Putting her weight on her heels to keep him from pulling her only caused her to skid forward. Losing her balance, she fell onto her knees causing Seojun to let go of her wrist. Then she heard quick footsteps and Jongin screaming, “Namjoo!”

Grasping her arm, he helped her to her feet. “Are you ok?”

“I’m fine,” she nodded.

Swiftly turning away from her she heard Seojun grunt as Jongin landed a blow to his face. Namjoo staggered back when Seojun slammed a returning punch into Jongin’s face forcing him a step toward her.

“Who are you!” Seojun demanded, furious.

Violently snatching the collar of Seojun’s shirt, Jongin pulled him forward.

“Jongin, stop!” Rushing forward she grabbed his arm. “Stop! Just let him go!”

Panic warped through her as she watched the two men lock into a glaring contest. Their gazes refusing to back down. Knowing as a fact she wouldn’t be able to tear them apart if they started brawling.

“Jongin…” Namjoo pleaded.

Shoving Seojun away Jongin grabbed her hand pulling her after him.

As they rode the elevator up to his place, Namjoo hesitatingly peered up at him. Anger seethed off him like black heat. He hadn’t said a thing to her. Didn’t even look at her. The corner of his mouth was torn and bleeding. She imagined there would be a bruise on his cheek later in the evening.

“You’re bleeding,” Namjoo quietly told only to meet with an angry side-eye.

Feeling as if she was in a scolding she followed him quietly like a child preparing for a beating. Though she didn’t really understand why.

Entering the kitchen, she set the bag onto the table and watched him wipe the blood off with a paper towel, his back to her the entire time. Walking off to the bedroom she went through her duffel bag and pulled out a tube of ointment.

When she walked back into the kitchen Jongin spoke with adversity, back still to her. Standing so stiffly. “I don’t like him.”

“You should put this on.” Stepping forward Namjoo held out the tube.

Swiveling around to look at her with a subtle glare he asked, “Does he treat you like that? Dragging you everywhere he goes?”

Sure, she was upset too but that didn’t give her a just cause to badmouth Seojun. A part of her didn’t want to blame him. He was pissed off because of her after all.

“It was a mistake today,” Namjoo excused only to meet with a dark frown.

Sighing frustrated, Jongin took her arm and gently pushed her toward the chair crouching before her.

“What are you…” she started when he lifted the hem of her dress up above her knees. The words died when she saw the scathes she’d received from the fall. She hadn’t felt the injury.

Looking up at her, Jongin questioned, “So he didn’t do this?”

Pushing her dress back down Namjoo said, “He has a right to be angry.”

“And I don’t even when he made you fall?” Jongin contradicted. “Your other injuries haven’t even healed yet and you’re hurt again.”

“It was partially my fault, too,” Namjoo argued. Then deflected, “You hit him anyway.”

“Should that excuse the way he treated you?”

Namjoo frowned at him. “What are you getting at?”

“He’s aggressive with you, can’t you see that?” Jongin asked. “Even as upset as he is with you, that is no way to treat you.”

“Everyone shows anger differently,” Namjoo couldn’t help say, because Seojun wasn’t bad. He really wasn’t a mad man.

“Sure,” Jongin nodded biting his tongue and nodded in agreement, “but I would never drag my pregnant ex like that.”

She felt mentally slapped in the face when Jongin walked past her.

֎֎֎֎֎

God, it hadn’t even been three days and they were already fighting. How much longer would they last if they kept this up?

Walking into the bedroom, because he couldn’t stand the way Namjoo kept defending her ex. He had driven into the parking lot watching them. Observing the way her ex just walked up to her and grabbed her made his insides boil. And he couldn’t be angry? He had treated her so carelessly, as if he didn’t care she was pregnant.

That was his baby! His baby!

Jongin’s face was sore but he didn’t dare walk back out to ask Namjoo for her ointment. She needed to take care of herself first before she should care about him. He looked about the room and spotted the shirt and sweats he had let her borrow hanging over the side of his laundry basket.

Picking it up he ran his thumb over the fabric reminiscing seeing her standing at the kitchen entrance wearing his clothes for the first time. Looking shy and unsure. Lifting it up to his nose he wondered if her scent may linger. He quickly threw it down when his mother called out, “Son?”

Whirling around he rushed out of the bedroom to find the small woman standing in the kitchen with Namjoo. Her bizarre gaze landing instantly on him.

“Mom,” he breathed, surprised.

Grinning, she walked over to touch his arm, “Why, are you two having dinner? Oh, I am so sorry for interrupting.”

Jongin gulped, “No.” Quickly thinking he spotted the convenience store bag on the table. “She just came to drop that off.”

“Ah…yes,” Namjoo piped in. “I should be leaving now.”

“Nonsense,” his mother shook her head. “I wanted to make Jongin curry tonight, but since we are all here lets eat together.”

“No, mom,” Jongin tried.

“What are you talking about?” his mother wondered and shot him a snark gaze as she passed by. “Get her something to drink, son.”

If there was one thing they had forgotten to talk about, it was his mother. If she knew Namjoo was pregnant marriage would no doubt be in the talks.

“What are you doing?” his mother shoved him. “Get moving.”

He and Namjoo shot each other a glance before she sat back down at the table just as troubled as he was. Grabbing a glass, he poured in water and handed it to Namjoo.

“Curry used to be Jongin’s all time favorite,” his mother explained preparing the ingredients at the sink. “He’d always ask me after school, ‘Mom, mom, mom I want to eat curry. Can we have curry for dinner today and breakfast and lunch tomorrow?’ He was so cute, but as children grow up they care less about what their mom makes.”

“Mom,” Jongin muttered trying not to roll his eyes.

“What?” She asked unaware of his embarrassment.

“That’s such an old story,” he mumbled.

“Who says? It’s something to pass on to your child,” she coyly said. “Who knows, maybe your child will love curry as much as you used to and when that time comes you’ll remember today.”

Jongin turned away to keep Namjoo out of his view. “That’s still a long way from now.”

“Now, Namjoo, is there anything you’re curious about Jongin?” his mother glanced back at her. “I know everything about him. Just ask me and I’ll tell you.”

Surprised, Namjoo stiffened. Shaking her head, “No. I’m not very curious.”

“You’re making her uncomfortable, mom,” Jongin chided.

“Who’s embarrassed in this time and age?” His mother asked. “We’re all adults here. We’ve seen people and poop and pee, how is this embarrassing?”

Heat flashed across his face. He wanted to facepalm himself. He noticed Namjoo looking away as well and wished this would quickly be over with.

It took 45 minutes for his mother to finish cooking an entire meal. Namjoo ate rather quickly as they talked about current news she didn’t much comment about. After washing dishes Namjoo snagged her bag.

“I’ll go now,” she started toward the door.

Coming with her his mother happily said, “Please come eat with us again. Dinner is so much lovelier when there’s all of us.”

“Yes,” Namjoo politely replied then glanced at him before heading out.

Jongin watched the door close wondering if they’d end up like this tonight. Separately. No longer upset but a little regretful.

“I like her, Jongin,” his mother spun around to look at him. Smacking his arm, she asked, “What are you being so aloof for? Ask her out already.”

“Mom,” he scolded following her back into the kitchen.

“You have to be aggressive when going after a woman,” his mother lectured sitting down at the table. “That way they’ll know how you feel. These push and pull games you all play nowadays is so foolish.”

“Where are you getting this idea from?” Jongin sat down with her.

“Look,” his mother dug into the bag Namjoo had returned with. “She even bought your favorites. How thoughtful is she? Now did Mina ever care this much? You see, Jongin, Namjoo thought about you. That means she cares. Now that’s someone you need.”

Leaning back into her chair she grinned at him.

Once she finished gossiping to him about her friends he walked her outside to the cab waiting for her. Grabbing his hand and patting his arm affectionately she slipped into the car watching him until the cab disappeared down the street. His mother made him feel homesick, too. If he could be a child again he’d be returning home with her, be tucked into bed, and wake up to his mother’s food but he shouldn’t burden her like that. He should be the one taking care of her, doing her biddings.

One day he’d buy a bigger house and bring her to live with him. He’d take care of her for the rest of her life, make sure she had everything she wanted. There was still much more he needed to accomplish.

Turning around he stared up at the building. Yellow lights glowed luminiously from rectangular windows. Many of his neighbors settling down for the night with their loved ones. Watching television, chatting, staying up for late night shows, talking on the phone with loved ones who lived far away. Was Namjoo waiting for him to go get her or would she come back down on her own? Or would she sleep in her apartment tonight?

Thinking about it, they had started going at each other the moment they walked into his apartment rather than sitting down to talk it through slowly. Could hear now, her asking him to stop fighting. Maybe he had scared her.

This was just the first bump. If they couldn’t work it out what would come of the baby when he or she arrived? They would be continuously warring.

Finding his resolve Jongin walked inside and rode the elevator up to Namjoo’s floor. Stopping in front of her door staring at the empty doorknob, where his dinner would be hanging tonight if she hadn’t temporarily moved downstairs.

Ringing the doorbell, he waited.

“Your ointment,” he said when she opened the door, “can I still use it?”

“Are you planning to use it right here or are you going to come in first?”

Breathing a small laugh at her humor he stepped inside. The television was on but walking past him Namjoo turned it off.

“Lets sit for a few minutes,” Jongin suggested.

Curiously looking at him Namjoo obliged.

“I’m sorry,” Jongin apologized when they were seated. “I got too heated earlier and argued with you.”

“Oh…that? It’s fine. You weren’t totally wrong.”

“Still,” he went on, “it’s not like I want to make it hard for you. I don’t want us to continuously get on each other’s bad side.”

“Well, we barely know each other,” Namjoo pointed out lightheartedly.

“Then, lets take it one step at a time,” Jongin suggested. “And if we have another argument, lets just think it’s a way of getting to know each other.”

“I suppose.”

He gently chided, “You mean ok.”

Snorting, she glanced at him from the corner of her eye playfully speaking mockingly, “Ok.”

A smile split his injured lip.

“Here,” Namjoo handed him the tube of ointment. “Did your mother ask about your bruise?”

“I said I slipped in the shower,” Jongin replied taking the tube from her. He watched her scoff disbelieving. “By the way, I didn’t tell her.”

“I’m sorry you lied.”

Sharing a moment of silence, they each basked in their own thoughts. He wanting to tell her that he didn’t want to keep disappointing his mom.

“At some point, I want her to know.” Jongin looked at her. When she turned his way he added, “She likes you.”

Releasing a disbelieving laugh she quietly said, “I don’t know why she would.”

“My mom is frequently lonely,” Jongin started staring off into space, “since my dad died, she only has me. She’s getting older, too. The more she ages, the more she talks about marriage to me. She’s always envying her friends whose children already have two or three little ones running around. I think there comes a time when all parents think like that.” Looking at her through the corner of his eyes, “Still, she’s my mom and I don’t want to keep lying to her.”

Peering at her lap for a second Namjoo lifted her head then set her eyes on him. Surprised there was no opposition in her face, because he thought she would be fast to shoot him down.

“I know. My parents would be the same, but I still don’t think we should talk about marriage yet. Lets not be impulsive about it. Do you understand what I mean?”

“Sure,” he answered slightly disappointed.

“But I’m not saying I want to keep lying to her either.” Namjoo attested. “I want my parents to know, too. Perhaps soon.”

Jongin had been relieved for one second, but now he was curious. If she told her parents, what would happen? Would marriage be an option for the future?

“I wanted to thank you, though,” Namjoo said, “for earlier. To be honest, I was a little scared.”

“Why?”

“Seojun, that’s his name,” her eyes swam over his face then away, “he said he found a hospital.”

An inkling sense of suspicion spread through him, but he waited for her to finish.

Meeting his eyes, she said, “He doesn’t want me to have the baby.” He saw guilt and remorse as she closed her eyes and looked away. “Don’t be too upset. We were supposed to be getting married a month from now. He should be angry with me. And plus, I thought about it too.”

Meeting his eyes apologetically, she quietly apologized, “I’m sorry.”

Jongin bit down on his teeth disturbed by what he’d just heard, but he couldn’t reveal how upset he was. Of course, he understood that she had been afraid to lose her loved one by having his child. Still…to think like that. To think their innocent child didn’t deserve a chance at life… How could he not be hurt?

As he lay on the couch that night staring at the curtain darkening the room he began to wonder if they were doing the right thing.

֎֎֎֎֎

“Come on, lets go back down.” Was all Jongin said to her.

Namjoo lie alone on the bed staring off into the dark unable to close her eyes. Each time she did she thought about the look on Jongin’s face when she had told him. Maybe she should had told him about the wedding she still hadn’t stopped.

Filled with worry, Namjoo buried herself into his blanket. She couldn’t stop thinking. She was here with Jongin, but she was still on her own.

She had to do something. Seojun couldn’t take this baby from her. She wouldn’t accept his hand in marriage. She would talk to him tomorrow and find a way out.

The next morning, she and Jongin had a very quiet meal. The atmosphere heavy with trepidation. Neither of them willing to break the silence by bringing up yesterday’s conversation. Back to being wary of each other again.

“Do you want anything today?” Jongin asked as he slipped into his shoes after breakfast. “I’ll stop by the store on the way back.”

“Banana chips,” Namjoo answered. “I finished all yours yesterday.”

“All right,” he replied then turned to go.

Namjoo hesitated. He didn’t need to know, but then he also should. She was here anyway and she didn’t have a duplicate of his house key. Just in case.

“I’m going to be seeing Seojun later,” she informed. Jongin’s hand froze on the doorknob. “If I don’t return I’ll probably be…” pulling the door open he stepped out and as he closed the door she finished, “upstairs.”