Chapter 18
She must have stood in the bathroom a full ten minutes before she finally did anything. It felt… weird to be naked in another man's apartment, but she would be lying if she said she hadn't been dying to take a shower since the moment she had stepped into the cold.
Dok Mi turned on the water and waited for it to heat up. She shouldn't have stayed, but now she felt too tired to go home. It must be nearly 4 by now. But she promised herself that she would leave at sunup. Could she really work all of tomorrow with only 2-3 hours of sleep? Probably not, but it was better than staying here any longer than she had to.
The hot water felt like heaven as it cascaded over her body. The past week had been so stressful… she rarely allowed herself the luxury of the long, hot showers at home, but here she could just stand there for as long as she wanted and let the water rinse her problems away.
But that would be rude to Enrique, who was just sitting out there waiting for her to finish. She turned off the water much sooner than she'd wanted. She dried off as quickly as she could and walked out into the bedroom. Enrique had left her a large t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. She changed quickly and went back to the kitchen.
"Enrique, I'm-" she said. He was asleep on the couch. She looked at the clock on the wall; she had taken much longer in the shower than she thought she had. It was almost 4:30 now; anyone would be asleep at this time. Especially someone like him, who lived his life so energetically. She felt guilty for waking him at 2 in the morning. Her books could have waited until morning.
She saw a blanket lying next to him. She walked over and picked it up. It probably wouldn't be comfortable for him to sleep on the couch, but she could at least make him a little warmer. When she walked over to him, she noticed a book on his chest. Pride and Prejudice, it was one of her books. This guy. He steals from her and makes her sleep over then reads the books he stole. How would she ever make any sense out of Enrique Geum?
He means nothing to you, she said. This time, she knew he was lying. It had been nearly a week since her accident and he had never lost faith in her remembering. She somehow felt like she had let him down. She put the blanket over him and carefully pulled it over his shoulders.
"I'm sorry" she said quietly, "I'm trying"
Her hand moved to his hair on its own. He looked so peaceful sleeping, almost like a child. She ran her fingers through his bangs and hummed quietly. It was a song she never remembered learning, but the lyrics flowed through her mind like she'd known it her whole life. Dok Mi's hand froze as Enrique stirred in his sleep.
"Ahjumma" he muttered, still somewhere far away from her.
Dok Mi returned to running her hand through his hair. Was it her imagination, or did he feel a little hot. Like he had a fever? Sleeping on his cold hard couch couldn't be good for him. What if he got sick? She laid her palm flat against his forehead. He definitely felt warm.
"Enrique" she said. She wanted him to go and sleep in his own bed while she took the couch. But he was already too deeply asleep to be woken.
Before she could think better or it, she kissed his forehead gently.
"Goodnight, Enrique" she whispered as she squeezed his hand