Soft For Her

Chapter XIII

(Soojins POV)

Over time I slowly gained the ability to walk again without the crutch. I took some time off of school for my physical therapy, but I never ended up going.

I was doing great on my own. Ari did all my shopping for me and helped me cook all of my meals.

I hadn't heard a single word from Minho in a week. I knew he was avoiding me.

Although I was still mad at him, I was the one who decided to get involved. I knew what he did for work and I still took the risk.

I was so drawn to him. I wanted to fix him. I wanted him to love me. I knew if he would just accept me, he wouldn't be so cold hearted anymore.

As I walked into the kitchen, my phone rang. It was my mom. I hadn't heard from her in years. I wanted to ignore it, but a part of me still felt like a kid.

One that just wanted their mother to love them. I would do anything for her even if she wouldn't do the same for me.

I decided to answer. "Hello?"

"Me and your father are in town. We're stopping by to see you." I almost dropped the phone.

"Mom, I don't think that's the best idea. You haven't spoke to me since I moved."

"We have been very busy. We're dropping by." The phone line went dead.

"Damn it." I scrunched my face, facing the floor.

I knew I needed to clean and I needed to hide my injuries. The scar on my neck and the one on my leg.

I quickly threw on some pants and a jacket to cover up everything. I sat on the couch waiting. I was nervous and scared.

I heard a knock on the door, I nearly jumped out of my seat. As I opened it, I was greeted. "This is your house?" She looked disgusted.

"Nice to see you too, mom." I rolled my eyes. "Come in." I stepped away from the door. "Oh, please take your shoes off."

"Why should I have to?" She laughed.

"Because it's my house."

"So?" She smirked. "I don't have to do anything I don't want to."

"This is my house. Either you listen to me or you can leave." Everything about my mother made my blood boil.

"Whatever." She kicked her shoes off. "Happy now?" She walked and sat on the couch, my dad following behind her.

"I really think it's best if you guys leave while there's no hard feelings." I mentioned, but my mom was stubborn.

"The only one making a big deal out of this is you." She rolled her eyes. "We shouldn't even be nice to you after what you did."

"What did I do?" I was confused.

"You were the one that was supposed to be watching your brother. Now look where he is." My heart dropped.

"Don't you dare bring up Seunghan like that." I closed my eyes, trying to calm down. "You should've been there. You're the parent. I was only 7!" I screamed.

"When will you realize that it's all your fault?" She yelled. "My boy is gone because of you!"

"Because of me?" I stood up. "I did nothing wrong. You heard the doctor. His heart was failing long before he died." The tears rolled down my face. "That was my baby brother. Do you really think I let him die on purpose? He was the only person I had!"

"Apparently he didn't mean much to you. You let him suffer." I couldn't contain myself.

"Get out!" I screamed. "Leave, now! I'm done. You're both dead to me."

"Don't talk to your mother like that!" My dad yelled, slapping me across the face. "You little brat." They grabbed their things and left.

All I could do was sit on the floor. I tried so hard not to think about Seunghan. He was my everything. On the day he died, a part of me died too.

I knew I couldn't be alone tonight. I walked in the pouring rain and knocked on the door. The tears swelled up in my eyes.

"Soojin?" Minho opened the door.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know where else to go." I tried to hold myself together.

"Who did this to you?" He examined my face which was red from the slap.

I couldn't get a word out before falling to my knees and sobbing uncontrollably.

(Minhos POV)

"Hey, it's okay." I rubbed her shoulder. "Lets go inside." I helped her off the ground and into the house.

She never said a word. She sat on the couch staring blankly at the wall in front of her.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, but if you do, I'm here." I grabbed her hand.

She looked over at me with teary eyes. "I can't do this anymore. It's all my fault."

"What happened?"

"When I was little, I had a brother. His name was Seunghan. He was 3 years younger than me." She sniffed. "My parents were never home so it was always me and him. I was only 7 when I watched him die." She choked up. "Apparently, his heart had been failing for a while, but my parents were too busy to notice. My mom came by today and blamed me for everything." She sobbed into her hand. "He's gone and it's all my fault."

All I could do was pull her towards me as she sobbed on my shoulder. I wasn't used to comforting people. This was all I knew.

"It's not your fault." I caressed that back of her head as she cried. "You were just a kid. I'm sure he doesn't blame you at all."

"My biggest fear is that he hates me." She mumbled. "Do you think he hates me?"

"Not at all. I'm sure he loves you very much." I cradled her and slowly rocked back and forth. Before I knew it, she had fell asleep.

I thought about waking her up, but she had a rough night. I carried her to my bed while I grabbed a blanket and slept on the couch.

I laid her down, pulling the covers over her. I leaned into her ear. "You're a good person. Seunghan is very proud of you." I whispered before laying on the couch.

There was a lot to her that I didn't know. The fact that she came to me first meant more to me than anything.