[A/N] Sorry for the late update! Just got home from a very short new year vacation hehehe. Glad that you liked how the story went so far. Anyway, some of you asked why Kyuhyun was placed the second in the AEB list. I just want to clarify this; the list was not sorted accordingly, Kyuhyun was rather randomly placed as the second one. The first one doesn't matter, because he is not better nor lesser than Kyuhyun.Got it? Got it? All right now that that was clarified, off to the story!

Three.

Entwined Hands.

They had their dinner date in her room. It wasn't at all 'romantic' like how dates are supposed to be, but neither of them complained about it. They had some getting-to-know-each-other conversation – which generally was about their lives and hobbies and favorites and best friends – and had ended up digressing to random things she had pointed out, like how it was a funny coincidence that she had two guy best friends and Kyuhyun had two girl best friends.

Kyuhyun just laughed, he wisely didn’t mention how he had fallen in love with one of his afore-mentioned best friends who in the end had his heart broken – because obviously that would ruin the good mood.

In contrary to his limited speech about his best friends, she told him about her two best friends that she had thought of as her older brothers.

Kyuhyun asked if she had ever fallen in like or even in love with one of them, but she answered that with an almost unlady-like snort, laughingly telling him that it was just next to impossible because one of them had fallen too deeply in love with a girl and the other one had fallen too deeply in love with himself.

Kyuhyun couldn’t help but laugh out loud at that. But she said she loved them both, nonetheless, they were just too lovable for her not to.

It was midnight when Kyuhyun was suddenly reminded that she was actually his patient, they were still in the hospital, and hence she needed her much needed rest.

“Alright, it’s 12.15 AM now. I have to go, and you have to sleep.” He said, standing up from the chair beside her bed.

Seyoon, whose face was still flushed because she had been laughing so hard she could hardly breath, suddenly stopped smiling and looked at him, just barely hiding her disappointment. “Do you really need to go?”

“No, but you really need your good night sleep.”

“Why?” she pouted.

“Because you’re in a medical treatment, obviously.” He laughed, his hand itching to ruffle her hair but he kept it to his side. It just wouldn’t be a proper thing to do to a nearly-stranger, would it?

“Aw,” she slumped a little. “That . Why do I have to be hospitalized?”

“Why do you have to skip your meals? You wouldn’t have that appendicitis otherwise.” He replied without missing a beat.

Seyoon narrowed her eyes at him, pretending to be offended. Kyuhyun stifled a laugh – because instead of intimidating she just looked so adorable doing that – and playfully narrowed his eyes back at her. They ‘glared’ at each other for a little while before Seyoon admitted defeat.

“Gah,” she ended the staring match. “For a doctor, you’re so frustrating.”

“For a patient, you’re so stubborn.”

He started picking up the empty tub of ice cream and the disposable plate and utensils of the take-out he had bought for their dinner.

“I think it’s my cue to leave, though.”

“Wait!” she grabbed his hand to stop him from cleaning up the bedside table top. She tugged his hand a little and leaned forward, unintentionally catching a whiff of his subtle yet entrancing cologne. “I still have a secret to tell you.” she dropped her voice into a whisper.

“What is it?” Kyuhyun raised an eyebrow. He gave their entwined hands a subtle glance before looking back up at her. “And why are you whispering?”

She ignored his last question and looked him squarely in the eyes. “I cannot sleep at foreign places at night.”

Kyuhyun stared at her steadily for a few seconds, as if he had just heard one of world’s top secret, before rolling his eyes good-naturedly.

“I’m serious!” she said.

“You just can’t sleep and want some company.”

“I really can’t sleep. It’s like insomnia... or something. But it only happens when I have to sleep at foreign places.”

“What are you hinting at?” he asked after a few seconds observing her.

A light hue of red started shading her cheeks. “Please stay. Until I fall asleep – which is unlikely, anyway. Hospitals are just creepy, you know.”

“No, they’re really not.”

“Yes, they are.”

He sighed. “I’ve been wandering around this hospital since I was a child.” He said, reminding her about the fact that it was actually his hospital, which of course, he was familiar with. “And I’ve never seen anything mystical or scary here. Maybe you just watch too many horror movies.”

“Not true!” she argued, “Another fact of me; I never like watching horror movies. Actually, I’ve been watching too many chick flick movies. Why would I want to watch horror when I’m afraid of pretty much everything scary? Chick flicks are better. Haven’t you ever heard of how women love clichés?”

Kyuhyun couldn’t stop his lips from curving slightly upwards and chided her gently. “Hey, focus, will you? We’re talking about you begging me to stay here because you can’t sleep in foreign places.”

The blush was back to her cheeks. “I wasn’t begging!”

Kyuhyun gave her a pointed look and she realized she was getting out of topic again. She pouted. She couldn’t help it if she had the attention span of a goldfish! (or at least some of her friends had very honestly told her so.)

“Right.” she cleared . “So I can’t sleep at foreign places. But I didn’t beg, okay? I’m not that desperate. I just want you to stay.”

He sighed again. “Okay, I’ll stay. But you have to sleep now.”

“I told you I can’t-”

“Just close your eyes. You’ll feel sleepy eventually.”

She obeyed him sulkily before lying on her back and closing her eyes, trying to sleep with him sitting beside her. A few minutes later her breathing evened out, and Kyuhyun knew the beauty had fallen into a deep slumber.

And she said she couldn’t sleep in foreign places? It seemed like she could sleep through an earthquake now.

Kyuhyun smiled as he watched her small lips part a little. She would ramble nonstop when she was awake, but now that she was fast asleep, she looked so much like an angel.

How could she do that? This girl was so intriguing.

A low, amused chuckle escaped his throat without warning. The sound rumbled in his chest and echoed in the silent room, until Kyuhyun caught himself and cleared his throat, though there was no one present – at least no one conscious besides him – in the room to catch him laughing so fondly just at the thought of this girl he barely knew.

Kyuhyun shook his head to himself at the thought and stood up, ready to throw the trashes and left-overs into the trash bin and leave-

But was stopped when he couldn’t move his hand.

He looked down only to see her hand still attached to his. Their hands were still linked. Maybe she didn’t realize it, but she hadn’t let go of him. She was holding his hand loosely, but the connection was firm enough not to make him move his hand easily.

Her hand felt so small and soft compared to his. He trailed his eyes up her figure until they met the pretty face. She looked so serene, so deep in her sleep. Kyuhyun tried tugging his hand out of her loose grip gently, but when he did she would tighten her fingers around his and stir a little. A small frown would mar her angelic features and a soft groan that sounded so much like a disapproving tone was heard from her.

He couldn’t help but smile, and now he didn’t even try to stop himself. Really, how could anyone not smile at that?

Letting out a surrendering sigh, he sat back down on the chair and watched as Seyoon turned her whole body to her side, so she was now fully facing him. Unconsciously, she tugged his hand closer.

Kyuhyun propped both his elbows to the edge of her bed so that she still can have his hand in hers without twisting his arm in an awkward position. The sleepiness descended on him and he idly played with her fingers.

Chatting up nonsenses with her in the evening and having her hold his hand when midnight came... well, maybe he could get used to this.