right person, wrong time.

my heart was hers

Chapter Thirteen

Laurie

Professor Friedrich Bhaer — so this was the infamous man who had managed to capture Jo's affections. Apologies, a mere colleague of hers.

He was exactly who I expected him to be.

He had kind eyes and a sickly sweet demeanour to him. I could imagine myself being friends with him. In another world. But for some reason, in this world, he irritated me. Sure I just met the guy but when you know something, you just know. He reminded me of a itch that I couldn't quite scratch.

Why him? I mean I guess he fit the part but seriously why him? He had this sort of bookish-librarian type aesthetic to him which if I were to imagine Jo with anyone — gross. It would be him. I guess the real question was... why not me?

Oh who was I kidding? This was unfair to her. I shouldn't be thinking like this. It was just that, I couldn't help it. She told me she would never find anyone. Never. I told her she would. I guess I was right.

God I hate being right sometimes.

I think he was saying something as he and Jo were looking at me in question. Actually, Jo looked uncharacteristically pale.

"Sorry?" I asked, pushing my thoughts back.

"Your wife? I am yet to meet Mrs Laurence. Jo has told me lots about Amy, about all of you really. I wanted to meet Jo's family." He smiled at me, our eyes were levelled. I guess you could say he was a smidge bit taller than I was but only if you looked close enough.

"Yes, Amy." My wife. "I think she's currently with Mr Tennant's wife. Making her rounds and saying hi to everyone. Ever the hospitable one Amy." I returned the smile, out of courtesy, clenching my jaw a bit too tightly than I should have.

"So I've heard." He guffawed.
Huh? What was so funny? I raised my brow up at him curiously and slightly irked.

"No no nothing bad. It's just that Jo told me the story of how Amy got her foot stuck in a cast while making plaster moulds." He chuckled lightly, glancing briefly at Jo.

Her cheeks flushed slightly. My own skin felt prickly, my palms moistening. I assumed our reactions were for entirely different reasons though.

Bhaer knew of the family stories huh? Quite an personal story for only a mere colleague to know.

"As I said, ever the hospitable woman my wife. She made it as a gift for me when she was... fourteen?" I paused for a moment trying to remember her age correctly before Jo interrupted, speaking for the first time since I arrived.

"Sixteen," she cut in. I looked down at her, noting how her hair was mussed up as usual and yet for some reason it always looked so effortless on her, every damn time. "She was sixteen. She tried sculpting, painting, drawing and so much more that year," she continued, a gleam in her eyes I assumed to be nostalgia.

"She made the mould for Teddy because she insisted her feet were the 'best in the family'! As if we regularly rated these things!" She laughed and I thawed at. Her laughter sliced through me almost immediately, melting the ice that I hadn't realised had been building around me. I hadn't even realised how stiff my shoulders were, tension gripping my core.

That was until, she clutched onto Bhaer's forearm. It was tender gesture, as if she were well acquainted with doing it. "At one point, she worked at burning pictures into wood and we all feared she would set the house on fire." She titled her head back, howling with laughter, still holding onto his arm, sending convulsions down his form.