Chapter 16

"I'm going to bed!"

Study session-turned sleepovers began to occur more frequently. It was mainly because I would often curl up on Baekhyun's couch to study after we finished our homework. Sometimes it would be so late that I would end up falling asleep. Mrs Byun would come down and cover me with blankets. She even prepared me a toothbrush. She seemed uncharacteristically happy about me being there.

"Sure, loser."

Baekhyun emerged from the door linking our rooms. He donned flannel pajamas and was brushing his teeth. It distorted his 'sure loser' into something like 'fur roofer'.

My mother was used to me sleeping over, and quite frankly, she didn't really care. She assumed since I was academically adept that she had succeeded as a parent. She thought Baekhyun was my boyfriend, so she had warned me about STIs the morning after our third sleepover.

Which of course, I already knew about.

“You know,” I said slowly, “if somebody had told me six months ago that I’d be regularly sleeping over at Byun Baekhyun’s house I’d probably drag them to see a psychiatrist.”

Baekhyun chuckled, toothbrush still in his mouth.

“If someone told me that Moon Myunghee would be occupying my guest room every Friday I’d probably run away from home.”

I chucked a pillow at him, in which he ducked.

“Hey! That’s my pillow!” He exclaimed.

“Just off!” I yelled, pushing him out of the room as he chuckled with a mouth full of toothpaste foam.

I slammed the door shut, and leaned against the thin wood.

“Hey Myunghee?” He said huskily.

My stomach flipped.

“Yeah?”

“You’re a .”

Angrily, I flung opened the door. Before I could even register what was happening, Baekhyun had his arm around my waist and his lips were against mine.

His toothpaste-foamy lips.

“Ew!” I exclaimed, pushing him off.

He laughed hysterically as I wiped at my mouth.

“What the ?” I exclaimed.

My cheeks were aflame and my heart was pounding erratically behind my ribcage.

“Stop impulsively kissing me!”

“I can’t exactly help it.”

We locked eyes, then. My heart wouldn’t stop pounding.

“I hate you!” I exclaimed.

“As do I,” he countered.

“Then stop kissing me!”

“I told you, I can’t help it!”

I stared at him incredulously.

“Good night.”

The door was slammed in my face, narrowly missing my nose. Our little exchange left me more confused than ever.

I stayed up, staring at the ceiling. The ticking of the analog clock seemed to keep me awake. I lost track of time, and I was exhausted, but I couldn’t seem to fall asleep.

Until, I heard sounds coming from Baekhyun’s room.

“Oh god, no!” He screamed.

I leaped off my bed and pounded on the door. It was locked.

“Baekhyun? Are you okay?”

“No! It’s not my fault!” He said again.

“Baekhyun? Baekhyun, please, open the door!”

“No! Make it stop! Make it go away!”

I used all my might to kick open the door. The lock gave way and it swung open loudly. Baekhyun was sitting up in his bed, with his head in his hands. His hair was matted against his forehead, the aftermath of being jolted awake from a violent nightmare.

“Baekhyun?”

I approached him slowly, and he made no indication that he heard me. I sank down beside him.

“Was it...another nightmare?”

It came out of the blue, but it was turbulent. That was how his nightmares always were--rare, but intense. It was remarkable as to how he even coped with them.

“Baekhyun, I--”

And suddenly he was leaning against me. I could feel the hotness of his breath against my neck.

“Baekhyun?” I murmured.

“Just...stay like this. Please.”

So, we did. We leaned against each other until my eyelids began to droop and slumber overtook me.

A/N: LANA RELEASED HONEYMOON TODAY AND ITS SLAYING MY SO HARD I SWEAR I WOULD SELL MY SOUL TO TOUCH LANAS EYEBROWS OMG