Edna starts at the lady for so long that she starts to get uncomfortable.
She looks behind her, maybe there is something there, but nothing. She waves her hand in front of her face, but Edna isn't responding.
"Hello?" She stares at Edna. " Ma'am, are you okay?"
" He is not my husband. " Edna simply says.
"What?"
" He is not my husband ." Edna raises her voice in a bid for the lady to hear her this time around.
It's a wrong move as Emily interprets it to be her being hostile.
"I'm sorry. " She pulls her laptop closer to herself. " He didn't say he was your husband, I was the only one who assumed. "
" Well, he is not. " Edna stands. She doesn't know why, but she is a bit offended that the lady thinks she is married to Malik.
*****
After the lady leaves, Edna doesn't go back to brooding about herself.
She is now burdened with sorting the clothes that have been bought for her. Her wardrobe is too small and the result is that the whole room is covered in clothes and she still hasn't gotten some out of their bags.
She is getting sweaty and her arms are heavy with fatigue, and that's when the doors to the room open and Malik walks in.
She raises her head and blows a strand of hair away from her face, she knows that she looks a mess right now.
" Wow, there are so many clothes here. " Malik observes.
There is nowhere to stand so he stays outside.
"Come in. " She says.
" You just got those, I can't just step on them. " He refuses.
Edna rolls her eyes and gets up to her feet. She pulls her legs through the ocean of dresses and gets to the door.
Even though he is trying to protest, she puts her hands around his and pulls him till he is in the room.
He walks to the bed and sits on it as he watches her sort out the dresses. He asks if she needs help, but she said no.
" Are you going to be ready in time?" He glances at his wristwatch.
"Ready for what?" She pauses.
"Dinner? With Mister Jackson? You haven't forgotten, have you?" He asks.
"No, I didn't. " She lies. She picks up a pitch small dress and puts it on a hanger.
" You don't look like you are happy, you don't want to go?" He questions.
" Truthfully, I don't. " She confesses. " I don't want to see Keith, and maybe your dad too. I can barely look at them and here we are talking about having dinner with them. "
Malik is quiet as he picks up one of her jackets and observes it. It's like he didn't hear her, but she knows that he did and that he is thinking of an answer for her.
"I understand. " He answers. " What I am asking you to do is not a very easy thing, I know, but I know you will be strong enough to do it. "
"I'm not strong, Malik. " She shakes her head. " I don't even want to be strong. "
"Come on, Edna. " He looks up at her. " I don't want to go alone. I don't want them painting this picture in their head that you are scared of them or something. "
Edna looks down at her hands and just sighs without saying a word. She is scared of Keith and his father, she has always been.
" But you can't leave me alone with them, especially Keith. " She looks shaken. " You have to be with me the whole time. "
"I will. " He smiles.
She smiles and goes back to arranging the clothes. She doesn't know what Malik is doing, but he is quiet.
She looks up just casually, but she is mortified when she finds a red lingerie in his hands.
She jumps right off her ass and tears it away from him. She thrusts it into her shirt and shuts her eyes, the embarrassment is going to kill her.
That girl, Emily. Emily asked her if she was a fan of lingerie and she bluntly told her no.
Lingerie is for people who have spicy sex lives and not for abused wives like her. She has never worn one for Keith and she doesn't want to ever wear one.
When she is sure that she has gotten over most of her embarrassment she looks up at him. The whole chill comes back when she sees that he is trying his hardest not to laugh. This is what she means when she refers to him as annoying sometimes.
" This was a mixup. " She claims. " Emily wasn't supposed to buy any of... That. "
"Oh, why not?" Malik adjusts his watch. " Every woman has them. "
" When she has someone to look cute for. " Edna points out. " That woman is not me. "
" Maybe you should. Because it's a beautiful lingerie and you have a beautiful body too. " He encourages. " You don't have to wear it for anyone, just yourself. "
Edna feels a leap in her heart. He has just told her that she has a beautiful body and the fact that he said it in a nonsexual way makes it even more gladdening.
" What do you think I should wear today?" She asks.
" It doesn't matter. " He shrugs. " You can put on leaves and they will still look good. Naomi Campbell would still have that style from you. "
She can't help but blush openly, she holds her hand over her face and turns away from him so that he doesn't see her red face.
The thing is that he is not even trying to flirt with her and he is making her feel so good about herself.
"I'm not going to wear leaves though. " She grins. " What do think about this dress?"
It's a red dress, with an open back and slime strands for hands. It's simple yet elegant.
He takes it from her and looks at it, both front and back.
" Wow, you do have a good eye, this is great. " He says.
"Yeah?"
" It can't be more perfect. "
She laughs, he has made her feel so happy I'm five minutes, that's more than Keith has done in the entirety of his life.
****
Malik is not wrong, she looks like a supermodel in her red dress.
When she walks into his room to show him the dress she hasn't seen him more mesmerized in her life like her beauty has blown all the air out of his lungs.
He offers her his hand and she takes it. He turns her around, she looks like an angel that has fallen from heaven.
He reaches out and touches her face. She isn't made up, not even a little, but she looks every inch gorgeous.
"Oh my God, Dad and Keith are going to be so mad. " Malik jokes.
" Ouch. " She smiles. " I wasn't going to make them mad. "
"It's okay. " He lowers his lips to her hand and kisses the top of it. " It's not your fault that you're this beautiful. "
Malik is dressed like a king too. The evening is somehow warm so he is just putting on black pants and a shirt.
His shoes are shining too and so is the wristwatch on his hand.
" You know what else you need?" He asks.
She shakes her head. He goes to his dresser and returns with a bracelet. It's encrusted with tiny diamonds.
She astonishedly looks on as he puts it around her left wrist and kisses it.
" I got it for you today. " He tells her. " It suits you so much. "
" Thank you. " She says. He just keeps doing all of these nice things for her and asks for nothing in return.
*****
Edna and Malik arrive at Mister Jackson's house at exactly eight PM.
Malik eases the car into the parking space just after the fountain and coincidentally, Keith is stepping out of his car.
He looks good, but he has nothing on Edna or Malik.
Out of curiosity, he stops and turns to look at both of them getting out of the car, but what he is kit ready for is to see the transformation of his wife.
He takes a long sigh when he sees her step out of the car with her long legs out on display. Her face looks like that of an angel and he can't keep away.
He stuffs his hands into his pocket and walks towards his brother's car.
Edna is the first to see him and she goes behind Malik and holds on to his arm for protection.
" Woo, Keith, stop right there. " Malik pushes him gently against his chest. " What do you think you are doing?"

"Edna?" Keith ignores his brother and tries to look at Edna, but she keeps looking away, making it hard for him.
" She doesn't want to talk to you so can you back off?" Malik taunts him. " Be a gentleman in your life for once and respect the lady's wish. "
Keith throws up his hand in the air in what looks like a surrender and steps aside.
Malik adjusts his shirt and takes Edna's hand as both of them walk to the front door.
Keith can't believe his eyes. Malik is definitely fucking her.