Chapter 62
You Said Remember Me II
Yuri came back with the keys and they left. They stopped by the mart for a bit so Yuri could stock up on grocery and buy lunch for them. About an hour later they were finally on their way back to the hospital.
Eunhyuk couldn’t help but wonder what Nana and Changmin were doing at the moment. Would they be talking or would Changmin be asleep?
When Yuri opened the room they found Changmin alone in the room.
“You’re back?” he asked.
“Yea,” Yuri replied setting the grocery bag down onto the small counter. “Where’s Nana?”
“She stepped out a moment ago.” Changmin answered. “Now that you say that, it’s been about 15 minutes already. I wonder why she hasn’t come back.”
“Where’d she go exactly?” Victoria asked.
“She didn’t say,” Changmin replied. “She just said she wanted some air.”
“We should go look for her,” Donghae suggested.
Nana always went off on her own. It was as if she weren’t worried about getting hurt or attacked at all. That troublemaker. Eunhyuk glanced at Donghae who was about to turn and walk out the door.
They turned around when someone stepped into the room and found Nana at the doorway.
“Oh? We were just going to look for you,” Victoria said. “Where’d you go?”
“Walking around, then I found some patients playing basketball so I was watching them,” Nana explained.
“You should be careful,” Yuri told.
“Sorry,” Nana apologized. “What are you guys doing here?”
“To have lunch,” Donghae clarified. “Yuri thought you might be hungry so she bought some things for us to eat here.”
“Really? What about me?” Changmin asked.
“You’re going to have to wait on the doctor’s order.” Yuri plainly said.
“Nana,” Victoria started, “we already found a place for you and Eunhyuk, but it’s pretty small.”
“Are you sure you still want to stay out of the house?” Donghae wondered.
Nana slightly glanced over at him. Eunhyuk returned the glance hoping Nana would say no.
“It’s ok,” Nana answered. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Are you really sure?” Donghae went on.
Nana nodded. Eunhyuk felt like mentally walking toward her to shake the senses back into her head.
Victoria handed them the packed food Yuri had purchased from the store and Eunhyuk ate his silently.
“We’re going to head back,” Yuri said a moment later after everyone had finished eating. “Do you want to head back with us, Nana?”
“I wanted Nana to stay till my parents get here,” Changmin answered.
Eunhyuk glanced at him before eyeing Nana.
“I want to stay with Changmin, too.” Nana replied with a smile. “I’ll come retrieve my stuff later.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Eunhyuk assured. “You’ve packed everything into your bag, right?”
Nana turned to look at him before nodding.
“I’ll get it for you,” Eunhyuk offered.
/ / / / /
Changmin had finally fallen asleep after the others left. Nana let her eyes run over him before turning away. She wasn’t sure why things had turned out to be the way it had. Nana was suddenly starting to feel nervous about the fact that the room rented out for her and Eunhyuk was small.
What if something happened? Nana refused the thought. Eunhyuk didn’t even like her in the first place, and Yuri liked Eunhyuk. It brought a short ache to her and she recalled giving up the thought of liking Eunhyuk the night when Yuri had gotten drunk. Her feelings wouldn’t grow just because she was in a room with him, right?
Nana turned back to Changmin. Then what were her feelings for him? Changmin was kind, she felt captivated by his smile and the way he’d pat her on the head. It all made her feel so warm. So if that were the case, what were her feelings for him if she had any at all?
Reaching a hand forward she intended to run it through his hair, but stopped midway. Pulling her hand back she got up and started toward the window. The sky was grey and she wondered if it would start raining. Her immune system wasn’t good to even start off with and wondered if she’d get sick anytime soon.
/ / / / /
Yuri started toward the kitchen with the few grocery bags she had in hand, Eunhyuk started toward the stairs, which left Victoria and Donghae. Before starting toward the kitchen to help Yuri out, Victoria grabbed Donghae’s arm.
“What did you mean earlier?” Victoria asked. “When you asked Eunhyuk if he intended to take the shot for Nana?”
“One of the gang members wanted to shoot Nana, so Eunhyuk jumped over her to shield her,” Donghae explained. “That’s all, but that fool…one of them could have gotten shot.”
“Really? Eunhyuk did that?” Victoria deepened the tone of her voice.
Donghae nodded.
“Don’t you think there’s something up with Eunhyuk?”
“I don’t know, I’m confused,” Donghae shook his head. “There are too many thoughts floating around in my head at the moment and what’s worse is that Eunhyuk won’t talk to me about anything. It’s like he’s in denial or something.”
“Go help Yuri out,” Victoria pushed Donghae toward the kitchen.
“What? Why me!”
“Just go.” Victoria urged.
When Donghae stepped into the kitchen Victoria started up the stairs. Eunhyuk was suspicious and his unusual self only made him look more obvious. She found Eunhyuk in his room packing his clothes away into his bag.
“Eunhyuk,” Victoria walked in.
Eunhyuk turned to look at her before turning away, “What is it?”
“Do you want to talk to me about anything?”
“No.”
Victoria observed his back before sitting down on the bed.
“Eunhyuk, you’ve been weirding out these days, you know that?”
“Yep.” he replied shamelessly proud of her joke.
“Nana, who is she to you?”
Eunhyuk stopped what he was doing and turned around.
“Why?” he locked his eyes with her. “Are you checking to see if I’m lying or perhaps trying to read my movements? You’re going to report this to Donghae and have him come interrogate me, aren’t you? Wow, you two make the perfect combination.”
Victoria snorted at his sudden sarcasm and watched as he turned around to continue doing what he was doing. Her eyes lingered over his back side and guessed that it was good he did still have some bit of humor floating in him, but it had certainly dulled…a lot.
“Then why dodge my question?” Victoria asked. “You two are man and woman…you’re going to be alone in a room. You know that?”
“I’m not really a wolf as Donghae says,” Eunhyuk said without turning to her, “I’ve never attacked a girl.”
“Why wouldn’t I believe you on that?” asked Victoria.
“Then why are you even asking?”
“Eunhyuk, you’ve really been watching out for Nana all this while, haven’t you?” Victoria half stated and half wondered it at the same time. “You didn’t leave because of her.”
“Who said that?”
“You are in denial as Donghae says,” Victoria smiled at his back. “Eunhyuk, don’t repress yourself like this. I know what kind of good person you are. Why don’t you show her your true self?”
“I have been myself.”
“Eunhyuk, does the way you’re acting have to do with Changmin and Yuri?”
“Victoria, please,” Eunhyuk turned around annoyed.
Deciding to back off Victoria got up, “Alright, but…if you want to talk, I’m here, ok?”
/ / / / /
“How’s it going?” Donghae greeted walking into the kitchen due to Victoria’s insistence.
He found Yuri shoving some items into the fridge before shifting her upper body to look back at him.
“Where’s Victoria? It’s kind of hard imagining you inside a kitchen.”
“Oh?” Donghae muttered. “You should try my specialty sometime. Scrambled eggs.”
Yuri’s face became indescribable.
“I wasn’t sure whether or not to laugh at that.” she replied.
Donghae laughed her off.
“I thought you’d want to stay with Changmin at the hospital,” Donghae said. “Victoria could whip something up for your parents. You don’t really need to worry about the house either.”
“I thought I’d do that,” Yuri turned around and busied herself with stuffing the fridge. “I don’t think Changmin wants me there. He’s had this big thing about me treating him like a kid.”
Donghae eyed her for a moment. Was he right to say that Yuri seemed somewhat disappointed and sad?
“Nana,” Yuri closed the fridge and turned around with a plastic carton of bell peppers, “Changmin seems to like her a lot. Maybe it just feels strange that this little boy has grown up.”
He watched her laugh. The laugh he considered half-hearted.
A hand wove itself around his arm and he turned to find Victoria standing by him. He hadn’t noticed her. The expression on her face told him that she hadn’t been successful at what she’d tried to pry out of Eunhyuk, but she had definitely discovered something. He returned the look.
/ / / / /
Changmin stirred from the bed and felt his hand fall flat onto the empty space beside him. He turned to find that Nana wasn’t beside him. Scanning the room he saw that Nana was no where in sight.
Allowing his head to sink deeper into the pillow he heaved a sigh.
“Don’t treat me too well, or you might really end up compensating me.”
Nana had spoke about compensation a few times. Did she mean it? Was he somehow making the young girl fall deeper into what he’d asked of her?
Actually, he hadn’t meant to take it so far. But Yuri still hadn’t gotten together with Eunhyuk. So therefore, he’d insisted for Nana to stay behind with him. Was he somehow…being selfish?
Of course, he was being a selfish bastard. Nana was so much younger than he and he’d asked her naively to play his girlfriend. He hadn’t thought about her feelings at first. Nana had just…been there. She was the only available one.
“I’m such a jerk…” he mumbled to himself.
So…what if Nana did like him? What would he do then? He’d only meant to become friends with her. Nana had been so quiet trying to hide herself in any corner she could fine, so he had just wanted to talk to her. When she fell sick, he felt sorry for her. For someone to be that young and hiding away from people who wanted take her life away…he couldn’t imagine how it felt to be in her place.
He was being insensitive after all.
If he tried caring more…what might happen then? Would it be possible for him to like Nana instead?
Changmin pondered the thought for a long time before turning to look at the door. Nana hadn’t decided to walk in yet.
Where had she gone?
/ / / / /
Nana tilted her head up at the pregnant clouds about to give birth to raindrops. They were thick, dark, and slowly edged in every way. She stretched her hand out and felt the first raindrop fall.
“Nana! Don’t go outside!” Im Junsu had screamed.
A 10 year old Nana had stopped running, turned around, and stuck her tongue out. Twisting her body back around she began jumping in every puddle possible before she felt Junsu pick her up from behind and rush her back toward the warm house.
“Don’t go out in the rain!” he scolded. “I’m serious!”
The young Nana stared deeply into her brothers eyes and just laughed cheerily. He’d been scared, she knew. The last time she’d been in the rain she’d caught pneumonia and it had almost cost her her life.
If she’d died before Junsu, he wouldn’t be suffering now as he’d be dead too. Her medium length hair flowed down her shoulders and she stared up at the evening clouds. It sure was going to storm tonight.
The benches and picnic tables around her made her feel like she was standing upon a rich courtyard. A courtyard that had been set up for an evening party, or perhaps the after party of a wedding. She could imagine the tables draped in white table cloth with flowers set in the middle of the tables.
Perhaps if her brother had married instead of choosing to work and had left behind children for her to take care of, she probably wouldn’t feel an ounce of worry. She would be responsibly at home to watch them instead of standing in a city she barely knew.
***And quote of the day: "Every story must have an end which might just lead to another beginning."
***Lets hope I can make more time on the weekends to write now :D
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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