone would be super excited and the night would end in a greater jubilation or the announcement would be received with coldness and everyone would go to bed moody. She wished she could wink at Finn to postpone breaking the news till a later date, but she knew that that wouldn’t be possible. Finn wouldn’t prolong this anymore. He was as tired about operating in the secret as she was.

  Finn’s voice broke Skye away from her thoughts. “I want to let us all know that Skye and I are now together. And we’re also pregnant.”

  The abruptness of the announcement shattered the calm in the room.

  Skye looked at Anna; she was smiling. Skye smiled back, glad that at least one person supported her relationship. But Anna wasn’t her problem, Aine was or was about to become, depending on how the news sat with her. Skye’s gaze shifted from Anna to Aine.

  Their eyes met. Aine chuckled and suddenly burst into laughter. Skye sat still, chuckling also with great unease.

  “You’re kidding me, right? You conspired with my dad to prank me on my birthday?” she burst into laughter again. “So funny of you two.”

  “This isn’t a prank, Aine,” Finn said firmly. “Skye and I are truly in love with each other.”

  Aine’s laughter ceased instantly, her fair face turning red with rage. As she focused her gaze on Skye, one word came to her mind.