pt.ten/
Twenty three years ago/
Seoul/
He wrapped her in the thickest, richest cover that he could find. Next to her freezing frame he placed a heater and from time to time he'd feed her a cup of hot chocolate he had made for her.
"Appa, I wanna go to bed." Aura mumbled as she shivered under her covers.
He rushed up to oblige, "Can you walk?"
"I-I can try..."
She used her weak arms to lift herself up but he could see that there was no way she was going to make it up the flight of steps without his assistance. In a way a newlywed husband would carry his wife pass the threshold of their home, he lifted her with such a strength into his room.
She expected him to let her off at her bed, but instead of her yellow side, she was met with the dark side of the room. His side. The side she dared not set a foot in since their first encounter.
She looked up at him confused.
"Just d-don't make it a habit to lay here, if you do it too often I'll get annoyed."
"So that means..."
"Shut up, my bed is bigger and is made from better material. You need it more than I do right now... Come on, let me tuck you in."
He rushed downstairs tripping over himself and brought back up the sheets and heater before he tucked her in. They were both quiet. He stood at the side of the bed awkwardly, watching her as she stared back. Until, of course they spoke simultaneously.
"I'm sorry."
His eyes widened and he stumbled over himself verbally next, "Why are you sorry?"
She fiddled with her small digits.
"I shouldn't have tried to force a friendship between you and I, it's just...I was lonely and I don't have anyone to talk to, and you're so smart and interesting. I wanted you to like me like I like you."
He kneeled next to the bed.
"No, I'm sorry. As you can tell, I'm not your average kid. I'm smart, I'm tall, and I'm handsome, I'm—"
"Are you sure you should be calling yourself handsome?"
"I'm not lying, am I? And that makes it hard for me to make friends cause I barely like adults, let alone kids. I've never had a friend before, and I've rarely ever talked to any girls. And with you being American and culturally different from me, I was worried I wouldn't live up to your expectations, and that as a child, you wouldn't live up to mine. I know things must be hard with your what your mom is going through, and how isolated you must feel—"
"W-What does isolate mean?"
Annie sighed laying his head next to hers with his knees still planted next to the bed.
"Separate...alone, and maybe lonely."
Looking at the ceiling she pouted while taking a deep sigh, "I'm feel very isolated. I don't know where my dad is, something is wrong with my mom, I feel like a burden to your mom, your sister hates me, and you hate me. I've never felt more isolated."
Annie tilted his head back straight and the dark tint of his eyes returned.
"Don't pretend to know how I feel about you."
"Am I wrong? If you don't hate me, do you love me?"
He shrugged placing his hand on her hair like she was a pet, "If that's my only other option."
