Boyfriend for Hire [minsung]

Chapter 23

LEE KNOW POV

His lips melted into mine, and I gently cupped his cheeks, stroking them with my thumbs.

Tears flowed freely down my face as we kissed. He turned and made me walk backward to the bed where he pushed me to sit down and straddled my waist. My hands gripped his sides and held him in place.

"It's okay," he whispered, kissing the tears away.

"It's not though, is it?" I shook my head. How could he be saying anything was okay right now?

"I couldn't stay there anymore. I have things I want to do," he hugged himself to me, and I kissed the top of his head for no reason other than the fact I might not have much longer to do it.

Han had already dressed himself in the sweater I was going to bring him. It looked even more oversized than normal since he hadn't been eating.

"What do you want to do, baby?" I rubbed my hand up and down his back. I still thought he should be in the hospital but that wasn't my decision...and it wasn't an argument I'd win. Therefore, it didn't seem worth the fight.

He sucked in a sharp breath. "I want to see my parents."

He pulled away and looked at me as though he felt ashamed for still wanting to visit them after they'd failed to be there for him.

"I'll take you," I promised.

"I know you will," he gave me a small smile. "And don't be mad at Felix and Hyunjin for breaking me out, okay? They tried to get me to stay, but there was no point. The doctors can't do anything for me now."

That had reminded me of the doctor I'd called, so I reached for my phone and was disappointed to see he hadn't called back.

"Expecting to hear from someone?" he asked.

"I called your parents again on the walk over. I was hoping they'd called back," I told him the half-truth. I honestly didn't ever expect his parents to call back. If they had wanted to come, they would have by now.

"Oh," his face sank. "Well, I'll see them soon enough I guess."

I kissed his cheek, lingering on the sweetness of his skin, and pulled away intending to admit to him what I'd discovered in the shower.

"I need to tell you something," I began, reaching to take his hands in mine.

"Me too," Han started.

"Okay, you first," I allowed. Once my news was out there, I fully intended to kiss and hold him for the rest of the afternoon.

"Okay," he shifted, seeming a bit awkward. "I don't want you to pay me for this week."

I furrowed my brows. "Han, we already agreed on..." I went to argue, but he cut me off.

"I needed it to pay my rent, and I could just move back in with my parents now. I'd rather let this week be real to me than get paid and have it feel like it was all an act."

"Han, just because I pay you doesn't mean that what we feel isn't real."

"It'll feel like that to me," he confessed.

I sighed, "Okay." I could pay his rent directly to his landlord, and have him tell Han he'd overpaid a few months or something. If he wouldn't let me take care of him medically, financially was a way I very much intended to help him whether he wanted me to or not.

Han smiled at having made me concede so easily. He kissed my cheek in gratitude. "What did you want to tell me?"

His eyes looked at me with so much wonder and hope, and I suddenly worried that I could let him down the same way I had Seungmin. What if I wasn't enough for him? What if he needed more from me emotionally than I could give?

"Just that I think we should see if Felix and Hyunjin will be ready to leave tonight so we can make it to your parents' house this evening," I chickened out.

"Oh!" Han seemed surprised. I wasn't sure what he'd expected me to say. "They said they'd go home tomorrow with Seungmin."

"Oh, okay. So it's just us?"

"It's just us," he confirmed with a cute grin.

The two of us packed up our room and the rest of our things to head out. We planned to stop in Boston first to see Han's parents before heading back into New York. I wasn't sure if we'd make it to the city tonight, but we could find a hotel somewhere along the way if we really needed to.

Han said his goodbyes to everyone, which was sadder than I would've liked, and we loaded up the car.

Hyunjin gave him a quick hug and told him to get better.

Felix hugged him for a long time, and I had to pull them apart, so we could leave. "Bye," Felix waved with teary eyes before running back into the house.

Seungmin's goodbye was awkward, as expected, but it was the last one, and we were able to leave since Chan and Changbin and their dates had been MIA since the white party. Historically, that had meant that they'd taken the ferry to Nantucket to use Changbin's parents' home for a party of their own. I'd rather not know the details of that.

I was just about to pull out of the driveway when fucking Chad strolled up with a gift basket in-hand. It was a fight to stop myself from running him over with his stupidly smug face and overly gelled hair.

Han rolled his window down politely.

"Glad to see you looking so well," Chad smiled. "Brought this for you to have while you recovered, but I see you're already packed. So sad!"

"We're headed to visit my parents," Han partially explained. "But thank you so much for stopping by."

"Of course! Here you go, honey." He handed Han the basket. When he did, a piece of Han's hair fell into his face and with his hands full he couldn't move it. Fucking Chad reached out and swiped it off his forehead. "I put my number on the card, so text me anytime."

"Oh. Okay. Thanks," Han replied with flushed cheeks.

"Chad, we've really got to get going if we're going to get there by sundown," I told him.

"Oh! Well, you two drive safe!" Chad replied.

"Pleasure as always," I mumbled and flipped him off when we were too far for him to see it.

Han maneuvered to put the basket in the backseat and smirked at me.

"What?" I asked with a glare in the rearview at Chad and his pastel yellow shorts.

"It's cute seeing you jealous," he giggled.

I'd missed his laugh.

I didn't deny the way I'd been feeling and held my hand out for him to fill it. He intertwined our fingers, and I took a deep breath.

It felt too perfect being with him. It couldn't be over so soon. I knew I'd do whatever it took to find a way to make sure Han was okay...

...and maybe find a way to make sure we never rented a house near Chad again. Fucking Chad.