FRAT LINE|Year 2&3-KNJ✔️

+34+

+NAMJOON+

Malia's citrus scent has been missing for about five minutes. Maybe it's been more than but that's how long I've been up to notice. She fell asleep on my chest around 9:30, 10. An early night for her but she got out of class, came back to her suite and started her class work.

She didn't procrastinate, she didn't watch movies or read her book first. She just held my hand and walked right back here. She's been kind of quiet for a while, ever since that night at the game. She's still herself but to a less potent degree.

She still smiles and laughs with our friends but after about an hour of being around all of them, or any of them, Malia wants to leave. She wants to be by herself.. with me.

The first two weeks, I didn't know what was wrong, I asked her is she was okay every couple days and she would nod or quietly respond. By week three, I was so concerned that I almost texted her mother to check on her for me. Maybe there was something that she could do that I couldn't. Or something that she knew how to say that I didn't.

It's her mother, she's always going to be at a better advantage than I am.

Then I remembered that she hasn't been kept up to date. She hasn't been told everything and that would be a very poor way to have to explain. It's also not my place to say anything. It's not really my business to tell. Malia is very much my business just as I'm hers. But we also have our own separate space of business that's all our own. Telling her mother would be crossing a boundary that doesn't belong to me.

So instead, I sat her down with ice cream and the coffee blend that Xavier made her and we talked. I didn't force her to say anything. I actually didn't intend to make her talk that time. I just wanted to do something nice for her seeing how dull she's been.

Halfway through her pan of brownies, she was looking at me with tears in her eyes. She sniffled one time and started crying. Through her tears, she explained what happened. She tried to keep herself composed here and there enough for me to understand what she was saying. I got the gist of it.

It was heartbreaking to hear. To know how she's been feeling mentally and emotionally.

I've explained to the guys that her needing me is more important than guy's night and they understood of course. Even if they didn't, I'd still be in her face rather than theirs.

Getting everything off of her chest seemed to do her some good. She's been focusing on just her academics and dance. Delving herself into it, pushing herself. There's nothing wrong with studying.

But it's two o'clock in the morning... she should be getting her sleep right now.

Sitting up in bed, I see Malia at the desk in the corner of her room. Her laptop is open as well as her textbook.

"Lia, come lay down."

She looks up from the screen and stops typing.

"I was finishing my work."

"You told me you finished earlier. I asked you before you went to sleep."

"I did." She says quietly as she pushes her glasses up on the bridge of her nose. "That was from the assignments due in two days. We have our entire syllabus online though. I'm trying to get ahead."

"It's two o'clock in the morning, Malia." I say as I put my legs over the edge of the bed. "You have an eight a.m. class. You need to rest." I get up and take her text book off the desk. I make sure to mark her spot before closing it.

"But I'm not tired, Namu."

"Malia, you haven't been sleeping right for like a month. I know you're restless but you have to try something. You can't dance and go to school fatigued like this. It's gonna take a toll after a while, baby."