Bloodline

Chapter 24 - Bargain

Hours quickly passed when I'm with him. Sun had set, and it's time to go home. We were able to complete both the butterfly and the insect garden tour. And since we both did not want to dine in for dinner, we grabbed food through the drive through and went home for dinner. 

"Where did your mom and uncle go?" He asked as he helped me discard the food from the paper bag. I got the utensils from the kitchen and laid them on the dining table. 

"My mom's a doctor and my Uncle is a blacksmith. My mom is on a medical mission now and my uncle is helping him."

He moved closer to me as he helped me on the table, and the friction of our body gave me butterflies. 

"Do they always do this? Leave you alone?" 

I did not realize I hitched my breath with his question. "Yeah, alone. I am used to it anyways."

He sighed too. Empathizing perhaps. "You never had friends?" He asked again. I gave a sarcastic laugh. "Friends were never meant for me. People are not meant to stay in my life."

"I can stay." Haein whispered. His words lingered in my heart, making it ache more. 

"For how long?" Self pity started to strike me. Everyone will leave eventually. Or the other way around. I am bound to leave them. 

He held my hand and placed it to his chest, across his heart. 

"The longest that I could possibly stay."

I tried to control my tears, so I looked away. I am wishing for the impossible. I should have drawn the line from the very start. 

He moved in front of me but my head stayed low looking at the floor, avoiding his gaze. My eyes would betray me, then my heart too. 

And I found myself again at the comfort of his arms like I am home. His hug tightened on me as I started to cry.

My sobs were silent, but those were pains I've been carrying on for years. I have detached myself from the world and I've been silently keeping all the burden inside. 

At these times, I wished we were the same. That we were both immortals. That someone could be by my side forever. A plea next to impossible. I could only wish. 

"Stop crying. I will never leave you, okay." The assurance in his voice was so strong that I wanted to delude myself. I wanted to believe temporarily. He pulled away, him wiping my tears. "You are making me cry." I muttered and glared at him.

"I will never leave you Jisoo. No matter what happens, I will stay. You push me away, you loathe me, you hate me, you may want not to see me, I will stay. I promise you that."

He planted a kiss on my forehead. I don't wanna keep my hopes high, but maybe, just maybe in this lifetime, I am allowed to love. 

"Dinner." He whispered in a very controlled tone. I fixed myself and wiped my tears away. His shift in tone sends me a signal that he has been restraining himself. We started eating and tried to divert our attention to a different topic. 

"Haein, about the girl you were always with?" Finally I was able to ask. 

"Nini? She is my cousin."

"And the guy? Is he his boyfriend?" He almost got choked. 

"Tell that to her if you wanna see her go ballistic."

"Can I be friends with them?" He gave me a very concerning look. "It's okay if—" 

"I'll introduce you to her." He said smiling. Another person in my life. Maybe it isn't a bad idea after all. 

Dinner's finished and I took a quick glance at the clock. 8PM. "You can go home now, I am okay. Thank you for staying and giving me company." I said, driving him away. 

"You promised me until midnight." He said, passing through doors and windows like an inspector. 

"Where is your room?" I froze.

"What?" 

"I said where is your room?" 

"Why?" 

He leaned forward and closer. 

"Where?" 

"Upstairs."

His steps were like three times of my baby steps and in no time he reached the landing of the second floor. I pointed to the last door and he was serious about barging in. 

"Hey, hey, what are you doing?" I almost snarled at him. 

"I am just checking."

"Checking what?" He stepped forward again. "Stop." I almost shouted. "Five minutes." I went inside and slammed the door behind me. 

I hurriedly cleaned up my room which looked like a straight mess. Why does he even want to see it? 

Once things were clean, I opened the door and he went straight in. He checked the door locks then approached the window and looked around. "No one is sneaking inside here, Haein. Stop being paranoid."

"If you let me sleep here I might be curling on the bed now and not inspecting."

I gave out another huge sigh. "I told you no."

"I can still sleep on the porch. It's not as if I am inside."

"Haein."

"Then let me sleep here."

"No." I said in a firm voice. 

"I'll sleep in my car then."

He sat on the window pane. "I'll stay in the living area. Just let me stay." 

There his eyes again. Like a magnet to my soul.

"Okay, fine. You win." Damn. Saying no to him is an inner battle I can never win. 

He threw his fist in the air. He fished out his phone and stepped outside. I peek through the door and could hear his faint voice. 

—yes ma, I'll come home early tomorrow. Tell Nini stop pestering me. Okay, I love you mom. 

He broke all the walls I built around my heart. But it was worth it. Because he makes me feel things I never felt in my entire existence. And I am so enthralled by it.