-Chapter Ten-

Warmth

There are moments in which you thought you are okay, that you thought everything is the way it’s supposed to be. You eat, you walk, and you continue living the way you are supposed to be while making yourself believe that you are fine, that you are okay… that you don’t feel the loneliness of being alone breaks your heart and soul to pieces.

‘Why don’t we hang out for a change?’ Daesung suggested as they were fixing their things preparing to leave their classroom since their class just ended. ‘I mean let’s go out or eat somewhere,’ he added as everyone stopped for while as if giving it a thought when all they will do was agree on him.

‘Sure, we haven’t done something like that so who’s in?’ Hyunseung asked as Bom, Minzy and Daesung raised their hands. They then turned to Jiyong who was still fixing his things. ‘How about you Ji? Aren’t you going to come?’ Bom asked. He just grinned at them. ‘If you promise to treat me then why not,’ he laughed.

‘Like duh! You’re the one who’s supposed to be treating us oppa! Where the hell did your 20 thousand go?’ Minzy asked earning agreements from their friends. ‘I ate them,’ Jiyong answered smiling smugly while wiggling his brows as his friends gave their what-the- look on him.

‘Aishh, you know just tell us if you don’t want to treat us than lying about it,’ Daesung said. ‘And you at lying,’ he added as they started laughing. ‘So let’s go,’ Hyunseung asked as they all nodded when all of a sudden Jiyong’s phone ringed. And it was ringing loudly that everyone, including their classmates and even the ones innocently passing in the corridor stared at him.

Jiyong quickly fished out his phone in his pocket as he stared at the screen. He smiled as he saw her name flashing on it. He quickly answered it as his friends stared at him not believing that he actually has a phone. ‘Hello,’ he answered.

‘Get here on Rafael Building room 201,’ Dara briefly said then hung up on him. He stared at his phone shaking his head as he slid his bag on his arm. He chuckled, she could have messaged him instead but she called him. And somehow that made him happy while thinking how cute her voice was on the phone that he could actually spent hours listening to it if she let him and if ever she was really a talker which she never was. He heaved a sigh.

‘You have a phone?!’ all of his friends asked him which made him almost jumped on his place. ‘Aishh, what do you think of me? Living in a cave?’ he asked as they all stupidly nodded their heads making him roll his eyes. ‘Whatever,’ he said shaking his head as he walked aiming for the door. ‘I can’t come with you,’ he grinned at them as they all roll their eyes.

‘Why?’ Bom asked earning a big idiotic smile from him. ‘I need to check one of my lost boys,’ he answered. He then saluted them. ‘Bye! I’m off to neverland!’ he added as he spread his arms and ran away like he was flying, like he was playing.

‘Idiot,’ Bom hissed shaking her head. ‘Jiyong’s unfair,’ Daesung said as everyone nodded in agreement. ‘This is only once but then he just traded us for who knows what,’ Hyunseung chipped in. ‘He has work guys give him a break,’ Minzy chuckled. ‘He has?!’ both Hyunseung and Daesung exclaimed.

‘Duh, student assistant for Ms. Park,’ Bom said shaking her head as she walked her way out of their room. ‘Ahh yeah I forgot about that,’ Daesung said chuckling as they all walked on the corridor.

‘I still wish he was with us though, it’s more fun,’ Hyunseung said as they all nodded in agreement.

Jiyong was bouncing his way to the place she said or rather ordered him to go. After checking the room number he then knocked on the open door only to see her sitting on the teacher’s table, massaging her temples with bunch of sketchpads on the table and her things were still a mess.

He glanced all over the room and it was empty already. It was strange how her things were still not arrange when she always arranged it and leave before her class does. ‘Ms. Park, are you okay?’ he asked as he moved closer to her as Dara turned to her tiredly. They stared at each other for seconds as Dara let out a small sigh, nodding. She then started fixing her things as Jiyong was arranging the sketchpads.

He was staring at her every move, and how she was unusually slow that very moment. She had always moved slow or rather gently yet that moment she was as if, if she moves she will fall to pieces. He was started to get worried about her as he lifted the sketchpads waiting for her to finish arranging her things.

‘Let’s go,’ she breathed out in a voice painted with exhaustion, extreme exhaustion. Jiyong stared at her for a moment contemplating as she started walking with him following her. They reached the faculty room after minutes of walking as he arranged the sketchpads on its proper place.

Dara was sitting there raking her hair as she let out another heavy sigh. He stared at her and that’s when he started noticing little things. Like she was red, really red that moment and how she carries herself like she was lifting the whole weight of the world in her arms. She then pushed herself up that she almost lost her balance making Jiyong jolt to her as she just stopped him with her arms.

‘Thank you for your hard work today, I’ll just text you tomorrow,’ she said as he stood there staring at her listening on how she forced herself to say all those words. She then walked her way to the faculty door after bidding goodbye to her co workers with Jiyong following her.

She was walking her way out of the campus still with Jiyong walking behind her as he finally couldn’t take it anymore and held her wrist making her turn to face him. She stared at him as he pulled her to him landing his palm on her forehead. ‘You have a fever,’ he mumbled as Dara pulled her hand away from him as she took steps backward.

‘I don’t,’ she answered almost in whisper but it was as if she was left unheard by him as he held her wrist as if she was going to fall anytime soon. ‘How do you go to school or leave?’ he asked as Dara stared at him. She wanted to push him away or just pull her hand away from his hold since the feeling he was giving her was adding more to her headache, that everything was just spinning around her.

But then it must be that she was exhausted and can’t find enough strength to argue with him anymore. ‘I take a cab,’ she answered and with that Jiyong guided her out of the campus and called a cab. He then gently guided her inside the taxi as he took the seat next to her making her stare at him in disbelief.

Jiyong just gave the address to the taxi driver and soon they sped off. ‘You shouldn’t have come I can take care of myself,’ Dara said in a low voice. Jiyong just smiled at her not bothering to argue or reason out to her anymore knowing she needed rest. Dara massaged her temples again cooing her headache.

Jiyong then slowly wrapped his arm on her shoulder pulling her closer to him as their bodies touch. Dara tried to protest but her body was not really in the perfect mood to cooperate with her as she just felt her head throbbing, her body's dead heavy and her eyes were hot and begging for some rest. And without knowing it her eyes fluttered close as her head rested on his shoulder and in seconds she fell asleep.

Asleep on his arms.

The taxi stopped as Jiyong fished out his wallet and paid for the fare. He then gently went out of the taxi carrying Dara on his arms after ransacking her bag for her card key. He stared at the girl he was carrying on his arms, he couldn't believe how light she was that it was as if she was not eating anything at all. He heaved a sigh struggling opening the huge brown metal gate of her house.

After walking and