Jessica smoothed the creases on her skirt and slowly walked to the center. The heavy scents of cigarettes and alcohol immediately hit her senses and entered every exposed pore in her body. She looked around the dimly-lit bar, squinting against the klieg lights. Everyone simply immersed- lost- in their own world of problems. A foxhole of stench and sadness that slowly become alive a little before midnight; filled with ambient sound of hushed, weary voices occasionally disrupted by a dry cough and cleared throats.    

This was Jessica Jung's theater.    

The brunette looked around and found odd and familiar faces. The guitarist, whose boyish grin betray the wrinkles that spoke of struggle; the waiter and bartender in conference, deciding if the painfully obvious underage boy at the corner booth had a believable ID or not; and Taecyeon, body leaned against the door, slightly turning around with a smirk he claims to make women fall on their knees. He gave a small nod towards Jessica's direction, acknowledging the magic that was about to happen.

The guitarist absentmindedly tapped his foot, waiting for a signal for his gig to start. Smiling, Jessica wiggled a bit to prop herself comfortably on the before adjusting the mic stand.    

“Ready?” the guitarist asked softly.    

“Yes,” Jessica exhaled, “let's go.”  

Without any more prompting, the guitarist started playing accompaniment that was almost drowned in a sea of murmurs until a crystal voice broke the monotony of life that filled the bar.  

She's faced the hardest times she could imagine.

And many times her eyes fought back the tears…  

And when her youthful world was about to fall in.  

Each time her slender shoulders  

Bore the weight of all her fears  

And the sorrow no one hears,    

Still rings in midnight silence, in her ears  

Let her cry for she's a lady  

Let her dream for she's a child.  

Let the rain fall down upon her.    

She's a free and gentle flower growing wild 

With a slouched position on the sofa, Taeyeon stretched her legs and rested them on the ottoman. Taking a small sip of coffee, the young artist stared intently at Jessica who seemed engrossed at whatever the newsman on TV was saying about stocks and bonds. Taeyeon smiled slightly at the forlorn expression of her lover's face.

“This economy is not good for my health.” the brunette sighed. “All I see is red.”

“All I see is beauty.” was Taeyeon's quiet response.

Jessica continued to mull over the morning business news and retorted, “Of course you do.” before realizing that a certain pair of hazel eyes were focused on her in an unwavering manner. Feigning nonchalance, Jessica knew her expressions betrayed her attempt to remain unflustered by the younger girl's comment. “Getting so romantic in the morning, hmm?”

“I always am romantic!” Taeyeon chuckled before repositioning slightly to reach for a kiss- a move that did not disappoint the young artist. Jessica leaned closer and planted her lips softly on the blonde's puckered mouth. Before the kiss could be deepened, the former threw her head back and smirked.

“That's what you think.” Jessica said. Before temper flared however, the brunette back tracked and melodiously stated, “Just kidding!”

It was meant to slightly annoy the other girl, but instead, Jessica suddenly found herself squirming under the other girl's sudden mood shift and intense gaze.

“Sing to me.” Taeyeon breathed out. “I want to hear you sing.”

“W-what?” Jessica stammered. “I- that's so random.”

The younger girl shook her head slightly. “How's that random? You sort of… a few seconds ago—I –you said you used to sing. And…well.” Taeyeon gripped the coffee mug and slightly frowned, “I want to hear you sing because I think it's a huge part of you. Something you value so much.”

“It was a long time ago,” the brunette sighed then quickly brought back her attention on the business news. “I shouldn't be so careless with my money.”

The painter rolled her eyes at her lover's pathetic attempt to deflect the topic. Shifting gears, Taeyeon moved closer and toyed with Jessica's hair to calm her down. “You're not. You're smart.” she whispered intimately close to the older woman's ear. The warm breath instantly caused a cold sensation that ran down Jessica's spine causing her to shiver slightly. The reaction wasn't lost on the artist who began to reverently touch the contours of the former 's face. “You're also very… passionate and… sensual.” “Mhm…” Jessica mumbled in response with eyes closed finally paying no attention to the next few headliners. “What else?”

“…And talented.” The brunette snapped her eyes open and sighed.

“You're so anally retentive, Taeyeon,” Jessica whined. “You just don't know when to quit.”

“Lucky for you,” the artist quipped with a smile on her face.

“Mmm… You're the lucky one.” Jessica bantered back. “I—oh my god!”

The brunette found herself breathless beneath the younger girl who toppled her without warning. “Is that so?” Taeyeon remarked before slowly reaching for Jessica's wrists and firmly planting them on top of the older woman's head. Slowly, the younger girl straddled the brunette, dipped her head and whispered lowly, “How lucky am I?”

Tantalized by a pair of hazel eyes burning with sudden passion, the former found herself unable to utter anything coherent, an inaudible response. She felt a delicate pressure on her wrists caused by Taeyeon's grip. The awareness their position brought the brunette to a hastened state of arousal which the girl on top recognized astutely.

“Tell me.” the artist demanded as she subtly moved her hips.

Jessica met the movement in response. “I kid.” she gulped. “I know I'm so lucky, baby.”

“Mhm, baby now, am I?” Taeyeon laughed before playfully nipping the brunette's chin.

“Taeyeon.” Jessica whined with unabashed neediness. “I want you.”

“Why?”

“Wha- why? What do you mean why?” the former breathed out, pathetically waiting for Taeyeon to continue her seduction. Much to her frustration, the young blonde sat up and stared at her evenly, and eventually uttered in a low voice.”Why do you want me?”

“Because I'm madly in love with you, Taeyeon,” the older woman responded with a mixture anger and desperation. “Now would you please me.”

The artist's eyes widened with desire before diving back on top and tugging of the brunette's clothes aggressively. Jessica responded with faint gasps and shallow breathing that egged on the younger girl. Lifting herself by one arm to hover above, Taeyeon her lips at the sight of the former almost red in anticipation, defiantly staring yet submissively offering herself to be taken. “Jessica Jung, did you just beg me to you?” Taeyeon murmured with a playful smile.

“Well.” the brunette swallowed. “You seem to be too obtuse to figure that out yourself.”

The younger woman shook her head as her right hand slowly descended in between Jessica's legs. The smile on her face completely gone as soon as her slender fingers felt the pool of warm wetness. “You're so wet…” she whispered in an almost embarrassed tone for stating the obvious. “I did that.”

“Taeyeon,” Jessica slurred with eyes shut, “You do that all the time.”

“Do I?” Taeyeon muttered back with a roguish tone. “I thought I drove you crazy because of my mood swings,” she noted before gracefully shifting her position to pin Jessica's wrists together. “And my stubbornness,” she exhaled before running a finger inside the slit and faintly touching Jessica's aching nub.

Doing this several times left Jessica at the zenith of arousal.

“Jesus, Taeyeon. Not now.”

The blonde chuckled, “What not now?”

The brunette bucked her hips upwards as a response.

“Tell me…” Taeyeon teased.

Jessica's eyes opened and glared at the other girl. The artist stopped her movements and gulped.

“Jessica, I was just—”

“Kim Taeyeon, I swear you will go through months of dryness that will rival Nevada's soil if you don't,” the older woman growled before gripping the blonde's collar, “ me. Now. “

“Holy—”

“Now.”

With a quick nod and no further warning, Taeyeon inserted two fingers as she leveraged her body to move in congruence with her hand. She felt Jessica's legs shift upwards leaving the artist a wider berth to do what has been demanded of her to accomplish. With every swift and forceful motion, the blonde knew her girlfriend was getting closer to her peak and for both of them, an uncharted territory. They have made love in different ways, from the gentlest to mostly white heat, but not pure unadulterated ing. There was a part of Taeyeon that was careful; afraid of making Jessica feel used and empty. Even in the midst of what was happening at that moment, the artist was keenly aware of what could be the aftermath. Biting her lower lip, the younger girl stared at the former 's appearance- eyes closed and mouth open.

“Close.” Jessica mumbled, “Don't stop, baby.”

“Look at me, Sica,” Taeyeon pleaded before readying herself for the final sprint.

Jessica's eyes fluttered several times in an effort to comply only to be hindered by a strong gush of . The blonde immediately let go of the wrists she held down and swooped down for a tight embrace that lingered long after Jessica's body settled.

“God, you are perfect,” Taeyeon finally uttered after what seemed like an eternity. 

“So? How did I do?”

Taecyeon sniggered. “How did you do? Jung. You ask me about it every night. And I will say the same thing every night. You killed it.”  

Jessica looked down and smiled bashfully. She wrung her hands together and took a deep breath.

“It's a start, I suppose. Everyone has to start somewhere.”  

“Somewhere, what?” Taecyeon asked quietly.  

“You know,” the young brunette shrugged, “be discovered.”  

Taecyeon raised his eyebrows and merely nodded as he zipped his jacket slowly. “Ready to go?”  

“I really appreciate you walking with me, Taecyeon. You really don't have to do this.”  

“Nah. I kinda have to. Something happens to you, I'd feel guilty as crap.”  

“But—”    

The young man stopped and gave an exasperated sigh. “Same direction going home, babe. Not a big deal at all, alright?”    

Jessica flashed a huge smile and giggled. “When I become rich and famous, I'll make sure I take you with me.”  

“As your what?” Taecyeon asked with raised eyebrows and a knowing grin.    

“Taecyeon, you're not my type,” Jessica laughed as the young man deflated dramatically. The brunette immediately jumped to her companion's side and hooked her arm on his. “I'm starting to love you as a friend, though.”  

“Oh come on, babe. You're breaking my heart,” Taecyeon responded with a slight frown, “What's your type, anyway?”  

Jessica held on to Taecyeon tighter as a gust blew their direction. Slightly looking upwards, she stared at the sky that almost never turns dark. It always bothered Jessica that the city lights have somehow replaced the stars. And the only sound the city heard were sirens—and that almost always meant pain or death. “I don't know if I have a type,” she whispered as if telling a secret, “I do occasionally think of my perfect relationship.”  

“Do tell.” the young man drawled while rolling his eyes.    

“Don't be such a sore loser,” the petite brunette giggled before sighing. “I don't—it's not physical. I just…I don't know, someone who meets me both physically—shush I'm not done,” Jessica laughed at an almost protesting Taecyeon, “AND emotionally.”  

“That—okay I'm out!” Taecyeon sniggered. “Definitely out.”  

“Yup.” Jessica agreed. “I want someone who will constantly challenge me—”  

“THIS life isn't already challenging for you?”  

“Will constantly challenge me to live. To change perspectives. This?” Jessica stopped and twirled around with arms stretched. “This isn't life. But it's the only thing I know. It's dirty and cold and just plain abysmal. I want someone,” she smiled breathlessly, “to sit with me on a fire escape, at this very street, and make me say 'wow, this is beautiful' and I'd believe him because I'll see the world through his eyes. You know?”  

The young man kicked an imaginary stone and placed his hands in his pockets. “Why are you so deep?”  

“You asked a serious question!” the brunette singer exclaimed.  

“It's a shallow conversational question.” Taecyeon retorted. “One that simply requires a list of stuff like he cooks for me kind of .”  

With mouth opened comically, Jessica uttered lowly, “And you wonder why you're not my type.” 

Taeyeon stared at the ceiling while splayed on her bed. Beside her were Yuri and sheets of paper spread all over. The shorter girl squinted her eyes several times at a complex math problem while occasionally glancing at her best friend. She smirked at the loud sighs the artist was giving as a subtle demand for her attention. Relenting, the cheerleader tapped the taller girl's knee as a sign that she's ready to listen.

“Yuri?”

“No.”

“What the ?” Taeyeon growled as she sat up. “You don't even what I wanna talk about!”

The tanned girl snorted in response as she retained focus on her math assignment. “I'm pretty sure this has something to do with Jessica, and I'm seriously exhausted being your middle man.”

Taeyeon glared at her best friend before collapsing on the bed and once again sighed dramatically. “We're not having problems, technically.”

“But?”

“Can you teach me how to sing?” Taeyeon uttered inaudibly before agonizing over what she just said. When met with deafening silence, the artist grumbled, “You can laugh, you know.”

On cue, Yuri guffawed with gusto. “Taeyeon, what kind of ery is this?”

“Well because—”

“No, don't answer that. I don't think I want to know.”

“Yuri!”

“What?”

“Please?”

“Taeyeon.” the tanned girl replied softly. She knew when to push her friend's buttons and when the artist desperately needed guidance. The latter used to happen on rare occasions primarily due to Taeyeon's ego. “I can sing, but I wouldn't know how to teach anyone to sing,” Yuri lamented. “I've never heard you sing, so for all I know, you could actually be good already.”

“I used to in church.” the artist muttered seriously before sharing chuckles with her friend. “No, I'm not kidding,” she frowned after the laughter died down.

“Well then, just… sing.”

“I can't just sing. I need to be good at it. I wasn't good enough to be a soloist in the choir—not that I ever wanted to.”

“Can you please first explain to me why this sudden urge to be musical? I need to put clarity in your whimsical ideas.”

“Jessica.”

The taller girl rolled her eyes. “I think we've already established that. Everything you do these days is for Jessica.”

“Like you're the one to talk. Yoona this, Yoona that.”

“I didn't say it's bad, Taeyeon. I just implied you're predictable. Although—”

“Save it. I know what you're going to say, and it's just going to echo what she's been saying, and I don't want to hear it.”

“You haven't even—”

“I don't have to. Yeah, yeah, I need to not let my world revolve around her.” Taeyeon murmured in exasperation. “Whatever.”

With pursed lips, Yuri regarded her friend quietly, who was once again lost in her own thoughts. In an attempt to bring her back to earth, the tanned girl relented.”Alright, what's this thing abou