Unbreak my Heart (BMAW)

Chapter 7

Ji-Ho's POV

I was so acutely aware of his presence that the car felt like a small box. He insisted we take his car because mine is a deathtrap in comparison. That comment stung because I know what it took me to buy that car and I do my best to maintain it but I didn't say anything. He turned on the AC after he turned on the car and I had a light flashback of what the comfort of a luxurious life can be like.

When the silence became almost deafening, he plugged in his aux cord and soon, John Lennon's Stand by Me filtered in through the speakers. His taste in music genre hasn't changed and this made me wonder how much he has changed and if a large side of him is still the same.

You're the last woman I want to sleep with. Welp. I deserve that. I just know the whole thing will be a disaster. You would think that after how badly my first marriage had gone, the thought of marrying someone I know under peculiar circumstances would make me happy but no. It didn't, because I expected the new marriage to be worse than the first marriage for the same peculiar reasons.

Using the word 'cold' to describe my last marriage would be an understatement. We were strangers who had to get married. We rarely spoke to each other but oddly shared the same room and ate together. The sex had been bland and I had hated every bit of it but I had to do it. It was my duty. When we found out I was pregnant, he stopped touching me and I was thankful for that. His extra marital affairs doubled but I didn't care and he wouldn't have given a fuck if I had kept men by the side too. I imagine that marriage to be a lot easier than what I'm about to get into.

"Turn right here." I said when we got to a junction and he did and soon, the school was in sight. The place was alive with endless chatter. Noise. I look around in search of her and before I even see her, Sammy does. "There she is...why does she look like she's hiding?" He asked as he undid his seatbelt and I feel bad all over again.

"Bullies. She has unkind classmates. Come on. Let's go. I have to meet the teacher so I can add you to the list of persons approved for pickup."

"What for?" He asked with a frown and I wanted to reach out and press my fingers against his forehead in order to smooth out the lines. Instead I fisted my hands and kept saying what I was saying. "I assumed you'd want to pick her up from now on when possible."

"Oh yes. Definitely. Let's go. Is this a good place to park?" He asked and I shook my head. I directed him to a proper parking space that didn't break the rules and we walked over to where she was. Cora broke into a smile when she saw us and quickly ran over to where we were standing.

"You came!!" She said to Sammy when she got close to us. "Have you two made up? "

"Made up?" Sammy parroted and I smiled at her. "Yes we have." Lies. "Stay with him while I speak to your teacher?" I said to her and she nodded as she said alright My heart fluttered in my chest when she took hold of his hand and pulled him towards her previous position, hands swinging.

It took 15 minutes and soon, I was walking out of the building. The school bus had already left by then and it was just them and a couple of kids hanging around. I made my way over to where they were sitting and that was when he laughed; a rich happy laugh that was all his and I was taken back to a time when he laughed with and at me like that.

"He's so silly." He said to Cora and she nodded while giggling too. I wonder who they're talking about. "Hi." I said when I got there and he shut down almost immediately, the remnant of his smile slowly fading. Yes. This is what I get now. A straight face, a look of contempt and sarcastic or mocking laughs.

"I was telling him about that time Eli was biting the water from the sprinkler and then threw up when the water got into his throat and that one time he finally caught his tail and didn't know what to do with it." Cora said, breaking into a fit of laughter again. When I remembered the expression on his face, I burst out laughing too. "He walked around awkwardly with that tail between his teeth until I broke the chain." I said to Sammy, forgetting for a split second that he really disliked me. When he barked out a forced laugh, I got myself and stopped.