Kelvin Weaver, a young fit lawyer's apprentice, had watched Alisha Burroughs for months because she was everything he had ever dreamt that a woman should be and more. She was tall and willowy with long dark hair that was smoothed back from her forehead and cascaded down her back like a waterfall when she walked. She was graceful as she moved across the room and when she smiled, it was sincere with eyes that sparkled with life. He adored her as if she were some sort of goddess that had suddenly landed from some place out of this world. She smelled of sandalwood and spice and he fell drunk when he would get a whiff of the fragrance when she was near him. She was the perfect woman, a few years older than himself and his brother's wife.
When he first met Alisha, Kelvin was speechless fumbling over his words when his brother had introduced her to his family. She had giggled at his naïve attempt to be cool, but Kelvin had felt only embarrassment and quickly ran to his room to regain his composure. As the years passed and Alisha was in his presence more and more, he had all he could do to hide his erection for the tantalizing beauty and many were the times he had to relieve himself of the agony at night alone in his room. When their engagement was announced, Kelvin all but went mad with envy towards his brother who was about to marry the woman he adored.
The wedding was beautiful and so wasn't Alisha, who wearing her silky white wedding dress that clung to her body like a glove, sent Kelvin into such confusion of emotion that he barely made it through the ceremony as his brother's best man. The reality that the only woman he had ever wanted had married his brother was more than he could stand and when they left for their honeymoon, he thought his life was over. So when they returned and had rented an apartment nearby, it was torture for Kelvin to see her almost every day loving his brother and not him.
When his brother couldn't find a job after being laid off, he enlisted in the army and went off to boot camp leaving Alisha alone, but before he left, he made Kelvin promise to check in on her from time to time to make sure she was alright. Kelvin jumped at the chance to be alone with Alisha and made excuses to drop by just to be in her presence. Weeks turned into months and Kelvin grew closer to his sister-in-law. He became her confidante and Kelvin in turn fell deeper in love.
It wasn't long after, when his brother returned from the Army, that the arguments between the couple began to escalate. More and more they were grew apart and when Alisha found out that he had spent the night with another woman while on his first tour of duty, the perfect romance began to crumble and she immediately turned to Kelvin for comfort and support. On one cold and rainy night, Alisha called him in tears and he immediately ran to her rescue. When he entered the apartment, Alisha was standing at the window peering out at the rain wearing a tight pair of jeans and white sheer lace top and faced away from him. Kelvin wanted nothing more than to embrace her in his arms to comfort her, but he didn't. There were rules about those sort of things and he respected them even if they tore at his heart.
"Kelvin," she began her voice breaking. "He's gone for good."
Kelvin closed the door behind him and bit his lip not knowing what to say.
"He's gone to be with her," she added.
Kelvin walked up behind Alisha, but didn't touch her for fear that somehow she would break and he couldn't bear it.
"I'm sorry," was all he could muster.
"She wasn't the first you know," Alisha confessed.
"No, I didn't know."
"He said it was a weak moment. That it wouldn't happen again, but he lied."
Kelvin wanted to kill his brother for hurting Alisha. He wanted to punish anyone who hurt the woman that he had adored for so many years. He knew of his brother's philandering, yet he had hoped that when he met Alisha all that was behind him. Unfortunately it wasn't and now he blamed himself for not warning Alisha of his brother's tendencies, but he knew she wouldn't believe him so there was nothing he could do.
"I guess I knew all along that he wouldn't be faithful," Alisha sighed.
"He had no right to hurt you."
"I pushed him into a commitment because I thought that he would change."
"I should have said something before you two got married."
"It wouldn't have done any good."
There was an uncomfortable silence between the two. Alisha's shoulders were hunched and he could tell that she had been crying. She was a strong woman which was one of the things he loved about her, but no woman should have to endure what she was going through.
"Do you want me to go talk to him?" he asked. "Find out where he is and bring him home?"
"No."
"I don't know what else to do then," he said.
