The Affair

Chapter 8

Regina King as Elaine Johnson

Today was the day Alexis's family was coming over for dinner. Alexis has never been more nervous in her life. Her hands were sweaty, and her head was pounding. She barely slept last night because she threw up four times. 

She wished Calvin was in the room with her; he always knew how to calm her down after she threw up. But, he fell asleep in the basement after helping Simon fix something. 

Now, Alexis stood in front of the mirror and smoothed her blue dress out. Camile bought the dress for her the day Alexis and Calvin came. She loved the dress. It stopped right above the knees and if flowed outward. Alexis decided to straighten her hair instead of her usual curly bun. 

She wanted to look presentable for her parents. Anything that looked out of place would send her parents into a frenzy. Her mother never liked Alexis's curly hair because her mother thought it looked sloppy. 

And her father never liked when Alexis wore jeans, sweatpants, and sweatshirts because it looked unladylike. So, if she wore jeans and her curly hair, her parents would leave. 

There was a knock on the bathroom door, and it slowly opened. Calvin walked in with a glass of ginger ale and some crackers. Alexis grabbed the glass, but she didn't drink. She didn't like eating or drinking anywhere near or inside the bathroom. It was a weird phobia of hers. 

Calvin gestured for them to leave, and Alexis nodded. "My mom said that you were sick all night. So I brought this for you." 

"Thank you," Alexis said, opening the bag of crackers, and she ate one. 

"How are you feeling?" Calvin asked as he sat on the bed. 

Alexis shrugged and sat next to him, "I haven't been this nervous since our wedding." 

"I remember my mom telling me that you cried the entire night before and you wanted to cancel the wedding. I don't think I've ever told you about my emotions the night before." Calvin said as he grabbed Alexis's hands. 

"You never did tell me. I assumed you handled it like everything else," Alexis said, biting down on another cracker. 

"Oh, no. I was nervous. I couldn't but think that I would mess up lines and make a fool out of you. I drank the night before to help with the nerves, but it didn't. The entire wedding day, I felt sick. I wanted to cancel the wedding as well. But, when I saw you walk down the aisle, I knew I was ready to marry you," Calvin said. 

Alexis smiled to herself. She didn't know he was just as nervous as she was, but it brought comfort to her that she wasn't the only one that was afraid of what was to come. She didn't say anything; she only thought of the words Calvin just said. 

"Our house is ready for us; we can move in whenever you want," Calvin said. 

Alexis only nodded her head. She didn't know if she wanted to move back yet. They rarely got to see Camile, Simon, and Elanor because Calvin always said they were nosy. So, she might get a few more days out of this. 

A knock on the door caused Alexis and Calvin to look up. Elanor walked in, looking gorgeous as usual. She wore a red romper. The top was off the shoulder, and the sleeves were flowy at the ends. 

"Your family is here," Elanor said. 

Alexis nodded and drank the ginger ale down to the last drop. Calvin stood from his spot and grabbed the glass and crackers from Alexis's hands. Elanor left the room with a small smile. Calvin didn't say a thing as he helped her from her seat. With a final breath, they left the room.