“It’s not a big deal,” Victoria’s mom insisted. “I’m fine. I don’t even know why I even have to be in the hospital.”

                Although she was trying to seem bright and fine, her eyes were tired and saggy, betraying her outer personality. Victoria noticed it and bit her lip to not cry. She felt like she was a bad daughter, not noticing her mother was sick for a long time, even if her mother didn’t live in Korea.

                “It is a big deal,” Victoria replied, her frustration and anger rising.

                “It’s a bit cramped here,” Victoria’s mom gave a small laugh. “I don’t like it here. I don’t need to be here.”

                “Unless the doctor says you can leave, you’re staying here.”  Victoria’s lips tightened and she expected her mom to argue.

                But her mom gave out a long sigh and shook her head.

                “Fine, I’ll stay. But there’s really no point…” Victoria’s mom murmured the last words, but Victoria ignored it. She brightened up a bit and sat down next to her mom.

                “Good,” Victoria fixed the bed sheets. “You need to stay here and rest plenty. Then, you can get better. Is there anything you need? I’ll get it for you.”

                Her mother’s eyes crinkled as she smiled. “You’re acting as if I’m an old grandma,” her mother insisted. Victoria blushed.

                “I’m not! And you are an old grandma,” Victoria patted her hand. Her mother huffed and fixed her hair.

                “Nichkhun,” her mother called. “Am I an old grandma?”

                Victoria was startled. She had forgotten that Nichkhun had been waiting near the door the whole time. Turning around, she saw him walking to them, smiling.

                “Of course not,” Nichkhun grabbed Victoria’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “Victoria’s just blind.”

                Victoria’s cheeks turned pink as her mom and Nichkhun laughed and joked. Looking down at her lap, she gave a small smile to herself and chuckled lightly.

-                                                                                                                                                

                “He’s a nice boy,” Victoria’s mom commented. “I like him.”

                “Mom!” Victoria blushed as she fixed her mother’s towel.

                “What? Is there something wrong? I just said I think he’s a nice boy. He’s polite and funny. Very charming, very handsome,” her mother commented.

                Victoria murmured her agreements and when she looked up from the towel, she realized that her mother had turned somewhat serious and thoughtful.

                “You love him, don’t you?”

                Victoria felt her mother’s warm gaze upon her and she smiled.

                “I do.”

                “I can tell,” her mother commented. “Both of you are so easy to read.”

                Victoria, startled, widened her eyes. “What do you mean?”

                “Well, when Nichkhun looks at you, his face changes. He smiled a bit wider, and he seems happier. He’s always looking out for you when you’re not watching, and I can always see his hand lingering after holding your hand, as if he doesn’t want to let go,” her mother happily replied. “And as for you, you were always like an easy book ever since you were little. Your whole face glows when you’re near him, and as soon as he’s a somewhat distance apart, you seem dull without him.”

                “Really…” Victoria murmured, her heart feeling as if It was going to burst.

                “He needs you. You need him,” Victoria’s mother gave her hand a squeeze. “I approve. I most definitely approve.”

-

                Where is she? Where is she?

                Nichkhun wandered around the hospital hallway, searching for Victoria. Sighing, he came back to where he first started: Victoria’s mother’s room. Once he was inside, he was surprised to see that she was there.

                She must have come in when I was looking for her.

                Nichkhun soundlessly walked to where she was. Victoria was sleeping near the wide window. Her head was resting against the white wall, and her legs were stretched out in front of her. Chuckling softly, he slid next to her, gently fixing her posture so her head rested on his shoulder.

                As soon as her head was placed against his shoulder, she nuzzled in closer and dropped her hand into his, intertwining their fingers together. Her long hair brushed against his arm and he matched his breathing with her.

                “Where were you?” Victoria murmured, half asleep.

                Nichkhun didn’t answer. Instead, he smiled and gently rested his cheek on the top of her head.

                “Are you tired?” Victoria’s voice was barely a whisper.

                Nichkhun nodded lightly, breathing in Victoria’s sweet scent.

                “I’ll tell you a story then…” Victoria mumbled, her voice still drowsy with sleep.  “Once upon a time…there was a prince. He was…very handsome and from…Thailand…and there was a princess…a Chinese princess…”

                Nichkhun gave a small smile, and squeezed her hand.

                “…The Thai prince and…the Chinese princess hated each other very much…they fought…fought…a lot. But one day, the Thai prince…he watched the princess sleep…the nerve of that guy…”

                Nichkhun chuckled at her indignant tone. He was slowly falling asleep, but he still wanted to hear the sweet story that Victoria was telling him, still in her half-sleep state.

                “…the princess realized her never dying love for the prince, and the prince realized his never dying love for the princess.”

                The light filtering from the window shone on them and the thin curtains billowed around them from the breeze. Victoria finally fell asleep and Nichkhun started to close his eyes, falling asleep as well. But before finally shutting his eyes, he hummed softly to himself, a small smile appearing on his face.

                “…And they lived happily ever after.”