Married with the Broken Hearted CEO novel Chapter 26

The first of ‘Chadwick’s Ideal Dates’ is eating street-foods. 
There are lot of good street-foods such as hot-dog, Cheese Steak, Gyros, Pretzels, Pizza, French Fries, Crepes, Burritos or Hamburger. But Chadwick wasn’t sure which one Adira would enjoy. And so, he bought her in front of the grilled hot-dog stand. 
“Good day sir! What is your order?” the cheerful lady greeted them. 
“Give us two grilled beef hot-dogs with mustard and mayonnaise,” Chadwick ordered. 
“Okay sir!” 
A moment ago, Chadwick pulled Adira out of the gallery. He said he will decide where to go starting from now on, and Adira was surprised that the place Chadwick wanted to go is a hot-dog stand. 
She stared at her husband’s side profile and saw the excitement on his face. Just now, he looks like a kid who had his mouth watered at the delicious snack in front of him. Adira felt like she saw a new side from the stern husband who doesn’t know how to smile sincerely when she’s around. 
“This is my favorite stand,” Chadwick shared without looking back at Adira. “They sell good sausages and…” 
He stopped when he caught her looking at her and then he realized that until now, he was still holding her hand. 
Chadwick’s heart skipped a beat. And he hates feeling like this over such nontrivial things. 
“S-Stop holding my hand!” he said, blushing, as he pulled his hand away from her wrist. 
Fortunately, the journalist still hadn’t arrived yet and she did not see how Chadwick pulled his hand away from Adira, as if he’s avoiding a dirt. 
“Honey, you’re making me the villain again. It wasn’t me who held you. It is YOU who held my hand and pulled me out.” 
“S-Still! You should have pulled back when you realized that we’re still holding each other.” 
“Why would I? Touching your skin will help my goals.” 
“You…” 
“Here are you hot-dogs!” the woman interrupted between the two, offering two hot-dogs on sticks. 
“Thank you so much,” Adira said. She got one and gave the other to her husband. “Here’s yours~” 
Grunting, Chadwick grabbed the stick. 
“This looks so good,” Adira said while looking at the hot-dog. Her observant eyes suddenly gawked at her husband. They stayed there. 
Chadwick felt her weird and malicious stare. Thus, he asked, “W-What?” 
“Did you bring me here because I insulted you before?”
Scowling, he asked, “What insult?” 
Adira leaned closer to him and whispered, “That you are not big.” 
Chadwick had a hard time processing what the hell Adira means with that. 
Adira pulled back while chuckling and then stared at the hot-dog on stick in her hands. “I guess my husband’s size is as big as this. I should be prepared.”
She took a bite on her hot-dog and stepped away. 
After a little while, Chadwick finally understood what she wanted to say. His eyes widened and his face went all red. 
“Hey you…!” he shouted, about to follow her and protest more. 
“Sir! You haven’t paid your hot-dog!” the seller shouted. 
Everyone around looked at Chadwick, who’s holding a literal hot-dog on stick in his hand and hiding one inside his pants. 
‘That pervert woman!’ Chadwick internally complained as he went back in front of the stall and paid for the foods. 
After eating street-foods, which both enjoyed(?), Chadwick and Adira went to the cinema and watched a comedy-action films. 
He doubted Adira would like it, given that she seemed enjoying the musical theatre before. But while sitting beside him, she’s laughing from time to time while watching the film. 
“Pfft...” Adira chuckled. 
Slowly, Chadwick stared at his wife and felt happy when he saw her giggling. It feels like the intimidating and crazy woman he met before is long gone. Chadwick found out another side of her, that he wouldn’t ever see if this date did not happen. Somehow, he felt proud that he accepted the deal. 
“It is a fun movie,” Adira said as they exited the cinema together. 
“Right?” Chadwick agreed. “I really love the main actor in the film.” 
“Isn’t he’s the one who also acted at the movie entitled: ‘Mimicking Bruce Lee’?” 
“Oh? Did you also watch that before?” 
“Yes. A month ago, I guess.” 
“I also watched that. It’s a good movie too.” 
“Did you watch it from cinema?” 
“No. I watched it in our house.” 
Chadwick suddenly stopped walking, and so did Adira. 
“Why?” Adira asked at her husband who turned like a statue. 
He stared at her clueless face, as if she found it very normal; him, watching the movie alone in the house. 
The two of them are a married couple. But never did they enjoy doing fun things together all because Chadwick pushed Adira out of his life. 
‘Just now, we just talked as if we are really close to each other,’ he also noticed. 
If only he knew before that he has the same interest as Adira when it comes to movie, their relationship would have been so much better by now. Yet he pushed her away and did not give time to know what she likes and what she does not like. 
‘It is because I don’t like her,’ he said inside his brain. 
Chadwick did not like Adira before so there’s no reason for him to learn her favorites. But now that his heart is wavering, he slightly regrets the time he wasted while living with her under the same roof. 
‘But she keeps on asking me to have a sex with her! That’s why I pushed her away!’ He defended once again. 
“I am really curious why are you looking at me like this, as if you will kill me,” Adira said, staring at his husband’s weird expression. 
“W-Why would I kill you?!” 
“Shsssh,” Adira hushed. “Lower your voice. Don’t forget that we were being watch, dear.” With her chin, she pointed to the journalist who is watching over them. 
In flash, the strain reaction on Chadwick’s face has loosened. 
“I mean I wanted to kill you with love~” he said in sweet tone and even blinked his eyes cutely. 
“Nice try,” Adira whispered, chuckling. She moved forward, passing the crowd, and Chadwick followed her with a pout on his lips. 
As they walked around the mall, they saw a skating field in the middle. Chadwick enjoys ice skating. In fact, he used to be an ice hockey player back in college. But he rarely plays above the ice since he became CEO. He has time now, but he hesitated but he’s with Adira. 
‘She won’t probably like to pl…’ Chadwick negative thoughts ceased as soon as he saw Adira’s curious eyes while staring at the skating field. 
Right now, Adira looks like a curious kid who saw a cold glass of malt beer for the first time and wondered how it taste. 
‘By chance… Is she…?’ 
“Do you want to skate?” Chadwick asked the curious lady.
His wife turned to him, without much expression this time, as if she didn’t want to show that she’s curious. Then she said, “Let’s go.” 
The two, then, borrowed pairs of skating shoes then went to the ice field. Chadwick went inside the rink door first, simply gliding at ease. He feels so excited to be on the ice again. 
Gliding left to right and turned around for a full stop, Chadwick looked at Adira who’s entering the field. She stayed close to the wall and walked around the edge. 
Chadwick knew it right then that Adira doesn’t know how to skate. 
‘So why did she want to go here if she does not know how?’ Chadwick wondered. 
Anyway, seeing a clueless Adira is fun to watch. She always appears professional and well-knowledgeable, so Chadwick thought it isn’t that bad to see her struggle on doing something for the first time. And he wanted to tease her. 
“What are you doing?” he asked. “Don’t you know how to skate?” 
The prideful Adira answered, “I don’t know but I can learn.” 
Usually, other girls will say that they don’t know how and ask the guy to teach them. But since Adira is different, Chadwick thought she would lie that she knows how to skate because of her pride. Unexpectedly, Adira displayed honest and egoistic at the same time. 
‘Well, she’s an unpredictable lady so I shouldn’t be so surprised,’ Chadwick told himself. 
“How can you learn if you will stay there?” he teased, crossing his arms above the ice. 
Adira lifted her eyes to him. For the first time, she could not bring herself to fake a smile. A slight regret arose in her mind. 
Not answering Chadwick’s question, Adira slowly distanced herself from the wall. With her skates on, she worked on her balance by walking around the rink. However, she couldn’t walk standing straight up and instead had her knees slightly bent as she put her weight on the balls of her feet. 
“Woah,” Chadwick gasped while watching her. He glided to her side and stood before her. 
Adira, who’s confused what’s that ‘woah’ for, lifted her head to look at her boastful husband. 
“Adira is bowing politely in front of me. What a civilized woman,” he said chuckling. 
Despite his effort to annoy her, Adira still find a time to sneer. Indeed, she’s a hard opponent.
“Did you forget that we were being watched?” she said, then pointed to the journalist who’s watching them from outside the rink. “A husband who’s bullying her wife. Do you want them to write it down like that?”
If that’s the case, Chadwick had no choice but pretend to be a sweet husband who will teach his wife how to skate. 
And so, Chadwick stood behind Adira and helped her stands straight. 
“Keep your skates about shoulder width apart and knees slightly over your toes,” he instructed. 
Adira did her best to follow the instruction. “Like this?” 
“Yes. And make sure that your chin remains parallel to the ice.” 
She looked forward. 
“Start with both feet pointing forward, then slightly turn the right foot out to create a 45-degree angle. This will be your pushing foot. Keep your weight centered directly over the skates.” 
Adira stopped. She turned around and looked at the guy who’s supporting her back. 
“You talked as if it is so easy to skate,” she complained. 
“It is easy for me,” he replied with a smirk. 
“A baby can’t learn how to walk at the day she was born,” she rebuked. 
“That’s why I am confused. Why did you agree on skating if you don’t know how?” 
Gliding forward, Adira answered him, “Because I heard that my husband was once a hockey player.” 
Chadwick watched her glide smoothly and confidently by herself. Then he remembered that he forgot to teach her the most important factor in skating. And it is to practice how to fall. 
Falling is a natural part of sport and it is bound to happen a couple of times. Even the greatest skaters fall. By learning to do it properly, you will reduce the possibility of getting a serious injury. Chadwick knew this the best and he had to teach Adira how. 
However, it seems that at this moment, Chadwick did not have the chance to teach her because he did not learn properly before. Because when Adira said that she only agreed to come here for him, Chadwick fell hardly. It is not his physical body that fell, but his heart. 
It is hard to stand up, as if he got a serious injury called ‘unrequited crush.’ 
‘I’m doomed. Really doomed,’ Chadwick told to himself while watching Adira. 
“I think,” Adira said as she learns how to glide, “this is easy if you… oh!” She lost her balance and was about to fall. 
Seeing the danger, Chadwick glided swiftly to her side. He wrapped his arms around her waist, turned her around and received her weight. 
“Ahh!” 
“Argh!” 
Both fell on the ice together, Adira laying down on his top and Chadwick beneath her. 
Groaning, Chadwick opened his eyes to look at her wife. 
“Are you alright?” asked Adira. 
“Do I look okay?” Chadwick groaned. He will push Adira away, but Adira stayed still. “W-What are you doing?” he asked, quite fearing her plan. 
“A husband and wife fell together. Isn’t that romantic?” 
“W-What? You’re insane. G-Go up! You’re heavy.” 
“But I told you that this is romantic,” Adira said then pointed her chin towards of the journalist direction. 
Chadwick understood what she’s talking about. 
“So, we need to pretend that we are enjoying this position and stay like this for a long time?” he asked with a sarcastic tone.
“I love this position. It’s sexy.” 
“I’m done with your craziness, really.” 
Adira chuckled while staring at her handsome husband’s face in close gap. 
“I wanted to use this chance to tease you,” she said. Adira leaned closer and whispered on his ear, “But I can’t let your back freeze.” 
She moved away and will go up but...
“Oh!” she gasped and found herself laying back on his chest. 
Chadwick, who asked her to get up, pulled her closer to his body and said, “But if it will help our acting, they let’s stay still for a while.” Then he avoided her gaze. 
Adira praised Chadwick’s will to survive to this pretend game. However, it will be weirder if they just stay laying down on the ice without doing anything. Therefore, Adira thought it is her turn to make them more believable. 
“Chadwick.” 
“What?” he answered without looking back. 
“Keep your eyes away from me. That’s a friendly reminder.” 
“What do you…” 
Smooch. 
Adira kissed Chadwick’s cheek which turned red in an instant. 
“A perfect acting,” she said. “Thank me later.”
Adira moved away from him; from her husband who fell on the ground with her, and fell for her too.