Sunlight on your face (Shuri x reader)

Chapter 7: survival mode

The next day already began in a bad way, when I got up and noticed that Shuri's room was empty. There was no post-it on the counter, no breakfast waiting for me, she was just gone.

I had no classes today, so I had nothing to do, and I didn't know when Shuri would return. I definitely wouldn't stay home to wait for her like a patient housewife, so I decided to ask Sarah to do something. She said that she wanted to explore the city a bit, but she wouldn't mind my company. It was settled, we would meet up at 2 pm by the campus entrance.

I spent the next two hours scribbling into my sketchbook and getting ready, putting on a white knit jumper and a pair of dark grey cargo pants.

Sarah was already waiting at the entrance when the chauffeur dropped me off."Hey," I greeted her with a hug.

"Hi, how are you doing?" she asked with a smile as we started to walk towards the city.

"I've been better, but it's alright I can handle it..." I answered honestly shrugging my shoulders.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" She looked at me raising her eyebrows, but I declined not wanting to kill the mood.

The colourful buildings and the kids playing soccer in the streets made the city seem even more vibrant. It was the complete opposite of the campus, which was always quiet and there weren't many people out in the halls.

We stopped at a small café to sit down and drink something. There was still no message from Shuri I realized with disappointment checking my bracelet again.

"Come on tell me what's going on, you've been checking that bracelet non-stop," Sarah remarked with a frown, "whose message are you waiting for?"

I sighed, before telling her what had happened the day before and how Shuri had just left that morning without informing me. She listened attentively nodding along to the story.

"You want to know what I think?" She asked after I had finished talking, "I think she's just scared to let you get too close to her and because you're spending a lot of time together, she probably feels like she has to pull away a bit to protect herself from getting hurt, in case you decide to leave."

"But she knows that I won't leave for at least the next six months, until the project is over," I answered.

"You know she's been through a lot, and after that much trauma the brain kinda stays in survival mode," Sarah explained, "and tries to be prepared for the worst-case scenario."

"How do you know all that?" I asked, impressed by her logical arguments.

"My boyfriend studies psychology and tends to analyse everyone," she smiled fondly.

"How long have you been dating?"I asked.

She told me they'd been together for almost two years now and how happy he made her. WE spent the rest of the afternoon with chatting about our friends at home and our families.

When we got up to go home, it was already getting dark, and I had called my driver to pick me up. Sarah had given me the advice to wait a bit before confronting Shuri and to not take things personally, because it probably had nothing to do with me.

I was nervous when I arrived at the palace not knowing what to expect. The light in the living room was on, so I knew that Shuri was home.

"Y/N?" Shuri's voice called out when I closed the door behind me.

"Yes, it's me," I answered slowly entering the living room finding Shuri on the couch visibly stressed out.

"Where the fuck have you been?!" she hissed not even waiting for my answer, "You can't just fucking leave without telling me or leaving a note... Can you imagine how worried I was coming home to you gone, no note and no message?"

I was still standing in the entrance of the living room completely lost about what was happening.

"So, where were you anyway?" she repeated looking at me expectantly.

"I was out with Sarah," I couldn't even finish my sentence before she interrupted me.

"Of course, you were with Sarah, who else..." She scoffed with an arrogant smile on her lips.

"Yes, I was with Sarah, what did you expect? That I'd wait patiently for you to get home?!" I shot back feeling myself getting angrier.

"Oh, come on, you can't be serious... You're being ridiculous, running to your perfect little friend as soon as you don't have my full attention," It felt like she had slapped me in the face. I stood there completely taken aback by her words feeling tears well up.

"No, you don't get to do this, you don't get to make me feel guilty about this. I fucking told you Sarah and I are just friends, why can't you get that through that thick skull of yours?!" I wiped my face with my arm, "Oh and by the way," I added, "you left without telling me or leaving me a note too this morning, so you have no right to be mad at me for that."

With that I left her sitting on the couch running to my room slamming the door behind me. I fell on my bed burying myself under the blanket as tears were streaming down my face. How could she treat me like that after barely acknowledging me the last day? I remembered Sarah's advice, but it was quite hard to not take Shuri's words personally. Replaying the scenario in my head I drifted into a restless sleep.

The sound of my door opening jolted me out of my sleep. I couldn't see anything in my dark room.

"Y/N, are you awake?" I heard Shuri whisper.

"Yeah..." I answered with hesitation turning on the lamp on my night stand.Shuri's face visibly fell at the sight of my puffy eyes. She looked lost standing in the entrance of my room unsure about whether she should come in or not.

"What is it? If you're here to yell at me again don't even bother, you made your point very clear" I muttered still angry as I thought about what she had said earlier.

"No, I don't want to yell at you, I'm here to apologize..." Shuri replied with a small voice avoiding my eyes, "I was being an idiot, I just got worried when I came home, and you weren't there, and when I heard that you were with Sarah, something just went off in me."Her voice was shaky, and I could see the tears in her eyes when she looked at me."I'm sorry about the things I said, I hope you know I didn't mean any of it, I love spending time with you..." she continued.

"But then why have you been so distant the last two days?" I asked feeling the anger leave my body.

"I honestly don't know, I guess I was just stressed about my research, but I promise this won't happen again." She looked at me with regret in her eyes waiting for my answer.

"I forgive you, thank you for being honest, and I apologize too for not telling you where I was," I responded seeing the relief on her face. She was still awkwardly standing on my doorstep, so I smiled patting on my bed for her to sit down.

"Oh, come here, I'm not mad at you anymore..." I chuckled as she sat down on the opposite side of my bed. She scooted over laying down facing me. I pulled her against me inhaling the smell of her hoodie. Her body relaxed as she put her arms around me.

"Please don't ever leave without telling me again, I thought something had happened" She whispered against my hair.

"I promise," I answered feeling her press a kiss against my forehead.

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I'm sorry if this chapter is a bit rushed, but I'm sick at the moment. I hope you still enjoy it and I'll update tomorrow. Also thank you for all the comments :)