Taeyeon sighed heavily as she sat by her dressing table, looking at her figure in the mirror. She rubbed her face, feeling the humidity of her freshly-washed skin, and frowned when she saw the deep, purple dark circles under her eyes. She had barely had any sleep that night: Whenever she closed her eyes, either awake or during her fleeting, intermittent hours of sleep, she felt Tiffany’s lips against hers, soft and warm, and the girl’s cold hands cradling her face gently under the light of the stars, slowly warming over the flush of her cheeksㅡand, disconcerting as it was, the thought just wouldn’t let her sleep. Taeyeon hadn’t experienced such a restless night in a very, very long time.

Regardless, the woman tried to maintain her tranquility. She pondered a lot over the night during the hours she spent awake, while she tried to veer her mind from Tiffany and the events from the night before; in the end, she figured the best thing to do would be to act as if nothing had happened. She wouldn’t broach the topic, and she wouldn’t let Tiffany do it either, should the latter try to. She wouldn’t act differently around the girl. She knew that what happened had been a reckless slip that should by no means reoccur and that the best to do would be to forget it… even though it felt impossible to. Still, the subject had to be allayed.

She got up and headed towards the wardrobe. She picked a turtleneck sleeveless top and a pair of blue checkered capri pants absent-mindedlyㅡher thoughts were still on the look in Tiffany’s eyes when she rejected her kiss, and then when she walked away afterwards, leaving Tiffany alone outside. That look had been haunting Taeyeon from the moment she stepped into the house, to the moment when she sat down on her bed crying, to now. She wished she didn’t have to push Tiffany away. She wished she could kiss the girl as much as she wanted toㅡand she really wanted to kiss herㅡbut she couldn’t, she shouldn’t. She also wished she hadn’t been the reason for so much disappointment etched on the girl’s eyes. But above all, she wished she did not love Tiffany so much already.

She got dressed, applied extra makeup to try and hide the physical evidences of her exhaustion under her eyes, and headed downstairs. She should wait for Tiffany there, just like any other day; in half an hour, it would be breakfast time. But when fifteen, thirty, sixty minutes passed and Tiffany did not show up, Taeyeon began to get concerned. She tried the library and the living room, the two most-frequented places by Tiffany in the house, twice, but the girl was nowhere to be seen.

“Mrs. Winters,” she called as she entered the dining room. The old woman, as per usual, was supervising the maids’ and cooks’ work as they set the table. Taeyeon eyed the other women, who set the rest of the food on the table and then left quickly when they saw her. “Have you seen Tiffany?”

Mrs. Winters smiled, then her eyebrows shot up. “Tiffany? I thought she would be with you.”

Taeyeon gulped discreetly. “No. I haven’t seen her all morning.”

“Strange,” the old woman mumbled. “She is usually up by now. Perhaps she is feeling a bit indisposed today. Do you want me to call her?” She asked concernedly, then continued in a low-tone, mumbling, as though she talked to herself in a musing, “She should have breakfast, after all. She has a very fragile body...”

“No,” Taeyeon said, more readily than she wished she had. If Tiffany were sullen, Mrs. Winters would notice it. And if she noticed it, she wouldn’t stop until she had dug deep enough to find out the reason behind Tiffany’s unhappiness. She would nag and insist until Tiffany told her the truth, even if just out of annoyance. Taeyeon couldn’t have the woman even dream of what was going on. Calming her tone, she continued, “No, it isn’t necessary.” She eyed the table, then smiled shyly. “I guess I’ll just bring her breakfast.”

“Breakfast in bed? Oh, miss Taeyeon,” Mrs. Winters said, chuckling as she shook her head. “You’re spoiling her.”

Taeyeon smiled. I like the idea of spoiling her, she thought. “It’ll do her good. As you said, she might be feeling indisposed,” she said instead.

“Yes, I suppose you’re right,” agreed Mrs. Winters, nodding. “Well, tell me if she needs anything.” She clicked her tongue as she shook her head again, this time rather negatively. “I do hope she is fine. That child... She’s given me quite a lot of trouble growing up, you know,” she said, handing Taeyeon a plate. “You’d think she would have learnt how to take care of herself by now. But with Tiffany…” she paused, sighing. “With Tiffany, you never know.” She walked around the table, picking up the food and placing it on the plate that Taeyeon, who listened attentively as she followed Mrs. Winters behind, held in hands, putting a little bit of each thing on it. “One day she is the picture of the perfect young lady I’ve raised her to be, all polished and elegant and polite. Sheer beauty and graceㅡeven in all her oddness. You know, she does have a very peculiar personality. Anyway; the next thing you know, she is whining like a child because she has the flu and does not want to take any medicine.” She looked at Taeyeon. “To me, she’s like a living paradox,” the woman finished, mumbling.

Taeyeon smiled broadly, and couldn’t contain a chuckle. She poked a piece of bread with her index finger, keeping it from falling out of the plate. “I don’t think she’s all that odd, Mrs. Winters.” She reminds me of myself when I was younger, she thought, and nearly added. “And I can’t blame her. I hate medicines, too.” She set the plate on the table, picked up a glass, and poured orange juice into it. Mrs. Winters suggested she bring Tiffany coffee instead, saying it could be more effectively energizing in case the girl felt unwell, but Taeyeon declined. She knew Tiffany preferred the juice.

Mrs. Winters chuckled and wiped her hands on her apron. “But she ought to grow out of that, sooner or later. I suppose it is a teen-age thing, like many other traits of her personality, really. Tiffany is so different from the other young ladies out there. I pray it will all pass once she is twenty-one, officially an adult. Perhaps she’ll be a bit more normal then. She can’t spend the rest of her days curled up with a book in a library at home.” She paused for a while, sighing. “And I must say, I hope she starts raising her interest in young fellows soon, for goodness sake,” the woman went on, as though she were musing out loud. “She ought to find herself a husband before it is too late. At her age I had already been married for two years. She’ll be nineteen soon and she’d rather be with books than boys!”

Taeyeon froze, eyeing the other woman in shock. “Nineteen?” she asked with a stiff tone, and was glad she didn't stammer. felt dry.

Mrs. Winters nodded indifferently. She set the plate on a tray, alongside with the cutlery and the glass of orange juice Taeyeon had filled, and handed the silver platter to the blonde. “Miss Taeyeon?” she called when she obtained no response from Taeyeon. “Are you feeling all right? You look a little pale.”

“Huh?” Taeyeon snapped back into her senses, then nodded nervously. “Yes. Yes, I’m sorry. I dazed out,” she finally said, chortling nervously. “I’ll take this,” she added, taking the silver tray in hands. “I’ll let you know if Tiffany needs anything. Thank you, Mrs. Winters.”

Taeyeon walked up the staircase with drops of cold sweat forming on her forehead and on the back of her neck, and praying her trembling hands wouldn’t falter and let the tray smash against the floor. She recalled the kiss Tiffany had given herㅡthat adoring, tender kiss that, Taeyeon surmised the night before, translated certain feelings that Tiffany could be developing, and which the girl should not experience, at least not towards her. Taeyeon, herself, had feelings of her ownㅡfeelings that grew more and more difficult to control each day. The two of them had been recklessly playing and dancing around with their feelings, dangerously beginning to tie a knot that would be impossibly difficult to untangle afterwards.

And Tiffany was nearly twenty years younger than her.

The girl was no child, neither practically nor in Taeyeon’s eyes, but she was young. Tiffany was so young. Now, more than never, it couldn’t be. Whatever was commencing to bloom between them, Taeyeon decided, would have to be interrupted before it could achieve a concerning stage. She would perhaps never forgive herself if she let anything happen. She wouldn’t dare dragging Tiffany into her messㅡthe mess she started making when she was just a couple of years younger than her, the mess she had become. The mess she did not want Tiffany’s life to turn into.

She breathed in and exhaled heavily as she knocked on Tiffany’s door; there was no immediate response, so she knocked again.

“Come in,” Tiffany’s faint voice finally chimed from inside the room. She sounded rather apathetic, or at least strongly unenthusiastic, Taeyeon noticed.

The girl had presumed it would be Mrs. Winters, for no one else had ever come to her room like that, and so she was definitely surprised when the door opened and, from her bed, she saw Taeyeon’s trim figure step inside the room, balancing the silver tray in her arms as she pushed the door behind her back with her heel.

“Good morning,” Taeyeon said in her best, friendliest tone, trying to sound natural.

Tiffany couldn’t find it in her to respond right away. To see the woman in her room like that after what happened felt surreal to her, and as her chest grew heavier and her breath shorter, she wondered if she had dreamt or imagined it all: the starry night, the kiss they shared, Taeyeon’s eyes b with tears, her own tears falling as she wept under the stars, sitting on the grass and hugging her knees, recalling the feeling of Taeyeon’s lips against her own. The blonde’s voice kept ringing in her mind: 'No, darling. You can’t. We can’t.' She never knew those words could hurt so much… and make so little sense.

“What are you doing here?” she mumbled as she sat up, averting Taeyeon’s eyes.

Taeyeon took no offense from Tiffany’s apparent coldness. She knew the girl didn’t mean to be rude. Her eyes fell on Tiffany’s lips for a moment, recalling the bliss of having them against hers for the hundredth time that morning. All she wanted was to drop the tray, crawl on the bed, pull Tiffany into her arms and kiss her again, with all the passion and the want she had been struggling to tame. All she did was walk calmly towards the girl and place the tray on her lap, over the blankets. “I was concerned when you didn’t show up for breakfast,” she said, taking the glass of juice from the tray and placing it on the nightstand beside Tiffany. Still bending forward, she glanced up to look at the girl. Her breath got caught in when Tiffany finally looked at her and they stood face to face. “Are you feeling well?” she managed to ask.

Tiffany only caught a glimpse of Taeyeon’s brown orbs before she averted her gaze once again. The blonde’s eyes were gentle, untroubled, looking much different than they did the night before, so vulnerable and blue. She wondered how could Taeyeon look so calm now. She knew Taeyeon was the opposite of an untroubled woman. She knew Taeyeon was complicated. God, was she complicated.

“Yes,” Tiffany lied, nodding. “Thank you,” she muttered, looking down at the tray. She wanted Taeyeon to leave. Not because she was hurt, but because the woman’s presence, under the given circumstances, was much too overwhelming.

Taeyeon stared at her for a couple of seconds, then cleared . “You’re welcome,” she chimed. “Try and eat a bit.”

“Thank you, but I’m not hungry,” the raven-haired girl responded, picking up the tray and setting it aside. She turned her face away, looking sideways, preventing herself of catching any additional glimpse of Taeyeon.

“Just a bit?” Taeyeon insisted. Mrs. Winters’s voice echoed in her mind: Tiffany has a very fragile body.  “You seem rather tired. This should give you some energy.”

Tiffany inhaled deeply, mustering up the courage she needed to look the woman in the eyes. When she did it, she met with the same gentle eyes upon which she had glanced a minute before, and for a moment her heart eased, and she wanted to smile. But she didn’t.

“Answer me something first, please,” Tiffany requested, speaking clearly for the first time as she crossed her arms.

Intrigued, Taeyeon quirked an eyebrow, and as she took the liberty to sit on the mattress of Tiffany’s bed, she waited for the girl to continue.

Tiffany sighed, straightening her back. Brave and determined, her eyes never left Taeyeon’s. “For how long are you going to keep pretending nothing happened last night?” she questioned.

Taeyeon closed her eyes, sighing. “Oh, Tiffany. For heaven’s sake. Not that,” she pleaded, and sprung from her seat. She had already turned around and started towards the door when Tiffany’s voice stopped her.

“Don’t you think you ought to say something about it to me?” the girl insisted. She rose from bed and started towards Taeyeon. Her eyebrows were furrowed, and her voice sounded unusually feisty. “I lost my sleep over that. I haven’t had a single thing in mind for hours. How can you make it seem like it was nothing? How are you so calm about it?”

Calm. Taeyeon wanted to laugh at the irony of the word. And she would have, probably, weren’t she so desperate to drop the subject. “Tiffany, please,” Taeyeon entreated as she turned around and, positioning her hands in front of her body, stopped Tiffany in her tracks at a distance. Then, her clammy, trembling palms were brought together, and the tips of her fingers touched her chin as she pursed her lips tightly and closed her eyes, breathing in slowly, thoroughly measuring her words before she let any of them out. “Listen to me. I’m not pretending nothing happened. I know what happened,” she said, with remarkable tranquility, as she looked at Tiffany again and met with a downhearted expression on the girl’s face, that bruised her heart nearly as violently as the disappointment she saw in Tiffany’s eyes when she declined her kiss the night before. “I also know it shouldn’t have. It was a mistake. That is enough said. Let’s not touch the subject again.”

“No,” Tiffany said, shaking her head. “No, it isn’t enough said. Not for me. And it shouldn’t be for you either.”

Taeyeon remained quiet and averted her gaze, avoiding Tiffany’s eyes. She sighed heavily, pressuring her temples with her fingertips. “Tiffany, really, I--”

“Taeyeon, please,” Tiffany interrupted the woman as she approached her. She took Taeyeon’s hands in hers and pulled them down, finally catching the woman’s attention. Taeyeon’s eyes translated both fright and wonder as they bore into Tiffany’s. “I... I saw the way you looked at me last night,” she cooed with a whisper. “I saw it and I swear I sensed anything but rejection in your eyes and words." She pursed her lips, stopping for a second. “Why do you deprive me of an explanation to that? To whom am I supposed to talk about this if not with you?”

Taeyeon freed her hands, and she would have landed them on Tiffany’s cheek, hadn’t her self-control spoken louder. Instead, she touched Tiffany’s shoulders lightly, ready to gently push the girl away from her, as she shook her head slowly. “I shouldn’t be having this conversation with you,” she mumbled, then chuckled wryly, looking away. “My God, I really shouldn’t.”

“But you are. And I want answers. And not granting me that would be so mean and heartless of you,” Tiffany argued, taking hold of Taeyeon’s lean arms, attempting to secure the blonde in place so that she wouldn’t turn around. Tiffany took one step further. Taeyeon took one backwards. For each step Tiffany took towards the blonde, the latter took one away from her. Much to Taeyeon’s demise, however, she soon found her back pinned against the door of Tiffany’s bedroom. Tiffany had finally trapped her.

Silence followed. Tiffany’s hands were still on Taeyeon’s arms, steadily holding them. Taeyeon’s hands touched Tiffany’s elbows slightly, desperately trying to find a way to push Tiffany away without hurting her feelings, at the same time they yearned to pull her closer.

Tiffany sighed heavily, approaching her body to Taeyeon’s. She inspected the woman’s face attentively for a few seconds, and then smiled shyly when her eyes met the former’s. “Your eyes, last night, looked very similar to how they look now,” she crooned, referring to the way Taeyeon’s longing, adoring gaze fell on her, as she gazed deeply into the blonde's eyes. "What is it that you mean with that gaze, Taeyeon, and why don't you want to tell me?" she insisted. 

Tiffany didn’t understand. She didn’t understand, because she didn’t know it was possible. The princesses in the fairy tale books from her childhood all had their princes. The girls in the romances she read as young teen-ager were always swept off of their feet by a guy.  It was hard for her to conceive that what she felt for Taeyeon was the same thing those girls felt for their male lovers. She had never heard of a woman who loved another, after all. Tiffany needed Taeyeon to guide her, to show her the way, to help her comprehend her feelings, but the woman was clearly adamant that she should do the exact opposite.

“Tiffany, I think you’re confused.” The words tasted bitter in Taeyeon’s mouth, poisoning her lips as they escaped, but they had to be said. She took hold of the girl’s hands and withdrew them from her face, but kept them in hers. “And I really think we should drop the subject.” She looked down at Tiffany’s hands, carefully kept between her own, and watched as her thumbs their backs before she glanced up at Tiffany again. “Just… please forget the whole thing, will you? Please? It’ll be better like that.”

Tiffany exhaled loudly, completely dissatisfied with the response. She nodded her head in defeat, but without compliance. Slowly, she retreated her hands and stepped back, which allowed Taeyeon to open the door. The blonde gave Tiffany one last longing, apologetic glance before she turned around, stepped into the corridor, and closed the door behind her back.

Tiffany sat quietly on her bed, trying to fight the wet warmth forming in her eyes as she stared at the door.

She hated to see Taeyeon go.

***

A week passed, and throughout it the occurrences from the eventful night were allayed, but not forgotten. Neither Taeyeon nor Tiffany broached the topic again, but it preyed on their minds night and day. On Sunday afternoon, the two were left alone in the mansion, as the staffs had their day off, and Mrs. Winters had gone to church after lunch, saying she were to spend the afternoon with some acquaintances afterwards. Tiffany's father was off in a business trip to England. 

“Enough,” said Taeyeon, dropping the cards on the coffee table. “You’re cheating, young lady,” she said, pointing and wagging her finger at Tiffany.

Tiffany laughed amusedly. “Is is really that hard for you to accept defeat?” she asked, with a teasing tone.

“Why, having been defeated five times in a row, yes, it is,” Taeyeon said matter-of-factly, sniggering. “I’ve been playing cards for over 20 years and I’ve always been good at it.”

“Then, I suppose you'll just have to accept that I am better than you,” Tiffany said with a conceited, playful smile, and began gathering the cards to shuffle the deck. “Let’s play again.”

Taeyeon chuckled. “No, that’s enough for today,” she said, touching Tiffany’s hand gently as to stop the girl. “Who taught you to play cards like that, Tiffany?”

“My father,” the girl responded, rather unenthusiastically. She set the deck of cards aside and looked at Taeyeon. “When I was a child and he was home, that’s the sort of fun we would have together.” She chortled quietly. “Imagine that. Teaching a little girl how to play cards like a man. I suppose fathers do not know how to raise their little girls very well, but mine did try his best. I could be a gambler if I wanted to.” She chuckled again. "Nana thinks it is scandalous."

Taeyeon curved her lips into an amused smile, but remained silent. Tiffany never failed to entertain her.

“Did your father teach you anything of that sort?” Tiffany asked.

“Not of that sort, no,” Taeyeon responded, supporting her elbows on the coffee table as she looked into the distance. “But he taught me how to dance when I turned sixteen.”

“Was he a good dancer?”

“God, no,” Taeyeon answered with a bittersweet chuckle as she lowered and shook her head. “He wasn’t. But I learnt well.” She stopped for a moment and gave out a sigh. “On Sunday afternoons like this he would put on a record on our old phonograph and dance with me around the living room. He said I was a great dancer. He always complimented me on not stepping on his foot.” Her lips twitched upwards with a certain difficulty.

Tiffany observed Taeyeon’s sad countenance, wondering why the memory seemed to pain her so much. She wanted to inquire further about her parents, but she knew she couldn’t push Taeyeon over the limit the woman had set between them when it came to information about herself. “I don’t know how to dance. Father never taught me,” the girl said, hoping to change the subject. She shrunk her shoulders a bit, pursed her lips, and then added, “Would you teach me?”

Taeyeon’s eyebrows shot up as she returned her gaze to Tiffany. “Teach you to dance?”

Tiffany merely nodded.

The blonde smiled a little. “I think I couldn’t, Tiffany.”

“Why not?”

“Well, that was so long ago,” the woman explained, straightening her back. “And I shouldn’t be the one to teach you.”

Tiffany furrowed her eyebrows. “Why shouldn’t you?”

Taeyeon glanced quietly at the girl for a few seconds. Tiffany’s big, doe-like eyes stared at her with innocence and curiosity. The blonde inhaled sharply before proceeding, “Because that’s something you should do with a man.” She strongly disliked that phrase. She disliked even more saying it to Tiffany.

The raven-haired girl looked around, then looked back at Taeyeon with a playful smile on her lips. “Pity. I don’t see any man around here. I believe you have no choice.”

Taeyeon chuckled with amusement. “What do you want to learn it for?”

Tiffany looked into Taeyeon’s eyes for a few seconds, then averted her gaze, shrugging. “Just for the sake of it, I suppose,” she lied. “I never dance with anybody anyway, even though father takes me to a ball or two, sometimes.” Supporting her hands on the coffee table, she got up and stood by Taeyeon, beckoning the woman with one of her hands. “Come,” she said, gesturing Taeyeon to get up.

“Are you serious about this?” Taeyeon said incredulously.

Tiffany giggled. “Yes. Come,” she affirmed, taking Taeyeon’s hand. The blonde got up as Tiffany pulled her upwards and toward herself.

Taeyeon did not want to proceed with Tiffany’s idea. The amount of physical contact dancing would require made her anxious. She was afraid of what could come out of it. But she knew that, once Tiffany’s head was set on something, it was useless to try and change her mind.

“Tiffany, really,” Taeyeon said as Tiffany dragged her away from the coffee table, chuckling nervously. “How do you expect to dance properly if you learn how to dance with a woman?”

‘’I told you. I’m not going to dance with anybody,” she responded, and turned to Taeyeon when she stopped by the record player. “I just want to learn.”

Taeyeon sighed and shook her head disapprovingly, but finally conceded. “All right. But we need music.”

“Right!” Tiffany said excitedly. “Father left me this new record the last time he was here,” she said as she turned around and removed a vinyl record from the phonograph, blowing on it to dust it. “I intended to listen to it, but I forgot to,” she added with a mutter, then placed the record under the needle. Tiffany turned around and smiled shyly as she faced Taeyeon again. “Now what?”

The song began playing slowly. Taeyeon’s eyes studied Tiffany’s face for a while before the blonde took a step further and held out her hands. Tiffany hesitated a little, but eventually took them gladly. Their fingers brushed lightly against each other before Taeyeon placed Tiffany’s left hand on her own right shoulder and, taking a firm, but gentle grip of the girl’s right hand, held it up mid-air.

I’m a fool to want you
I’m a fool to want you
To want a love that can’t be true

Tiffany inhaled sharply as she heard the first lyrics to the song. She gripped Taeyeon’s hand unconsciously, and grazed her fingers across the skin of the woman’s bare shoulder before she comfortably placed her palm on its back.

I’m a fool to hold you
Such a fool to hold you
To seek a kiss, not mine alone

Taeyeon placed her right hand on Tiffany’s back and gently pulled her closer, making their bodies touch. She held her breath with the sudden contact and upon realising how close Tiffany's face was to her own, their mouths only inches apart. She exhaled quietly, gently holding the girl against herself. Her thumb seemed to have a will of its own as it caressed the fine porcelain skin of Tiffany’s hand.

“Move your feet slowly, all right?” Taeyeon murmurred as her eyes gazed into Tiffany’s. The girl just nodded.

Time and time again I said I’d leave you
Time and time again I went away

They started swinging side to side and back and forth slowly, with small and timid moves. Tiffany was entranced by Taeyeon’s eyes, anesthetized by her gentle touch, and floating as the music entered her ears. Taeyeon’s own situation wasn’t much different, for she did not really notice when her hand kept pressing Tiffany tighter and tighter against the front of her body.

But then would come the time when I would need you
And once again these words I’ll have to say

Tiffany sighed audibly and closed her eyes, leaning her forehead on Taeyeon’s. The blonde did not have the courage to withdraw, or to tell Tiffany no. Not this time.

Take me back, I love you
Pity me, I need you

Tiffany’s fingers found their way to Taeyeon’s, and soon they were intertwined. Taeyeon placed their joined hands on her other shoulder and contained a smile when the tip of Tiffany’s nose brushed against her own. Suddenly, Tiffany’s feet ceased moving, and she fluttered her eyes open slowly, eyes which immediately found Taeyeon’s. Intrigued by Tiffany’s interruption, Taeyeon stopped dancing as well, and she would have asked about it, hadn’t her mind been wiped blank by the touch of Tiffany’s warm lips against her own.

I know it’s wrong, it must be wrong
But right or wrong, I can’t get along without you

The song died down gradually as their lips melted together, and it finally ended right when Taeyeon broke away from the kiss.

“Tiffany, please,” the blonde breathed out as she looked at the girl. “Don’t.”

Tiffany was unfazed by the woman’s reaction. She took advantage of Taeyeon’s letting go of her hand and wrapped her arms around the latter’s neck, gazing deeply into her eyes. “Why not?” she questioned.

“Because.” Taeyeon responded simply, unable to think straight. She touched Tiffany’s arms and tried to free herself, but stopped when Tiffany’s nose touched her own again.

“Why. Not?” Tiffany repeated pausedly.

Taeyeon sighed and shook her head slowly. “You musn’t, Tiffany,” she whispered. “You can’t. We can’t. It’s wrong. Let me go,” she insisted, rather coldly, taking a step back.

Tiffany furrowed her eyebrows. “But I want to. Don’t you?”

Taeyeon parted her lips to speak, but closed them again, for she did not find the right words to answer. Tiffany tightened her grip around the woman’s neck and took one step forward, closing the small gap Taeyeon had created between her bodies. One of Taeyeon’s hands traveled along the length of Tiffany’s arm, caressing it gently.

“You’re right, you know,” Tiffany whispered as her eyes traveled over Taeyeon’s face, then nodded. “I am confused. And I’m insecure. And I’m so full of doubts and I need you to help me, because sometimes I think I’m going insane.”

Taeyeon didn’t say anything, but with a small, nearly unnoticeable nod of her head, she encouraged the girl to go on.

Tiffany inhaled deeply. “I think I’m in love with you,” she cooed. Her eyes fell on Taeyeon’s lips. “Is that possible?”

Taeyeon felt her heart skip a beat, and she didn’t know if it did so out of despair or delight. “Tiffany, don’t--”

The younger pressed one of her fingers against Taeyeon’s lips. “Is it possible?” she repeated assertively.

Small tears twinkled in Taeyeon’s eyes. She took Tiffany’s hand and withdrew it from her lips, then nodded hesitantly as she looked into the girl’s eyes. “Yes.”

Tiffany almost smiled. A sigh of relief and contentment left her lips, and she intertwined her fingers with Taeyeon’s again.

The sound of the family’s car stopping in front of the porch startled the two, and Taeyeon jolted backwards by reflex, immediately freeing herself from Tiffany’s grip. She quickly wiped her eyes with the back of her hands as she sniffed loudly, and walked away with rushed steps once she heard high heels clicking behind the front door. Tiffany’s face instantly fell, and she sighed as the woman took her leave.

“Hello? Are you two children home?” Mrs. Winters’s voice called as she stepped into the house. She made her way across the corridor, but stopped abruptly when Tiffany ran past her towards the library and shut the door as she entered it, while Taeyeon swiftly made her way upstairs.

The old woman was confused for a moment, but did not really bother the situation. She shook her head in disapproval as she sighed, and then headed quietly to the kitchen. She had a supper to prepare.

Having dined alone that evening, after showering, Tiffany spent the rest of the night in the library, trying to clear and cool her mind after the afternoon eventsㅡTaeyeon had been in her room ever since, and Mrs. Winters seemed to believe it when Tiffany told her Taeyeon was feeling indisposed. It was close to midnight when the girl decided to head upstairs to try and get some sleep.

She ambled unenthusiastically up the staircase and toward the room, facing the floor as she let her restless thoughts wander, although she did not give any of them much attention. Mentally, she was too tired for that. She was hoping to get a few hours of sleep, at least, and she was hoping to get them as soon as her body hit the bed, but just as she stepped into the bedroom and was pushing the door to close it, a dainty hand held it and forced it open, jolting Tiffany out of her trance and conquering her attention.

The girl looked up in surprise, catching her breath in when she saw Taeyeon standing by the door. Once she felt Tiffany’s eyes and attention on her, the woman quietly withdrew her hand, and took a small step closer.

“May we talk, please?” asked the blonde.

Tiffany took a moment to assent. She beckoned Taeyeon inside and closed the door quietly, sighing anxiously as she watched the woman walk into the room. Once the blonde stopped, she allowed her eyes to follow Tiffany as the girl made her way toward the bed, and perched on the mattress.

“It surprises me you want to talk,” Tiffany mumbled, eyeing Taeyeon rather bitterly. “Usually, you simply evade the subject and pretend nothing happened.”

Taeyeon crossed her arms, sighing. I deserved that, she thought to herself. “Well, yes, that is the safer route to take,” she breathed out. “And I wish I weren’t about to have this conversation with you, but it must be done.”

Tiffany opened to speak, but the words didn’t come out. The tone in which Taeyeon spoke was unfamiliar to her; thus far she had only heard the woman speak in so tender and sweet a fashion, she thought honey could drip from her words. This time around, however, Taeyeon’s words were dry and not very friendly, and Tiffany could swear she could hear a scrap of pain in them, too. She looked down, fidgeting with her fingers, and sighed anxiously. “Y-you are angry with me, aren’t you?” she mumbled.

Startled by Tiffany’s reaction, andwith her expression and feelings softened by seeing the girl so insecure, Taeyeon calmly walked toward her and then crouched down in front of her, eyeing the younger apologetically. “No, I’m not. I could never be angry at you,” she assured, taking one of Tiffany’s hands in her and giving it a light, comforting squeeze.

Tiffany’s eyes shot up, meeting the blonde’s.

“But, Tiffany, this has to stop,” Taeyeon continued in a whisper, sadly shaking her head. “It must stop, do you understand?”

Tiffany furrowed her eyebrows. “What?”

Taeyeon sighed. She let go of Tiffany’s hands and rose from her previous position, lightly wagging her finger at Tiffany as she looked at her. “Don’t do that. You know what I’m talking about. It’s the third time I’m telling you this.”

“You didn’t convince me the first time,” Tiffany suddenly blurted out.

Taeyeon was left both speechless and taken aback by the girl’s answer. She parted and closed her lips a couple of times, trying to find the right words to respond and hoping they would be clear and effective enough, but none came. “Pardon?” was all she managed to speak.

“I said, you didn’t convince me the first time,” Tiffany repeated. She straightened her back and eyed Taeyeon directly, inhaling profoundly before she continued, “And, mind you, you haven’t convinced me today either. Embarrassed me, yes, I was terribly embarrassed, but not convinced. If anything, I’d say you’re a terrible liar.”

“Liar?!” Taeyeon interjected.

“Or pretender, or whatever. The fact is that I know for sure that you are most certainly not being honest with me,” Tiffany said, rising from the bed. “And I hate every part of it.”

Again, Taeyeon didn’t know what to say. A faint, wry chuckle escaped her lips as she looked away, rubbing one of her palms against her forehead. Her attention returned to Tiffany when she sensed the girl approaching, and when the latter’s body was only a step away from colliding with her own, Taeyeon gently grasped Tiffany’s arms, keeping her at a safe distance. Regardless, despite her efforts, when Taeyeon felt Tiffany under her touch at such a close distance, and especially when her eyes met the girl’s, which gleamed with passion and determination, her guard, even if just momentarily, was let down, and it took her all her strength and willpower to continue just as firm as she was when she walked into Tiffany’s room.

“I can’t, in any way, encourage this, Tiffany,” she whispered with a trembling voice. Her hands squeezed Tiffany’s arms lightly when she felt the girl’s fingertips graze the fabric of her dressing gown. “I can’t have you kiss me in the living room, or the in the back garden, or in any place at all. I can’t let you do that.”

Tiffany sighed. She tried to get closer to Taeyeon, but the woman held her in place. “But--”

“Tiffany, no,” the blonde insisted. “It’s… it’s wrong. Don’t you see I’m trying to protect you?”

“Protect me?” Tiffany inquired, chuckling nervously. “Taeyeon, the way you put it, it sounds like it could do me harm. I…” she trailed off, feeling her cheeks grow warm as the rest of the sentence she tried to utter crossed her mind. Taeyeon almost smiled at the sight. “I told you about my feelings this afternoon. How could that do me harm?”

Taeyeon sighed heavily, letting Tiffany go. She took a few steps away from Tiffany and, hugging her arms as she turned around to face the girl again, she retorted calmly, “Tiffany, really, we shouldn’t discuss this in depth. Please, just--”

“Please,” Tiffany’s faint, trembling voice interrupted Taeyeon. “Can’t you see how difficult this is to me? I’ve opened my heart to you, I’ve done it twice, and both times you have declined me and made me believe that whatever was happening was wrong, that I was doing something wrong, and it made me so confused and so anxious because I…” her voice faltered, making her stop. A single tear escaped each of Tiffany’s eyes, and she took a deep breath to continue, “I don’t feel like I’m wrong. What do you call it? Following your heart? Your instincts? I don’t know. I’m doing what my senses tell me to do. And they tell me to go to you. Every time.”

Fighting her own tears, as she brought her hands together in a pleading gesture, Taeyeon cooed, “Tiffany, please, if you just listen to me--”

“But you dread every step I take toward you!” the girl interrupted her again, finally releasing the shy tears that had previously begun to roll down her face. “And you don’t even tell me why!”

“No, no,” Taeyeon denied, and as by reflex, quickened her step toward Tiffany, and embraced the girl tightly against her body from behind. “No, I love each and every step you take toward me,” she cooed close to Tiffany’s ear as her chin rested on the girl’s shoulder. “But I musn’t encourage them, as you musn’t take them, do you understand?”

Tiffany’s feelings seemed to ease as she felt Taeyeon’s arms around her waist, and she grazed one of her hands along them until it reached Taeyeon’s own, and then she intertwined their fingers together. Taeyeon let her. “No,” the girl finally answered, after a while. “No, I don’t understand. How can I understand anything when you tell me we are not supposed to be close and then hug me like this?”

Taeyeon sighed, lifting her head. She tightened her grip around Tiffany and touched the latter’s head with her lips as she were to kiss it, although she didn’t. “I mean to comfort you, Tiffany,” she whispered against the girl’s hair, and shook her head. “Not to induce you. Believe me when I tell you I’m only trying to protect you.”

“Heavens, from what?” Tiffany inquired and, growing impatient, freed herself from Taeyeon’s embrace as she turned around to face the blonde.

A half exhausted, half exasperated sigh escaped Taeyeons lips and nostrils. She closed her eyes for a moment, inhaling deeply, and glanced wistfully at Tiffany as she opened them again. “Sit down,” she said, gesturing toward the bed. Tiffany did as suggested, and then Taeyeon sat down by the girl’s side.

Taeyeon cleared before beginning, “When I was your age, Tiffany, I…” she trailed off, taking another deep breath to deceive her nervousness, “I fell in love with a girl. A friend. One of the only friends I’ve ever had. And when I realised I had feelings for her, I felt… confused… and scared…” she paused for a moment, nibbling on her lower lip. Her eyes avoided Tiffany all along. “But I did as you say you are doing. I followed my heart. I didn’t feel like I was doing something wrong. When I came to know my feelings were corresponded, I was very happy, and for a couple of months she and I had… something. I don’t know how to call it. It felt good to be together, so we simply did that.”

Tiffany noticed the blonde’s uneasiness when the latter flinched her legs uncomfortably. She placed her hand on top of Taeyeon’s and gave it a gentle squeeze, encouraging the woman to continue. Taeyeon didn’t look at Tiffany, but Tiffany observed the small, shy smile that appeared at the corner of Taeyeon’s lips before the woman proceeded:

“But, one day, as it was bound to happen, my parents found out. They saw us two kissing. And they threw me out of home,” Taeyeon muttered. Bravely, she finally let her eyes meet Tiffany. “I’ve been living on my own ever since. It has been nearly twenty years since I’ve last seen, spoken to, or heard of either of my parents. All because of a stupid blunder. And if you think that’s awful… you should know I was lucky I wasn’t locked in a mental institution instead.”

It pained Tiffany greatly to hear those words from Taeyeon. It pained her even more to imagine all the anguish Taeyeon had been through for so unfair a reason. She tangled her fingers with the blonde’s and slided closer to her. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry.”

“Do you understand now why I say I am trying to protect you, Tiffany?” Taeyeon asked, her voice gentle and calm. “Ever since that happened, I’ve been living in complete guilt and fear. Hiding. Self-conscious of my every move. I don’t want you to live like that.”

Tiffany inhaled deeply as she nodded her head and looked away, digesting everything Taeyeon had told her. A few seconds later, with a determined turn of her head, she eyed the blonde again, and squeezed the latter’s palm against her own. “I won’t. And neither will you. I won’t let any harm come to you while I’m around,” she breathed out.

Taeyeon sighed. “Don’t you see? I don’t care what happens to me. I’ve been there, done that, and as much as it hurts me to say it, I’m used to it. I just want to--”

“To protect me, I know,” Tiffany interrupted, a small amused smile spread across her lips. She looked down at Taeyeon’s hand, intertwined with her own, and nibbled on her lower lip before she looked back at the woman. “I’m aware of the implications. And the difficulties. You’ve terrorised me, truly.”

Taeyeon eyed Tiffany keenly, expecting the girl to continue.

Tiffany shrugged, releasing Taeyeon’s hand. “I don’t care,” she said, nonchalantly.

Taeyeon made a small sound of incredulity as she shook her head slowly, looking away.

Tiffany wanted to smile, but she knew it wasn’t the time to yet. She rose from her seat and took Taeyeon by the hands, which jolted the blonde’s attention back to Tiffany, and pulled her along to stand. Taeyeon’s hands were soft against Tiffany’s, and the girl breathed out contently when she felt Taeyeon’s thumbs shyly caress the back of her hands.

Tiffany took a step closer to Taeyeon, placing her hands on the woman’s forearms. She slid her fingertips along the silky fabric of Taeyeon’s nightgown slowly, and when her hands reached Taeyeon’s arms, she dragged her palms along the back of the members. Her eyes followed every inch that her hands touched. Under Tiffany’s touch and gaze, Taeyeon felt a shiver run through her body. When one of Tiffany’s hands swept a few strands of blonde hair behind Taeyeon’s shoulder, as her fingertips scraped the skin of Taeyeon’s neck, and the girl leaned in to press a gentle kiss against her cheek, close to the corner of , Taeyeon’s hands grasped Tiffany’s waist by reflex. And the blonde wanted to push Tiffany away, but her hands refused to move in that direction.

Taeyeon sighed, closing her eyes. “Will I have to beg you not to do that?”

Tiffany chuckled amusedly. “It unsettles you that much, eh?” she taunted, lacing her arms around Taeyeon’s neck.

Taeyeon opened her eyes and glanced at Tiffany. The girl’s little smug smile diverted her, and for a second, Tiffany thought she had seen a glimpse of a smile on Taeyeon’s lips.

Taeyeon took Tiffany’s face in her hands, and her heart swelled with tenderness as she gently dragged her thumbs across the smooth skin of Tiffany’s cheeks. Leaning over, she fought the urge of placing her lips against Tiffany's own, and glued them to the girl’s forehead instead, pressing a light, but earnest kiss against it. Meanwhile, her arms wrapped Tiffany’s body protectively. “You’re so young, Tiffany. I can’t have any harm, emotional or physical, come to you because of me.”

“But I am willing to take the risk,” Tiffany muttered against Taeyeon’s shoulder, and then glanced up at Taeyeon. “Are you?”

Worse than endangering Tiffany’s peace of mind and reputation, Taeyeon thought, would only be breaking the expectant, innocent heart she could so clearly see as Tiffany’s eyes bore into her own. Taeyeon didn’t want to drag Tiffany into a life that wasn’t suitable for a girl like her, but she knew that she couldn’t walk away now. She had had the opportunity to before, and she hadn’t done so. And now, she knew she could tell Tiffany no again and find her way out of the marriage with Anthonyㅡwhich, she thought, at this point, would be the best she could do for Tiffany, but as brave as Taeyeon was, and she had always been very brave, she couldn’t find in herself the courage to let Tiffany go.

Tightening her arms around Tiffany’s body, the blonde uttered a retained, amused chuckle, shaking her head incredulously. One of her hands, then, slid upwards Tiffany’s body until it reached the girl’s jaw, which Taeyeon cradled lovingly in her palm. She tilted Tiffany’s head back slightly and, as her free hand held Tiffany against herself, pressed a loving kiss to Tiffany’s lips, allowing her own to linger there for a while. She was decided to pull away soon afterㅡit was, after all, supposed to be only a tender, assuring kiss, one that would translate Taeyeon’s compliance with Tiffany’s wishes, but when Tiffany grasped her arm and sighed contently against her nose, whilst dragging her lips against Taeyeon’s, the blonde struggled not to completely unfetter her desires, which were then propelling her to continue kissing Tiffany as much as she could handle.

Her body grew tense and her senses alarmed when she felt Tiffany’s hand slide dangerously down toward her chest. Of course, it hadn’t been the girl’s idea to startle Taeyeon, but at the minute Tiffany’s fingertips approached her bare skin, Taeyeon gently pulled away, and the kiss had come to an end. Tiffany fluttered her eyelids open as she gasped quietly for air. Taeyeon opened her eyes, too, and as soon as she glanced at Tiffany’s face, all the uneasiness provoked by the lust she felt was gone, and she smiled tenderly at the young woman. She dragged the tip of her nose across the length of the bridge of Tiffany’s, and then placed a gentle kiss on Tiffany’s forehead.

“Go to sleep now,” Taeyeon cooed, slowly untangling herself. “We’ll talk tomorrow.”

For a few seconds, Tiffany was in a trance. Her lips tingled happily with the lingering feeling of Taeyeon’s mouth against them. Coming back to her senses, then, she eyed the woman with a wide smile spread across . She took a step further and placed another, albeit much shorter, kiss to Taeyeon’s lips.

“I knew you wanted it just as much as I did,” she whispered against Taeyeon’s mouth, chuckling amusedly.

Taeyeon withdrew her face a little and, feigning offense, chuckled at Tiffany’s remark. “Enough,” she said, sliding one of her hands down Tiffany’s arm and gently pushing the girl away. “Good night, Tiffany.”

Tiffany rolled her eyes tauntingly, and then smiled again. “Good night, madam,” she responded, with a jolly, mocking tone, as she watched the woman walk away.

Taeyeon grinned with diversion at Tiffany before she closed the door behind her back, finally leaving the room. Once outside, her smile slowly began to fade away, and she sighed quietly as she replayed the events in her mind. She ambled toward her room with a most preoccupied and conflicting mind, both delighted for the moments she had just shared with Tiffany and frightened by what could possibly come from it. In the end, when her body hit the mattress of her bed, she only prayed she could find the strength to always do what’s best for Tiffany and shield her from harm, should any come to her.
 

***
 

The next morning, Tiffany found Taeyeon sauntering quietly through the library, with a cup of coffee in one of her hands as the other touched the spines of the books in one of the shelves. She wanted to approach the blonde silently, but the muffled clicking of her flats against the floor inside the quiet room gave her presence away. Immediately upon hearing Tiffany’s footsteps, Taeyeon turned around, and a shy, but fond smile appeared on her face as she glanced toward Tiffany.

“Good morning,” the blonde crooned as she observed Tiffany approach. “You missed breakfast.”

“I know.” Tiffany nodded. “Nana is furious.”

The two chuckled. Taeyeon placed the cup she had in hands in an empty space in the shelf, since the coffee table was quite a few steps away, and she didn’t want to walk away from Tiffany. She found it nice how the cup held up the two books that were falling on each other due to the absence of the one that was supposed to support them.

Tiffany took a step closer to Taeyeon, gaining the woman’s attention again. The blonde bit her lip and smiled when she noticed the nervousness and the shyness with which Tiffany eyed her, perfectly exposed in the way the girl fidgeted with her fingers. She leaned in and kissed Tiffany’s cheek, smiling tenderly as she pulled away.

“Did you sleep well?” Taeyeon asked, crossing her arms as she leaned on the bookshelves. Her eyes never left Tiffany.

“Well, I… I didn’t really sleep very much,” Tiffany admitted, chuckling embarrassedly. “I did have a marvelous night, though.”

Taeyeon opened to speak, but no words came out. She joined her lips again and pursed them before she uttered a low, abashed chuckle. “Honestly, Tiffany,” she muttered.

Tiffany smiled and closed the distance between Taeyeon and her, kissing the blonde on the lips.

“Tiffany!” Taeyeon said with a reproaching tone as she pulled away and looked around them. “Don’t do that here. What if someone sees us?”

Tiffany cocked one conceited eyebrow. “Nobody enters here without my permission,” she responded.

Taeyeon’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh. You will forgive me for that, then. I should be going. I hate the idea of having trespassed a property,” she said, and intended to walk away. Tiffany was quicker, however, and held the woman by the wrists before she could move away, giggling happily.

“Except you,” Tiffany added. She rested her arms on Taeyeon’s shoulders and smiled with satisfaction when the woman, by reflex, welcomed her by wrapping her own arms against the younger’s slender waist. She pressed her lips against Taeyeon's once more, and her smile grew wider when the woman didn’t resist it and, instead, placed another lingering peck on Tiffany’s lips once the girl had pulled away.

Suddenly, the telephone rang, startling the two, who immediately, albeit reluctantly, let go of each other. At first, Tiffany didn’t bother to pick it up, for Mrs. Winters was in charge of that, but when the housekeeper’s voice echoed from the living room calling her name, Tiffany felt obligated to rush out of the library, leaving Taeyeon there.

“Hello?” said Tiffany, once in the living room, as she picked up the phone.

“Cousin, darling,” the voice on the line said

“Seohyun?!”

“Yes, indeed. How are you, cous’? How dreadful it is that we haven’t spoken ever since Christmas! Have you forgotten about your baby cousin, perchance?”

She had, in fact. With everything that had been going on, Tiffany had definitely forgotten all about Seohyun, as well as her yearly visit to the Hwang mansion. “No, of course not,” Tiffany said, chuckling nervously. “It’s just that… well, a lot has happened since Christmas, and I… it all just occupied a lot of my mind, that’s all. I'm sorry.”

Seohyun was quiet for a couple of seconds. Tiffany could sense the girl’s suspicion through the phone. “I see. But surely you are expecting me this month, aren’t you? I wouldn’t miss the opportunity to spend my birthday over there for the world. Especially knowing that Uncle Tony is planning on using the date as an excuse to throw a big party.”

“He is?” Tiffany inquired. She hadn’t heard anything about a party thus far.

“Why, yes,” Seohyun assured, chuckling. “Hasn’t he told you? Well, he has certainly told my father about his plans regarding the paper. And as you very well know, I can’t resist a good gossip. It seems he plans on turning his journalistic empire into an advertisement agency, no? Either way, all I know is that he’s been very social lately and that he is evaluating his potential partners, and that’s why he intends to throw this party and use my birthday as an excuse for it.”

Tiffany sighed annoyedly. “No, he hasn’t told me about that. He never tells me anything.”

“Gee whiz, you sound distressed,” Seohyun remarked. “Anyhow; I should be there by the end of this week. It has been arranged that your father will pick me up at the airport and take me home with him.”

“This week?” Tiffany repeated, glancing at the calendar. It marked June 15th. “Aren’t you early this year?”

“Let’s save that conversation for when I get there,” Seohyun responded. “I have been through a lot since Christmas, too, you know.” She made a pause and sighed resentfully. “Well, I have to go now. I can’t wait until we catch up. I have so much to tell you. Bye-bye, cous’!” the girl added, and sans giving Tiffany a chance to respond, terminated the call.

Tiffany put the receiver down and, after a moment of daze, rushed back toward the library. Entering the room, she closed the door slowly as she looked around.

“You look concerned,” Taeyeon remarked as she observed the girl. The blonde had been sitting on the small couch with a book in hands, and readily got up when she saw Tiffany walking in her direction with an anxious look in her face. “What’s wrong?”

Tiffany nibbled nervously on her thumbnail as she stared into nothing. She recomposed herself after taking a deep breath, and then looked at Taeyeon. “My cousin is coming over from California. She’s going to spend a few days with us.”

Taeyeon shrugged. “How is that bad?” she asked. But realisation hit her before Tiffany could answer and, with a discontented expression, she answered her own question: “Oh. Of course. Your father is coming, too,” she muttered.

“Well, yes, but father is not really the problem,” Tiffany said, and walked toward the couch, taking Taeyeon with her by the arm. They both sat, and Tiffany continued, “If father comes, he’s going to spend the entire day in the office. It’s that… well, Seohyun is very alert and ingenious. I don’t want her to… I don’t want her to meddle.”

Taeyeon’s worry escaped her lips as a sigh, and she eyed Tiffany sternly. “All the things I told you last night, do you--”

“I’m not concerned because I’m afraid something bad might happen to me if she finds out about you and I,” Tiffany interrupted Taeyeon. “I’m concerned because I know how inconvenient Seohyun can be, and I don’t want to lose you because of that.”

Taeyeon almost smiled. Almost. The only reason she didn’t was because she saw that, despite the fact Tiffany had told her that, the girl’s concern was still etched on her countenance.

“But that’s not all, is it?” Taeyeon asked.

Tiffany sighed and shook her head. She shifted in her seat and brought her body closer to Taeyeon, who immediately wrapped her arms around Tiffany’s torso in a comforting embrace. The blonde, then, rested her chin on Tiffany’s slender shoulder, eyeing her attentively.

“I’m listening,” Taeyeon cooed.

Tiffany breathed out in a vexed manner. “Seohyun used to occupy your room during her stay here. I don’t know if she knows about father’s marriage to you, but naturally she would find it extremely odd if she saw you sleeping in a separate room from your… husband.” She nearly choked at the word. “And if she grows suspicious of that, I swear we, and I mean everyone in this house, and my uncle and aunt in addition, will never hear the end of it. And she’ll dig deep, Taeyeon. Seohyun never lets things go just like that.”

Taeyeon grew apprehensive as she heard Tiffany speak. The first thing that crossed her mind was using a big argument as an excuse to the separate rooms to deceive the girl and keep her suspicions under control, but she knew that Anthony would never agree to that. The man seemed very determined when he insisted on having Taeyeon’s help to stick with the plan and image of the perfectly happy married couple, and she didn’t think he would change his mind about that. And so, the only solution to the general safety of the secret that she and Tiffany now guarded, as well as their own, was very clear to her, but not at all satisfactory.

“Tiffany,” Taeyeon said, gulping nervously as she untangled her arms and withdrew herself a bit, “I don’t think I can do that. Not for days,” she said, shaking her head. 

“And I swear I don’t want you to!” Tiffany said, sitting up straight and eyeing Taeyeon with the utmost disturbance twisting her features. “But, unfortunately, it is the only way." She made a pause and, crossing her arms, pouted and frowned childishly. “Do you think I like the idea of you having to sleep in my father’s bed for days?”

“Do you think I like it?” Taeyeon asked, rubbing her temples with her fingers as she closed her eyes. “But you are right. It’s the only way. And I’m sure your father himself would insist that we do it like that.”

“Would he?” Tiffany asked, still frowning. “Why do you think so?”

“Oh, another time,” Taeyeon cut the subject off. She opened her eyes again and, leaning back onto the couch, spread her arms to welcome Tiffany into them. “I don’t want to talk about that now. Come here.”

The girl readily snuggled up against Taeyeon’s body, and the blonde embraced her tightly against herself. She placed a gentle kiss on Tiffany’s temple, to which Tiffany responded with a peck on Taeyeon’s florid lips. Taeyeon offered her a small smile in return, and the both of them grew quiet, trying to enjoy each other’s company at peace, despite the turbulent states of their minds.