Paying For Love [3]

(9) decent human being

Your Perspective

💋

I wake to the sound of pitter-patter. Feet, his feet, move in hesitation around the room. Brows knitting in my sleep, my palms push my body weakly up from the pillow I lay on. My eyes squint, I can't open them.

"Jin?" I question, hearing his familiar voice curse. I assume he swore due to my woken state being a result to his scattering around. My eyes find a cart of food and a note the idol fumbles with, I smile. "What're you doing?" The child-like excitement within me is hidden by my resting muscles.

He looks shy, red, and insanely tired. There are bags under his eyes, his forehead greasy with slight sweat. I wonder if he's going sick, but find assumptions to stress when seeing a new zit reddening at his nose. I can't understand why my insides cloud with such worry when staring at him. I want to ask if he's okay, but my mouth doesn't move. My mouth's too busy salivating for the delicious food brought to the side of the bed.

"I thought I'd sneak out without waking you," Jin mumbles, letting the note he was about to leave behind drop to my plate. "Guess I failed to have that happen." He smiles when catching my red eyes.

I wonder how I look to him woken. Suddenly, I'm insecure.

"You stayed the night?"

Jin clears his throat. He seems to be staring at me for long periods of time, in a daze and frantic. I smile to myself, shy as well. I haven't felt such a craze around a man like this in a while. "Y-Yes," Jin instantly pipes, "...you were cold and mumbling in your sleep a lot. I didn't want to leave in case you had a night scare."

"Oh." I feel embarrassed.

"It wasn't any worry," Jin says shaking his hand, "Got you another blanket, put up the heat in here, and ordered an early breakfast. Everything you order will be on me, alright? No need to worry." He talks and rambles as he moves backwards. He's nervous for some reason, I don't question it as he puts on his disguise from last night.

"You're leaving?" I don't know why I sound so needy.

Jin freezes. "Y-Yeah, well I wasn't supposed to stay this long."

My hands cutely arch over to the empty plate. I take it and then point at the platters of food. There are also morning fruits decorated into a heart and I wonder if he purposely requested the shape. My stomach is in butterflies when I finish, "Would you like to eat with me before you leave?"

Jin stares at the food.

I read the little note he was going to leave behind. His words on the note made me smile, you're safe in here, eat well. Then, he drew a small smiley face and a heart. The heart was tiny and looked shy on the sheet of paper. My dancing stomach and heart wonder if he was hesitant to draw it.

I look over and see him having a mental breakdown while staring at the food. I chuckle, waving at the side of the bed for him to sit beside me. He nods, accepting my invitation and I smile too largely for my weak mouth to handle. Jin sits but he keeps his distance, and I respect it. "Where should we start?" I ask, rubbing my hands together.

"Why not start with brushing your teeth?" he laughs, scrunching his nose.

I gasp. "Food before anything else," I say winking, "suffer with my bad breath for now."

There's a sudden glint in his eyes. He looks at me the way a child looks at their brand-new toy. Such admiration and shock from my words. "That's what I always say," he pipes loud, as if he's been hiding in an enclosure for too long, "But my members always tease me for being some disgusting slob."