Taeyeon’s POV

"Go away. I don't want to see you."

Somehow, I had expected that, but it did not stop my heart from aching as soon as the words left her.

She pushed my hand away from her unsteadily and I managed to get hold of her wrist. Jessica raised another arm, ready to hit me but I caught it with ease. My knees were starting to hurt from kneeling too long. However, I paid little attention to the pain. Clasping both her hands together in my own, I bought them up to my lips, kissing her knuckles, my gaze fixed on her face. I could feel her resisting, attempting to pull them away from me. Then again, she was so weak that her efforts were for nothing.

“Let go of me.” Jessica struggled against my hold, still not giving up.

“You’re sick.” I said, ignoring her.

“I don’t need you. Go away, don’t act like you care.”

“But I do care, Jessica. I care. That's why I'm here.”

"You're lying." Her voice trembled.

"I'm sorry if I made you feel this way. I'm sorry, I've never meant it. You don't have to forgive me now. All you need to do is to get better." She was not looking at me and her expression was unreadable.

I noticed she was still shivering so I let go of her hands, climbing onto the other side of the bed and joining her under the covers, giving her a back hug. Automatically, she flipped around and started swinging her limbs in every direction, trying to force me off the bed. I worked the new position to my advantage and s my arm around her waist tightly, pulling her close to my body, draping a leg over her thighs to stop her from kicking. She started hitting my chest and I let her. It did not hurt physically but emotionally, it was killing me.

"What are you doing? Get off my bed!" She growled, but it came out sounding more like a groan instead.

"You're cold. Stop struggling, I'm not going anywhere." I placed my hand on her back and pressed her closer to me.

She was pounded her fists on me, each punch weaker than the one before, till she was pushing instead. It eventually stopped with her grabbing onto my shirt like her life depended on it.

"That's right, rest now. We can talk when you get better. You can hit me however you want then." I told her, resting my chin on her head. 

I felt her snuggle her face into my chest and I rubbed my hand on her back in small circles, trying to get her to go back to sleep. Burying my nose into her hair, I took in her scent, her scent that I missed so much for the past three days, kissing her on the crown of her head.

“Idiot, I don’t like you.” It was all she said.

I reached over her to retrieve the towel that had fallen on the mattress when she was struggling and placed it back on her forehead. Jessica was so still that I had no idea if she was sleeping or not but I continued patting her back, like a mother would do to her baby.

“I’m sorry.” I whispered into her hair.

Jessica’s POV

If I was surprised to see Taeyeon in my room when I woke up, I was even more so when she climbed into bed with me despite me telling her to go away. Instinctively, I reacted by kicking, turning around so I could better aim my limbs at her. It was a wrong move, and she used it to her advantage. She locked my legs down with her own, pulling me into her embrace.

"What are you doing? Get off my bed!" It came out sounding weird and she did not seemed bothered by it.

"You're cold. Stop struggling, I'm not going anywhere." Taeyeon pulled me even closer so that my arms are trapped between our bodies.

‘Why are you doing this to me Tae? Why?’ I started punching her, afraid that I would give in to her anytime soon. True to her words, she did not budge at all, letting me abuse her. I was sure I did not want to see her, not after what happened last Friday. Maybe I was not trying hard enough or maybe I had wanted her all along; whatever it was, I found myself clinging onto her, like she would disappear the moment I let her go and find myself waking up from a dream.

"That's right, rest now. We can talk when you get better. You can hit me however you want then." Her voice was soft.

I hid my face in her shirt, letting my tears fall, hoping that she would not see.

“Idiot, I don’t like you.” My voice trembled a bit, but it was not enough for her to realize that I was crying.

She rubbed my back gently, making me feel at ease. I hated the fact that she had so much control over me, hating the fact that I was so weak when it comes to her. I was supposed to be angry at her, not for losing her temper at me, but for not putting enough effort into maintaining our relationship. She had been so distant this year. It felt like I was putting in more effort than she did, her yelling at me was the last straw; it was what set me off. I could understand why she was insecure and kept everything in, but had I not proven that I can be trusted to share her problems with me? After all, I had done my best to show her that I care, that I would always be there. One moment, she makes me feel like I had not meant a thing to her and the next; I was back in her arms. She confuses, but even so, I could not seem to be able to resist her. Despite feeling resentful, I still yearned for her touch; it was like an addiction I could never kick. I was no Bella, neither was Taeyeon Edward. It irks me to know how dependent I was on her, that I was never strong enough to stand on my own.

The patting on my back continued. Slowly but surely, I was beginning to feel sleepy again. I succumbed to sleep soon after, still clinging onto her. Maybe she did care, but for now, let me just pretend that she does.

Taeyeon’s POV

I jerked and opened my eyes. The room was slightly darker than before and the clock showed that it was already 6 in the evening. Jessica was still sleeping in my arms, snoring lightly, her finger nails digging into the material of my shirt. I tucked her hair behind her ear, wiping off her sweat with the now almost dry towel. Her temperature had gone down by the feel of it.

I should probably go get her some food to eat, since the family helper had gone back to her country for a break. There was no one in the house besides Krystal, and Mrs. Jung seldom cooks. I had to pry Jessica's fingers open. For a sick and sleeping person, she had such a strong grip on my shirt that I was afraid I would disturb her sleep. Luckily for me, I was able to free myself without waking her up. Getting out of bed, I tip toed out of the room, making my way to the kitchen.

Krystal was sprawled on the sofa in the living room when I went down, watching television.

"Krys, don't you have to do your homework?" I asked.

"Nope." She shook her head. "Unnie, are you going to cook? Mummy and Daddy called to say they're eating out today." She was obviously hinting on something and I caught on quickly.

“I’m going to cook porridge for your sister. Do you want some instant noodles? That’s the only thing I know how to cook.” I gave her an apologetic smile.

“Okay! With an egg too.” Krystal grinned widely, relieved that someone would cook for her.

Since the kitchen was not mine, I had to look around a bit before managing to gather everything that I needed. Having found some sweet potatoes on the kitchen counter, I decided to cut some up to make sweet potato porridge for my sick Princess. Leaving the porridge to boil, I then proceeded to cooking Krystal's noodles, adding an egg just like she wanted. Having smelt food from the living room, Krystal came into the kitchen asking if dinner was ready.

"Unnie, are you going to eat that?" Krystal was pointing to the pot of porridge with bits of sweat potatoes inside.

"Well, it looks edible." I told her as I scoped some out.

I tasted it. It was bland, but the sweat potatoes made up for it. Besides, I doubt Jessica would be able to taste the difference.

"It looks...err...tasteless?" Krystal raised an eyebrow. "Jessica probably can't taste anything, but don't you want to eat some real food? By the way this is good, whenever sis cooks for me, the noodles are always soggy."

"Nope, I'm fine. Instant noodles aren't real food too baby Jung. All those msg…”I shook my head disapprovingly, teasing her. “You're going to be bald before you turn 40."

"Hey, it's just once in a while." She whined.

It was time for the Princess to eat, in any case. According to her sister, she had not had anything since last night and I was worried that her gastritis would act up.

"I'll help you wash up here, unnie. Just make sure my sister eats something."

"Thanks Krys."

"No problem, you cooked dinner for me."

Jessica’s POV

The room was starting to feel warm and I woke up due to the heat, throwing the covers aside. I had no idea how long I had been sleeping but the sky outside was already dark. Suddenly, I remembered about Taeyeon and felt the sheets beside me. No Taengoo. Had she went home? Or was everything an illusion I made up in my squishy brain? My cheeks were wet. I had not realized that I had been crying because of her again.

‘That idiot, who does she think she is?’

The door creaked open and Taeyeon’s head peeped in.

“Jessica? Are you awake?”

I pulled the blanket up to cover my face, wiping my tears away underneath it.

The lights in my room were flicked on and I could hear her footsteps coming nearer.

It must have been real then and I was embarrassed of myself. I had given in too easily to her earlier. That was not supposed to happen, not till she tells me what was bothering her and make me understand everything. I was sick of waiting for her to open up, she would never be ready. I had done too much for her and it was time for me to stop giving in, to draw the line of determination from desperation. For the first time ever, I was going to put my foot down.

“I’ve made you some porridge.” She shook my shoulder and I shrugged it away.

“I know you hate me, but please eat something. Come on, so that you can gain back your energy and beat me up.”

The idea of bashing her into a whimpering pulp for making me put up with her crappy behavior was tempting. However, now that she mentioned about food, I was starting to get hungry. Aside from the headache, I had felt much better than before.

I sat up abruptly, startling Taeyeon. It was cute seeing her flinch, but I managed to keep my face straight, sending her an icy glare.

“Want me to feed you?” She asked, hesitantly.

“I can do it myself.” I said, taking the bowl away from her.

Taeyeon’s POV

Jessica must have been hungrier than I thought, having finished her meal in less than 5 minutes. I looked at her incredulously, stunned by her appetite. She shoved the bowl back to me, sinking back into bed. She still had that unreadable expression on her face and I was making me nervous.

“I’m done eating. Why aren’t you going?” Jessica scowled, looking like a spoilt princess.

“I…erm…” I scratched the back of my head, not knowing how to answer her.

I had wanted to camp in her room that night, firstly, to see for myself that Jessica had fully recovered before she head back to school and secondly, to take advantage of her weak state and make her listen to what I have to say. Seeking forgiveness from Jessica proved to be harder than getting my mom’s. No matter how infuriated my mom was at me, she would get over it in an hour but that was not the case with my girlfriend. This was even worse than her being jealous, I would gladly run another 4km for her any other day.

"You're not allowed on my bed." It was as if she could read my mind. I was not surprised though, she had always done.

My lips curved up subconsciously, a silly smile plastered on my face. She was still cold to me. Nevertheless, it was a start; at least she had not kicked me out.

“I’m fine with it, as long as you let me stay. I’ll do anything for you!” I told her cheerily, pretending that I had not seen her frown.

Oh, feisty, but that I could handle.

Jessica pretty much treated me like I was not there, reading her books in bed, not answering me when I asked if she wanted some water. I got her some anyway, which she downed in seconds and I had to get her a refill. I did some homework but most of the time, I was stealing glances at her. She had that pout on her face again, concentrating on whatever she was reading. It reminded me of the time we had spent in Starbucks last year, realizing that I had missed staring at her studying hard. Stopping whatever I was doing and putting my pen down, I continued staring at her, not bothering to be stealthy about it.

Jessica looked up moments later and saw me looking at her with a grin on my face.

“What are you looking at?”

“Nothing, you’re too beautiful to resist.” I replied, still grinning.

She smirked.

“You look like a ert.” She scoffed and returned to her books.

Ouch. That was mean. I stuck my lower lip out and continued to admire the beauty that was my girlfriend. 

Despite all the staring that I had done, I somehow finished my assignment and Jessica was already sleeping, again. Sliding the books from under her arm, I placed them on the study table and took the ear thermometer from her bedside to measure her temperature. 37.6◦c . Although it was still a bit high, she was not having a fever anymore. I put the thermometer back and tucked her securely under her blanket, switching off the lights. After all those were done, I made my way to a corner of her room, as far away from the air conditioner as possible. My makeshift bed consisted of just my bag as a pillow and a hoodie as a blanket. It was cold but I tried to ignore the chattering of my teeth.

Jessica’s POV

I flipped around in bed and no matter how hard I tried; I could not get back to sleep since I had hibernated too much in the day. Having a sudden desire to pee, I got up and went to the toilet to relieve myself. I had decided that it would be pointless to try and go back to sleep and would rather head to the living room for some movies. Making my way out, the lights in the bathroom fell on a lump in the corner of the room, getting my attention. On closer inspection, I realized the lump was in fact Taeyeon. She was sleeping on the floor, curled up and shivering, her exposed feet turning blue.

“How dense can you be, Taengoo ah?” I sighed, grabbing the comforters from bed and covering her with it.

She snuggled into the blanket, burying her nose in it. Taeyeon had a habit of doing that when she sleeps; she likes anything that is soft and fluffy in general. I chuckled to myself, taking the extra blanket out from the cupboard for myself.

The old Taeyeon was back, being dorky and all, peeping at me while she was supposed to be studying. She had that goofy look on her face like the happy go lucky kid that she had been; the smile on her face not faltering once even if I snapped at her. I liked that, in fact I loved it, but had not shown it. I wondered how long it would last; would she be able keep it up or would it be gone again in a few days. I settled down on the couch, making myself comfortable and started flipping through the channels for a program to watch, wondering if I should start going soft on her.

Taeyeon’s POV

*Sniff* Ah~ it smells so nice. *Sniff* The scent is familiar. Could it be… *Sniff sniff* Jessica?!

My eyes shot open, scanning my surrounding. I was still on the floor, nothing changed. So where had the smell came from? It took me a moment to figure out that it came from the blanket that I was covered in. It was Jessica’s. I sat up and looked over to the bed. Jessica was not there, where had she gone? Had she went to school? If she did, why have she not wake me up? I started panicking.

“I thought her MC’s inclusive of today?” I mumbled to myself.

It was already 8. But there was no point in skipping school if Jessica went. Cursing to myself, I brushed my teeth and went down to the kitchen for some water. Passing by the living room, I noticed that the television was on. Jessica’s parents had gone out for work, Krystal was in school and the family helper would not be back till a few days later. Who could it possibly be?

“Jessi? Why are you sleeping here?”

She squirmed and opened an eye.

“What?”

“Get up, let’s get you back to bed.” I felt her forehead.

Good, no fever. But her neck would ache if she were to continue lying on the sofa.

She opened both her eyes and looked at me for a moment before sitting up straight.

“I’m hungry. Make me breakfast.”

She stood up and went back up to her bedroom leaving me bewildered. I came back to my senses after hearing her door slammed shut and went into the kitchen, rummaging around for food. Jessica came back down a few minutes later after taking a shower and changing her clothes, just enough time for me to put together some sandwiches.

“Not going to school?” She grabbed one and started eating.

“Nope, today’s your day. I’m sticking with you.”  I replied, giving her a toothy smile.

I was trying to be cheesy, not sure if it worked. She gave no indications whatsoever.

“We’re going out in a while. I’ve got something to show you.” I told her.

She did not reply me though I was sure she heard what I said.

Since I missed school for her, I might as well make today worth it.

Honestly, I got stuck writing this. I started the drama but had no idea how to end it. LOL. Thank you for commenting and do continue to comment! Next chapter will be up by Sunday, I promise. Hope you had fun reading! (: