If there was a good change in Taeyeon's boring life, it had been the sight of her best friend in high school staring right back at her.

"Tiffany?"

"Taeyeon?"

Tiffany stepped forward with a welcoming smile. "Oh my god, Taeyeon!" Her arms circled around Taeyeon's shoulders to hug her as Taeyeon did the same to Tiffany on the waist.

"I missed you! How are you?"

Taeyeon stepped back to look at her again, also smiling. "Uh, I'm fine? Living?" She shrugged. "Getting by, I guess?"

Tiffany shrugged back. "Getting by. Me too, I guess."

"You guess."

"You did too."

They both laughed again.

Tiffany said, "Anyway, do you have some spare time because we really need to catch up on each other's lives."

"Well, I'm free right now," Taeyeon said to her.

"Well, we also need a place, so do you know where we can-"

"Let's go to my place then, I live by just a few blocks from here."

"Oh if it isn't a hassle then-"

"It's not." Taeyeon laughed again. "Don't worry, I live by myself."

"Okay then." A laugh.

They're both smiling while they travelled on foot to Taeyeon's place.

X

"So then."

"So."

The smile never left both their faces. It was weird, things seemed brighter with a presence of a dearly missed one. Taeyeon knew Tiffany felt the same way as they talked, sitting on the couch in her living room.

"How's it going so far, with your boyfriend, I mean?" Taeyeon asked.

"Who?"

"Who else, Nichkhun."

"Oh. Khunnie." Tiffany waved her hand. "We broke up in college. He was being an ."

"Oh."

"Yeah. Oh. But how about you? Anything going on with Baekhyun?"

"I told you we were only friends, Fany-ah," Taeyeon pressed. "Besides, I lost contact with him ever since he went overseas to study."

Tiffany smiled in relief. "I see." Taeyeon pretended she hadn't seen it.

"I think it's a good thing you broke up with Nichkhun though. He doesn't deserve you."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. You're way out of his league. And I don't know if you caught on this, but he was two-timing you with Victoria back in-"

"High school. Yeah. I did. Only in college though."

Taeyeon hummed. "But still, you're better off without him. He just doesn't see you in the right light. And that you're much more beautiful than anyone else."

"You don't have to compliment me, Taeyeon. It's in the past-"

"But still, you are."

"What is this..." Tiffany muttered under her breath. She spoke up, "If we're talking about beauty, it's you who reigns, like, way above all of us-"

"No, I don't, Fany-ah." Taeyeon shook her head. "Plus, your passion for fashion is inspiring."

Tiffany begged to disagree, "Your voice makes me feel safe."

"Your smile graces anyone like a sunshine." Taeyeon.

"Your eyes convey true warmth and comfort like a blanket." Tiffany.

"Your friendly personality makes you a trustful friend."

Back and forth they went, the lips on their faces turning up to smile along their arched brows as if to say, "beat this", "beat that", "how about this", "no how about this then" and as they went back and forth, it was certainly surprising to hear such words from the other. It felt as if they were back in high school and talked over nonsensical things and gossiped to no end and just plain laughed at life.

"You make up the whole world to me." Taeyeon confessed through all the compliments, truth ringing in her ears.

Tiffany in all seriousness said to her, "Well yeah? Your laughter carries off into the distant seas calling out all the joying whales to pass by and laugh with you."

"..."

"..."

"...you're joking me." Taeyeon stifled the laughter to spill from her lips.

"Oh just accept it, Tae!" Tiffany slapped her arm and started laughing, and Taeyeon couldn't hold it in anymore, she also laughed real hard that tears almost appeared in her eyes.

"Fany-ah! Seriously..." Taeyeon huffed in between her words, clutching her stomach. "I was being so serious! Then you said that and I just---hahahahaha!"

"Okay! Okay, fine." Tiffany paused her hand in mid-air, toning down the light banter they just had. "You want a real compliment?"

"Yes." Taeyeon nodded.

"Okay." Tiffany did the same.

"Uh huh." Taeyeon raised a brow.

"Okay." Tiffany too.

"Say it already-"

Tiffany had a small smile, laughing to herself. "You had such a big impact on me that I had a crush on you."

She was met with silence. Tiffany looked at Taeyeon, who looked like she got zapped, stuck on her position. And Tiffany knew there was a different atmosphere, a stale air and that things got awkward, and she paled, inwardly cursing at herself for letting that slip-

"Oh." Taeyeon said.

Okay, Tiffany thought. Oh was a neutral reaction.

"Oh." Taeyeon said again.

Tiffany bit her lip and thought on how to fix it---and then Taeyeon said something other than "oh". Taeyeon laughed, twice as hard as before. And Tiffany didn't know how to react on this, like, will she go on with the flow?

"It's funny." Taeyeon huffed out between her laughs.

"What... is?"

Taeyeon calmed down. She wiped her eyes, shook her head and looked straight at Tiffany's. "I also did. Had a crush on you, I mean."

Tiffany allowed herself to exhale. "Oh. R-Really?"

"Yeah. Really. I think it's normal anyway."

"Yeah?"

"We were young, and young are the foolish, and being teenagers, it was a phase that couldn't be avoided. I know others who felt the same way to their best friends too."

"Yeah?" Tiffany repeated, grinning.

"Yeah." Taeyeon assured her with her cheeky smile.

"Whew. I thought I was the only one who felt this way. I'm glad to know that. Thanks, Tae."

"You're welcome."

"And..."

"Yeah?"

"Say, when we're thirty and are still single, do you want us to be married BFFs?"

"Is this a proposal I hear, Fany-ah?" Taeyeon's eyes gleamed.

Tiffany had the same light in her eyes as she shrugged. "Yeah, you can call it that, and we'll give each other friendship rings as eternal BFFs-"

"I think that's a great idea. Count me in."

"We also need a seal. Oh, I know, here," Tiffany turned to Taeyeon and she stretched out her hand, raising the smallest finger. "Do you, Kim Taeyeon, swear that you will be my eternal BFF when we're thirty and still single?"

Taeyeon coughed on her fist, and got ready to take action. "I do. And do you, Tiffany Hwang, swear to be my eternal BFF when all others do not see your beauty, leaving you single at the age of thirty?"

Tiffany snorted. "I do."

And the two curled their pinkies together.

Tiffany was definitely a good change in Taeyeon's boring life. Taeyeon had a very monotonous routine everyday, and in a way, she craved for some small action to happen. Just hearing the voice of her best friend brought some hope to her and she smiled so wide, taking in a matured, and still happy, energetic Fany in her arms. She was surprised to actually see her, for the girl and her separated in college and the last they kept in touch on was when Tiffany told her via Messenger she was moving to her hometown in sunny California.

And that was it. Taeyeon focused on her life and education, graduated and became a permanent worker at a bank.

Tiffany brought her back to a giddy, almost child-like state. She felt a weird good change. And she was excited to see how life will be when they do turn thirty. The chances of her being single are as fat as a billionaire's check. Tiffany, though, had it slim. But that didn't bring her down. Taeyeon accepted her life the way it is, and if anything else new happened, she'll go and take it in, understand it, and then later on accept it as well.

Taeyeon wasn't expecting the new action to happen that same night.

She placed her pencil between her notebook and stood up from her desk to go to the front door. Who could be knocking on her door so late in a rainy night?

"Tiffany?"

The said girl stood right across her, shielding herself with her umbrella. Her pants and boots were soaked anyway. "Taeyeon," she started. "Taeyeon..."

"Fany-ah, did you leave something-"

"I didn't mean what I said."

Taeyeon stopped at her words.

Tiffany still stood outside her door, feeling the rain seep to her skin. "I like you," she clarified, passing her teary eyes to Taeyeon's sight.

"... what-"

"It never did went away, even after all these years. No matter what I did to conceal it, stop it, date some person to take my feelings away, it's still there." Tiffany almost begged in her words. "I like you." She repeated, pleading. Tiffany knew Taeyeon won't be saying anything soon, so she continued, "And I really thought that going away to my hometown would refresh my mind and make it disappear, but then, you just, I just..."

"Fany-ah..."

"We then saw each other today, and when I looked at you, my heart couldn't stop beating so fast. And hard. It felt like it was going to jump out my chest, and I knew right then that I still liked you, and that I miss you, and I really just want this to get off my chest-"

"Fany-"

"-because whether or not you feel the same way for me, I just felt the need to release it and I really want these feelings to go away because I don't want to destroy this beautiful f-friendship we have and I don't think keeping it to myself will help me get over you-"

"Fa-"

"-so please, just hear me out to the end that I---" Tiffany stopped when her voice cracked. She struggled to breathe with the overwhelming feeling fanning off her face like a mad blush and she was sure she was a drenched mess to Taeyeon, and Taeyeon, oh god, Taeyeon was looking concerned over her. Tiffany shut her eyes.

"It's okay if you don't like me back." Tiffany whispered. "I just want to let this out to you in hopes that it will go away." She sniffed.
 

Both were still standing between the doorway. Taeyeon was concerned for her best f