I Hate You, Don't Leave Me

Chapter 6

Lisa slept throughout the entire rest of the day, only waking up once in the evening for Minzy to give her another dose of medicine and another bowl of soup. Chaeyoung wasn't surprised what with the fever that the other girl had, and the blonde had to say that she was relieved that she didn't have to deal with her roommate anymore. She still stayed beside Lisa without fail, deciding to forego getting ahead on her homework in favor of reading a book. That night, Chaeyoung contemplated on whether or not she wanted to go back to her bed, but Lisa still hadn't let go of her hand, and Chaeyoung figured that if this was what comforted the agitating brunette, then the blonde would stay beside her and sleep in the chair that she was sitting in.

The next morning, Chaeyoung finally left her roommate's side to head down to breakfast. When she returned, she noticed Lisa stirring in bed, and she thought that the brunette must be waking up. Only she didn't wake up. Chaeyoung's brows furrowed in confusion until she realized that Lisa might be having a nightmare. The brunette didn't seem particularly scared though, but rather as if she were searching for something. It only took Chaeyoung a second to realize that that something must be her hand. The blonde made her way back over to sit beside her roommate's bed, grabbing Lisa's hand in her own. She smiled when Lisa immediately calmed down at her touch, briefly wondering why the brunette found holding Chaeyoung's hand so comforting when she knew that Lisa couldn't stand her. She didn't have much time to contemplate this though because seconds later, Lisa was blinking open her sleepy eyes.

"Good morning, Lisa," Chaeyoung said softly.

She used this gentle tone in the hopes that Lisa would not be rude to her and push her away. She hoped that maybe Lisa might remain calm for her, especially after the way that Chaeyoung had sat beside her for so long. She knew Lisa didn't work that way though and that she would most likely still think she owed Chaeyoung nothing. The blonde watched intently, trying to get a read on Lisa's expression, and she was kind of surprised when she saw none of the usual hostility in her eyes.

"Hey." Lisa sat up blearily and rubbed at her eyes. "How long was I out?"

"You slept through the rest of the evening and all night," Chaeyoung informed her.

"Did you stay with me all that time?" Lisa asked curiously.

Chaeyoung paused for a moment, unsure of how Lisa would want her to answer that question. Lisa's subconscious had very obviously wanted Chaeyoung to stay, but the blonde had no idea what the brunette would want to hear now that she was awake. Lisa was acting pretty mellow right now, but Chaeyoung had seen her moods turn on a dime. The blonde decided that the safest option would be to go for something vague. "Most of it. How are you feeling?"

"Much better." Chaeyoung thought that she could detect a hint of something akin to gratitude or maybe even warmth in the brunette's eyes. It was a strange sight, but it didn't go away. Chaeyoung reached out a tentative hand to touch Lisa's forehead, and she hoped that she was not about to shatter this temporary peace. She was relieved to find that Lisa didn't flinch away, and even more so, when she felt that Lisa's temperature was back to normal.

"Your forehead doesn't feel warm anymore." Chaeyoung removed her hand. "I think your fever is gone."

"Thanks for taking care of me," Lisa said quietly, looking down at her light purple sheets. "I'm sorry that I was so rude to you."

Chaeyoung had to stop her mouth from dropping open in shock. Lisa was apologizing? The brunette tore through people like a hurricane, completely disregarding the damage that she left in her wake. Since when did she start caring about other people's feelings? Chaeyoung wondered if perhaps she had been wrong and her roommate still had a fever. Whether she did or not, Chaeyoung couldn't say that she was opposed to the way that Lisa was behaving right now. Since her roommate was being so genuine, Chaeyoung decided to repay the favor. "I wanted to stay and take care of you, Lisa. We may not always get along, but I am trying. I was serious when I said that I wanted to help you, even when you are absolutely awful to me, and even though there are times when I want to strangle you, I really hope that someday, we can put our differences aside, especially since we both know what it's like to lose someone."