Chapter 21 The Knight Versus The King
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My phone falls from my hands. Sehun catches it and holds on to it while I brace myself from the news. Kai is not married. The marriage is void. I feel myself become light headed, Sehun is there and he smiles at me. He wraps his arms around my body and keeps me upright. All my energy seems drained out from under me.
"It will be OK, noona." He reassures me for the fifth time. "Things happen for a reason." He smiles his genuine and comforting smile once again. For a moment I remember how I found solace with this man.
We board the plane and I close my eyes trying to grasp what just happened. Kai was speaking to the press about an "unforeseen situation" causing the marriage with Yoona to be void. Void. I tried for four months to feel nothing, void of emotion, as I attempted to get over this man. Void. I left him in my fantasies hoping to forget him, feeling safer without the possibility of breaking my heart. Only I found myself lost in reality without him by my side. A glimmer of hope rises inside me. Could we really be together after all this time? Then the hope disappears as I remember his duty, filial duty, he is the heir after all.
Seoul welcomed us back with fog and mist, fitting for the numbness that has set in. I feel a lack of energy and that's about all. I tell Sehun to stay in our penthouse for the night, I didn't want him to be waiting for the bus in this weather. Ever since the news of Kai's marriage incident came out everyone seemed to be walking on egg shells. I know every one of them has been trying to hold their feelings inside. They didn't want to be the first to bring it up. I am sure they are curious, anticipating what will happen between us now that this news broke out and opened a possibility for us to be together. We reach the 38th floor, Baekhyun kisses Taeyeon and Tiffany kisses Luhan. Saying goodbye to the two guys, Sehun keeps his arms around me the entire time we exited the gate up until now as we make our way back to the East wing of the tower. As soon as I enter our penthouse, Sehun bends down to remove my shoes. He leads me to my room, s my jacket and moves it off my shoulders. He hangs it in the closet and brings the rest of our luggage into the walk-in closet. I hear Taeyeon and Tiffany giggling as they enter the penthouse. Doors close and I know they are heading to their own showers and then to bed calling it a day. I look at Sehun, he removes his own jacket and opens his luggage. He takes out a clean shirt and boxers and lays them on my bed. He goes to my drawer and takes out sleeping attire for myself and hot pink underwear. Kai. He's seen me in those.
We have an understanding, Sehun and I. I admit to loving this guy, but not in the way that I love Kai. Is it not allowed to have two soul mates? I still stand in the middle of my room where Sehun left me as he gets a bath going. I look down at the hoodie I am wearing, Sehun's hoodie, I wore it throughout the trip. It protected me from the mist and kept me warm, Sehun's armor. I smile at his thoughtfulness. I slide out of my pants and head to the bathroom. He already removed his shirt, and wearing only his black boxer briefs, he enters the tub. He lets out a deep sigh and lays back on the tub with his eyes closed for a moment. I look at his beautiful porcelain skin. His button nose and skinny lips. A contrast to Kai's sun-kissed skin and full lips. He opens his eyes seeing me stare down at him with a blank look.
"Noona, do you want me to wash you up?" I know what you are thinking, don't let your imaginations get the best of you. Sehun and I aren't like that. I told you, there's an understanding between us. He is my knight and he's sworn to protect me. He knows where my heart stands, where my heart longs, that is. He doesn't expect anything more but my compassion and friendship. "Come in, keep the hoodie on."
He extends his arms towards me and opens his hand inviting me into the warm water. I enter the tub but before I slip into the water and into his arms I remove his hoodie for I didn't want it to get soaked. With just my bra and on I allow myself to melt in his arms. He begins to lather me with soap on my shoulders, my arms, my neck, and my back. He ties my hair up loosely, struggling a bit, and that causes me to giggle slightly. My first laugh in what seems like a long time. He continues to wash off the soap as he runs the warm, bubbly and cherry blossom scented water over my body. He lays a soft kiss on my neck.
"Everything will be alright. I am sure hyung will come to you soon." Sehun, my knight in shining armor, reassures me once again. My heart should be jumping for joy at the fact that Kai is no longer married, that he and I can be together, but for some reason I can't feel anything. The feeling of hope was fleeting, I began to doubt that he and I are meant to be together. Why am I feeling like this? Easy, he is a chaebol, he has a duty to fulfill, his parents chose Yoona for his wife, certainly they will choose another more fitting bride for their son, their heir.
I let out a sigh finally relaxing a bit. I reach for the hook on my bra strap, the soaked bra was beginning to be uncomfortable. Sehun helps me remove it and tosses it over the edge of the tub. I cross my arms over my chest and he wraps his arms around me. His warmth is soothing and his own armor energizes me. I lay in his arms for a while longer praying that the numbness dissipates and I can feel once again. The door bell rings and I assume that the girls will answer it, but the door bell continues to ring. I get out of the tub and dry myself quickly. I put Sehun's hoodie back on and change my underwear. I hear Sehun getting out of the tub as I leave the bedroom.
"Coming!" I unlock the door and open it without looking at the screen for who it is. Kai.
"Where is he?" He pushes his way through the door and passes me without removing his shoes, Sehun comes out with a towel wrapped around his waist.
"Hyung?" Kai approaches him and punches him on the face. I scream. The door bell rings again and then clicks open as Baekhyun and Luhan enters and rushes towards Kai. Kai punches Sehun again square in the jaw. Sehun pushes Kai off of him as Baekhyun wraps his arms around Kai pulling him off of Sehun. Luhan gets between Kai and Sehun, his back is turned towards Sehun and his hands are pushing on Kai's chest. Both him and Baek are trying their best to keep Kai from attacking Sehun again. I run to Sehun and see that his lip has been cut, he looks at me endearingly and whispers, "I'm OK."
From the corner of my eye I see Kai approaching Sehun again and I get between the two of them. As he is about to swing his arm at him, I slap him across the face and he freezes. Tiffany and Taeyeon has already come out of their rooms after hearing the commotion. Baekhyun lets go of Kai's waist for he was dragged over to Sehun and Luhan also lets go of his left arm. Kai and I stare at each other, anger in both of our eyes, and then disappointment.
"Get out!" I demand. "Get out, now!" My entire body shakes, my heart and mind are in complete confusion. Who is this guy? Why did he come in here and attack his friend? Where did this confidence of mine come from? How did I find the nerve to tell the man I love to leave? I stare right at him, never wavering. He still stares back at me. I turn my back to him and bend over to Sehun. I pick him up from the floor and lead him into my bedroom and slam the door shut. I hear them speak from inside the room. Sehun enters the bathroom to wash his lip.
"What was that all about?" Tiffany asks. Silence.
"I thought you wanted to be with her again, Kai, this is not the way to get her back." Taeyeon adds. Silence. Kai doesn't respond to either of them. I hear the front door slam shut. Kai must have left. I hear Baekhyun call out for him and he also leaves the penthouse.
Luhan. "He saw them, from across the tower. He saw them in the tub."
"How?" Tiffany asks.
"He has a telescope. I am so sorry for all of this. I think it was a misunderstanding." Luhan answers. I leave my room.
"He saw us? He's been watching me from his penthouse?"
"Evey, don't be mad at him-"
"How long, how long has he been watching me?"
"Since the night he delivered pizza to your door." Luhan pauses, as if battling whether or not he should share more. "And up to the night before his wedding." I sit on my couch. Sehun enters, clothed, and with an awkward smile towards everyone. He sits next to me. He is the only one that really knows how I feel about Kai. He is the only one I've confided with in the last few days especially. He knows the song I wrote is about my feelings towards Kai. He knows what i am feeling right now. He knows how numb I have become. He is my knight.
"It was a misunderstanding. I will explain everything to him, unless, there is more between you two…." Luhan adds.
"No hyung, this was a misunderstanding. I will speak to him." Sehun faces me and smiles. "Let me fix this. You stay here. Go and rest. I'll be back in an hour." He kisses my forehead and he stands up. I tug on his shirt. I don't want him to leave.
"Can you talk to him tomorrow? I need you with me tonight." Tiffany and Taeyeon look at each other in disbelief. Let them think what they want. Sehun and I aren't like that. It doesn't matter if they don't believe me. And perhaps it will hurt Kai more thinking that I chose Sehun over him, for now, today, after his rage. But the fact that I'm feeling numb again is not a good thing. Before I always thought that feeling numb was perfectly fine. It prevented me from feeling anything, love, hate, anger, sadness. But lately numbness also brings in vulnerability. I don't want to feel eternally lost again, and Sehun has pulled me out of that wall zone before thus I need him with me to prevent me from falling into it again.
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