I can read your smile - Choi Minho SHINee Fanfic (COMPLETED)

Chapter 4 - Sick and tired

~A few weeks later~

~Minho's POV~

"Taemin!" I greeted the boy who ran happily towards me.

"Minho! Long time no see!" He jumped on me as he usually did, and I hugged him back. Taemin was a very affectionate person.

"What are you doing?" I smiled, pointing to the stack of papers in his hands.

"Oh, not much. I accidentally dropped my notes, so I was trying to sort through them." He laughed. Typical Taemin. "What about you, where are you going?"

"Practice starts later today, so I was thinking of going home to relax for a bit."

"Oh, that's great. Say hi to Crystal from me! I hope she's feeling better..."

"Did anything happen?" I frowned.

"She went home after lunch and skipped the last class..."

"Really?" That was shocking. "Why?"

"Well, I'm not sure... she doesn't talk to us that much about ... herself." Taemin frowned. "She looked a bit bummed out, maybe she wasn't feeling so well?"

~

I headed home and entered my apartment, but Crystal was not in any of the common rooms.

She also didn't come out to say hello, which I found a bit odd, if she truly were home. She would always do so, if I came home after her, even on Saturday nights when I went and stayed out late. No matter the time, if she was home and awake, she would greet me.

I knocked on her door, but she didn't reply.

I probably shouldn't have done it, but I opened the door slowly and noticed her sitting at her desk, her head in her hands. She was crying and she seemed shocked to see me, as shocked as I was to see her like that.

"Hey." I spoke. My tone sounded worried. I should try to keep calm. "What's wrong?"

"Uhm." She shifted in her chair and wiped the tears away, then showed me her signature smile. "Nothing. Everything is fine."

I frowned.

"I didn't hear you come in." She said, and her voice faltered. It sounded weak.

"Crystal... what happened?" I tried again, getting closer to her.

Should I hug her?

Should I let her be?

"She looked a bit bummed out, maybe she wasn't feeling so well?" Taemin's words echoed through my head, and watching her fake smile was painful.

I petted her head in comfort, and she closed her eyes.

"Everything is fine." She breathed in. "Everything is fine." She repeated, and it was like listening to a broken record. I could see how hard she was trying to keep her composure, to not start crying again.

Still, tears rolled down her cheeks, but she wiped them off as quickly as they came.

"Crystal-"

"I'm fine." She shook my hand away and stood up.

There it was, a wall she was building. 

I was expecting her to at least tell me what was bothering her, but she kept her defences up high.

"Why are you back so early?" She asked with another of her fake smiles. I knew better than to believe it. Despite looking happier, her tone was cold, and her mind seemed elsewhere.