When he tries to move, I grab his shirt. “Stay. Please.”
He hesitates, then settles back beside me. “Fine, but only if you promise to actually rest. No economics talk.”
“Deal.” I snuggle closer, feeling the familiar comfort of his body next to mine. We’ve been friends for three years, study partners for two, and something undefined for months now. Neither of us is brave enough to cross the line that would change everything.
“Want to watch a movie?” he asks, reaching for his laptop.
I nod against his shoulder. “Something mindless.”
“I’ve got just the thing.” He pulls upHigh School Musicalwith a grin. “Pure cinematic genius.”
“You’re ridiculous,” I mutter, but I’m already smiling.
We’re halfway through the movie when I start singing along to ‘Breaking Free’ in a congested, off-key warble. Aaron joins in, dramatically worse than me, until we’re both laughing so hard I trigger a coughing fit.
“Sorry,” he says, rubbing my back. “Probably shouldn’t make the sick girl laugh.”
“It’s okay.” I wheeze, wiping tears from my eyes. “Worth it.”
When the coughing subsides, I realize how close we are, my head tucked against his chest, his arm wrapped protectively around me. The fever makes everything feel dreamlike, softening the edges of my usual defenses.
“Aaron?” I yawn, looking up at him.
“Hmm?” His eyes are focused on the laptop screen, but I can tell he’s not watching anymore.
“Thank you for taking care of me.”
He glances down. “Always, Honeybee.”
“I like being here with you,” I admit, snuggling closer. “Everything’s better when you’re around.”
I feel his breath catch, just slightly. His hand finds mine beneath the comforter, fingers intertwining with mine. “Same. Now get some sleep. I’ll still be here when you wake up.”
As I drift off, I feel his lips press softly against my temple, and I wonder if I’ll remember this moment when the fever breaks. I hope I do.
“Earth to Minji.You still with me?”
I blink, coming back to the present. Aaron’s looking at me expectantly, one hand on the wheel, the other reaching across to squeeze my knee.
“Sorry, just lost in the memory,” I say, feeling my cheeks warm.
“I hope it was a great memory and involved me,” he says, pulling into a parking space outside his building.
I look at him, and suddenly I’m drowning in everything we once were. “Every memory with you feels like coming home,” I whisper, my voice catching. “Like finding something precious I thought I’d lost forever.” My fingers reach for his without permission, tracing the familiar lines of his knuckles. “We were so young then, weren’t we? When falling asleep in your arms felt as natural as breathing.”
The streetlight catches in his eyes, and I see the boy who once held me through fever dreams, and when I blink, I see the man sitting across from me, ready to love me with every fiber in his being. He’s still the same person I’ve always known, just with a few more years of life and a bit more wisdom.
CHAPTER 39
AARON
I’ve waitedtwelve long years to finally have Minji back in my life.
Not a day passed without me thinking about her. I remembered how she would curl up against me during those college nights, and how her laughter could light up her whole face. Now, as I watch her recall our shared past, I feel something change between us, like the last piece of a puzzle finally fitting.
“You remember that weekend?” I ask softly as I turn off the engine. The rain creates a cozy bubble around us, drumming on the car’s roof.
She nods, a small smile playing on her lips. “Of course I do. I was delirious with a fever, but I remember everything. The tea you made tasted like your grandmother’s closet. The way you sang off-key just to make me laugh.”
