22 ¦ A Favor

                                    

                                          
"What the hell are you doing here?" I hissed at him in a lowered voice so my mother wouldn't hear us. Heeseung raised his shoulders and continued to grin. "You weren't in your room yesterday and then I just saw you come home." 


"You were in my room yesterday?" He tilted his head and that was answer enough. "How did you get in here anyway?" "The window wasn't locked, and from my window you can climb over the garage roof to your place." He said that like it wasn't a big deal, like he climbs through other girls' windows all the time, where as it didn't seem all that far-fetched to me either.


Sighing, I walked past him to my desk and sank exhausted into the chair in front of it. "You can't just climb into strangers' rooms. Such a thing is trespassing!" I declared annoyed and with a slight resignation in my voice.


Heeseung followed my example to sit down and plopped down on my bed without asking. "First, you're not a stranger, and second, I just wanted to check on you." He leaned forward and dropped his arms on his knees, looking at me with a look I couldn't quite interpret. 


I watched him suspiciously and spun my desk chair once to shake off his intense gaze before answering. "Lee Heeseung are you worried about me? Didn't you hate me less than a week ago?" I asked mockingly.


Again, Heeseung just had that nonchalant look on his face. "Well, actually, I don't hate you. Not really anyway." I laughed dryly "Well then." I said, "Now you know everything's fine." 


When he made no move to climb back out the window into his own room, I looked at him questioningly. "Anything else?" I asked annoyed and Heeseung stood up. "Yes." 


His voice sounded different and he shoved his hands into his pants pockets, almost embarrassed. "I wanted to thank you... for yesterday and also for just now not telling on me." Those words seemed really hard for him to say, and I credited him more than I would have otherwise because of it. 


"No big deal," I defended. Still looking uncertain, he looked around briefly and then stepped closer to the bookshelf to his left. Seemingly at random, he pulled out a book and turned it over in his hands, but only a few seconds later he put it back and looked at me. 


"I have a favor to ask you," he said hesitantly, and I frowned. Hadn't I just done him a favor by not ratting him out? So slowly it was my turn after all. I nodded slowly to show he had my attention.


Heeseung ran his right hand through his dark hair and then leaned against the bookshelf with his arms crossed. "You have to play my girlfriend." he groaned and I just stared at him, I had thought that I had only lied for him in the short term so that he would have some more time to drag this thing out. 


I thought that if he had persuaded his parents to let him make this exchange, then he would have cleared things up after the application and in a few days everything would have been back to normal. I would live my life and he would live his without us continuing to get in each other's way. 


He must have guessed my thoughts because he quickly explained further, "It would only be for a few weeks, probably a month. You would only have to come to us from time to time, and I to you. I could then also disappear again via the window. It just has to seem like we're spending time." I still looked at him silently, he returned the look with a tilted head and almost pleading look. 


"No." I finally said in a firm voice, shaking my head to emphasize my point. He sighed in exasperation and ran his hand through his hair again. "Please.... Clara." The fact that he even used my real name made it more serious, because it showed me that it really was an important matter to him. 


"Why would I do that?" I asked now, mimicking the gesture with my arms crossed. Heeseung smiled slightly because he noticed that I was softening a bit. He approached me and stopped about a meter away from me.  "Because I know you're a helpful person." He began to suck up and I rolled my eyes, not quite hiding the smirk. 


"Besides," he continued, "I owe you a huge favor then." I hesitated, watching Heeseung with a scrutinizing look. I already knew that I would agree anyway, I could hardly refuse a request to people, but I wanted to make him squirm a little longer, after all, that would be what he would do in my place. 


He would have fun making me suffer, so I savored this moment of superiority. Busily, I crossed my legs and put my hands in my lap while pretending to think about his request. "And what favor would you suggest?" I asked. 


"Anything you want." He immediately returned and a suggestive grin formed on his tense face "And by 'anything' I really mean anything." He added. I felt my hint rise to my face and my cheeks turn red, making Heeseung's grin even wider. 


A little annoyed, I expelled the air; now he had the upper hand again. How was he doing this? 


"Alright." I said, trying to distract myself from my embarrassment. "I'll do it, but only under one condition." I raised my index finger and extended it toward him. Heeseung nodded cautiously while trying to hide his smirk. "I'm listening." 


"You're letting out your sexual comments." Heeseung grinned "Who said anything about sexual? I think that comes entirely from your imagination." I narrowed my eyes and gave him a dirty look. 


He raised his hands laughing "Okay, okay, deal." Satisfied, I nodded. "Alright." Heeseung seemed equally pleased and made his way to the window. He climbed out and one of his legs was already dangling on the other side when he turned to me.


"I'll come pick you up tomorrow before school at 7:30 am." He said and before I could say anything in reply, he had already swung his second leg to the other side and jumped down the meter to the rooftop of the garage. 


A little irritated and also surprised I stayed behind in my room and stared at the opened window. Did this really just happen now or is this a stupid dream?


A/N: It's going dooooown