I had expected Sehun to be gone the next morning, left to go check on his mom or return Jongin’s car, or even to just get away from me. Either way, I thought he would be long gone by the time I woke up the next day.

Given that, I was surprised to wake around noon the next day to discover a sleeping boy at my feet. Still drowsy, it took me a moment to realize it was Sehun and to remember how he had ended up at the opposite end of the couch with my feet in his lap after I recalled how sore I was after sleeping in my own armchair and suggested he move. Besides that, the night had been silent and I fell asleep somewhere towards the middle of it. That still didn’t minimize the amount of surprise I had when I found he was still there, sleeping as if he had not a care in the world.

“Up for some lunch?” Grandma suddenly came out of nowhere wearing an apron and with a spatula in hand.

I blinked up at her, still half asleep, before I nodded and looked back at Sehun. Staring for a moment, I contemplated if it were possible to get my feet out from under his arms without waking him up in the process. His arms were quite heavy, so I didn’t think so. Maybe allowing him to move hadn’t been such a good idea after all.

Grandma was almost back in the kitchen when she called out: “Sausage or bacon? Or both?”

Sehun’s eyes shot open and I jumped, both of us startled by how loud Grandma was.

“Is that a both?” she asked, peeking around the doorway.

I threw her a weary glance and nodded. She grinned before going back into the kitchen, leaving me with Sehun, who was rubbing at his eyes, seeming to look very childish while doing so. I slowly took my feet back, bending my knees towards myself, and he paused before moving his hands away from his eyes.

I wasn’t so sure a good morning was a proper way to handle the situation, so I resulted in throwing my legs off the couch and standing so quickly I wobbled when the blood rushed to my head. Holding my head as I blinked rapidly, I scurried around the couch and into the kitchen.

Grandma was busily frying that sausage and bacon when I plopped down into a chair.

“Did you rest well, dear?” she asked, loading some sausage onto a plate overlaid with paper towels.

Sleepily, I shook my head and laid my forehead against the table top. I still felt tired but I didn’t feel like going to lie back down. Not with Sehun especially. But within the five minutes I had been awake, it had taken only half that for memories and all that came with them to resurface and I sat up straight, alert.

The pain in my hand had dulled quite a bit but overnight, soreness had set in around my ribs and my left shoulder. It must’ve been the impact of being slammed into the ground pretty hard a couple of times. I shuddered in remembrance and tried to direct my thoughts elsewhere when Sehun sauntered into the room, combing his hair down.

“Hello, Sehun,” Grandma greeted.

Sehun cleared his throat. “Good morning,” he mumbled hoarsely. He yawned and smacked his lips together. My eyes widened and I swiveled back around to face the kitchen sink.

He kissed me.

Like I had just been hooked to a drip full of ice water, my veins rushed cold. The back of my neck tingled along with the tips of my fingers and I scratched at it, feeling my cheeks blazing. A shudder went down my spine and I smoothed my hands over the thighs of my sweatpants.

Sehun kissed me.

I fidgeted, ready to bolt from the room.

Why did he kiss me?

“Are you staying for lunch?”

I looked up at Grandma, wishing she would’ve just shooed him out the night before. Then I remembered it had been my choice all along and almost facepalmed. But I didn’t even have to consider running for my life.

“No, ma’am. I should go home now,” he told Grandma. “Thank you.” I looked over to see him bowing, arms behind his back, and quickly turned back around.

He hugged me, too.

I was beginning to get dizzy again.

“Assuming you know how to contact each other, let Eunhui know when you’ve reached home,” Grandma said, focusing on the food rather than facing us.

I blanched. My phone . . . I heard Sehun agree to the woman’s words and it was a few moments before I stood, reluctantly following him out of the kitchen.

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