Chapter 30
You Said Remember Me II
“Do you want half a pound of the pork ribs?” the man behind the counter asked.
Yuri fell into debate with herself tucking a hand underneath hear chin.
“Make it a pound,” Eunhyuk spoke up.
Yuri turned to look at him.
“You only save a dollar and fifty cents if you get the half pound,” Eunhyuk explained, “it costs only about a dollar more. No big deal right?”
“Do you grocery shop a lot?” Yuri questioned turning to him.
He shrugged, “I would with Victoria some times.”
“Do you two cook together?”
She watched as Eunhyuk seem to fall into thought. Was he recalling memories?
“We still do some times,” Eunhyuk quietly responded, “but lately we’ve been too busy doing our own things. Does your friend, Changmin, help you?”
Yuri turned away with a snort, “No way. He doesn’t do those things. Maybe when he knows he’s done something wrong, but he’d never touch even a knife.”
Eunhyuk laughed.
“Here you go,” the man behind the counter handed them their meat in a bag.
/ / / / /
They returned back home to find Donghae and Nana in the living room quietly watching a cartoon show.
“Where’s Changmin?” Yuri asked when she closed the door.
“I’m not sure,” Donghae replied.
As if on cue, Changmin started down the stairs.
“I’m here!” he loudly shouted.
Yuri turned around to look at him, “Where were you?”
“Why do you yell as soon as you see me?” Changmin asked. “You want me to take this into the kitchen?”
Eunhyuk watched as he grabbed the bags from her and headed toward the kitchen before Yuri charged after him. He glanced at Donghae and Nana before heading toward the kitchen.
“Where’s Victoria?” he asked.
“She’s in her room,” Changmin explained. “She told me she wants to be alone.”
“Is she ok?” Eunhyuk questioned.
Yuri turned to look at him.
“Shouldn’t you be going on a diet? What’s with the donuts, seriously,” Changmin commented suddenly going off topic.
“Excuse me, what I eat shouldn’t matter to you,” Yuri spat back. “But you eat what I eat too, so why don’t you go on a diet as well?”
“You’re so mean,” Changmin chided then turned to Eunhyuk. “Oh where were we?”
Eunhyuk half smiled before darting his eyes toward the stairs. Was Victoria ok with Nana and Donghae? She wasn’t stressing about something like that, was she?
Without a word he started toward the stairs and headed up toward Victoria’s room. From the doorway he could see Victoria sitting at the foot of the bed staring out the window. Quietly walking in he stopped beside her.
“Shouldn’t you be downstairs with Donghae?”
Victoria didn’t seem surprise when she turned to look at him. Instead, with a smile she held out the bowl of fruit.
“Want some?”
“No,” he shook his head. “We’re going to have lunch soon. You must be hungry.”
“I don’t know.” she turned away.
Glancing at the empty spot next to her he sat down.
“You can’t starve yourself now, you know that,” he reminded.
“I feel uncomfortable,” Victoria said, “and I don’t know why.”
“Because you’re stressed,” Eunhyuk told, “you’ve been through a lot these past two weeks. Take it easy, I’m sure things will turn out the way you want them. Just talk to Donghae when you feel like it.”
Victoria fell into deep thought.
“You must be feeling very moody,” Eunhyuk sympathized, “I remember when Hee Sun was still pregnant she often had lots of mood swings.”
He found a small smile climb onto her face and felt glad that she was smiling.
“Eunhyuk,” she turned to him, “don’t tell Donghae.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“I want to let him know myself, so you can’t say anything, ok?”
“I promise.” he replied after a moment. “Lets go downstairs.”
/ / / / /
Donghae watched Eunhyuk start down the stairs followed by Victoria. He’d forgotten to ask why Eunhyuk had come to Osan. How had he and Victoria met up?
He wasn’t jealous at the moment, but worried. Victoria didn’t want to seem to talk to him and he didn’t understand why. Was she upset that Nana was with him? Why didn’t she give him a chance to explain himself? Wasn’t she curious about what had happened to him that week? Honestly, he’d expected to see her joyously welcome him back, but Victoria didn’t seem at all excited. Why?
Had other things cropped up while he was gone?
When he stepped into the kitchen for lunch, he grabbed the empty chair beside Victoria. She didn’t talk to him at all during the meal. Victoria didn’t grip his hand back as she usually would when he held her hand. Releasing his hold on her hand from underneath the table he watched as she pushed her long hair back and turned away from him.
That was it. Victoria was upset. He knew it.
/ / / / /
The food was tasteless and Nana worried that she’d choke on it if she ate anymore. Other than the bickering between Yuri and Changmin she didn’t feel like she was welcomed there. Slowly lifting up some more food to she watched as Eunhyuk and Victoria quietly ate their meal without a word.
Flustered, Nana wondered how the day was going to go about. She wasn’t sure she could survive there with such quiet tension in the air. Couldn’t Changmin and Yuri feel it at all?
Victoria and Eunhyuk didn’t like her. Maybe because they’d seen Donghae holding her hand. If she knew Donghae was so loved she probably wouldn’t have touched him at all.
When the rest had finished their meal Nana grabbed her plate to drop them off at the sink.
“Nana, right?” Yuri suddenly appeared beside her.
Nana looked into the beautiful woman’s eyes. She seemed so friendly Nana wasn’t sure how to take it.
“Are you not hungry? You didn’t seem to eat a lot. Or is my cooking not to your liking?”
“Uh…no…”
Yuri smiled, “That’s good. I wanted to have a word with you, but that can wait. If you want some air you can step out back or take a stroll around.”
Yuri seemed so outgoing that Nana envied her. She wasn’t shy at all and Nana assumed she must have grown up well alongside her family members as a happy girl. She was all so different from herself.
Nodding, Nana turned to walk away.
“And Nana,” Yuri called.
Nana slightly turned around.
“Do make yourself at home,” she smiled, “don’t worry about being a bother. It feels good to have so many friends in the house since it’s been so quiet with just Changmin and I.”
Nana averted her eyes unsure why Yuri had called her a friend. Without another word she walked away.
/ / / / /
Even after dinner Yuri watched as Changmin excitedly immersed himself in a daily sitcom while Donghae and Nana quietly sat by each seemingly lost in their own thoughts. Turning around from the doorway she laid her eyes upon Victoria and Eunhyuk’s backs visible from the window. The two had been sitting outback for almost an hour now and Yuri was beginning to wonder if something had happened between the two and Donghae that she didn’t know of.
Though she didn’t say a word, she’d noticed that Donghae and Victoria hadn’t traded words since his arrival. Nana had been utterly quiet and Eunhyuk hadn’t spoken to anyone except for Victoria since they returned from the market. Why was Eunhyuk siding with Victoria when he was Donghae’s best friend? Or was that not it?
Yuri felt confused the more she thought about it.
Wasn’t it wrong of Eunhyuk to show so much concern toward Victoria when her husband was around? Couldn’t that trigger jealousy?
Shaking her head Yuri stared at Eunhyuk’s back. If she’d gone missing and Changmin had come to look for her, he would show the same kind of concern for her as Eunhyuk had toward Victoria. Yes, Yuri didn’t doubt that.
Maybe if she had a word with Eunhyuk and asked him more about Donghae and Victoria she’d have answers to her questions. After another look at Eunhyuk she headed up the stairs for a short shower.
When she stepped out of the shower she heard Changmin talking loudly as he reached the second floor, Nana trailing behind him.
“Here you are!” Changmin boasted.
“Yes, here I am,” Yuri replied plainly.
He frowned at her, “What? Are you upset about something?”
Yuri smiled then turned to Nana, “I left some clothes for you on the bed. You can go take a shower if you want.”
The young girl nodded silently and walked around her. When the door to the bathroom closed Yuri started down the hallway and glanced into Eunhyuk’s bedroom to find the door closed. Taking another step forward she found that Victoria’s bedroom door was closed as well.
“Your potential boyfriend has gone to sleep,” Changmin whispered.
Yuri turned to him with a half glare.
“Say that one more time and I’ll knock out your front teeth,” she threatened before starting down the stairs.
Yuri slowed down halfway down the stairs when she saw Donghae staring into the backyard alone. His back view looked so forlorn and lonely that it was a depressing sight. Assuming that he must be thinking about Victoria she took a step forward and flicked on the lights.
Donghae turned around surprised.
“I thought you would have gone in to sleep or something,” Yuri started.
He pressed his lips together. Without a word Yuri walked forward and pulled open a drawer behind the counter.
“Here,” she held out a key, “it’s the master key.”
Donghae glanced at her.
Yuri told, “Victoria was in panic when she arrived here. All she could talk about was you. Maybe she’s feeling uncertain right now, don’t forget that she had to live a week believing you were dead. I know you want to spend some time with her, you two are married after all.”
“Thanks,” he took the key from her.
“Don’t worry about it,” Yuri smiled and turned to see him head toward the stairs.
/ / / / /
Victoria turned around when she heard something at the door. Pulling the curtain over the window she watched as the door opened before Donghae stepped in. He glanced at her before closing the door behind him. She watched as he set a key on the bedside table and wondered where he’d gotten it from.
“Victoria,” he started.
She walked toward the bed, “I’m tired, lets talk later.”
He watched as she pulled over the cover before walking around the bed. Grabbing her arm he swiveled her around.
“Listen,” he begged, “please.”
Victoria turned her face away.
“Nana, her brother was murdered by people who took you,” Donghae started, “she’s only with me because she wants to go after them. And she’s the one who helped Chief Kang and I escape while we were locked up. I’m sorry, I couldn’t get to you sooner. You must have been scared, they didn’t do anything to you, did they?”
Victoria turned to him, “You knew, but you didn’t tell me. You should have told me Ren Gei was on the loose. Do you know how much difference it could have made?”
“Ren Gei?” he repeated.
She pressed her lips together, “Nana, ok, I’m fine with her at the moment, but Ren Gei, you should have told me. I would have been more careful, but instead you kept it from me. I wouldn’t have believed you were dead, I wouldn’t have suffered so much misery that week!”
His confused stare on her turned soft and he smiled relieved.
As he pulled her into a hug Victoria could feel tears well up in her eyes.
“I missed you so much,” he told putting a hand into her long hair as he leaned against her. “I’m so glad you’re ok.”
“I really thought you were dead…” Victoria cried.
“Silly, I’ll never leave you,” he took a step back and wiped her tears.
After a moment of silence he gave her a peck on the forehead before she felt the lips she’d been longing for.
***You've been waiting a long time right? I was going to update this morning, but it slipped my mind after I got busy preparing for class -__-
***But has Victoria actually talked about all that needs to be talked about? Well, we'll see..
***I have my presentation Wed! omg!!! Lets hope I do well!
spring semester ends this friday and i'm off for summer break :D i'll get back on track with YSRMII
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