Spades & Hearts

Pains and Bandages

Yixing winced when the cold pack came in contact with the bruise on his waist. It had been three days but it was still a little painful to move his body. The guy he fought with three days ago must be one of Jongin's men, he believed.

He initially planned to stay with Chanyeol and Suzy for a while then but thought better of it when he spotted someone suspicious lurking outside the bakery. The man pretended to walk away when Yixing exited the bakery and made an eye-contact with him. Yixing cautiously followed him to the back alley where he was suddenly attacked by the man. Luckily, he could overtake the man though the man managed to kick him on the waist and ran away at the last minute.

If it really were one of Jongin's men, Yixing knew he needed to warn Chanyeol. Jongin might have a new plan and they all need to be more prepared. Besides that, he needed to protect Suzy better.

Yixing sighed as he put away the cold pack and wore his dress shirt. Standing in front of the mirror, he buttoned up his shirt; his mind still trying to figure out who the man was. He turned around to get his black suit jacket on the bed just when his phone lit up with Suzy's name. Smiling, he swiped the screen to pick up the call.

"What's taking you so long?" Suzy immediately asked irritated. "I'm already in the car. Get here now, Zhang Yixing!"

The call ended without Yixing having the chance to say anything. He chuckled shaking his head. His smile remained when he put on his jacket. Out of the blue, Suzy's voice calling his real name rang in his mind. For some reason, hearing her call him that the past few days made his heart feel lighter. Maybe, they really were becoming friends.

__________

The heart is weak.

Chanyeol was a proof of it. Yixing thought of it as an evidence of the heart's strength. To Suzy, however, it was an evidence of its weakness. In any case, for once, that belief had helped her gain an advantage. That was the only thing right about Yixing's words.

Suzy took up on the challenge given by her father. There was no way she would reject the offer! Chanyeol turned out to be pretty useful after all. He wasn't that bad of a card to use against her father. But Suzy reminded herself to be cautious still because her husband might be a card her father was playing too.

All matter of winning over her father aside, Chanyeol had been constantly tagging along during lunch whenever he had the chance. And she hated how every time he smiled her way for no reason; she was reminded of how he hugged her. She hated herself more for staying still back then. She asked herself why she didn't push him away and concluded that maybe it was because that was the first time in years after her mother's death that someone was hugging her so tight. Even after a week, the surreal feeling of being hugged again lingered in her.

That was what she hated most.

"So, everything going well with the project?" Sitting across her, Chanyeol asked as he cut his last bit of steak.

Suzy rolled her eyes then took a quick glance at the table next to theirs where Yixing and Hyejung were quietly eating. Chanyeol was supposed to have a meeting somewhere at this hour, she knew. But he was right in front of her instead. She guessed Hyejung might have told him she was going to eat here.

Glancing back at her husband, she answered, "Do you actually think I would disclose anything to my rival?"

Chanyeol snorted amused then nodded. "Good thinking."

"Tsk." Suzy finished her food and set down her fork and knife.

"By the way." Chanyeol paused to take a sip of his drink after taking his last bite. "Since we still have time, why don't we go look for a dress for you?"