Chapter 7
Beneath Your BeautifulJessica strolls down to the mini garden Krystal had setup in one of her free days. She never really had the chance to appreciate her sister’s handiwork before and looking at it now, she’s very surprised that Krystal could do something as beautiful as the mini garden. Not that she doesn’t trust Krystal’s abilities, no; but what surprises her is the fact that Krystal knows how to choose her flowers and knows how to place them that they didn’t look messy at all.
She smiles, plopping down the lawn chair situated at the center of the garden with tea cup in hand.
There are various flowers in the garden that Jessica isn't familiar with, but there is one flower that caught her attention; the white gardenia that sits beautifully in a clay flower pot. Her smile widens when she was reminded of Taeyeon.
Just like the white gardenia, Taeyeon looks pure and innocent; his touch has no malice in it, only adoration and... well, love.
Jessica thinks it’s kind of cute and scary at the same time. It's scary because she is well aware of Taeyeon’s growing feelings for her, it's scary because Taeyeon deserves someone who could give him the same affection if not more. Someone who is decisive. Someone that is not afraid to commit again. Someone she is not.
Taeyeon deserves a girl that would love him wholeheartedly, not a girl who intentionally built walls around her to shut people off even before they could start getting closer. Taeyeon deserves someone who could give herself to him, not a girl who is too afraid to try and love again.
She sips from her tea, letting the bittersweet liquid calm her mind. A full week of leave and she’s certain that this is going to be her morning routine –in Krystal’s garden, with a tea cup, mind and heart in a mess.
**
“Soojung!”
Krystal inwardly groans as soon as the familiar voice calls out from behind her. She turns around, lips set in a perfect scowl.
“What now, Minhyuk?”
The boy shifts his weight from one foot to another as he stands in front of Krystal –his long time crush.
“I—uh—are you.. I mean, d-do you want to eat l-lunch.. with—me?” Minhyuk asks in an uncertain tone and Krystal almost rolls her eyes at the boy.
“Why would I want to?” Krystal says, crossing her arms above her chest.
Minhyuk bows his head slightly before muttering a low ‘sorry’ and running off to god knows where.
Krystal scoffs and mumbles in an irritated tone, “Thought so.”
“Well, that was rude.” Taeyeon's voice startles Krystal.
“You were eavesdropping?” she turns around and points an accusing finger at Taeyeon to which the latter gently brought down with his own hand.
“I wasn’t,” Taeyeon smiles before tucking his hands in his pockets, “Not intentionally, at least.”
Krystal groans. “You were still eavesdropping! Intentional or not!”
Taeyeon grins sheepishly and Krystal finds herself smiling back at the dorky coach. She have already accepted the fact that her Coach Kim will be part of their lives sooner or later and honestly, she’s nothing but happy.
“Hayeon is waiting for you at the cafeteria; she said you promised to eat lunch with her.”
Krystal raises a questioning brow. “You’re not eating with us?”
Taeyeon shakes his head before bringing a hand to his nape, rubbing the skin before he looks away from Krystal. “I filed a week of leave and it was granted," he waves his injured hand at Krystal. "I’ll.. look after your s-sister.”
Krystal didn’t say a word and for a moment, Taeyeon thought the girl is mad at him and doesn’t want him near Jessica until he looked back at Krystal who had an amused expression in her face.
“You’re not.. mad, right?” Taeyeon adds.
Krystal rolls her eyes. “Of course not, coach. I’m happy someone is going to look after her. If I could just ditch school for a week too—“
“Oh no no no, you are not ditching school for a week.”
“That’s what I’m saying.” Krystal crinkles her nose, "You do realize that you've been away for a week due to your superman stunt a week ago, right? You're not worried that they might fire you?"
Taeyeon shrugs. "They said they understand. I'll surely make up for the absences so tell your classmates to prepare your stamina next week."
"Whatever," Krystal waves at him before she starts walking towards the direction of the cafeteria. “And oh," she stops in her tracks to turn back at Taeyeon. "Her favorite food is bulgogi.”
Taeyeon smiles before yelling, “You’re the best!” making the students in the hallway chuckle at the immaturity of their gym class instructor.
**
The sight of a sleeping Jessica in a lawn chair, back turned towards the gate, greeted Taeyeon as soon as he parked his motorcycle in front of Jessica’s house.
“She’s always sleeping,” he mumbles before walking towards where Jessica is, accidentally stepping on a twig in the ground along the way.
Jessica opens her eyes as soon as the cracking sound reached her consciousness. “Who’s there?”
Taeyeon stands behind Jessica before bringing the bag of bulgogi in front of Jessica’s face. “Guess who,” he says in a low voice.
Jessica smiles, taking the bag from the familiar hand. “I might just call the police and charge you for trespassing.”
Taeyeon chortles before moving in front of Jessica. “They wouldn’t dare put me in jail,” he pouts.
Jessica giggles before playfully slapping Taeyeon’s forearm.
“What brought you here, by the way? Aren't you supposed to be at school?” she says, looking inside the bag. Her eyes immediately lights up at the sight of the familiar food packaging. She was just about to go out and buy herself bulgogi.
“You’re a lifesaver, you know that?” she says sweetly before standing up from her chair. “I was just about to go out and buy myself food.”
Taeyeon shakes his head before gently patting Jessica’s head, causing a blush to appear in the girl’s cheeks. “You poor thing,” he coos.
“Silly guy,” Jessica says, playfully swatting Taeyeon’s hand away and abruptly turning away from him as her blush deepens.
“Come on, I’m hungry.” Taeyeon says cheerfully, walking ahead of Jessica to the house as if he was an occupant there, too.
Jessica could only shake her head, heart beating irregularly fast as the person she was just thinking about moments ago appeared in front of her, bringing her favorite food that she happens to be craving for at the moment. It's almost as if Taeyeon knew what's on her mind.
**
“So,” Taeyeon says before stuffing a spoonful of food in his mouth. Jessica waits for him to say something as he chews on his food. “What would you want to do for the whole week?”
Jessica shrugs, scooping from her plate before answering, “Sleep and sleep and sleep, maybe. It’s so boring; I just want to go back to work.”
“But the admin says you should rest first. It would be good for you."
"I know.. but it's so boring. I don't even have anyone to talk to." Jessica pouts cutely that Taeyeon had a hard time swallowing his food without choking.
He smacks his chest twice before gulping from his glass of water.
"You okay?" Jessica asks with a worried voice and Taeyeon nods his head.
"What do you want to do so you won't get bored, then?" Taeyeon says when he finally recovered from his mini coughing fit.
Jessica hums, clamping her spoon in-between her lips and Taeyeon had to look away before he starts choking on his food again.
"Well," she says, bringing the spoon down to her plate. "I've always wanted to see the Hanok Village in Samcheong-dong but I never had the time."
Taeyeon nods. "Well, you have time now. Why don't we go there today?"
Jessica raises a perfect brow at Taeyeon. "We?"
"Uh, yeah, you and me. I-if you don't mind.. that is."
"I don't.. mind. But, you have classes today, don't you?"
Taeyeon grins, eyes lighting up. "I.. well, gym class got cancelled for a week."
Jessica looks at him skeptically. "Really?"
Taeyeon nods again, avoiding Jessica's questioning gaze as he scooped the remaining food from his plate. "Y-yeah.. really."
Jessica wanted to ask more, but decided not to probe anymore as she's not really in the position, so she just decided to continue eating.
She finished her food at the same time Taeyeon finished his. Taeyeon offered to wash the dishes but Jessica waved him off because the back of his hand and his palm were still covered with bandage.
Taeyeon stands beside Jessica with a decent amount of distance as she washes the plates and utensils they used for lunch. "So," he says as he helps Jessica put the dishes into the drying rack. "I'll pick you up later?"
Jessica turns to him, looking at him like he had grown two more heads. "What?"
"Samcheong-dong? You said you wanted to go."
Jessica chuckles. "You're so silly. It's okay, I can always go there next time."
Taeyeon scrunches his nose, handing Jessica a tissue to dry her hands with. "But you don't know when that next time is. Why not go now? Since you're stuck here and I don't really have anything to do at home."
Jessica contemplates for a moment, teeth nibbling her lower lip out of habit. "Fine," she finally says, throwing the tissue paper in the trash.
Taeyeon smiles before pumping his fist in the air, making Jessica laugh at the childish action.
"Okay, you go and change now," Taeyeon says, gently pushing Jessica out of the kitchen by her shoulders. "I'll pick you up after an hour, okay?"
Jessica hums her answer and with that, Taeyeon dashed out of the front door like a giddy little school boy.
**
"I am never riding that motorcycle again," a fear-stricken Jessica spats as she hands the helmet back to Taeyeon who was just smiling sheepishly.
"I'm sorry. I'll go slow next time," he says, rubbing Jessica's back and handing her a bottle of water that he always brings with him.
When Jessica calmed down, Taeyeon apologized again to which she immediately waved off, saying that she just over-reacted and it was okay.
Soon after that, the duo started strolling along the street of Samcheong-dong, passing by boutiques and cafes and random stores. A small shop caught Taeyeon's attention and he immediately pulled Jessica towards it.
"Look, Sica! Aren't they cute?" Taeyeon says cheerily, pointing at a pair of animal knick-knacks. It was a blue-colored cat and a black-colored dog and frankly, Jessica thinks it was plain and simple.
Taeyeon turns to look at Jessica with expectant eyes.
"I--err," Jessica will never understand Taeyeon's weird taste in things but she could never say it out loud. She tries avoiding Taeyeon's gaze because she knows it's only a matter of time until she succumbs to the alluring pair of onyx brown eyes. "They a-are," and before she know it, she already agreed with Taeyeon.
Taeyeon's face lights up. "You like it? Let's buy it!"
"What? No--I mean, i-it's okay."
Taeyeon shakes his head with a smile before picking up the animal knick-knacks and handing it to the cashier. A moment later, he comes back with two small boxes in hand, extending the one in his right hand to Jessica.
"Here," he says with a gentle smile. "Keep it, okay? Just a little reminder of this day."
Jessica returns the smile; gentle and warm, before accepting the box and keeping it inside her bag. "Thank you, Taeyeon."
Before exiting the shop, Taeyeon insisted on carrying Jessica's bag for her. She declined the offer at first because she thinks it's ridiculous for a guy to be carrying a girl's shoulder bag but Taeyeon would never take no for an answer and Jessica had no choice but to agree. So as they walked back outside, Jessica can't help but giggle at how silly yet adorable Taeyeon looks.
"Do you want to go to the Hanok Village now?" Taeyeon says as he awkwardly walks beside Jessica with the shoulder bag in his hand, not actually minding the looks thrown at him by passersby.
Jessica hums and nods her head.
The walk to the entrance of the village was silent and Taeyeon doesn't understand why his heart beats a little faster just at the thought of being with Jessica, strolling the quite and peaceful neighborhood of Bukchon Hanok Village.
He opens the wooden gate for Jessica and she smiles a small smile at him before entering the village. Traditional houses lined up on each side of the street greeted them as soon as they were inside the village. Taeyeon noticed that Jessica's face brightened up at the sight before them and he smiles too, urging Jessica to walk forward.
"Wow, I never thought it would be this beautiful," Jessica says in awe as she turns her head from left to right, taking in the traditional Korean houses that now serves as tea houses, guesthouses, cultural centers and restaurants.
"Yeah.. so beautiful," Taeyeon blurts out, gaze fixed at Jessica through his peripheral vision as they walk side by side.
"And it's so quite, I think I could live here." Jessica giggles at the thought and Taeyeon feels his heart leaping at the adorable sound Jessica's giggles were making.
"Those people who used to live here were really lucky." Jessica says upon reaching a junction, stopping in her tracks to ask Taeyeon for direction. "Left or right?"
Taeyeon points his index finger to the right. "Let's go this way, I have something to show you."
Jessica nods, following Taeyeon close behind.
"Does it hurt?" Jessica asks, halfway to their destination and Taeyeon instantly looks at her.
"What hurts?" he asks, voice as soft as ever.
"Your hand," Jessica brushes her fingers against the bandage in Taeyeon's hand, only to retract her hand when she realized her action.
Taeyeon looks at his hand, frowning a little when he noticed Jessica retracting her hand before he shakes his head to answer Jessica's question.
"Thank you, again," Jessica says in a shy voice, bringing her head down to look at her every step instead. "I owe you a lot and I don't even know how to repay you."
"You don't owe me anything, Sica. I told you, your smiles are enough payment for SuperTaengoo," he says playfully, making Jessica chuckle.
"Why are you so kind to me? You should hate me for the things I did to you, I can't even remember we attended the same school in high school."
"It's not important anymore. What's important is that we're okay now, right?"
Jessica nods her head before looking back up at Taeyeon, smiling a little at the kind guy.
"We're here," Taeyeon announces cheerfully and they both stop in front of a colorful garden.
Jessica takes a step forward in the small pathway until she finds herself standing at the center of the garden, bed of roses and other flowers scattered around her.
"Taeyeon, this is so beautiful!" She exclaims in pure delight and Taeyeon lets out a sigh of relief.
"You look so perfect in there," Taeyeon yells from his spot before taking out his smartphone, snapping a picture of Jessica and eventually walking to where the girl stands.
"Do you like it?" he says upon reaching Jessica. She could only nod her head at Taeyeon as she looked over the flowers, trying to find any familiar plants.
"The blue hibiscus," Taeyeon points at a flower near Jessica's legs, making the girl look over it. "Stands for delicate beauty. Its color symbolizes depth, infinity and serenity. It was inspired from love."
Jessica nods her head. "How did you know that?"
"My mother used to grow them when I was a kid and I always asked her what those means," Taeyeon smiles sheepishly at Jessica. "They just attracts me so much." He bends down before picking the flower and tucking it behind Jessica's ears. "There, perfect."
Jessica smiles at him, desperately hiding the blush that appeared in her cheeks.
"Are you tired?"
Jessica shakes her head. As much as she doesn't like going out, she can't deny that she's enjoying Hanok Village more than she thought she would.
"So," Jessica takes a step further into the garden with Taeyeon tailing close behind her. "You like flowers?"
Taeyeon chortles before shaking his head no. "I wouldn't say I like them but they're pleasant to look at."
Jessica laughs, hands gently brushing against the flowers beside the pathway. "They are," she says in a low voice.
"You're like a flower, you know."
Jessica stops in her track, turning back to look at Taeyeon as she asks in a low voice, "How come?"
Taeyeon takes a step closer until he was just a foot away from Jessica.
"Well, except for the fact that you smell really nice and looks so pleasant in the eyes," Taeyeon smiles, brushing a stray strands of hair away and tucking it behind Jessica's ears. "You remind me so much of a flower that needs to be nurtured and taken care of."
Taeyeon didn't know what came over him, maybe it was the quite garden and the beautiful flowers or just Jessica herself that gave him courage to press his lips against her forehead in a gentle peck, surprising both Jessica and himself.
"And I want to take care of you," he whispers with his lips still pressed against Jessica's forehead before removing them and taking a few steps backward, leaving a decent space between them.
Jessica's heart beats rapidly inside her chest, feeling the weight of Taeyeon's words and the close proximity, leaving her unable to speak for a moment.
A minute passed and Taeyeon decided to get rid of the tension that had built up between them.
"Come on Sica, I bet you're hungry."
Only when Taeyeon was a few more steps away from Jessica did she follow Taeyeon out of the garden. They walked to the other direction side by side without uttering a word to each other.
"I'm sorry," Taeyeon mutters without looking at Jessica.
"Huh?"
"For a while ago. I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable," he says.
Jessica nods her head. "It's okay. I was just.. overwhelmed."
"You can pretend it didn't happen," Taeyeon says, the cheerfulness in his voice gradually missing. "Let's just explore the rest of the village."
The rest of their walk was spent talking about random things like work and family. Jessica will never admit it but she is sure that Taeyeon is slowly creeping his way to her heart and it terrifies her how easily he's able to do that.
It was already late in the afternoon when they decided to head back to the streets of Samcheong-dong. The streets were much crowded by the time they got out of the village compared to when they arrived earlier.
"What do you want to eat?" Taeyeon cranes his head from side to side in hopes of finding a cafe nearby.
"Do you think there's any cafe here that serves hotteok?" Jessica says timidly.
Taeyeon nods his head before pointing at a cafe that has the letters W and E written on its white wall. They walked the short distance to the cafe and was instantly greeted by a picture of hotteok attached in the glass door. Turns out that the cafe's specialty was hotteok-pancake.
"I think we're in the right place," Taeyeon says, sliding the glass door open for Jessica before he followed inside.
The cafe looks small from the outside but when they were already standing inside, Taeyeon was surprised at how spacious it actually was. They even had a small garden at the back with tables and chairs for the customers. Jessica smiles, giving Taeyeon a thumb-up before she glided to the counter, ordering the both of them a plate of hotteok-pancake.
They chose to sit outside, in the garden, after Jessica had placed their orders. They conversed lightly as they waited for their hotteok-pancakes.
"This place is really nice. I should bring Krystal here next time," Jessica says after they went silent for a moment.
Taeyeon nods.
After fifteen minutes of waiting, their hotteok-pancakes finally arrived and Taeyeon's eyes lit up at the cold delight in the plate with the hot hotteok. Jessica chuckles.
"I didn't know they served ice cream with it," she says as she scoops from the vanilla flavored ice cream in a cup beside the hotteok.
Taeyeon just hums as he devoured the cold delight, finishing it in a minute.
"And I didn't know you love ice cream that much," Jessica shakes her head before pushing her cup towards Taeyeon. "Here, you can have mine."
Taeyeon eyes the cup before looking up at Jessica. He shakes his head and smiles, "No, it's okay."
"I insist. You can have mine."
Taeyeon shyly takes the cup and scoops from it, seeing that Jessica wouldn't take no for an answer. "Thanks," he says.
Jessica started eating her hotteok-pancake and soon after, Taeyeon did too. They were enjoying the hotteok so much that Taeyeon didn't notice that the fillings of the hotteok had peanuts.
They stayed a bit longer in the cafe, ordering another plate of the hotteok-pancake because Jessica liked it so much. Taeyeon complies without protest because he enjoys being with Jessica and would want to spend as much time with her as he could.
After two plates of hotteok each and three cups of ice cream for Taeyeon, the duo made their way back to where Taeyeon parked his motorcycle with heavy stomachs and light hearts.
"I really enjoyed today," Jessica says as she puts on her helmet. Taeyeon smiles at her but Jessica could sense that there was something wrong with it.
"Are you okay?" she says, looking at Taeyeon with concern. He waved her off with a smile and muttered a low 'I'm fine' before he beckoned for her to climb up behind him.
Jessica did as told and as soon as she sat behind Taeyeon in the motorcycle, she could hear Taeyeon's labored breathing. She tugged on his jacket, making him look over his shoulder.
"Are you sure you're okay?" she asks again.
Taeyeon gives her a reassuring smile and a thumb-up before he encircles Jessica's arms around his waist, surprising her.
"Hold tight, Sica." He says before carefully driving to the highway.
**
Jessica climbs off the motorcycle as soon as Taeyeon turned off the engine in front of her house. It was already seven in the evening when they arrived and the lights inside her house were already , indicating that Krystal is already there.
"Thank you so much, Taeyeon." Jessica says as she hands Taeyeon his spare helmet.
Taeyeon smiles at her and it worries Jessica how silent the guy had become after eating.
"Are you sure you're okay?" She asks for the third time that day and Taeyeon chuckles.
He gently pats her head twice, "I'm fine, I'm just tired."
"I-I'm sorry. You were supposed to be resting at home."
Taeyeon shakes his head, "I didn't mean it that way. And besides, I enjoyed today."
Jessica smiles shyly. "You should get going, then, so you can rest early."
Taeyeon nods his head before bidding Jessica goodbye and wishing her a good night.
**
Jessica sits on the couch with a cup of tea in hand, looking at the blue animal knick-knack Taeyeon gave her earlier. It had been two hours since she arrived home and Krystal is soundly asleep in her room, leaving Jessica to muse in the silence of their house. Sleep was being evasive again.
She thought about Taeyeon and how she would always catch him looking at her longingly. She wonders what Taeyeon sees in her that he would adore so much. She was just plain Nurse Jung -boring, even. There is nothing really attractive about her. Donghae would always drag her to parties before, ending up in arguments because she wouldn't mingle with his friends. She didn't really like parties and crowded places, contrary to Donghae. She also wonders how long Taeyeon would keep up with her.
Gulping down the remaining liquid of her tea, she stands up to wash the cup in the kitchen, only to stop when their home phone rings. She furrows her brows, wondering who the caller could be and what the emergency is, seeing that it was already a little past nine in the evening.
"Hello?"
She waits for the caller to speak.
"U-unnie? It's Hayeon."
Jessica's heartbeat speeds up in fear.
"Hayeon, is everything okay? What happened?"
Hayeon hesitated for a minute before whispering, "O-oppa.. he's having trouble breathing and is itching all over his body."
Jessica bites her lower lip upon recognizing the symptoms. "Is he allergic to any food?"
"N-not that I know of.. e-except for peanuts."
Jessica bits her lower lip harder, remembering that the hotteok-pancakes they ate earlier had peanuts in it.
"I'm coming over. Give him water and elevate his pillow, okay? I'll be there as soon as I can."
**
Jessica presses the doorbell of the two-story house in front of her with a sleepy Krystal standing behind her. She brought the girl with her because she can't possibly leave her alone in their house. Good thing Taeyeon and her lived in the same neighborhood and Krystal knew the address, saving them time.
"Unnie," Haeyeon greeted them, worry written all over her face.
"How is he?" Jessica asks as she steps inside the house, taking her coat off and hanging it in the coat rack.
"He's a little better but he's still itching all over an his breathing hasn't returned to normal yet."
Jessica nods her head as she and Krystal followed Hayeon to the second floor where the rooms were situated.
"Where are your parents?" Jessica asks as they walked to the last door in the hallway.
"They're in Jeonju, visiting appa's relatives." Hayeon answers, opening the door of her brother's room.
Taeyeon was already sleeping when they arrived inside his room. He was hugging a long pillow and Jessica could hear him breathing irregularly. She feels guilty for being the cause of the man's mishap.
She sits at the edge of his bed, just beside Taeyeon's body, before looking over the little red dots in Taeyeon's neck and arms. She takes out a medicine from her bag before asking Hayeon to get a glass of water for her brother.
"Taeyeon," she gently shakes him.
"Taeyeon, wake up." Taeyeon didn't budge and she tries again.
After a couple of minutes, Taeyeon remained sleeping and Jessica is getting a little frustrated at the guy. She shakes his arm some more, earning grumbles from the sleeping guy before she was pulled down, face landing in Taeyeon's chest as he holds her tight.
Jessica blushed, trying to get half of her body off Taeyeon's but his grip was tight.
Krystal rolls her eyes. "Are you really sure your brother is sleeping?"
Hayeon nods her head, amusement written in her face as she continues holding the glass of water, gaze fixed at the two figures locked in an awkward yet intimate hug on the bed.
"Taeyeon, wake up.." Jessica coos, struggling to pry Taeyeon's arms around her body.
Taeyeon mumbles something Jessica can't understand before rubbing his nose against Her hair.
"I need my sleep. Can I sleep in your room?" Krystal turns to look at Hayeon and the shorter girl nods her head before placing the glass of water on top of the bedside table before getting out of the room with Krystal, leaving Jessica and Taeyeon alone.
"Taeyeon.. Taeyeon, wake up. You need to take your medicine." Jessica tries again and this time, she succeeded in waking Taeyeon up.
Taeyeon's eyes widens as soon as he comes face to face with a flustered Jessica, sprawled on top of his body in a very awkward position.
"S-Sica?"
Jessica nods and tries to smile with a blush tainting her cheeks.
"W-Why are you here?" Taeyeon asks, still locking Jessica in his arms.
"C-Can you let go of me.. first.. please?"
Taeyeon immediately lets go of Jessica, muttering a soft 'sorry' as he sits up on the bed.
They sat in silence for a while before Jessica noticed Taeyeon scratching on his skin, reminding her of what she really came here for.
"Here," she hands Taeyeon the medicine.
Taeyeon takes it with a puzzled expression before he was handed a glass of water.
"It's for your allergies," Jessica answers even before Taeyeon could ask. He nods his head and swallows the medicine.
"Thanks," he says as Jessica takes the glass from him, placing it back to the bedside table.
"How are you feeling now?"
Taeyeon smiles. "I'm fine, I think my breathing's back to normal. You shouldn't have bothered," Taeyeon says shyly. "Sorry for bothering you."
Jessica slaps his shoulder playfully. "Silly SuperTaengoo, you should have told me you were allergic to peanuts."
Taeyeon grins at the nickname. "I wasn't even aware there were peanuts in it."
Jessica hums before reaching for her bag, taking out the gingerbread man plushy Taeyeon had given her on her birthday.
"Thought you'd need Ginger, so I brought him with me," she says, handing Taeyeon the brown plushy. "But you need to return it. I can't sleep without him."
Taeyeon nods, "Thanks."
Silence engulfs the whole room as they try to avoid each other's gaze, looking at everything but each other.
Clearing his throat, Taeyeon breaks the silence after what felt like eternity.
"About earlier.. I-I'm sorry.. I wasn't a-aware," he says shyly.
Jessica stares at the floor before answering, "I-It's okay. You were s-sleeping, I understand."
Jessica knows that Taeyeon's scent will be etched in her mind for a long time and she blushes at the thought. Taeyeon's arms around her feels really nice. That, she can't deny.
"Go back to sleep, Taeyeon." Jessica says, standing up from the bed.
Taeyeon looks at her. "Where are you going?" he says, standing up from his bed, too.
"Home."
Taeyeon shakes his head. "It's already late. You sleep here, I'll just sleep in my parents' room."
Taeyeon never fails to surprise Jessica with the way he is. He was always thoughtful towards Jessica and it makes her heart flutter a little.
"Are you sure?" she asks and he answers her with an assuring smile.
"You should rest, too, I know you're tired from all the walking we did this afternoon." Taeyeon walks to the door, passing by Jessica. "Sleep well, Sica."
"Sleep well, Taeyeon. Call me if your allergies gets worst, okay?"
Taeyeon gives her a thumb-up before closing the door behind him.
Jessica lies down in Taeyeon's bed, inhaling his scent from the pillows and blanket. She wants to stay awake for as long as she could --just to make sure nothing bad happens to Taeyeon-- but his comfortable bed is effectively lulling her to sleep and she soon succumbs to it with the memory of Taeyeon's arms around her body and Taeyeon's lips on her forehead.
It was silly to smile in your sleep but Jessica did just that. Unconsciously, of course.
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