Maybe it's the Rain
Hello My Ex
Joon’s P.O.V
“HUH?” I popped awake suddenly. My jaw was sore from it being apparently wide open during my nap. I was laying uncomfortably in the hospital bed, not that there was a comfortable way to lay in one. The light in the room was hard to adjust to so quickly after waking up. I opened and shut my eyes a few times to fix my vision and let out a big yawn. I heard snickering to my left. Alex had a smirk on his face.
“What!” I demanded. The look she was giving me was annoying.
“You’re drooling,” she snidely remarked. I wiped off the liquid from the side of my mouth.
“So what,” I mumbled. I’m surprised she even stayed. From the pile of magazines I assume she was reading the entire time. She must have been bored.
A nurse came walking in the room. I’m not sure how long I was asleep but it had already been an hour since the doctor appeared.
“Hello Mr. Lee, let’s check on you,” the nurse said. She had such a friendly smile; a much kinder expression than that of the other woman in the room. She marked down some notes on her clipboard about various levels of something she was telling me. I didn’t quite pay attention. She checked my pulse and asked me a few questions then removed the IV. “Okay, I’ll bring your clothes and you’ll be all set to go.”
“Really, that’s all?” I said.
“Yeah, you don’t need to stay in the hospital. Please stop by the desk when you leave.”
“Oh, okay,” I nodded. The nurse left.
“Well, I guess you aren’t dying,” Alex sarcastically joked.
“Must be disappointing for you,” I mumbled. “Yah, you didn’t need to stay,” I added, pointing at her.
“I didn’t have a choice. I don’t like this any better than you do.” Her words were sharp. It’s not like I didn’t want her here, I just couldn’t understand. Her phone started ringing.
“You’re supposed to turn those off in the hospital” I said. She ignored me and answered.
“Yoboseyo?”
“---“ I couldn’t make out the other side.
“Yes honey, it’s me.” Oh yeah, that’s why she was still here. Stupid Seungho.
“---“
“Yeah, he’ll actually be discharged in a few minutes.”
“---“
“Oh, you can’t?”
“---“
She sighed. “Okay dear, I can do that.”
“---“
“Bye sweetheart.”
Aish, how many pet names did she need to call him? It was like she was purposely trying to rub it in.
“Who was that?” I don’t know why I asked.
“Seungho. I guess they’re still practicing and have an interview to attend later. I’m supposed to take you home with me until they are done.” She sounded rather dissatisfied. She really hated being around me that much now? Well I wasn’t asking for the situation either.
“Here are your items. Make sure everything is the in bag.” The nurse returned. I pulled out my wallet, keys, phone and clothing out. The nurse wanted me to count every coin to acknowledge the hospital hadn’t lost anything. Once I checked I signed off on a piece of paper. “Please get changed and follow the path to the exit. Everything else will be taken care of there.”
“Thank you.” I sat my items beside me as she closed the door behind her. I started to straighten out my clothing to change until I remembered Alex was still there. She was putting the magazines away then looked at me.
“Yo, do you plan on watching me change?” I sneeringly said. Her face turned bright red. She didn’t know what to do. It was cute seeing her flustered.
“Fine then, I’ll wait outside. She grabbed her purse and headed to the door. I tried to reach behind my back and untie my robe but struggled.
“Wait,” I called, sighing. “Can you help me with this?”
She chuckled. “Why should I?” Either way she untied the various knots. “Not the best day to where heart patterned boxers,” she teased. I totally forgot about that. I playfully swat at her, rather embarrassed.
“Hey! You shouldn’t look.”
“I think it’s cute, Changsun,” she giggled. I froze. Realizing what she said she covered and rushed out the door. It must have slipped out. It gave me chills to hear here say it after so long. Where did it come from? All she has been calling me since she’s been with Seungho is ‘Joon.’ How I hated her calling me that. My animosity seemed to disappear from hearing my name.
I let the robe slide off of me and sat there shirtless for a few moments. My pulse was going a million miles a minute. Was I having a heart attack? No, that wouldn’t make sense. I had to snap out of it. I quickly got changed and checked my appearance in a window’s reflection. My expression was blank. I took a breath and grabbed my keys, wallet and phone then got to my feet. For some reason they felt wobbly so I was careful on my way to the door. I slowly opened the door to see Alex sitting on the ground with her back against the wall. I felt a lump in my throat and swallowed hard.
“I’m ready to go.” I coughed, clearing my throat once more. Without looking at me she stood and started walking. I steadied myself holding onto the wall and following far behind. She turned around probably noticing I was so far back. She scratched her head appearing to be deciding something then headed back my way.
“Here.”
She snuck under my arm and put her arm around my waist. I took up the offer and leaned against her. She kept her pace slow so I could take my time. I wasn’t sure what to say since she kept her eyes staring forward. My hand gripped her shoulder from hanging so loosely before and she stopped for a moment still looking away. She took a breath then started going again ignoring my gesture. It wasn’t long until we reached the desk to take care of my discharge papers. Alex stepped away so I could take care of signing. The woman at the desk confirmed my information then sent me on my way. Alex offered her shoulder again and I took her up on it. As we turned to leave the woman at the desk said something.
“You two make a cute couple.” All I could do was smile. Alex turned back to her and I was afraid of what she would say.
“May I ask you something?” She said, much to my surprise. The woman nodded. “Is he going to have any side effects from the IV?”
“Oh, it shouldn’t be anything serious. He may be tired for the rest of the day so I suggest a lot of sleep. The worst that can happen is a rash from the needle.”
“Okay, thank you.” We turned and exited the building. Our walking slowed down under the hospital’s front entrance as we could see it was pouring down rain. Alex looked around for something then led me to a bench still under the covering. “I’ll go get the car,” she said, pulling over her hood.
“No, you don’t need to.” I gently grabbed her arm. My action took both of us by surprise. I quickly let go and looked away.
“No, it’s alright, I don’t mind the rain,” she mumbled.
“Well,” I shyly responded, “I’ll be right here waiting.”
She ran off, only to have a car show up in a few minutes. She flashed the headlights letting me know it was her but I remembered that car very well. Its blue color made it stand out from others even if it wasn’t in wonderful shape. Not a car I would consider luxury but we had our fair share of memories in it. I opened the door and got in to see Alex was drenched from head to toe. I felt rather guilty letting her suffer alone. She had the heat cranked up to keep herself from shivering.
“Thanks,” I quietly spoke, buckling my seatbelt.
“You’re welcome,” she said, checking her mirrors then pulling out onto the street.
Neither one of us were completely sure what to say. She was doing her best to pay attention on the road but I could tell she felt awkward. She sighed and the radio.
“Modu da geojitmaliya da geojitmaliya All of it's a lie, it's all lies
neoui sarangul da geojitmaliya Your love is all a lie
eetorok apeuge haeseo Because it's made me hurt this much
nal sulpeuge haeseo ulrego gan sarangijanha” You know it's a love that's leaving after making me cry
Both of us glanced at the radio, then at eachother. She quickly slammed her hand on the button to change the station.
“Jugeodo mot bonae naega eotteohke neol bonae Can't let you go, even if I die
Garyeo geodeun tteonaryeo geodeun How am I supposed to let you go?
Nae gaseum gochyeo nae Whether you go or leave, fix my heart
“Really?!” She groaned staring at the radio again.
“It must be sad song day,” I joked; she wasn’t amused.
“Let’s see what cd I have in,” she said, stopping at a red light. She pushed the cd button and a familiar song started playing.
“Yo, you know it’s been a long time
The last time we met, it was you and me…”
Her face turned bright red as she knocked her forehead against the steering wheel. I hurriedly slammed my hand against the buttons and managed to turn it off. I awkwardly laughed and stared out the window. The rest of the ride was quiet.
***
Alex’s P.O.V
“We’re here,” I said, pulling into my apartment parking lot. My heart was pounding from the nervous wreck I was. Not that anything was going wrong, aside from me calling Changsun by name, a habit I’ve been going against ever since I got together with Seungho. Perhaps it was the awkward feel of the hospital that made his name slip out of my mouth. It wasn’t just that I said it, but how I felt when I said it. It felt nice for a moment to call him by it again. His name always had a way of dancing off my tongue so sweetly. Such a little thing but I could feel a change in Changsun’s attitude since we left the room. He’s acting how he used to around me, instead of being so cold. I missed that part of him.
“Hey, are you okay?” He asked me. I snapped out of my thoughts. I shut off the car and undid my seatbelt.
“Sorry,” I said. I noticed it was still pouring down rain outside. The last thing I wanted to do was go back in the freezing rain. I turned around and searched for an umbrella in my backseat. I finally stumbled upon one. “Ah, here we go.” I reached down to turn the handle on my car door, the rain blowing against it made me hesitate.
“Here, I’ll get out first.” Changsun took the umbrella from my hand. He got out and opened the umbrella, shutting the door then coming around to my side. I couldn’t help but smile. He knocked on my window when he got there. He pulled the door open for me and offered his hand to help me out of the car. Without thinking I grabbed it. I started shivering from the breeze as he shut my door.
“It’s colder than before,” I said, rubbing my hands together. All of the sudden, I felt his arm around my shoulder, tugging me in close.
“Don’t worry, I’ll keep you warm,” he quietly said, keeping his eyes gazing elsewhere. The umbrella was barely any use against the storm. His body protected me from the wind and rain as we got to my building. I quickly pulled the keys from my pocket and let us in. He shook the umbrella and closed it. “Wow, that rain really is cold,” he remarked. He was almost as soaked as I was before.
“Sit on the couch, I’ll grab you a towel,” I instructed. I went to the bathroom and grabbed two fresh ones from the cupboard. I dried off my hair still wet from my first trip then carried the towels to the living room.
“Here, I got you-“ I stopped, jaw dropping to the floor. His shirt was crumpled on the floor. He was sitting there brushing through his wet hair, little droplets riding down his chest and sculpted abs. It’s been so long since I’ve seen him shirtless. He wiped his face with his hands then noticed me standing there, motionless.
“Oh, is that for me?” He said, pointing to the dry towel in hand.
“Uh..ye..yeah” I stuttered, passing it to him. I could feel my face turning bright red again, so I covered a side of my face, looking away. “Maybe I can find you a shirt,” I said, shooting off to my bedroom. I instantly shut the door and started breathing heavy; my pulse going off the radar. “Seungho, please come soon,” I said to myself, heading to my dresser. I remembered the collection of Seungho’s shirts I had scattered around the room. I checked my drawer to find a clean one and took it for him to wear. Without looking, I threw it his way. “Put this on,” I said.
“Okay.” Once he slipped it over his head I took a breath.
“I bet you’re hungry.” I felt the need to talk about something and get my mind off of his perfect…body…
“Come to think of it, I haven’t eaten all day,” he said.
“That’s why you’re so exhausted,” I couldn’t help but scold him.
“Maybe…”
“I’ll go make you something.” I walked into the kitchen remembering I prepared ingredients earlier to make bibimbap. All I had to do was mix everything together and cook an egg. I could hear he had turned the television on in the living; the sounds of chit chatter were relaxing. It didn’t take long till I got everything ready and put it in a bowl. I grabbed a pair of chopsticks and took it out to him, setting it on the coffee table.
“Wow, this looks delicious,” he said, eyeing my work. He took the chopsticks and started chomping away while I sat beside him. My own stomach was growling; he must’ve noticed.
“You should eat some.” He picked up some of the rice and vegetables in between his chopsticks, moving it close to my mouth. I shook my head refusing it but he offered again. “You made it, you should have some.” I gave in and took a bite. He smiled then charged at it again. He was funny to watch, eating so sloppily because of his starvation. After several minutes he set the bowl down and leaned back, finally feeling the effects of eating too fast. I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw a piece of rice stuck to his lip.
“What!?” He said so defensively. I tried to say but was laughing too hard. He looked so silly. Involuntarily I used my finger to wipe off the rice on his lip. His expression shifted, catching me off guard with my fingers still against his mouth. Time seemed to stop. All I could see was him in front of me. The background and noises faded to nothingness. I felt his hand gently grab my wrist and drag it down, holding my hand hostage to the couch. His face slowly crept up closer to mine. I was frozen. My mind went blank and my heart stopped. My eyes were slowly closing as his breath was felt blowing against my face. His hand was wrapping itself, holding the back of my head from moving. With only a bit of my eyes open I saw him tilt his head. What was coming over me?
Within a moment, his lips pressed against mine. They were softer than I remembered. My body sank from the pleasure of his kiss. His lips tasted so sweet…so comforting. What…what was…this…
*RRINNNNNNGGGGG*
The doorbell! I forced myself away, my eyes widened with panic. I was sweating, afraid of what had just happened. What was I doing?! His face was filled with just as much shock as mine.
“Alex…” he breathily said, clearly trying to collect his own thoughts. Hearing my name brought my blood to a boil. I heard the doorbell ring again. I had to answer! I jumped from my seat to feel him grab me by the wrist again. “Alex…” why did he have to repeat it? I shot around to him, slapping him hard across the face.
“Yah!” I screamed, shaking my wrist loose then running to the door. I opened it up.
“Hey babe,” Seungho said, reaching his arms out to squeeze me tight then follow up with a kiss. I was shaking, staring at the living room. He made me turn my face to him. “What’s wrong?” He asked, pouting his lips. I shook my head, faking a smile the best I could.
“It’s nothing,” I said as confidently as possible although feeling the opposite. “Why are you here?”
“Our interview got done early so I wanted to take Joon off of your hands.” He rocked my back and forth in his embrace as he always does. For the first time, I wanted to escape it.
“Joon!” I practically yelled. He wasn’t responding. I held Seungho’s hand tight and led him to the living room where Changsun was staring at us. The pleasant smile I saw the entire day was depleted. If looks could kill, Seungho and I would be dead on impact.
“Hey, how are you feeling?” Seungho asked him. Changsun got on his feet and pushed passed us.
“Can we leave?” He impatiently muttered. I could only hide my face in Seungho’s arm.
“Did something happen?” Seungho concerningly whispered in my ear.
“He’s just not feeling well from the IV,” I said out loud. Changsun glared at me.
“Well, I should get you home then.” Seungho kissed my forehead then let go. “I’ll call you later.”
I watched them make their way out the door into the rain. A sudden heaviness came over me watching them walk to Seungho’s car. Seungho honked the horn as he drove away. I shut the door and slid to the floor feeling weak.
What just happened?
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