Sancutary | 박성훈

15. Falling In Love Harder

Maena had just been sitting on her assignments all evening, staring at the words and sentences. It was as if she looked away and still saw text. Her eyelids felt heavy and her head ached already. Maybe it was time to take a break. Maybe even go to sleep. 

She still wanted to walk around downstairs to see something other than her own room. Sunghoon was sitting on the sofa, working again. Maena approached him and sat down next to him. 

"You still aren't sleeping?", he inquired calmly. 

"You aren't either.", she stated to which he didn't reply anything. He had a wine glass on the table next to his papers. He sometimes wrote something on the papers, but Maena couldn't understand anything in that state. 

"You aren't going to drink a lot, right? You said you were going to start taking your meds.", Maena muttered sleepily.

"Yeah, I will."

"Good.", she said quietly an rested her head on his shoulder. Sunghoon froze slightly. He was surprised but surely liked it. Maena did sound tired, maybe she was tired a lot. Sunghoon knows she has a lot to study at the moment.

"Shouldn't you go to bed?", he inquired softly.

"Yes, but I want to be here for a moment.", she said and rubbed her cheek onto his shoulder. She reached her hand to grap his and gently started playing with his fingers. Sunghoon found it strange how clingy she was today but he let the girl be. He was no longer able to properly concentrate on his work, since his heart was pounding fast and his stomach doing odd spins. But he tried to calm himself because Maena was calm, even a little too calm.

Sunghoon didn't have to sit there for long until Maena's fingers stopped moving on his palm and the girl's body was almost motionless except for her peaceful breathing. He wouldn't want to wake her up again, but if he moved, would she? He has to move at least in some point.

Sunghoon sat there for minutes, maybe even ten or fifteen. He sometimes whispered Maena's name to see how deep asleep she was, but she didn't even budge, which meant she was in deep sleep. And Sunghoon really didn't want to wake her up anymore. Should he cover her on the sofa? Or should he take her to the bed? But Sunghoon was wondering a lot if Maena wanted him to touch her in carrying, it's really not a big deal, but it is for him. On the other hand, Maena did say she is not uncomfortable with physical contact.

The stairs upstairs are also so narrow that they might not fit there together. Well then, however, Sunghoon decided to make his move and slowly left the girl's side and took her in his arms in a bridal style. She still didn't wake up. Sunghoon had never carried anyone like that and maybe he enjoyed it because it was Maena. Her head rested on Sunghoon's shoulder as he walked towards his own room.

He carefully laid Maena down on his bed and covered her in his sheets.

-

Maena didn't hear her alarm ring but she woke up without it. The surroundings were almost unfamiliar, so she was completely confused. It was Sunghoon's room, his bed, but he himself was nowhere to be seen. Then Maena remembered that she fell asleep on his shoulder last night. And the only way she would have end up there would have to be if Sunghoon carried her there. She was already getting butterflies at the thought.

She smiled a little and then got up from the bed and exit the room. She assumed that Sunghoon was doing his morning affairs, but it was still dark downstairs. She walked further and soon saw Sunghoon fast asleep on the sofa. So he had presumably slept on it all night and let Maena have his bed. His meds were on the kitchen counter. That's why Maena assumed he had taken those last night.

Maena's face kept on that small smile. She definitely wasn't going to wake him up, even though she didn't even know if he would wake up easily from the sleeping meds. But if there was anything he needs the most, it's sleep.