Stay (Topp Dogg) {Published on Amazon}

Part 7

Monday
Xero

I opened my eyes once my alarm clock went off. On a normal day, I would roll over to the other side of my bed and turn the alarm off, but it wasn't a normal day.

I inhaled quickly once I saw the long hair across the pillow. I watched carefully as the body moved up and down slowly. At least there's not a dead person in my bed, I thought.

I reached over the sleeping person and turned off my alarm clock. My arm brushed against their shoulder. I held my breath, hoping they wouldn't wake up. Then the person rolled over. My eyes bulged out of their sockets.

Hyein.

I pulled the covers closer to her neck once I realized that her collarbone and bare shoulder were showing. Then I slipped myself out of bed.

I quickly picked up my clothes that were sprawled all over the floor and grabbed my robe. I covered myself and tried not to hyper ventilate. Her clothes were all over the floor as well.

I remembered last night. I remembered it all. She was so drunk though, was there anyway she would remember? Would it all just be a blur to her?

I didn't want to take a chance so I quickly grabbed all of her clothes and folded them nicely in a pile on the floor. I didn't know what else to do. My insides felt nauseous.

Did I take advantage of her? Did she have consent in what we did? Is it considered rape?

I lost my balance from my thoughts and fell onto the ground. I felt so sick suddenly, as if the volcano inside of me was ready to erupt.

I ran to the bathroom. All I could think about was washing myself off. Scrub all the dirt and scum off of my body. Then I would prepare myself for when she wakes up.

I turned the shower on and hopped in. I immediately felt better once the burning hot water ran down me. I scrubbed my body until it was raw. Then I actually started to think about last night.

I thought about how I felt at that moment, at that time. It was okay because after I kissed her at the ladder, I helped her up and made sure she didn't topple over.

Hyein and I saw Yano, snoring on the futon in the middle of the floor. She gripped my hand and we scurried past him. It was Hyein who opened my bedroom door and dragged me in. It was Hyein who started to kiss me and brought me over to the bed. I just followed along.

I wanted to. She wanted to. That means, it was okay, right? I didn't do anything wrong. The sick feeling started to subside in my stomach. Now, everything just depended on Hyein.

I walked back into my room with just a towel around my waist. I picked out my outfit and started to get dressed as quietly as possible. It seems that I'm the only one who's awake.

I finished getting dressed and looked at Hyein who was sleeping peacefully in my bed. I felt butterflies rise inside of me. That's the moment that I realized my feelings for Hyein.

They started the day that I met her. The reason why I didn't talk to her wasn't because she looked strange, but because I was stunned. There was someone else out there that had problems like me too. Neurological problems that she couldn't fix.

When I saw her entering my neurologists office, I was scared. I didn't want her to see what was wrong with me yet. Especially on the day that we met.

When I took her to that bar, I planned on telling her what was wrong with me, but I couldn't. It was the first day we met. How do I explain that everyday at noon, my body makes me think that I'm on fire? How could I tell her the reason why I do that without it being weird? I couldn't, so I acted like a jerk.

While Hyein was in the hospital, I was at school. I'm still a student, unlike Kidoh.

Kidoh.

On the day we met Hyein, the look on his face when he saw her was immediate attraction. He had the same feeling as I did, but understood how to cope with it. I didn't understand. That's why she's so much more comfortable with him. To her, I'm sure I'm just some weird stranger.

Now, we've done the deed. I got her drunk and brought her home. Kidoh's going to kill me. He can't find out.

I looked at my alarm clock. His alarm is going to go off in a few minutes. I looked at Hyein and sighed. What am I going to do? I sat down on my floor next to my bed. This is me giving up. I'm just going to have to play silent.

I stood up and gave one last look at Hyein. I remembered the moment of when I kissed her by the ladder last night. I want to go back to that moment and stay there. A warm feeling started in my stomach. I bit the corner of my lip and sighed. I hope she remembers.

*****

I climbed down the freezing cold fire escape. It clinked and clanged as my shoes met the rusty, old metal. The bars were cold under my bare hands, sending a chill down my body.

I ran across the street to my car once I hit the bottom. I wanted to go get some hot chocolate from the convenience store down the street. Then a thought flickered in my head. Hyein's going to need some new clothes. I turned on the ignition and made my way to Hyein's house.

Once I stopped in front of her house, I walked up to the porch and knocked on the door. There were a few thumps and bangs from inside. Then a series of clicking sounds from locks being undone. Once the door finally opened, I could smell the pancakes from here. I looked down to see her mother panting while leaning into the door.

Mascara was running down the wide woman's face. Her hair was going every which way. It was covered in flower, just like the rest of her body. She was wearing a pink, tattered robe.

The woman sighed and looked up at me. "Would you like some pancakes?" she asked me. I shook my head no and politely said, "No, thank you. I just came to pick up clothes for Hyein." The woman nodded and held up her pointer finger, signaling for me to wait. She slammed the door shut. I stood there in the cold, waiting for her to return.

When her mother opened the door, she startled me. The woman handed me a giant bag full of things. It was heavy and about the size of a cat.

"There are clothes in there for her for about a week. There's also her medication. I don't care if you have to force her to take it. Just please be sure she does." I smiled down at her and took the bag fully out of her grasp. "I'll make sure she does," I said. "Xero, please take good care of her. She's my only baby I have left." My smiling face fell after she spoke those words. "I promise I will," I said.

I made my way back to the vehicle and placed the bag in the back of the car. Then I went to the corner store and bought myself and Hyein some hot chocolate. I hope she remembers last night.