Marriage By Law

Chapter Thirty-Four

 I waited, and waited, or it seemed like I waited but it was really just a few seconds before, once again, he surprised me.

He smiled, took a bite off his ice cream and turned around walking.

It took a moment before my heart calmed down and it registered that he smiled, a full smile that reached his eyes.

"Come on, Aluminium. If you get sick again, Marge will kill me," he said, looking over his shoulder. I looked at the ice cream that was running down my fingers and, dare I say it, some on his coat from my fingers and I wiped it off quickly. 

"Wait," I said, confused, as I caught up with him and realised how much of a normal man he looked like. Eating ice-cream and carrying bags. 

"This is actually good. Want to try it?" he offered.

"No."

"But it's refreshing. I got it so your taste buds don't explode with those extremely sweet and overpowering flavors," he said, confused. 

"No. I mean, you're not angry, or annoyed, or something. I don't know." I was feeling frustrated.

"Why would I be? I didn't own you. Well, I do now but that was before I knew you and who you dated is up to you. And did you really think I didn't know?"

"You knew?" I asked in surprise.

"Your face. You're not subtle, are you?"

"What?"

"The way you said it was so hilarious. You can't expect me to not laugh," he said, and then paused, and then chuckled like he was remembering it. He found this funny, he found this bloody funny. Well, it wasn't funny to me.

I was so afraid of what he was going to say. I was expecting him to lash out. I don't know, be angry with me. I would rather he's angry with me now then bring it up in the future that I didn't tell him. Well, I freaking told him and this was what he did, laugh?

"What?" he asked as he licked his ice cream, staring at me. 

 "You're not going to say anything?" 

So he knew. He knew who James was and he still wanted him to be his business partner. Was he doing it on purpose? Making your wife's ex your business partner, it was like shoving it in her face, saying I don't care about you. 

"I am," he said, taking the plastic bags.

I waited. Well, what was he going to say?

"I'm going to think twice before letting you borrow my jacket," he said, nodding at the pocket where I was sure half the scoop melted onto. With that, he turned around and headed back the long lane to the taxi stop. 

Well I was bloody confused as I stared at his back before I remembered how to walk and rushed after him. 

"So nothing," I muttered as I followed him, stopping also when he stopped to say goodbye to some of the stall sellers. 

"Nothing," I snapped, narrowing my eyes. I worried for bloody nothing. Nearly got myself a heart attack.

So what, was he testing me?

Left me in the same room with him, what did he expect? For me to cheat so he can break the damn contract and move on? Is there even a plausible way to break the contract? 

I nearly bumped into him as he stopped for the taxi but caught myself the last moment, steadying my feet and getting in after him. I scooted to the window, shoving the buckle into the hold and looking out the window to try to get my thoughts together.