She’s awake a few hours later but her eyes still closed. She can feel a hard surfaced underneath her cheek not like the soft pillow but it feel strange, she doesn’t push it away nor she hate it. She feels calm and warmth. She likes how it feel. She try to get back to sleep but her ear caught something under the hard surfaced. The sound so small like a whisper, she try to get closer then she heard it again.

It’s the heartbeat. Heartbeat?! She opened her eyes and she saw it. It’s him. She take a closer look at him. His perfect feature and jawline just like had been made only for him. His black hair that been swayed down to his right covering a little bit of his forehead. She touch it and push it lightly from his forehead. His white skin and his pink lip that always performed the best dorky smile she had ever seen. His peace and calming face that showed he had a good sleep.  She hoped the reason was her even just a little. His arm around her waist that tightly holding her, just likes he try to protecting her. She smiled. Happy to know and feel that someone care and concern about her. Mostly if that person is him.

Honestly, if that was someone else, she’ll push them from the bed, slapping, kicking, beating them to death but because it’s him. It’s Amber. She’ll enjoy this moment even just for a while. She quickly closed her eyes when he saw  him stirred. She doesn’t want him to know that she’s been staring at him, admired every single thing about him. Let it be her little secret. She can feel his movement even he try to be as slow and gentle he could be. Doesn’t want to wake the ice princess. He look at her. Eyes tightly closed, her head on his chest. She’s still sleeping. He thought. He take a look at his wristwatch. He still have 2 hours before the school start. He gently put her head on the pillow and slowly get up from the bed. He touch her forehead, still hot. He went to the sink, put the wet towel on her forehead. He take a closer look at her face, he softly rubbed his thumb on her cheek and whisper. ‘Morning, princess’. He smiled. Last night was the best sleep that he ever had since he was born and thanks to that certain princess.

Without he knowing it, that certain princess already awake before him only pretend that she’s still sleeping. She heard his footstep till the door closed, meaning that he already leave her house. She opened her eyes and smiling. She knew she wasn’t misheard it. She fully awake at that time and clearly can hear that he called her princess. Even she still feel sick and weak but that llama, make her feel better. She’s back to sleep with a smile plastered on her face.

He get back to her house after showered and change to his school uniform. He maked breakfast for her and put it on the tray. He shake her lightly and softly her cheek with his backhand. Try to wake her up.

“Krys…Krys…” She stirred a little and slowly opened her eyes. She saw him fully in school’s uniform.

“Krys,  I’m going to school now. I make some breakfast and there’s more in the fridge. You can reheat it for lunch,” He said softly to her. He can see a little dissatisfaction on her face. She frowned, she really doesn’t feel eating right now. She try to protest it.

“But….” She cough again.

“No but, please Krystal. You didn’t take the medicine, at least you have to eat,” He try to coax her. After a while, she nodded. He saw her try to get up from the bed. He hold her.

“Where’re you going?” He ask her with face full of concern.

“Bathroom…(cough..cough).. I’ll feel better after shower,” She told him. She can feel his strong arm around her waist. She try to push it but how can she, she’s to weak right now and he’s too strong for her.

“I can go there…(cough)…by myself. I’m sick…(cough)…not paralyzed Amber,” But he still didn’t let go of her waist.

“I know but still, I want to help,” He said it nonchalantly. She gave up. She doesn’t have any energy to fight with him right now.

They reached the bathroom, he opened the door for her. She turn facing him.

“Just go, Am…(cough)… I don’t want you to skipped the school….(cough)..because of me,”  She said it weakly. Yes, she doesn’t want him to leave her but she’ll not forbid him from going to school. She wasn’t that selfish. She know school is important for them and she doesn’t him to lose that.

“Are sure you’ll be ok?” He still worried.

“I’ll be alright. Don’t worry,” She smiled a little try to assure him, she’ll be fine. 

“Ok, I’m going now. Call me if anything happened,” He look at her. She only nodded. He take a few step forward from her but he turn back to her. He cupped her face with both of his hands. She startled a little but she didn’t push him, she just look at him. Her heart was thumping madly. Her stomach feeling likes there’s some flying butterfly inside of it. He look at her deeply in her eyes while his thumb gently her cheek.

“I’ll be back soon, ok,” She smiles at him and nodded her head. Then he start walking out from her house and heading to school. He can’t stop smiling even when he entered the school. He remembered what he had done to her but he doesn’t know why, he just feel that he have to do it, to assured her. His thought been disturbed by a voice that calling for him.

“Amber!” He turn his face.

“Oh, Seohyun. Good morning,”

“Morning. Sorry for disturbing you this early,”

“It’s ok,” He smiled at her.

“How’s Krystal? I’m afraid I’ll be disturbing her while resting if I call her. I want to call you but I didn’t have your number,”

“She’s still sick, her fever is quite high and hopefully will get better,” He sigh a little.

“Ooh..poor Krystal. Did she take the medicine?” He smiled a little and shook his head.

“Now, I do really understand why you told me to be patient,” Seohyun chuckles a little after what he said.

“Krystal is a big fussy baby when she’s sick and she totally hate everything that had anything to do with the white witch,”

“White witch?” He ask Seohyun. He furrowed his brows. Seohyun chuckles.

“The doctor. That’s what Krystal called them,” He make  an ‘o’ sound and he chuckles too after hearing what Seohyun just said.

“You need a lot of patience when you handling her,”

“Well, I’m try my best,” Seohyun look at him and she take out something from her bag.

“Here, take this. This is some cold patches. Put it on her forehead, hopefully it could reduce her fever,” He take it from her. Then, Seohyun give him, her number. Without questioning her more, he take it from her and make a mental note to save it in his handphone, just in case anything happened.

“Amber, thanks for taking care of her. You don’t know how much it means to her,” Seohyun smiled at him.

“You’re welcome. She’s my friend too.” He smiled back at her. Their conversation ended and they went to their own class.

During the lunchtime, he stayed in the class. He doesn’t have any mood to eat. His mind keep thinking of her. He can’t help it. He keep worrying about her. Then, a packet of bread been thrown to him. He startled then he saw them. It was Key who throw it. They walked toward him and take a sit near him.

“You need to eat if you doesn’t want to get sick too,” Key said to him while crossing his arm on his chest. There’s something strange in his word. He furrowed his brows.

“We heard it from Seohyun when we met her at the cafetaria,” Said Onew when he saw his puzzling face.

“The ice princess is sick and we also knew that you’ve been taking care of her,” Taemin added.

“But that doesn’t mean you can neglect your own health. You need to be healthy to take care the sick person,” Key said it, a little emphasized in his tone.

“And that include, don’t skip your meal,” Onew added. Taemin only nodded. He smiles at them. He always grateful having them as his friend.

“Thanks  guys. I promise I won’t do it again,”

“You better be.” Key give him his stern face, meaning that he’s serious and grin a little after that. The teacher entered the class and start the lesson.

The last bell rang, he rushed to home. He take a quick shower, changed his cloth and went to her house. He put the cold patches in his bag. When he reached there, he opened the door. He saw her lying on her bed. He look at the tray, the lid of the bowl was opened but he doesn’t know, is she ate it or not. He wake her up slowly.

“Krys…Krys…” Only been reply a hummed by her. She opened her eyes slowly, try adjusting with the light.

“Did you eat?”

“Little….(cough…cough)..” He sigh when she heard what she said.

“You can’t keep it like this, Krys. You have to force yourself to eat. You look thinner than before,” He keep his stern face. Still coughing but she’s smiling hearing what he just said.

“It’s good then….(cough..cough)…you can piggyback ride me more…(cough)…you used to say I was fat,” He smiles back to her.

“Krystal, I’m serious. I can’t believe I'm saying this but I’m prefer piggyback ride you before than like this,” He touch her cheek with his backhand.

“I don’t like it,” He keep looking at her deeply in her eyes. She doesn’t know what she feels right now. She only look at him before he put back his hand and get up from the bed.

“I’m going to cook something and you will eat it,” He take a last glance at her before entered the kitchen. She try to keep awake but her body really weak. She feel ache everywhere, her head, throat, muscle. She still doesn’t stop coughing and keep worsening. What happened this morning, really not helping her at all. The reason why she doesn’t want to eat, not only because she doesn’t have any appetite at all but she doesn’t want to bothering him with that. She can handle this, she know she can. That’s what she thought. She fallen asleep again.

He finish his cooking and bring it to her. He wake her up gently. She opened her eyes and feel his hand pressing on her forehead.

“It’s still hot. Are you feeling better?” She only shook her head. He sigh. He take out something from his bag.

“This is cold patches, Seohyun give it to me. At least, you have to put this since you don’t  want to eat the medicine that she gave it for you. It’ll help reduce your fever,” He said it while his hands put the cold patch on her forehead. She didn’t push it away and just let him do it.

“I’ll put the food here and you can eat it when you want to. I’m going to work now and I’ll be back soon, ok.” He said that to her and she only nodded. He walked out from her house but before he closed the door, he take one last look at her.

‘Take care, princess’ He doesn’t know she heard it or not but her eyes were closed. He’s heading to the store. His gloomy face can’t be hide even when he entered the store. He only smile at Hyoyeon when his eyes meet her. She smiles back at him.

“How’s she?”

“Still sick, high fever. Been sleeping for the whole day,” He deeply sighed.

“That’s doesn’t sound so good. Don’t you want to take her to the doctor?”

“She’s afraid of the doctor or anything had to do with it. She doesn’t even want to take the medicine,” Hyoyeon chuckles a little.

“Woa, I didn’t think that the ice princess afraid of doctor,”

“Yeah, me too. I don’t know what to do, noona. She doesn’t look like getting any better,”

“Patient, Amber. She’ll be fine even I still think you should bring her to the doctor. Who knows, she might be had some disease or something,”

“I’ll think about it, noona.” Their conversation ended when a customer entered the store.

When his shift ended, he went to his house and change his cloth after a quick shower. He went to her house and opened the door. The light was on tonight, that’s weird. Is she awake? He look at the bed. She wasn’t there. The living room, kitchen, still no sign of her. His heart start to racing. His mind start making a lot of speculations. Where is she?