"Oh my goodness! Thank God you're here," Steph hysterically said as she rushed to hug Ivan. When their bodies touched, she closed her eyes in pain. Yes, her body still ached from sleeping on a cold floor for one night and a day.
Her chest was also aching, and she had made a mental note to go for a checkup though she could tell it hurt because of a lot of exposure from the cold.
"Where else would I be? This is my house now," Ivan asked in a cold voice, but Steph didn't fringe.
She had expected such treatment from him, perhaps even much worse, though she knew it would all change once she told him the truth.
"I know. You don't have to be so loud about it. Plus, I was away for a good cause," Steph defended herself in confidence though a small part of her was burning in anger as she thought of how their small moment the last time they were together had stuck with her, yet it meant nothing to Ivan, who had been so compassionate towards her when she received news of her father's disappearance.
"Which good cause!" Ivan asked in a cold and curious voice as he moved away from the awkward embrace.
"That baby isn't yours," Steph shouted, and Ivan stopped in the middle of his tracks.
"That's not new. It never was," he replied coldly.
"I know, but we can now tell the world that. Listen to this," Steph said as she played a recording of Vera and her lover.
While under the bed and after adding one plus one to Vera's plan, she put her phone on airplane mode and recorded every damn thing that was said.
Though not clear, Ivan could easily hear Vera's voice, but just like Steph, he couldn't place the guy's voice.
"Where did you get this?" He asked Steph. They were standing so close to each other that they could feel each other's breath.
Sighing heavily, Steph narrated how she had left the hospital to meet him, following Vera to her home and getting caught in the middle of a make-out session.
In the middle of the night, Vera had sneaked out her lover through the backdoor, but Steph had to wait till the next evening when both Vera and Lisa were out of the house.
Luckily for her, the duo had been so engrossed in themselves that they hadn't even noticed Steph's car.
"Wow. I'm impressed. I didn't know you loved me that much," Ivan said with a smirk, his eyes lighting up in joy.
"I…don't…."Steph stammered, but Ivan moved swiftly to carry her as he said, "You're simply the best."
The few minutes Steph was in Ivan's arms felt like the best time in both of their lives. Time seemed to be at a standstill.
Their hearts seemed to be beating in sync, their faces were so close to each other, and they were looking into each other's eyes longingly, perhaps trying to penetrate the souls. Aren't eyes the windows to the soul?
Ivan's gaze slowly moved to every inch of Steph's face in admiration. A closer look at her made him notice she had what seemed to be a birthmark right below her left ear.
He thought her nose would be a good toy to play around with because of its shape.
He slowly moved his face more and more towards Steph's, and before he could stop himself, his lips were on hers. Steph felt how warm and soft they were and how slow the kiss was at first as Ivan's lips struggled to part hers.
The kiss was destroying all her defenses, and she couldn't help but wonder if she should just give in to her physical wants once.
Heck, it had been long since she had s*x, and she had vowed she would only have it with someone she loved, but why did she suddenly feel the need to break all her promises for Ivan?
A player, for that matter?
She shut her eyes to avoid second thoughts about what was happening, and she slowly opened her lips and started kissing him back.
It felt sweet and compassionate, and before they knew it, they had moved to the couch.
Ivan looked at her as he unzipped her trousers and removed her top, leaving her with only her underwear.
He unbuttoned his shirt, and Steph saw how well-built he looked. She swallowed saliva hard as she thought of sleeping on his abs.
'Come on, Steph. What are you doing? What's wrong with you?' A voice in her head shouted.
'It's okay if you want it,' another reasoned.