Unrequited Love| One-shot - A Wild Passion Spin-Off

Unrequited Love

It was dim and dusty as Nora sat quietly in the old garage, breathing in the cold, stale air. Her eyes slowly trailed over every dent, every patch of rust on that '55 Chevy. It had sat untouched for months, as had everything else—the creeper uncrept, the wrenches unturned—since her father had passed away because of a drunk young man's reckless, hate-fueled actions. This ugly hunk of junk was his third child, or perhaps his mistress, as her mother liked to tease. And considering it was just an old, rusty heap, the car looked sad, as if she knew her owner was never coming back.

Nora sniffed and wiped a tear from her eye as she stood up and walked over to her dad's tool chest. She ran her fingers over the wrenches, taking in the sensation of the cold metal and wiping off a layer of dust in the process. "Don't worry, fellas. I'll see to it that you get put to good use." Turning to approach the car, she stopped in her tracks, taking the sight of it in. She was an ugly girl, but Nora's dad saw nothing but potential in her. He managed to get her running shortly before he died and was excited to restore her to her glory days.

The heavy door squeaked as she opened it to sit inside. A seat spring poked her in the butt, and no matter how much Nora wiggled, the stubborn thing kept having its way with her tush. She studied the instrument panel, then placed her hands on the wheel. It took all her strength not to break down in a flood of tears. The last time she had touched the steering wheel, she was helping her dad as he worked under the hood, trying to get it running. And when the car finally started, Nora and her dad cheered, Nora bouncing out of the car to hug him in celebration. "You too, girl. I promise. You'll be the prettiest girl on the block."

"Nora?!" Nora's mom was calling from the house, wondering where she had gone. Nora took a deep breath, dried her eyes, and headed back inside. "Where did you wander off to?"

"Dad's garage."

"Oh, honey. I don't know why you would do such a thing. I-I just can't set foot in there. It would be pure torture."

"I just felt like it."

"Well, you're much stronger than I am, that's for sure. You get that from your dad."

"It comes in handy when I'm dealing with difficult cases," she smiled softly.

"Marci will be here any minute with Jimin and his family, and there's so much to do."

"Mom, relax. The house is immaculate, the table is set, and the turkey is roasting. You've got this, and I'm here to help."

"Yes, here." Sarah handed Nora a pot. "Can I get you to start the gravy?"

"On it," Nora assured Sarah.

It was their first time meeting Jimin's family, and her mom was a nervous wreck. With Marci and Jimin being engaged, Sarah felt it made sense to get to know Jimin's family. It had been a lonely existence for Sarah with Jack gone, and she was looking forward to filling the house up again with the warmth of friendly conversation. She also wanted everything to be perfect, having got off on the wrong foot with Jimin. Sarah feared his parents knew the whole story about her hating Jimin at the start–and even worse, knowing the reason why.

Within a few minutes, Nora's sister Marci was walking in the door along with Jimin and his family, and Sarah was asking her to get drinks for the guests. Nora took care of Jimin's parents first, then when it came time to get Jimin's brother a drink, he gave her a strange look, making her wonder if the piece of broccoli she had munched on shortly before they had arrived had left a telltale remnant in between her teeth.

"I-I'm sorry, is there something in my teeth?"

"Uh...no. Sorry. I was just thinking about what I wanted to drink. I'm Jungkook, by the way."