Continuation..........................................last page for today.....................

The couple now moves away from Minho to their routinely walk before sleep exercise but before they can step out of the house, Minho shouts… smiling…

Minho:             Have fun walking and be careful Natalie…!!

Natalie:            (waving back at Minho) Thanks Minnie…
                        Have fun too cleaning…

Minho:             I will….

Minho realizing how open minded, kind and understanding Natalie is… gives him a positive energy to accept reality; he now possesses an accepting calm state of mind… He previously thought that it would be very hard for him to deal with Kibum’s life being with Natalie but experiencing just a moment together with them is so welcoming… saying to himself…

“I think I am capable of accepting and loving whoever Kibum’s loves and in this case,
she is Natalie…”

Minho smiles after expressing his thoughts and moves on to continue the cleaning… due to the compactness of the dining and kitchen areas; he finishes tidying up in less than twenty minutes. He checks the time and decides to rest and sleep but before entering his room; he writes a note and leaves it on the table…then proceeds to go inside his room, brushes his teeth, wears his nightgown and walks towards his bed to lie down… and in less than ten minutes… he has fallen asleep…

Meanwhile after about thirty five minutes, Kibum and Natalie arrive and they immediately look for Minho at the dining area and surprised to see nothing of Minho but Kibum spots the note on the table stating…

Good night…
I could not wait for both of you…
Thank you Natalie…
Sweet dreams…
The foods were delicious…                                 

Minho…

He smiles and shows the note to Natalie who grins after reading it then after he gently holds Natalie to walk to their room. Inside the room, Natalie requests she takes a bath first…

Natalie:            Hon… can I go take a shower first?

Kibum:             Sure … I will prepare your nightgown…
                         just go inside and let me handle things for you…

Natalie:            Thanks hon…
                         oh by the way… go check on Minho…
                         if he is alright…

Kibum:             yap... ok… 
                        I will go check on him after I prepare your things…  

After few minutes, Kibum steps out of their room and heads towards Minho’s room; he slowly opens the door and checks for any possible dim light switched on but none so that he turns on one of the dim lights by the door to get a clear view of Minho. He smiles and at the same time feels a bit sad upon seeing Minho’s sleeping manner – fetal position, shaking his head; he comes closer pull out the linen in to cover the other as well as fix his sleeping position however before starting;  he quickly goes out of the room and gets a chamomile scented candle. 

Meanwhile, little does Kibum know that Minho after a brief sleeping moment - has awakened and now been waiting for their arrival and when the latter hears the main door being opened he immediately jumps on his bed pretending asleep. He could hear them talking while on their way to their bedroom and upon hearing Natalie asking him to check on him; he gets excited and puts on a possible sleeping position thinking ahead that Kibum will definitely fix him – and so right as expected, Kibum is making his sleeping comfortable and secure . Thus now, anxiously waiting and trying to keep a steady breathing, he could hear Kibum coming back so that he thinks of a next plan on how to just get a simple hug from him. Suddenly he thinks of creating a scenario of him being in a dreaming state while waiting for Kibum…

In the meantime back with Kibum being able to find what he is looking for; he lights it up and goes back to Minho’s room then places the scented candle on top of the corner table; he proceeds with removing the bed linen from Minho’s body then crawls on the side of the latter’s, straightens the body, legs and arms to the side then turns the body to let him sleep on his back.

While in the process of his body being adjusted, Minho is trying hard to control any outburst of joyful emotions as true to his prediction, Kibum could not bear him be in a perplexed sleeping state. He discreetly opens one of his eyes to quickly take a quick glance of Kibum who is now set of fixing his nightgown; he put his little drama into action.

He slowly and unobviously opens both of his eyes, stares and smiles at Kibum who is above him and caught unaware - shocked thus makes a sudden jerk movement; Minho ignores it but instead gives him an embrace, closes his eyes again but maintaining this condition as long as he wants; squealing inside when Kibum does not bother to remove from the embrace but instead continues to fix Minho’s nightgown top and pulls the linen and tuck the latter.

As for Kibum who is taken aback with Minho’s silly state, chuckles while continuously fixing Minho’s wardrobe and when he’s done fixing Minho; he releases his self from his embrace but in place sits on the left side of Minho’s body and caresses the latter’s face and says…

“Minnie, thank you so much for accepting Natalie…
You know I love you too so much…
I am really sorry for making you feel so sad at times…
I can feel you are forcing yourself despite of…
I am very happy for all the efforts you are doing…
Despite you’re hurting…

I guess it is my fault for turning my back on you…
I thought the day you decided you wanted to live without me…
Was the day, everything would be over …
During that time, I felt so empty…
I didn’t know what to do with my life…
When I met Natalie, she gave me back half of my life…

I could not blame you Minnie…
If only that time, I could have pursued you more…
We could have been what we would have wished for…
It pains me still not finding out what happened next…
And this happening now, I am happy…
But you are not, it makes me sad…

Now you are here, I believe I am complete again…
But am guilty that you’re not happy that I can only give half of my time and life to you 
I know this may sound selfish…
But please be strong and stay by my side…
I will make you happy despite of myself…
I love Natalie; she is a wonderful person…
And I love you so much Minnie… eternally…”

He kisses Minho’s head and says again…

“I love you so much my sweetie Minnie…
I am so sorry for the continuing pain you have to endure to love me…
Again, thank you for loving me no matter what…
Goodnight Minnie… Dream of us being together...”

Soon as Kibum leaves and not a sound of his presence could no longer be heard, Minho in a current state of mixed emotions – cries… saying in a quivering tone…

“I love you too so much Bummie…
I don’t care if it hurts so much seeing you with Natalie so happy, is fine by me…
Being with you again is the best to me…
I could not ask for anything more…
I can hold on…

As for myself, I am just human…
That I think it is human for me to fall apart for a little while or every now and then…
So don’t worry Bummie…
please don’t be bothered…
This is reality, what is happening now does not end now…
 

It becomes a new way of life…
I don’t like always have to pretend to be strong…
And there is no need to constantly prove that everything is going well…
You shouldn’t be concerned so much of me but thank you so much…
I don’t worry about crying – I will cry if I need to – it’s healthy to shed your tears...

The better for me to cry, the better I can be able to smile again…
I love you and will love you forever Bummie…”

The sobbing stops by the time his mind and body surrender to sleep…

Page 16 Chapter 31 Ends here................................next: Onew and Taemin........thanks everyone...see you in three days...