Finally he had slept without minding about needles or IVs. He had breathed in the fresh smell of the early morning air  before lifting his eyes open and saw the white color of the ceiling in his room. He felt rested and relaxed. After taking the medicines last night and shaving his face clean, he practically went dead once he had hit his bed. He his side to get some more sleep but when he reached out for a pillow, his hand contacted something that is definitely not a texture of his pillow. He snapped his eyes open.

And saw Dara’s smiling face next to his. Her body was her side and her head propped up by her hand. “Good morning, my sweet.”

His shock of seeing her made him roll away from her in haste and falling off the bed, the blankets entangling him like a cocoon. He tried to get it off him and finally succeeded before he stood up and stared at Dara who was lazily watching him battle it out with his blanket.

“You… what the hell are you doing here? How the hell did you get in?!” Donghae demanded. “Who in the hell let you in?!”

Dara made a face. “So early in the morning and all I can hear is hell hell hell.” She sat up. “I’ve always known you’re not a morning person but your reaction is a little bit exaggerated.” Then she smiled sweetly as she patted the mattress. “If you don’t want to get up yet, lie down again.”

He was left speechless.

Dara sighed when Donghae just continued standing there with his mouth open in disbelief before hopping off the bed. He noticed her hair was down her back and she was wearing a jogger pants and…

“Is that my shirt?” Donghae asked incredulously.

Dara looked down at the oversized shirt with a star printed in the middle. “Yup. I got my shirt stained with coffee earlier so I looked for something to wear in your closet.” Then she smiled sweetly. “I hope you don’t mind.”

His lips thinned as he glared at her. She harrassed him, trespassed in his home and now raided his closet. Is there any end on this woman’s craziness?! God, he never should’ve done that bet. No matter what they say, she is not someone he wanted to be part of. He’s really going to kill Kibum once he saw him. And the bet didn’t end well anyway. Yoona rejected him so what’s the point of trying to win the car? It doesn’t matter if the bet is a year old or had been over. The purpose of him doing the bet is senseless and it only earned him a total whacko!

“You’d better leave now before I call the police,” he said with gritted teeth.

But instead of being scared, she just waved him off then grinned at him. “I’ve brought breakfast. Do you want to eat now?”

“No, I want you to leave, you stalker!” Donghae said hotly.

Dara tsked her tongue as she shook her head sadly. “So cranky at this time of day. Relax.” She used her hand as if she’s calming a raging pitbull. “Feel the morning air. Breathe. Let’s get you something to eat.”

“I don’t want to eat!” Donghae responded.

But Dara seems so adamant in ignoring his exasperation as she smiled even more. “So you want to go back to sleep?”

“I don’t want to go back to sleep! I want—“

“To eat breakfast?”

“No!” God this girl is really driving him up to the edge. He looked at her while his nostrils is flaring. “I want you out of my house.”

Dara tsked her tongue. “Is that any way to speak to your girlfriend?”

“You are not my girlfriend!”

“Oh yeah, I’m sorry. Silly me,” Dara said smacking her forehead. “Is that any way to speak to your fiancée?”

“You are not….” He breathed out because he feel his blood pressure rising. He tried it more calmly this time. “I hope you understand that I don’t want even want you to be my girlfriend.” He stared into her eyes as she stared back at him.

Dara stared at him with her eyes wide open. “You don’t want me as your girlfiriend?” She said in a small voice.

“Yes!” Finally, he’s getting through to her. “I want you to—“

“—be your wife.” Dara finished for him as she tittered. “I get it. You’re such a sweetie. C’mon, let’s eat breakfast.” Then she strode out of the room leaving Donghae just staring at her open mouthed.

“I want you to stay away from me!” He yelled as the door closed behind her. He closed his eyes as he pinched the bridge of his nose praying for more patience unless he gives in to his urge of dumping her out of his door. Which reminds him to change his passcode. He gathered his blanket from the floor and dumped it over his bed. Like, what the hell is happening to his life right now? He is losing control of everything! Gathering any information he could scrape for the last year and finding out he doesn’t like it one bit is making him think he’s better left without those memories. Just last night, his grandmother and his mother dropped by. With his father.

His mother pleaded with him to just at least be civil with his father as he just wanted to see if Donghae was okay now. He tried to. But the fury of seeing him has reared up after his mind ran through the events of what happened to him when he was 9. When his father left them without even a goodbye. Donghae couldn’t fathom what made him forgive his father and become a family with him again when he left them to begin with. When he told them he was already tired, they didn’t prod him and left quietly with his mother kissing him on his forehead. His grandmother had walked up to him and hugged him tight before telling him, You are so stubborn. We’re not going to force you to hear your father out because the doctor told us to take it easy on you. But in time, you just need to listen. Like you did before. Then she kissed him on the cheek before leaving, his father only looking back on his shoulder with a regretful expression.

He doesn’t want to know whatever he was supposed to listen. If he was stuck to the time when he was like this, then they just have to deal with it. Including this crazy stalker.

He marched off his room even while slightly limping planning to tell her to get lost and to keep lost and found her opening the stacks of food on his dining room table. The smell wafted through his nose and his stomach growled. He didn’t eat anything last night and he realized he was starving. Dara looked up and smiled brightly. “Let’s eat."

Okay, he’ll tell her to get lost later. He strode on the dining room and took a seat as Dara placed a bowl in front of him. The smell of the stew made his mouth water. How long has it been since he actually ate something that is not bland like the hospital food?

“It’s Army Base Stew,” Dara said as she saw the hungry look on Donghae’s face. “You need to eat until the last drop. It was really expensive, you know.”

Donghae scowled as he took his chopsticks. “I’ll pay you for this.”

Dara took a seat next to him and looked at him eagerly. “Really? Then pay me with a kiss.” She puckered her lips towards him.

Donghae leaned away from her looking repelled. “Are you always this physical?”

Dara snickered as she put a hand under her chin and gave Donghae a solemn look. “Maybe. Physical contacts doesn’t bother me. Does that answer your question?”

Donghae’s scowl deepened and just proceeded in eating his stew while ignoring the girl who was watching him eat beside him. Then he dropped his chopsticks after a couple of minutes and glared at her while his mouth is full. “Can you stop staring at me?! Just eat or do something else!”

“Are you asking me to eat with you?”

“No. I’m asking you to stop staring at me!”

“Are you feeling conscious?” She tilted her head.

Donghae felt like he’s at war with his nerves right now so he just opted to turn on his side moving the bowl with him and continued eating. He could hear her sniggering. Psycho.

“Oh! I also bought steamed buns,” Dara said taking one from the paper bag and putting it in front of Donghae. She smiled when he took it and bit a mouthful. Aww he looks like a disgruntled child. A disgruntled hungry child. So cute!

After emptying the last drop of the stew, Donghae placed the chopsticks on the table feeling his stomach so full. Man, he ate too much. But it’s all for the better. He had lost weight, he knew that. When he had looked in the mirror when he got home, he practically saw a stranger with stubbled cheeks and limp, oily hair. The muscles he had worked hard to obtain is now hidden somewhere in his skin. Man, he really need to hit the gym once his leg is up and running.

“You already shaved,” Dara suddenly said touching his cheek and Donghae immediately snapped out of his thoughts and leaned away from her while throwing her lethal looks.

“Ya! I told you I don’t want to be touched!” Donghae exclaimed.

Dara didn’t lost her smile and just returned her hand under the chin. “Okay.”

She was up to something. He knew that much. “Aren’t you going to leave? You have work right? You’re being compensated to work, not loiter around and trespassing in someone else’s home!”

“I know,” Dara said. “That’s why I have asked for a vacation leave.”

It took a moment before Donghae understood what she is saying. “You what?”

“I’ll be staying here beside you for one. Whole. Week.” She grinned widely.

That’s it! Donghae’s glowering eyes met Dara’s amused ones, his chest heaving at the bursting vexation of even talking to this mentally impaired cuckoo. He stood up and grabbed Dara’s arm and pulling her.

“Wha… what are you doing?” Dara said and she saw Donghae grabbing her bag from the chair then pulling her towards the door. She tried to set her arm free but he was gripping it too hard. “Ow! Get your hands off me you little prick!”

Donghae pulled his door open and forced all his strength to push Dara off his unit. “Stay out!” Donghae said a he threw the bag to her.

“This is what I get for buying you food?”Dara said gritting her teeth as she clutched her bag and tried unsuccessfully to get past Donghae. “Ya! My patience is limited so don’t take too much from it unless you want me to break another bone in your body.”

Seeing Dara looking infuriated without that smirk on her face delighted Donghae. He narrowed his eyes at her as he held his door firmly. “You do realize that you have just threatened me, do you? I could sue you for Intimidation.”

Dara’s lips thinned and suddenly shoved the door hitting Donghae in the middle of his face. “Ack!”

“Now you could sue me for assault,” Dara said.

He had his hand covering his face. “You’re really crazy!” He proceeded to close the door but Dara stepped towards him putting her hands on the door’s frame before he could.

“I’m sorry!” she apologized hoping her face looked regretful. “I’m sorry, I won’t do it again.”

Donghae gave her a withering look before taking a step towards her. She stepped back biting her lip adapting a remorseful expression.

“Damn right you won’t,” Donghae said before stepping inside and slamming the door in her face.

Dara hammered her fist on the door. “Ya! Lee Donghae!” She started to punch in his passcode but then stopped. Donghae would probably kick her out of the house again so she might as well just need to give him time to simmer down. Why is he such a jerk?! She pounded on the door one last time before yelling, “I’ll come back! Don’t be such an idiot next time!” She stepped back and scowled at the closed door before turning and stomping towards the elevator reminding herself that this jerk is actually the man she had fell in love with. Why didn’t anybody told her winning your boyfriend is such a trying phase in an adult life?

He rubbed his face with a scowl trying to get the pain off his face as he heard Dara yell out her threat that she would come back and he should not be an idiot next time. He shook his head as he reflected on the reason why his family and his friends aren’t seeing how abnormal this girl is? He is very definite that there’s an ulterior motive of him asking her out. Or, much to his utter horror that he doesn’t want to ever admit, asking her to marry him. He plopped on his sofa and stared at the wall with furrowed brows. There is definitely a hidden reason that only he had known before the accident. Now it’s a mystery that he needed to get resolved. Did his grandma ordered him to get a wife or she would denounce him so he asked the closest woman that will agree? But he could’ve asked other decent girls and they would agree so why did he chose Dara? Maybe they had a deal to only marry for a period of time?

Or maybe he picked the craziest girl of the lot to annoy his father because maybe he had never really forgiven him and was putting up an act? Or trying to take revenge on Yoona for rejecting him?

The thought of Yoona made him feel morose. Yoona rejecting him. He was rejected. He let out a breath as he rested his head at the back of the sofa and stared at the ceiling. He had loved Yoona for as long as he had remembered and finding out that she only loved him like a brother made him wish that the memories he had lost included his feelings too. Because he doesn’t think he could ever stop loving her. And it hurts.

A sudden beeping sound interrupted his melancholy thoughts and he looked around wondering what sound was that. His eyes dropped to his new phone he had tossed on the table last night lighting up with a message. Brows furrowed, he reached for it. No one outside of his family knew his number yet. He opened the message.

Save this number if you don’t want me to do you bodily harm - Dara

What the…. How did she get….Yeah, his family, he realized. He should’ve instructed them not to give out his new number to anyone! A new message came in.

Love you (kiss emojis)

He practically pressed the delete screen hard not even bothering to save it and