Chereads / His Words Are Pretty / Chapter 7 - Getting to Sleep (Pt. 4)

Chapter 7 - Getting to Sleep (Pt. 4)

"Come on, stay over." She begged as I stood at the door and waited for me to give her a response.

"I have to work at my aunt's shop," I told her, trying to get out the door. There was nothing like sleeping in your own room, but it was late. I was stuck in a conundrum, and she grabbed my arm.

"Please," She dragged it out, shaking my arm. I couldn't help but laugh. She was like a girl version of Tae.

"Fine." I sighed, moving back in and her cheering. She ran over to the kitchen and opened the fridge, handing me a fruity drink.

"Want to order pizza or chicken?" She opened hers before taking a sip.

"Uh, chicken," I told her, and she smiled.

"You really are my sister." She ran off to get her phone, and I could hear her trying to order.

I looked around, analyzing her place. She had told me when we first arrived how it was her parents who bought it for her. They wanted to prevent her from getting distracted, which is what I was doing. I felt a little guilty, but she was studying a little. I opened my drink, taking a sip as I watched her bring books and notebooks from the bedroom to the living room. She held the phone against her ear with her shoulder, ordering while she multi-tasked. I put the drink down, moving over to help her, but she shook her hand and shooed me away. I took a step back, grabbed my bag, and pulled my notebooks from my bag before placing them next to hers. She left the room again, going back into the room and disappearing.

I looked around the barely furnished room, and how big it was with a couch and table around her T.V. I wondered if she had been living here without anyone ever coming to visit. I thought about myself. I guess I had Tae and his mom to keep me company. I sighed, taking another look around before seeing her come out of the bedroom door with a ton of blankets. 

"Sleepover time!" She yelled, holding on to the blankets and pillows all in a big pile in front of her tiny body. She threw them on the couch, handing a blanket to me, along with a pillow, before making her own little area.

"What's all this?" I tried to unfold the blanket, trying to wrap it around my back.

"I usually do this on the weekends, but we can do it tonight. I like to come in here and watch T.V. while I study and eat." She smiled, organizing her notebooks and such on the table in front of us. She ran back once more. I could hear the sounds of her rummaging through the drawers until she reappeared, holding her hands out to me with clothes to sleep in. I thanked her with a small smile, looking down at the skirt and shirt I had worn all day. She motioned for me to go, practically pushing me before I continued on my own.

Getting to the door of the bathroom, I looked back at her just once more. She leaned forward, grabbing the remote before turning on the T.V. and starting to browse. I walked into the bathroom, leaving each of us to our own tasks, before returning out with my clothes. I walked over to my bag and placed my clothes in it before I could hear squeals of excitement.

"Oh, I love this actress!" She jumped and looked over at me. "What kind of shows do you like?" She asked, adjusting her body and crossing her legs.

"Uh, I don't," I told her, thinking about how I never had a T.V. I would only read books during my free time. "I've never actually had a T.V.," and she gasped.

"Never a T.V.?" She looked at the screen before looking back at me. "Well, you're always invited over to watch with me. We can have movie nights!" She smiled before hearing a knock on the door.

She got up to run, moving fast towards the door, and I got up to get our drinks to bring to the table!

"Ta-Da." She held it up towards the sky as she paraded down to the spot she had just built for herself.

I will say it was a little discouraging at first. How l chose to spend my time seemed wasteful in comparison to what was going on now. I finally had someone to spend some time with, and it was better than before. Having the opportunity to joke with someone, talk with, and study with made everything a little bit better. I had nearly forgotten the time before watching Minji slowly fall forward, the chicken still hanging in her mouth. I laughed softly to myself. She was like a little child. I pulled the piece of chicken from her mouth, moving to pick her up and move her to the couch. She was heavier than I expected, her small snores being replaced with groans of annoyance.

I dropped her upper body on the couch, reaching down and pulling her legs on as well before covering her up. I looked down at her, still crumbs around her mouth, before wiping them away. I got up, cleaning her table and trying to at least make the place a little tidier. I finished, finally sitting down and looking over the notes we were able to complete. She and I had already finished our assignment for Korean Lit, but she had moved on to anthropology before passing out shortly. I closed her books, focusing more on mine as I looked at the project from earlier. But there was something else I wanted to focus on.

I flipped to the next clean notebook page, thinking about what was on my brain I needed to write. I checked the time, trying to make sure that I got enough sleep so that I could still help Tae's mom. 2:10, being later than I anticipated, I moved back to the notebook and began writing. I looked at the page that began to fill itself up, tearing it out and ripping it up. Why did I need to write so much? I sighed, standing up to take the paper to the trash. I walked past her. There was no way she was waking up soon. I went to the kitchen trash, seeing that it was full. This could be the least that I could do for her; she bought the chicken, and I'm even spending the night. I picked up the bag, placing the paper inside, before grabbing the next bag. I walked to her doorway and put on her sandals, and they fit perfectly.

I opened the door, walked out into the yard, and headed through her gate to the garbage, standing against the next building's wall. I threw the trash in their spots, turning to walk back to the home when I noticed that someone was walking down the road. It was a tall shadow coming down the hill toward where I stood. I walked across the road, getting to Minji's gate and turning around to see the stranger as he walked by. Was that him? I turned my head a bit, trying to see if there were any distinguishing characteristics about him that I knew. His hair, maybe, but it's covered. His face, he already passed. I sighed, and before I knew it, he looked back at me. My heart raced the moment his eyes met mine; opening the gate, I ran.

I had to run; my heart was already racing, and now it had a reason. I ran up to the door, pulling it open and closing it quickly behind me. Was that him? I laid my back against the door, letting my breathing calm down, looking around the room. This is too crazy of a day. I sighed, lacing my hand on my head. I need water. I walk over to her kitchen, getting a glass to pour water. I emptied the glass, letting it rest on the counter before walking back to the table. I just need to calm down. I sat down in front of the table, looking down at my notebook. I noticed my phone light up. Catching my eye. I looked at the screen and noticed that the same number texted me again. I unlocked my phone, opening the message.

'Come out.'

The words made my heart fall, and I couldn't move. So many things were running through my head now, and the main issue was how he got my number. He wants me to come out. It was him, and he did see me. How am I supposed to respond to this? I stood up, walking towards an extra bedroom. The room was completely empty, but it looked like she had made it into a closet of some sort. I walked over to the window, pulling back the curtain hung over it to look out, seeing his shadow standing in the night. What is he doing? He stood there, taking out his phone and looking at it. He knew I read the message, but should I go out there? I felt so defeated in this moment because the only choice I had was to walk outside. I let the curtain fall before turning and leaving. The walk to the door was the hardest, and I didn't expect a simple walk to take forever. With every step I took, my heart boomed to the point of opening the door.

The night air hit me, and I was thankful for its calming breeze. I took one more deep breath before walking out the door. I could hear him shuffling outside of the gate, and the sounds made my heart race more. I let a final sigh out before just walking to the gate and opening it. The moment that it opened, he looked at me in my eyes, and my heart was not ready for this. I let the gate slowly close behind me before laying my back on the gate. He stood there, staring at me before turning away and trying to think. I watched as his foot twitched in my direction before he just continued at that pace, falling face-to-face with me. His arm went up next to my head, he leaned down towards me, and I could see his nose, lips, and chin staring straight at me. I could feel the heat radiating from his face. He was so close. 

"Why are you doing this to me?" He asked softly, looking at me, and I could see his eyes darting from side to side. I watched his mouth open slightly before seeing his tongue touch his top lip slightly before letting out a huge sigh.

"Wh-what am I doing?" I moved slightly, looking to my right to see his arm was not budging, and I felt like I was burning up. I looked to see his eyes staring at me and my heart at this point. I was sure he could hear it. I heard his deep breath before he backed away.

"The way you're looking at me." He turned on the soles of his shoes and put his hand on his head before starting to walk away. I watched as he just walked away like that, his hands soon falling into his pockets. I watched him go further down the road before I realized he was really not coming back.

"Where are you going?" I called out to him. Of course, there was no response, and I watched him disappear before finally moving away from the gate. I opened the gate and moved into the home, closing the door behind me before letting my body slide down the door.

His eyes were all I could see and think about. I placed my hand next to my heart, thinking about how much it was racing, and it was just starting to settle. I stood up, slowly walked back over to my spot, and saw Minji still sleeping. It made me want to settle in, laying the pillow and blanket down before just letting my head fall on the pillow.

I closed my eyes, and his eyes were staring at me, causing me to jump a bit. I looked around the silent home. There was no way that I would be able to sleep now.