Azalea The Queen

Samkelo

I reluctantly let go of my wife, but I couldn't miss the way her body tensed in my arms the moment that we both heard the unfamiliar voice. A man was standing right before us, with a smirk on his face directed at my wife. His presence immediately made me feel uncomfortable and on alert.

"Bhuti?" Her voice was so small when she spoke. That didn't sit well with me. I looked at him, my eyes glaringly staring at him from head to toe. This was her brother?

"You could look a bit more excited there, little sis." He looked behind him and gestured to my Azalea. "Told you she'd be speechless when she sees me," I then noticed my mother standing behind him with a small smile.

"Oh, sweety, why didn't you tell us you had a brother?" Mother said, totally oblivious to how uncomfortable my wife was at the moment. "I have to go attend some business, I'll leave you to it, my children." She smiled. It was honestly funny how ignorant she was of the environment.

"Ah, my brother-in-law, what a pleasure it is to meet you, finally." The man whose name I was yet to know extended his hand for me to shake. I looked at him, I didn't want to but I did. I did keep my face emotionless, careful not to give anything away to this man. "Athenkosi, although you can call me Athi, courtesy of being family." I didn't like his tone.

I looked back at my silent wife and watched as she came back to her senses. She barely smiled, even so, I knew it was not a genuine one.

"Bhut'Athi, what are you doing here?" Athi crackled, irking me further. "I mean, uh you are here." What the hell did this guy do to make his own sister shake in her boots? She was not this scared when she had married a person she hardly knew, yet now she was shaking like a leaf.

"I am. And you got married, how we have grown my little Azalea." I gritted my teeth at the predatory stare he sent my wife. I almost growled at him to fuck off my property. I snaked a hand around Azalea's waist and pulled her close to me. The move didn't go unnoticed by Athi.

"Well, I can't stay long. I'm back, Azalea, and I expect a visit soon." His face suddenly changed from carefree to hard. I knew then that I hated the guy. His aura didn't sit well with me. I did not want his presence anywhere near my wife if that's how uncomfortable he made her feel.

___

"Sort it out, that's what I pay you for." I hung up and put my phone on the nightstand. My eyes looked at my wife as she silently stared into the mirror. She was sitting on the vanity chair. I decided to let her be and got in the bathroom to take a shower.

I couldn't help but worry about Azalea. That wasn't a normal way to react to seeing your brother and from what I gathered, he wasn't around in some time. Another thing that bugged me, was where was he.

After my shower, I wrapped a black towel around my waist and got out of the bathroom. I found Azalea in bed facing away from my view. I could still tell though that she wasn't sleeping. I sighed, I hated seeing my wife like that. I felt useless, especially since I didn't even know what the hell was going on.

I was going to let her sleep it off, but the next day she would have to tell me why she reacted that way to her brother's arrival. And I wanted to know everything. I lotioned my body and wore my boxers before climbing into bed and pulling her body to mine.

For a second she tensed, but after she realized it was me she relaxed. Turning, she faced me and hugged my body tight. I wrapped my arms securely around her. There was no need to say anything, the silence was welcomed. I let her use me as her comfort. I felt good knowing I was in some way a way for her to feel safer.

I hardly slept that night, I kept checking Azalea and making sure she was still in my arms and safe. The nightmares about my sister didn't help either. It had been long since I dreamt about her, but that night I did. She was in that bathtub, all bloody and unmoving. The minute I jolted up and found my warm wife in my arms, all of it vanished. My heart stopped beating erratically.

I sighed and pulled her even closer to me. After the dream, I couldn't sleep again. The following morning, I found myself alone in bed. I must have dozed off in the early hours of dawn. I checked my phone and saw that it was past 9 a.m. in the morning. I looked around and didn't see Azalea. I sat up and rubbed my face to rid myself of the sleep.

I leaned against the headboard. My eyebrows furrowed as my thoughts spiraled in my head. Why did I dream about her now, why after so many years? And I couldn't stop thinking about Azalea's behavior after the encounter with her brother.

The door opened and in came my beautiful wife. God, she drove me crazy. I couldn't help but stare at her. All the time. All I did was look at her, her perfectly molded body.

"Good morning, I brought you breakfast. You overslept." She looked much better than the day before. I smiled at her.

"Come here," I patted my lap.

She smiled back and I swear I almost fell from the bed at it. Jesus, she was beautiful. She put the tray of food on the table in front of the couch I commanded be brought back into our room. I watched as her perfect light-skinned legs climbed up on our bed and straddled my thighs.

"How are you?" I couldn't keep my hands in one place, I kept touching everywhere I managed to reach.

"I'm okay, thank you." She smiled down at me. I brought my thumb to her lips and touched them, felt them. They were so plump and pink. My other hand went behind her neck and pulled her face closer to mine.

"I love you," I said, my lips barely touching hers. I pecked them, and I pecked them again and again. She giggled.

"I love you too," Her voice was breathy, just above a whisper. I kissed her hard.