Forget-me-not

Cynthia

All she could think about was the itching sensation in her throat. Her sinuses were plugged and blocking her from breathing properly. Congestion pressed against her nasal cavity and then came the ache of it all.

Cynthia's eyes cracked open to face an unfamiliar ceiling. Her lilac bedspread was replaced with a baby blue one. The room was entirely dark besides a lamp off to the side. The yellow haze casted shadows across the pale walls.

The low hum of the ceiling fan kept circling round and around. It was the only sound to break the barrier of heavy silence. She sniffled, attempting to clear her sinuses, but it didn't work. The congested mucus kept her from taking in a full breath.

To make it even worse, the beginning throb of a headache ached in the back of her head. She sat up and pushed the blankets off of her. Hyunjin had left her alone in the bedroom. The wooden door sat shut and, further outside, the place remained silent.

She glanced around in an attempt to find a clock, but there wasn't one. The blinds were shut and beyond them laid darkness. Whatever time it was, it was certainly late. She must have fallen asleep when Hyunjin was here earlier.

Pushing herself to the edge of the bed, she stood up on unsteady feet. The sick feeling was more prominent now. Her limbs felt like boulders at her sides. She stood cemented to the ground unsure if she was steady enough to leave the room.

After a few moments of a silent pep talk, she walked over and pulled the door open. The creaking door was sure to give away her location, but she didn't care. Her mouth was dry and everything hurt. She needed to find someone and acquire a glass of water to flush away the cotton mouth.

"Cynthia?"

Cynthia's eyes shut and her hand reached out to steady her. Weak fingers curled around the frames of the door. She mumbled Seungmin's name and footsteps came towards her.

Seungmin took in her body language. She looked exhausted and pale. Brown bags sat beneath her eyes and he swore they looked worse than yesterday. The waves in her hair were tangled around each other. Her pale skin was the same shade as the moon. His hand reached out to steady her, but realizing the situation, he pulled his hand back to his side.

"Are you alright?"

She weakly shook her head and spoke in a scratchy voice. "I don't feel good. I think I caught a cold or I-" Her face suddenly scrunched up. She ducked and shoved her face into her elbow as a sneeze built up.

Seungmin jumped at the sudden sound. It finally clicked what must have happened. She fell in the river the day prior and had been soaked for a bit. It wasn't much of a surprise that she was sick the next day.

"Are you cold?"

Cynthia managed to nod.

"Is it alright if I lead you to the couch?"

She didn't bother responding, but she held out her hand towards him. Seungmin's heart began to beat up as their hands entwined. She followed along without complaint. He was careful as he led her out of the hallway and into the living room.

"Okay, we've made it to the couch. Do you think you can sit down now or do you need help?" His hand stayed in hers.

Cynthia was struggling to focus on his words. The misery she was feeling overpowered everything and drowned out rationality and logic. She was so tired and Seungmin was right, she was cold.

She was faintly aware of the warmth of hands on her forearms. Seungmin gently pushed her back onto the living room couch. The cold leather wrapped around her body and caused goosebumps to trickle along her arms. Seungmin said something before he let go, but she couldn't pick up on it.

She leaned over and pressed her head against the arm of the couch. Her eyes remained shut and she let out a soft sigh of relief. A small smile crept along Seungmin's face before it fell into neutral disposition. He turned around and walked away.

For once, Cynthia felt safe. She didn't feel like she was going to be yelled at by Flora. She didn't feel like she needed to explain herself. She felt like she could exist in this moment and she didn't have to ball up her feelings. She was sure that Seungmin wasn't going to yell at her when she was like this.

"Hyung, where is the..."

The hushed voice across the way belonged to Seungmin, she was sure of it. She wasn't quite sure what was going on. The strength had been sucked away from her body. She couldn't muster up the few morsels of energy to crack open her eyes.

Before she knew it, a warm and soft blanket was being pulled around her body. The fleece wrapped around her shoulders and it was tucked around her arms. Quiet murmurs were being spoken, but she was starting to drift off to sleep.

All she could think about was how comforted she felt in this moment. Despite being sick, the blanket made her feel safe. Tucked around her body, she felt like a baby being swaddled. How warm and safe a baby must feel to be swaddled so tightly and wrapped with love.

She wasn't sure who was in front of her, but she was sure that it was Seungmin. He helped her out of her room and led her here. She doubted that she'd even fully remember all this in the morning. Perhaps this was just a dream that she was dreaming about.

Maybe this was her brain's way of providing the love and warm nurturing that her life lacked.