*Chapter 12

Jongin gathered all his strength before storms out from the house, and hoping that she hasn’t gone too far from there. It wasn’t a dream. Nara has really been there in their house, taking care of his fever, holding his hands, and his head lovingly. That was everything he could remember that she did on his sleep. The man runs outside his house, trying to find traces of her. He runs down the street, eyes frantically looking for a petite figure with brown hair –if she hasn’t change the colour, that probably still wandering around the neighborhood.

He runs here. He runs there. He runs everywhere. The man is slowly losing his strength. His knees suddenly feel so weak he can’t even stand. Jongin staggered, before he finally fell scratching his knees. A deep sigh coming out from his mouth, he knows it, she really has gone. Without he realizes, the hot tears are already flowing out from his eyes. The man lost her, for the umpteenth time.

“Are you okay?” Suho asks Nara who is silent along their way home from the office. “You’re so... quiet today.”

“Oh, I’m okay. Don’t worry.” She answers him with a sincere smile, but he can see cloud on her eyes, replacing that bright shine which usually there.

It must be Jongin, the one who is probably running around her head right now. Suho chooses to leave it there and stop asking, doesn’t even want to know any further.

"Do you want to go home straight?" He asks again.

The girl just shakes her head "No, you said you want to buy a new shirt earlier, let's go. I'll help you choose." She says.

Suho knows, she couldn't hide that something is bothering her mind right at the moment. But then he just turns the wheels to the first department store that coming up on his mind. "Alright, let's see your taste and style." Suho says, earning a chuckle from the girl.

Nara actually couldn't stop worrying her husband. She is wondering how he is doing right at the moment, could he take care of himself, does the fever go down already, and every single thing that she knows he can't do by himself. What does he eat for the lunch, does he know which medicine that he needs to take. Everything is running on her head she can't even focus on the man with her.

The girl could feel that the man is getting uncomfortable. She tries to ignore her own mind and focus on the man. Nara looks through the shirt, trying to find one that suits Suho. Suho himself is busy choosing on the other side of the store. Nara watches him from afar, but all she could think is Jongin. Nara remembers how difficult Jongin is when it comes to clothes. They could spend the whole day going in and out the store only to find a piece or two.

"Which one do you think is better?" Suho taps her shoulder and shows her two shirts, a blue one and a green one.

She turns her head to the shirts that Suho showed her. "The blue one. Go try it. I'll find another one here." She says as she flips through the row of hanger. Suho waits there and watches her serious expression. He smiles, she looks pretty when she focuses on something. And that feeling, when he knows that the girl is thinking about what suits him better, is indescribable.

But then, he realizes that he is wrong. "Jongin oppa, take a look, this one looks good." Nara says as she takes out the hanger. Suho was never on her mind. "Oh my god." She gasps when the girl realized it. "Oppa, I mean.." It hurts a lot. Suho feels like he just thrown from the third floor of the building. "I mean, it will look good on you." Her face turns red.

"I'm just gonna try this," then he walks to the fitting room with the blue shirt on his hand.

The girl feels so dumb. How could she mention Jongin when the one around her is Suho. Nara mutters some words to herself, "You're so stupid Nara, uh." She puts the hanger back to its place and she goes to the front of the fitting room. She knocks the door and says, "Oppa, let me see if you already wear it."

Suho is angry at himself. He looks straight at his face on the mirror. "You're stupid, Junmyeon." The man feels so stupid because he thought that Nara was thinking about him. He always reminds himself, day by day, that he won't let his hope goes up high, because reality is cruel. And he feels it right at the moment.

Suho opens the door, Nara is already in front of the room. "What do you think?" He asks, pretending like nothing happened before.

"It looks good. Blue really suits you." Nara smiles as the compliments coming out from her lips. "I'm sorry, but, do you want to try this one?" She hesitates at first, but Suho then just takes the shirt from her hand.

"Wait a minute." He closes the door and changes the shirt to the one that Nara brought.