It was a couple of days before Minseok began to look better.  Semi arrived home from university on the Wednesday evening to find he’d spread case files out over the kitchen table and brought his laptop through so that he could work while keeping an eye on the cooking food.

“Are you just binge cooking now or something?” Semi asked him as she pulled a packet of crisps out of one of the cupboards and started stuffing her face.  “I’m pretty sure we have more than enough food cooked to last us the week already.”

Minseok looked a little guilty.  “I like cooking,” he murmured before returning to his case files.

“I like not wasting food.”

“Well, you could always eat something from the larder cupboard rather than going for crisps.”

“I’m in need of comfort food.  Wendy’s been haranguing me all day about the bandage on my arm.”

“Oh.”  Minseok glanced up.  “I totally forgot to ask what you told your university friends had happened.”

“I told them I was mugged and abducted for forty-eight hours.”

“That’s close enough, I guess.”  He returned to frowning at the files.  “When did the doctor say the stitches could come out again?”

“I have a check-up on Friday, so potentially then.”

Minseok swallowed and nodded.  “Is it okay if I come too?”

“I was kind of expecting you to drive me,” Semi mumbled, a little embarrassed.  From his small smile, Minseok appeared not to mind.

“Sure.”

Taking her pack of crisps and her satchel, Semi went through to her room to get rid of her university stuff, and then proceeded to the living room to slump in front of the TV.  She flicked through the channels, trying to find one she was interested in, and hovered for a while over Top Gear.  It was something she’d often watched with her father before the crash, but she hadn’t seen it since, and she had no idea how she’d handle it.  With regret, she skipped over it to a drama that was doing a re-run of the previous week’s episode to lead into the currently airing episode in an hour’s time.

Before the episode was even half done, Semi was interrupted.

“Hey, Semi,” said Xiumin, abruptly appearing in the doorway.  “Care to help me choose a new phone?”

“What?”  Semi muted the TV and twisted around the face him.

“You gave my other one to the police.  You owe me,” he reasoned.  “There’s something I need to check with Luhan right now and it’s not particularly something I want the police tapping the call on, so I can’t use my smartphone.”

“Er… you do realise that they’re now going to be aware of you getting a new phone?” Semi pointed out.

“I like rubbing things in their faces sometimes.”  Minseok shrugged with a disarming little smile.  “Anyway, come with me.  It’s been a while since we both went out together.”

With a sigh, Semi gave a longing look towards the drama and then turned the TV off.  “Fine.  I wanted a new winter coat anyway.  My current one isn’t very warm.”

Semi had forgotten just how pleasant shopping with the man was.  He insisted on coming with her into the various shops that sold coats and helped her pick them off the rack, giving his opinion verbally when she asked for it and expressing it when she didn’t by pulling faces.  One particularly pointed grimace had her giggling, but when she finally found a coat she felt she looked good in, Minseok actually seemed happier with the choice than she was.  It was beige, fitted, had a faux-fur lining on the inside for warmth and dropped down below the knee.  Semi fiddled with the lapels a bit and almost winced at the price tag, but then Minseok pointed out it was actually cheaper because it was on sale and she decided to go for it.

“Phone time,” he chirped once they were out of the shop, Semi with her new coat draped over her arm.  He linked his own arm through her free one and tugged her along.  They spent a while before finally picking out an old Nokia brick and then wandered back through the mall in silence.

They were at the car before Semi voiced a question that had been on her mind since they left the shop.

“Aren’t you going to ring Luhan?  You can’t do it at the apartment.”

“Not right now.”  Minseok opened the door for her.  She got into the car.  “The police are tailing us.”

Semi put her hand on the door to prevent him from closing it.  “Wait – you can tell?”

He nodded.  “I’m used to it.  Tails have always been something I’ve had to watch for, and it happens quite a lot when I go out.”

Semi withdrew her hand and he closed the door before going around to the other side.  It was only then that Semi realised she’d inadvertently got into the front seat, and she immediately began to panic.  She was already halfway out of it when Minseok slid into the driver’s one.

“I-I-I can’t,” she stuttered by way of explanation.  “M-Minseok, I can’t.”

He blinked at her and then reached out to slip his hand into hers.  “Try?” he asked.

Semi gulped.  Then she shook her head frantically.

“You need to face up to your fear of cars someday,” he said gently.  “You said you had a panic attack in the car on the way to Suho’s HQ.  If Suho or Heo Youngsaeng twig that it was the car that caused it, it could be a huge problem.”

Gulping again, Semi slid slowly back into her seat.  Minseok released her hand and started the car up, but then frowned, leaving it idling for a moment or two, and killed the engine.

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