Obsession

As Good As Any Bed

The taxi halts outside the apartment block. The entrance is illuminated by a single light above the door that flickers every few seconds. I get out of the car by myself, my legs shake slightly as they support my weight but other than that I'm steady. Cool night air blows a refreshing breeze that plays upon my neck and tangles through my hair. I bring out my purse ready to pay the driver but when I turn around I see Mark is already handing over notes to the driver. The taxi begins to pull away. Mark smiles softly at me.

"You okay?" He asks. I nod.

"I'll pay you back," I promise.

He waves his hand.
"Forget it. It wasn't much."

Got7 live in the same building as my fellow group members and I but on a higher floor. Mark walks with me to my apartment. We don't talk, but I prefer it that way. Outside my front door, I dig in my pocket for the key and realise with a sinking heart it's not there. Of course it's not. My key is lying on a cold pavement by a dirty alleyway. Forgotten.

"I threw my key at you."

"Shit, I'm sorry I didn't pick it up," Mark curses. I shake my head.

"It's my fault."

"It's not your fault, Aimi." I lean my forehead against the door. A fresh wave of tears is threatening to spill over. I take a breath, despising the slight tremble it has as I exhale.

I knock gently on the door. The bell is conveniently not working. There's no answer from inside, nothing stirring. I knock a bit harder. We both listen for any sounds from within. Unsurprisingly, my band mates are all fast asleep. A frustrated rage rises up and I thump loudly on the door.

"Come on...please..." I beg the door to open. To see Yang Yang smiling sleepily in surprise and letting me in. But no one opens the door.

I slide down against the wall opposite. Mark sits next to me, silent.

"You can go to your apartment, you don't have to wait with me," I tell him feeling guilty.

"You really think I'm gonna just leave you here?"

I shrug, not knowing what to say. "We could go back to mine," I hear Mark say, "You could sleep on the couch." His voice sounds distant. Floating. Disembodied. I'm too tired to think. In fact, my eyelids are beginning to feel incredibly heavy. I can feel them drooping. The automatic lights in the corridor blink off not sensing any movement. It's completely dark and, with that, my eyes unconsciously fall shut.

Weird images float around my brain. One moment I swear I'm cooking kimchi fried rice in my old house in Japan, but the next moment I'm being chased by a dog-sized centipede. Just as its razor sharp teeth are about to tear off my leg the dream quickly dissolves.

A loud slam has jerked me awake. My eyes snap open in alarm. For a moment, I'm confused. Half afraid the centipede is still coming to get me. It's only for a second though before I remember why I'm sitting in a corridor and not in my cosy bed.

The slam was from a door a few metres down the hallway. A clean shaven man in a smart pinstripe suit stares at me, probably deciding whether or not to alert security that there's two hobos sleeping in the corridor, but he turns and strides away swinging his briefcase.

I yawn and shift my head slightly. Material rustles next to my ear. I freeze only just realising my position. My head rests against Mark's chest, his arm loosely curls around me almost protectively. I can feel his chest slowly rising and falling, his breathing even and deep. A thudding, quiet and distant, reaches my ear. His heart. The gentle pounding is so rhythmic my body soon relaxes again, enjoying the warmth and the feel of his arm gently holding me to him. My eyes flicker down to the luminescent figures on his watch. It's 5:16 am. Once again, the lights turn off. I allow my mind to drift away, feeling as cosy as a squirrel in its nest just about to hibernate.

This time, I'm woken up by Mark. He stretches out his arms and yawns. The movement causes me to wake up. I'm still leaning against him, and knowing that we're both awake and sitting like this makes me embarrassed. I sit bolt upright. He stares at me in surprise. His eyes are small, not quite awake enough yet to open them wider. The corner of his mouth quirks upwards.

"Good morning," his voice is husky from sleep.

"Um, good morning," I mumble.

"It's 6:30, do you think they'll be awake by now?" Mark says motioning to my apartment door.

"Maybe." I stand up and knock on the door. From inside I hear a sudden shatter. Mark and I look at each other in alarm. What was that?

Then, there's the sound of a chain being slid back and the door opens a crack.

"Aimi?" JiEun gasps, her face peeking around the edge of the door. She pulls the door open wider and does a double take noticing who's standing behind me. "And Mark??"

He waves casually, flashing a quick smile. It takes a moment for JiEun to compose herself before she steps aside to let me in. I stand in the door way awkwardly. "Do you want to come in and have a drink or breakfast or....?" I ask Mark, trailing off uncertainly.

"Thanks but I should get back," with another wave and a nod at JiEun he turns and walks away. JiEun closes the door silently.

"Let's have breakfast," she says. She doesn't ask why I didn't come home last night, or why Mark was with me, and I'm grateful. Explaining would be too much and take too long for my exhausted brain. I just hope she doesn't get the wrong idea.

I help her clear up the broken glass scattered across the kitchen floor.

"Sorry," JiEun apologises sheepishly, "I get nervous when no one else is around."

"You don't need to apologise, it's understandable." We both smile, albeit a little shyly, at each other.

The clock ticks slowly by. While the others still sleep, we drink orange juice, eat bagels and discuss today's schedule.