PS I'm Over You

If there's something else that Skyler inherited from his mother, it was his hatred for crowds. Now, he found himself being cornered again by the bullies. Although Jiro was always on his side to protect him, they wouldn't leave him alone.

He did not want to be the center of attention of everyone. He preferred playing alone or playing with just Jiro. He's been attending this pre-school class for almost a month now, but his patience for his classmates and older kids was reaching its limit.

When he saw his daddy kissing his mommy's head yesterday, he had assumed that they were together again. His little heart was filled with hope and happiness when he saw the two of them together. Something he could only dream of before.

Now that his daddy is back, would he be able to call him his daddy?

Skyler really wanted to meet with his daddy soon so the next morning, he asked his mommy about him.

"Mommy, I saw you with Daddy yesterday. Is he coming home with us soon?" he asked.

Ririna was currently mixing the batter for his pancakes, wearing her lovely pink apron. Her short black hair was pinned on its side with a clip. When she heard his son's question, she almost let go of the glass bowl that was resting on her left arm.

Her whole body stiffened. She wasn't expecting that Skyler had seen Eli yesterday when he dropped her home. She tried her best to gather her thoughts. She didn't want to lie to her son, but it would be so wrong to keep his hopes up with regard to his father.

"No, baby. Your Daddy and I just had something to talk about yesterday so we met, and he dropped me off. He's quite busy with work recently."

Ririna felt it was misleading, but it was the truth nevertheless. Eli said he would be away for two weeks, that would mean the government had sent him to the Northern Provinces to investigate. Her heart ached when she saw his big gray eyes flash with sadness instantly.

"But I really wanna meet my daddy. Does that mean Daddy didn't want to see me?"

Skyler's eyes started to sting with tears. Seeing that her son was about to cry, Ririna put down the bowl in the nearest kitchen counter and consoled her son. She didn't know what to do for him to feel better, but she couldn't give him false hope about Eli either.

"That isn't true, baby. Daddy just had many things to do, and he didn't have enough time even for himself."

Skyler nodded to his mother and wiped away his tears with the back of his hands.

"I hope he will come back soon, Mommy. Mommy, are you and Daddy together again?"

He sent a childish grin to his mother. If Daddy and Mommy are together again, Mommy wouldn't have to marry someone else! Skyler decided that he would fend off any of her suitors until his daddy comes back from work.

He was very excited to meet him soon. It was highly possible that it would be one of these days, especially if he could make Uncle Evan help him to meet his daddy.

Ririna blinked. Did Skyler really want her to be with his daddy? Eli has already laid down what he wanted and what he expected from her. Regardless, his term was still way too possessive. She couldn't understand what made him change. He wasn't like this years ago.

He declared she was his even if she didn't want to. She couldn't understand him at all. As shocked and confused as she was, she hadn't given him an answer. Yet when he took her home, his gentleness and flirting made her feel like she wanted to punch his face.

He was so annoying.

Looking at the face of her son with his eyes gleaming with hope and excitement, she felt another headache coming. Was there something else she could do? Both the father and the son were teaming up unknowingly against her. How could she win this battle if she's not even sure how long she could endure their persistence?

No, she must resist. Even though her heart was telling her to give in so the three of them could be a family, her rational side was screaming, not letting her be hurt. She had given and did everything she had before, and where did it leave her? If she didn't leave five years ago, Eli might have forced her to abort their child.

Skyler was the only one she had. If she were to lose him, too, she wouldn't hesitate to kill herself. She had given up her previous life just to be with him. Her life as a mercenary ended when she first saw her newborn son.

She had given birth to him prematurely at seven months. That night when she bled and felt something wrong with her child was the most unforgettable moment in her life. His life was in danger, and the doctors were forced to do an emergency C-section to save him.

Living alone in a foreign land with only one friend to help her, she was so scared for her child. The ruthless assassin within her vanished, replaced with a loving mother who would do everything for her child. She had spent sleepless nights looking after him while he was in the incubator. Her mood and thoughts were in mess. She was afraid for she was never good with children before.

Holding him for the first time, she was captivated. Skyler was so tiny; his short dark locks and gray eyes made her heart skip a beat. He looked so much like his daddy. Since then, she had to change the way she lived. With the limited funds she had on her savings account, she tried to find a way to make a living.

She wasn't good at anything except surveilling the target and planning to assassinate from afar. Ririna knew she could only rely upon other skills that she had. After Sky was born, she started receiving commissions for portraits and painting sceneries. It wasn't easy at first. It was hard for her to sell her artworks and took her some time to make a name for herself. If it wasn't for her newly-found friend who became her gallery curator, she would have never survived in the outside world.

--

"Leave Sky alone! You are so mean. What did Sky ever do to you?" Jiro yelled, trying to hide Skyler behind him. His little fist clenched on his side.

"Don't mind them, Jiro. Teacher Aya will be upset with us if we get into another fight." Skyler pulled Jiro's right arm, trying to convince him to go back to the classroom.

Their recess time had ended, and their teacher Aya allowed them to have a fifteen-minute break as their playtime. Sky and Jiro were playing in the monkey bars when the usual bullies came after them. They were older than the two of them. The four children kept making problems for other students that some parents were already complaining about their mischievous attitude.

They had heard Skyler telling Jiro earlier that his daddy came home yesterday so they decided to pick on him once again. They insisted that Sky was lying. Everyone knew that his mommy wasn't married, and he didn't have a father. Why would he keep on claiming he has a daddy if he never had one to begin with?

"Your mommy will get married soon. She will leave you once she has another baby," A seven-year-old boy teased him.

Skyler's little brows raised up. His face started to scowl.

"That's not true! My mommy loves me!" he yelled.

"No one will like someone like you! You're a crybaby and so ugly. I bet your daddy is ugly, too, so he didn't want to be seen with you."

Based on what his mommy told him before and how his daddy affectionately kissed his mommy, he didn't want to believe what these kids were telling him.

"No!!! My daddy is cool and handsome! Your dads won't even compare to him. My daddy loves my mommy. They will get married soon, and I will have a lot of baby brothers and sisters. We will be one big happy family! You just wait till it happens!" Skyler insisted.

The bullies laughed at him.

"If you really have a daddy, why don't you bring him with you on Father's Day?"

Father's Day would be next month, and their class has decided to make a mini program to tell something about their daddies or their father figure. At first, Skyler was having thoughts on what to do for the event. He didn't know where his daddy was. He thought he could ask Uncle Evan to help him find his daddy, but he didn't know how to ask without his mommy finding out about it.

"Deal! I will bring my daddy with me!"