Showing them upstairs, Sehun directed the deliveryman to leave the portraits by the wall. When he left his mother decided, “Let’s hang this one on the wall. It would be so sweet waking up to see this picture and be reminded of the day you two got married.”

Glancing at Namjoo like he wasn’t there, she asked for agreement, “What do you think?”

Her eyes enlarged. Sehun swore Namjoo even took a tiny step back as if appalled. Still, she made the effort to smile, “Uh…yes, mother, that’s a great idea.”

Touching the portraits his mother compressed her pretty pink lips, pinching her eyes back for thought. Shuffling through the portraits, she opted, “Let’s hang this one downstairs. It’s less intimate and easier on the eyes when you have guests.”

“Y…yes.” Namjoo again.

The corner of his lips inched up.

“Then, that’s decided. I’ll call someone to come help put the pictures up.” His mother happily concluded.

Breakfast was finally completed by the time his mother left them alone. At the table Namjoo continuously massaged her temples.

“Why can’t we stick the pictures in the two unused rooms?” She muttered. “I never want to see them again.”

“Room one is for the baby. Room two is for guests. It is totally unnecessary.”

Namjoo gave him a fiery glare. “There is no baby. And who cares if your friends stare at the pre-wedding portraits while sleeping over?”

“If mom said so, we will do so,” Sehun said. “Conversation finished. If you’re not going to eat the rolled omelet, I will.”

Tersely shooting him the last of her glare, she stabbed the roll with her fork and shoved it into .

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Sehun really stayed home all day with her. Hugging the couch, she spent the afternoon laying down, flipping through the channels watching reruns and random daily sitcoms. Absorbed in something interesting at last when Sehun came from out of nowhere, stole the remote and inserted some workout DVD into his player.

“What are you doing?” Namjoo demanded immediately sitting up.

“I’m working out.” he explained. Glancing over his shoulder, “Do you want to join me?”

Chucking the couch pillow at him, she shouted, “No! Turn it off! I was watching tv!”

“Being lazy all day is unhealthy for your body.” Sehun continued as some female in tight shorts and a too buff male duo popped up on the screen. Naturally copying their movements, Sehun asked, “You’re really not going to join me?”

“No!” Refusing Namjoo left the couch and stomped upstairs. Then an hour and a half later sweating crazily and smelling like he hadn’t washed for days; he came upstairs to tell her she could have the tv. But the television series already ended.

That had been hours ago. First day home with Sehun was already starting to stress her.

Slamming the shower off Namjoo dried herself and pulled on a new change of clothes. Regrettably eyeing the locked guest room when she stepped out of the bathroom. Till now Sehun had yet to unlock it. So much dust must have gathered inside. She longed for the unused bed that she once slept in.

Shifting toward Sehun’s room she made a face. Upset yet over the missing long pillow. Refusing to see what Sehun was up to she walked right past the bed and tossed her clothes into the bin. Swiveling around to climb onto her side, curl up, turn away from him, and sleep she, instead, froze.

Several wedding gifts were sprawled out on the bed. Including her side. Darn Sehun!

“You can use my bathroom you know,” Sehun offered. “That way you won’t have to make the walk back and forth down the hall and back every day.”

“No thanks.” Namjoo stubbornly rejected.

“Then, come sit. We should go through some of the wedding gifts.” Stretching his arm out he teased, “The more interesting bunch.”

“They’re useless. Put them away.” She commanded.

“Why?” he innocently asked. “My relatives sincerely bought these for us. We should at least appreciate their love. Look,” he held up an adorable dark blue dress with a pink tutu, “a quarter of them think we’ll have a girl.” Picking up a onesie embroidered with an elephant on the left , “Aunt Na thinks we should have a boy.”

Twining her brows together Namjoo could care less.

As if he didn’t notice, he went on, “I think I want a daughter.” Gently laying down the infant dress he caressed it affectionately with his big hand, “I want to cook with her one day. She can make a mess in the kitchen and taste test all the ingredients as we put everything together. It’s something to imagine.”

His eyes really shone in a somewhat sad yet hopeful manner. Namjoo almost felt sorry for him. That his girlfriend broke up with him. Nothing had gone his way. And the threat of his father’s health was stringing them along this pretension. She was also not here to stay permanently. Also, she was not planning to give him what his family wanted.

A baby.

Putting on a mask of indifference, Namjoo stalked toward the bed and flipped over the blanket distorting the neat display of baby clothes he’d laid out. “Move over, I want to sleep.”

Turning her back to him she shut her eyes listening to him mutter, “Fine, fine.”

Gathering everything together he shuffled around. Then the lights went out and she felt his weight on the bed. After a while her eyes opened. She could hear Sehun’s breathing, but it didn’t tell her whether he was asleep or not. Too bad she was wide awake.

Frustrated, Namjoo quietly crept out of bed and went downstairs for a glass of water. Maybe she’d sit a bit, watch some late-night television show, and sleep on the couch. Pouring herself a glass Namjoo chugged it down while glancing around.

No tangerines. Sehun’s father hadn’t stopped by lately. Not since coming out of the hospital. There wasn’t really anything sweet to gnaw on. Maybe she should go see how he was doing tomorrow.

“Can’t sleep?”

Jumping shocked Namjoo hissed. Glancing to her right to see Sehun filling up the doorway she sneered, “Jerk! You can’t make some noise?”

in a shaky breath to calm her frightened nerves she watched him cautiously as he walked past her. Unlocking the door to the patio he stepped out. “Want to go for a walk?”

“Are you going to do something funny?” Namjoo asked.

Giving no reply he disappeared outdoors. Debating quickly Namjoo left the cup in the sink and went out after him. Sehun wasn’t on the patio arching his neck back to stare up at the night sky. He’d gone down the stairs to the backyard she had not breached. Hurrying down after him she curiously glanced around the vast green land, as if she’d entered another dimension.

It was completely dark. No light. She wasn’t about to get lost and sleep outside. Searching quickly for Sehun she caught up to him. A few studded trees decorated the layout of the backyard, but there was not much else that was interesting.

“Where are we going?” She wondered unable to see much. The wind was brisk and cool. Nothing but the cries of crickets through the dark. It was actually kind of scary without any kind of light.

“Look,” pointing up, Sehun told, “the big dipper.”

Arching her neck back Namjoo searched the starry sky, “Huh?”

“Connect one, two, three, four, five, six, seven,” Sehun counted each spark. “The big dipper.”

Rolling her eyeball to the corner of her eye, she muttered unable to share his view. “Ok.”

“You’re not interested in the stars?” Sehun asked.

“Why bother.” Namjoo shrugged.

“But they’re pretty. They come and go, but the thing is, they always come back.” Sehun stated.

Namjoo glanced up at him. Curious whether he was thinking about his ex.

“We camp over there midsummer with my aunt and uncle,” Sehun stretched his arm out, pointing into the distance. “My father installed an artificial pond near the woods where we also fish.”

“A pond?!” Namjoo exclaimed. His family really was loaded.

“We’ll probably go there sometime,” Sehun explained. “I’m sure my parents are looking forward to it.”

“Nice.” Namjoo commented.

“When time comes around, I’ll teach you how to fish.”

“Well, we’ll see if I’m interested,” Namjoo said.

“I’m sure you will.” Sehun grinned.

She fell right asleep when they returned to the security of their home. Sinking into bed and under the warmth of the blanket. Flipping and turning sometime during the night, Namjoo instinctively opened her eyes. Sleep a bog in her mind as she drowsily blinked catching the slightest view of Sehun in front of her. On his back and asleep never minding her.

When she woke up, he was gone and she was hugging up the mid-section of the bed. Shifting tiredly onto her back she pulled the blanket over her face. A few more minutes.

Finally getting up Namjoo dug through the closet for something fresh to wear. Breakfast was in the making when she went downstairs. Sehun was at the table drinking his coffee while busily scrolling through the news on his phone.

Rubbing her eyes, she took her seat. Quietly waiting for the cook to set their table.

“Sleep well?” He asked without sparing the effort to glance up.

“I guess.” She replied.

Now looking up, he said as the first dish landed on the table, “Eat up. We’re heading out.”

“To do what?”

“We’re going to grab some grocery.”

Namjoo almost choked shocked, “You do grocery shopping?!”

Sehun shrugged, “If I say we are, we are. Eat up.”

She couldn’t help eyeing him suspiciously.

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On the drive to the store Namjoo scrolled the window all the way down and stuck her head out to feel the wind blast into her. Her long, loose strands flew around wildly. A peek here and there let him catch the carefree smile on her face.

Namjoo’s demeanor changed when they arrived at the mart. Striding alongside him she hungrily observed her surroundings quietly.

“So, what are we getting?” Namjoo asked.

“What do you want?” he asked.

 Sinking into thought her expression brightened when she glanced up at him, “Meat.”

“Ok.”

Scurrying through the aisle she questioned, “Really? You aren’t going to say anything back? Like, you eat that every day; choose something else.”

“I’m not that petty.”

“Shocking.” Namjoo bluntly commented.

Pulling the cart to a stop at the meat counter, he browsed his options. “Tenderloin is on sale.”

“You’re cheap,” Namjoo murmured. Pointing at the board, “Rib eye is the best part.” Pleadingly staring up at him with her big eyes, she begged, “Please?”

Sehun literally felt weak. Darn her.

“Call me honey.” He bargained.

Her lids fluttered. “Wh…what?”

Sehun raised a brow testing her. If he couldn’t get anything out of this, he’d be damned.

He waited several beats then turned to the waiting store clerk. “I’d like to get some tenderloin.”

Sehun turned at the tug on his sleeve. Namjoo’s head was angled away. Probably wrangling herself mentally as she said, “H…honey.”

Playfully leaning in, he said, “I can’t hear you.”

Spinning around at the speed of lightning, Namjoo pinched him, “Honey, please get me some meat.”

The first thought that occurred to him as he shrugged away laughing was, he must be crazy. Back to the clerk he said, “I’ll take some rib eye. Give me a lot.”

Namjoo pouted beside him the rest of the trip. Fuming quietly at his trick. Preparing revenge when they returned home perhaps. He’d let her do what she wanted to her heart’s content. This was their first domestic trip, so be it.

Throwing in some cake mix into the cart, he said, “Don’t look so glum. People will think we argued. This’ll be over in two days then you can return to your daily schedule without me around. You can’t even give me the time of day?”

A glance and Namjoo was staring into the distance like she wanted to bolt right out of there. Did she really despise him so much?

“I want to spend the day with you.” Didn’t really spur any reaction from her like he wanted. Sehun still tried hopefully, “Let’s bake a cake when we get home. I watched a tutorial yesterday after working out. Ok?”

He watched her blink a few times.

Feeling guilty for joking around earlier, he affectionately touched the back of her head as he pushed the cart forward. “Come on. Let’s go check out.”

On the drive home he reminisced sitting at the foot of the bed after showering. Staring at the poster plastered opposite the bed.

Aware this charade was not meant to be permanent. But the Sehun in the picture had been swooned that day.

He didn’t really know. Where to draw the line. Call it the end.

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Sehun carried all the bags inside. He even took the bag she had grabbed out of her hand. Lugging all five bags through the manor toward his house. Unlike the first time he made her carry all the heavy shopping bags.

His being nice to her was starting to itch at her discomfort. The fact that he had taken extra measure to plan today’s trip and menu like some kind of date made her fuzzy.

It shouldn’t be like this.

They could be nice to each other, but not that nice. On a level getting along as strangers worked totally fine for her. To be honest she wasn’t very concerned about Sehun or his future plans. None of that involved her.

Continuing the growth of this act to a fine level was expected, but to get innately close was not ok.

Something about the way he’d laughed after she pinched him was starting to really set her off. He had enjoyed it regardless how hard she’d done it. And she had pinched him hard. He should be bruising right now.

What the hell?

Namjoo just wanted to jump into the shower and shed her clothes for a really good wash. Forget today. Instead, she followed Sehun into the kitchen to help put away the grocery.

Setting out the cake mix Sehun brought out a bowl and measuring cup. A fresh carton of organic eggs, cake pan, and bottle of vegetable oil also landed on the island.

“Let’s bake the cake.” Sehun said.

“Now?” Namjoo asked. She’d been hoping for a shower and some solo time.

He nodded. “It only takes two minutes.”

Trying not to pout, Namjoo grabbed the box and skimmed the instructions. Sehun plucked it out of her hands before she finished and opened the bag inside.

“Why not just buy a cake?” Namjoo questioned. “They’re prettier, probably taste better.”

“Eating something you make by hand is a more special feeling.” Pouring the powder into the bowl he recalled, “Like the way your mom’s scrambled eggs bring you joy.”

She recognized a light in his expression when he looked at her. Namjoo averted her eyes.

“Wanna crack me three eggs?” Sehun asked.

She did as directed. Helped pour oil and watched him stir everything together. Not really helping because all she did was preheat the oven. She didn’t understand what was special about baking a cake.

Namjoo didn’t want anything about this to be meaningful.

Sliding the cake into the oven, she turned around saying, “Since it’ll take half an hour to bake, I’m going to go shower.”

She was startled by a poof! Sehun playfully blowing a tiny bit of flour he’d gathered into the palm of his hand. The residue hit her straight in the eye.

Yelping, she scolded, “Sehun!”

Hurriedly rubbing her eye, she wished she would have left earlier.

“Does it hurt?” Worriedly touching her face, he gently rubbed a thumb underneath her eye. Tenderly apologizing, “I’m sorry.”

The of his voice imminently tugged at a corner of her heart. Her hand hovered a centimeter from his, as if teasing the thin space before touching. Squinting her eye open she looked up meeting nothing else but the galaxy of his orbs.

Yesterday’s nightly walk floated back to mind. Of the big dipper, the stars coming and going. Like the hearts in his eyes reappearing so often.