“Hi there…” a really soft voice called out as I gently opened my eyes. They focused on a guy with cute dimple on his cheek. He had a shock of jet black hair, styled into a careful disarray. Only the stethoscope hanging around his shoulders hinted that he was a doctor. I looked around me and noticed that I was lying on my bed. Baekhyun must have carried me back to my room. I also noticed that he was nowhere to be seen.

“I’m Lay.” The doctor said cheerfully as he observed me.

“Where is Baekhyun?” I asked him the first question that came to my mouth.

“I asked him to wait outside.” Lay replied plugging the stethoscope on his ears and checked my pulse.

“Why?” I asked him once he finished checking me and scribbled something onto a paper.

“You are his tenant. Not his girlfriend. That’s why.” Lay replied bluntly.

“Oh…” I trailed off not knowing what to say.

“So, Jiyeon…..you have a slight fever and your breathing is laboured, which indicates that you might have injured your ribs. I might need to check your ribs for any possible fracture.” He said smiling gently.

I nodded at him giving my consent. He gently pulled up my shirt and he stiffened at what he saw.

“Who did this to you?.” He asked in a low voice.

“No one.” I said trying to act cool and failing miserably.

“You do know that physical violence is a crime right? You should report this.” Lay said seriously as he probed the bruise making me yelp in pain. “I never knew Baekhyun liked to abuse people.” he mused.

“It was not Baekhyun.” I explained hurriedly.

“Who then?” Lay urged.

“Someone from my school.” I blurted out and face palmed myself.

“You got bullied.” Lay verified. I nodded my head not meeting his eyes.

“Well, my advice to you would be to report whoever they are as soon as possible.” He proceeded to scribble more on his piece of paper. He then kept the paper aside and probed my ribs gently. I yelped again as pain shot through me.

“You don’t have a fracture, but it looks like they might have faced an impact. I suggest you take a couple of days off from work and get rest. Meanwhile, you can get these pills. They will ease the pain and will help you sleep.” He handed over the sheet and I received it from him with a soft ‘thanks’.

I quickly grabbed his hand as he got up, making him raise his eyebrows at me.

“Baekhyun doesn’t know about this. So, don’t tell him.” I demanded.

“If that’s what you want.” Lay said, nodding his head.

“Sleep well.” He said before gently closing the door behind him. I sighed deeply and stared at the ceiling. I wanted nothing more than to curl up and sleep, but the fever together with the occasional pain on my chest and waist was proving it difficult. After an hour of desperate attempts to sleep , I got up and wore a hoodie over my shirt and grabbed the prescription and my wallet and made my way out. Baekhyun was as usual sitting on the couch, his laptop propped open on his lap. He was working. He looked up curiously as I came out of my room, but didn’t say anything. I slowly went out the door and made my way to the elevator. I vaguely remembered seeing a drug store just along the street. I got out of the elevator and went out of the building. I shivered as the cold air blew at my face. I tried to walk faster at the same time taking enough care not to cause too much pain. As I was walking around the corner, I heard footsteps behind me and looked back . Standing a couple of feet behind me, looking extremely awkward and out of place was Baekhyun. I raised my eyebrows at him confusedly. What is he doing here? He cleared his throat, avodidng my eyes. He came forward and draped his heavy coat over my shoulder, which I  noticed he had been carrying on his arm.

“Why are you out when you are not feeling well?” He asked roughly, as he fell into step with me. I chose to ignore him. I felt drained. I didn’t want to fight with him. I sighed in relief when the drug store that I was looking for came in my sight. I quickly went in and Baekhyun followed me in. I handed over the prescription paper over to the woman standing behind the counter and waited for her to get the medicines. The woman soon came back, placing two bottles on the table. As I took out my wallet to pay, Baekhyun’s hand flashed out and grabbed my wrist, pulling it down.

“What now?” I groaned at him.

“What are these tablets for?” he asked the woman, completely ignoring me.

“This one is a fever reducer and the other one is a pain killer.” She said indicating the respective bottles.

“Pain killer?” Baekhyun asked curiously as he looked at me.

“None of your business.” I snapped at him. I wrenched my arm free from his grip and took my wallet out again. before I could make the payment, Baekhyun handed over his card to the woman. She took it with a knowing smile on her face, as she looked at us both.

“You two make a great couple.” She said as she returned the card. I choked on my own spit and Baekhyun turned beet red as he took the card back and shoved it into his pocket.

“What’s the pain killer for?” he pressed again, as we were making our way back home.

“Why do you care?” I asked him angrily.

“That’s a valid question.” He mused to himself. The rest of the walk was silent. As we were entering the elevator, I felt my head spinning again and wobbled dangerously. Baekhyun sighed and scooped me up in his arms again. I protested feebly and he acted like he was deaf. I was uncomfortably aware of my chest pressed against his. I could even feel his steady heart beat. His citrusy scent filled my nose. How can he manage to be so fresh all the time? I wondered unconsciously. I came back to reality as he struggled to enter the passcode of our house.  I snorted and leaned forward and punched in the passcode. The door unlocked and I helped him open it and he made his way to my room straightaway, gently laying me in my bed and removed his coat from mine. I shivered when the warmth left my skin. He went back without another word. weird. He soon came back with a glass of water which he promptly plac