Chapter XX

"Oh, I think it's this one."

You point at the box labelled Byun as you walk around the storage room. The large box is placed neatly at the bottom part of the wooden shelf, and you hurriedly walk towards it, bending over and clasping your hands on each side, but as soon as you try lifting it up, you immediately put it back down.

"Wow this is heavy." You say while rubbing the dust off your hands. "Can I get any help?"

You talk to the person with you, and you frown when you get no response. Turning your gaze towards his direction, you saw him looking at his phone with a frown on his face.

"Sehun, hey."

You tried getting his attention, but he seems too engrossed with whatever he's reading on his phone.

You wheeze out a heavy sigh. The past few weeks he has been out of it. It wounds you to see him so sullen and quiet, it isn't like him to be this way. Sehun has always been the cheerful and animated sort of guy, always making you laugh with his wild antics, and his boisterous ways, but now his personality seems to have a 180 degree turn. It makes you think that maybe his exuberant ways are just a shell, a façade to hide the blustering dreariness that is his life. You tried talking to him, asking him what's bothering him, assuring him that you've got his back. But no matter how many times you've tried reaching out to him, he just keeps distancing himself from you. You can tell just by looking at him that he is in so much pain and anger. His once cheerful demeanor slowly vanishes as days pass by, and it breaks your heart seeing him this way. Right now, you feel so useless, because you can't even help him, not when he won't tell you what his problem is.

You march towards him, his attention still on the device. When you're finally beside him, you stand on your toes and gave his left cheek a kiss.

"Penny for your thoughts."

Finally noticing someone else's presence, the male turns his attention on you. You can see his brows furrowing, but when he realizes that it's you, a soft smile slowly appears on his troubled face.

"Did you find it sweetheart?" He asks.

"Yeah, it's over there." You point to where the box is, your eyes still on him.

"That looks heavy." He says mindlessly, while he walks towards the box.

"It is." You frown.

Hasn't he heard you say that earlier? You notice that he's always preoccupied with something. He's there with you physically, but his mind is lingering somewhere else.

"Okay, I'm gonna take this out, then you lock the room." Sehun then takes the box and effortlessly carries it.

"I'll wait for you outside." But you stopped him before he could leave the room.

"Sehun, put the box down." You say in a soft voice.

"I can handle this sweetheart."

"Just put it down for a while, please?"

You can see confusion written all over his handsome face, but hearing the seriousness in your voice, the male did as he was told.

You take one step after another as you walk towards him. Placing a hand on his chest, you push him lightly, making him take a few steps back.

"Babe, what's wrong?" He asks as he walks further and further inside the room, until he could feel the concrete wall against his back.

"I should be the one asking you that." You say.

Both of you are currently inside the storage room of your department building. Baekhyun has asked you to take the photographs he used for his exhibit, since he can't go himself because he is currently out of the country. The school has called him to acquire them since the room will soon undergo renovation. When Sehun found out that his friend was, in his vocabulary, "ordering you around", he immediately volunteered to help you. You found out later that he called his hyung to tell him that he can't boss around women, especially not his girlfriend. It was fine with you, really it was. Sehun doesn't have to go on his way and lecture his friend, but you noticed that he was a little too upset about it, which is so out of his character. You tried observing him day by day, trying to read him, but unfortunately, he isn't an open book. It gets complicated each day. One minute he's all playful and flirty, his mischievous side overruling his personality, then the next minute he's unresponsive and indifferent. It's like you're with two different people.

You heave a sigh. You never thought that you'd be interrogating him inside this stuffy room, but the situation is asking for it, and you are dying to know what's eating him up.

Seeing a chair beside him, you tell him to sit down. When he did, he pulls you along with him, making you sit on his lap.

"Okay, what now?" He asked rather curiously.

"Hmm?" You look at his frowning face and automatically, you put both your thumbs on top of his temples.

"I just wanna do this." Then you start massaging his frown away.

The last time you did this was when you've had your period, and he was glowering so much because he doesn't know what to do back then. You don't wanna see him this way, not when he's the reason why you're genuinely happy. You never ever wanna see a frown staining his handsome face.

"Oh there it is." You stop massaging his temples when you see a smile adorning his lips.

"I missed that smile." You give him a peck and it makes his smile grow a little wider.

"Alright, what do you want?" The male wraps his arms around your waist, suddenly feeling so at ease.

"Do you trust me?" You give him a soft look.

"More than anyone in the world sweetheart."

You run your fingers through his dark locks as you heave a sigh.

"Then why won't you open up to me?"

"What do you mean?" He frowns, but the glimmer in his eyes gives him away. He knows full well what you're talking about, yet he still tries to keep you in the dark.

��I really have to squeeze it out of you, don't I?"

Sehun is such a hard nut to crack, and maybe you have to up your game a little in order for you to make him talk.

"Squeeze what out?"

"Don't play dumb with me. We both know you're mister smarty-pants." You sneer, feeling a little bit irritated.

"Just let it go sweetheart." He says indifferently.

"How can I, when I see you this way?"

"What way?'

You roll your eyes at the man, and then you proceed to answer him bluntly.

"Unapproachable, unsympathetic, a cold-ass motherfuc-"

"Fucker?"

"Um hmm."

"You have a potty mouth missy." He sneers, eyes filled with utter mockery.

"Don't change the subject Sehun, I know you're trying to lure the topic away."

The male keeps quiet after that, not wanting to say anything more.

"You know…" You say with a start.

"Before I met you, I was planning on dropping out of college. Everything was just so hard for me, and I couldn't take things anymore, I couldn't deal with people anymore. I just…" You heave a sigh. "I wanted to give up."

You witness how the male crunches his forehead as he listens intently at you. Sehun doesn't know how much he has helped you through such troubled times, and maybe, just maybe, if you open up to him, he will feel obligated to do it as well. You didn't want to tell him these, not because you wanna keep it a secret, but because you're over the moon and too happy to even dwell about the past.

"But then this mysterious, crazy guy suddenly appeared in my life." You continue. "We met through social media, we talk every day, and somehow, everything doesn't seem to suck anymore."

"Sweetheart…" There is a concerned look on his handsome face, and he wants to ask you things, but he just lets you continue speaking.

"He made me cry so much, because I couldn't stop myself from laughing so hard at his lame jokes, and his cheesy pick-up lines." You laugh a little as you remember how awfully corny he was back then.

"Then one day, I just found myself smiling like a crazy person, and I don't really know why, but I just couldn't seem to wipe that stupid smile off my face."

"Does he still make you smile like that?" He asks, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Yes." You nod. "Every day."

"Every day?"

"Um hmm."

"Even when you're screaming his name out, while you're under the sheets doing naughty things to each other?"

Slowly, your mouth opens as you stare at his grinning face. The male has a knack for making everything sexual, even when you're talking about serious topics.

"You're unbelievable mister."

You shake your head, while you did your best to hide that shadow of a smile on your lips. You would've given him the stink eye, or probably worse, like physically abuse his shoulder using your fist, but this case is different. Seeing his playful side again after weeks of him being so sullen has diminished some of your worries and has eased your fretful mind.

"The point is, that if I never have met him, I would have probably gone home, or enrolled at another University just to leave this godforsaken place."

You heave another sigh.

'If it wasn't for his quirkiness and boisterous ways, I would've had it worse."

"Baby, why didn't you tell me these before?"

"Because it wasn't important. What's important is that you helped me fight my demons." You brush the back of your hands on his cheeks.

"I feel so blessed, meeting you, getting to know you. I want to thank you for saving me through all of that, and for everything else after."

"Sweetheart…"

"Do you understand now?" You ask, your eyes pleading.

"I want to be there for you, just as much as you were there for me. I want to see a smile plastered on this handsome face and make it stay there for however long it can. I would be the happiest person alive, knowing that the person I care so much for, is happy because of me, because he knows I'm just there for him, and I will never grow tired of making him smile."

Hearing you say those words, he slowly removes his arms from your body and licks his lips nervously.

"Please don't make me say it." He says, finding it hard to look you in the eyes.

"Why is it so hard for you to open up to me Sehun?"

"You're gonna hate me if I do." His voice is low and there is a trickle of sadness lingering in them, making you more and more curious.

You reach out your hands to touch his face, causing the male to look straight into your worried eyes.

"I promise you I won't."

Sehun leans his forehead against yours as he closes his eyes.

"Just…give it time sweetheart. I need more time."

"I gave you enough time. Isn't two months seeing you this hurt, torture enough?"

You watch as he opens his eyes, and it almost makes you want to cry because of how much sadness, how much pain is inside those dark orbs.

"Please." You plead once again. "Let me help you."

But the male keeps his mouth shut as he gives you an apologetic look. You know you have to wait for him to open up to you, to tell you his troubles and worries on his own, not because you forced him to, but because he wants to.

You give him a weak smile, letting him know that you respect his decision. You failed to make him talk for the second time, but you will wait, even if it takes forever.