Something both soft and hard hits Taeyeon’s hand. Opening her eyes to see what it is, she is rudely yanked out of her sleepy state and dumped on the cold, hard floor. It wasn’t something that hit her hand. In fact, her hand had hit something. And that something is Tiffany’s . How awkward. Miraculously and fortunately for her, Tiffany was not awakened by her hand so she has a chance to retract it without Tiffany ever knowing. She lifts it slowly and turns onto her back, making sure her hands aren’t going to land on anywhere embarrassing again.

Tiffany’s bed is wonderful to lie on. And it isn’t only because Tiffany is lying next to her. The sheets are silky to touch and the mattress is just right—neither too hard nor too soft. Tiffany must be relatively wealthy, she concludes, judging from the luxurious furnishings, not forgetting the bathtub that must have cost a fortune. What kind of woman is she exactly, she wonders. Tiffany is gentle and kind. Caring. Loving. A positive kind of energy. But what about her flaws? If there’s anything she can think of, it would have to be Tiffany’s persuasive powers. And if she’s not careful, she might get burnt.

A glance at the clock on the wall starts her out of all other thoughts however. Lying around in another woman’s bed is not a luxury she can afford this morning. She manages to get out of bed without waking Tiffany and changes into the clothes she came in before going to Tiffany’s side of the bed.

“Tiffany,” Taeyeon gives the sleeping woman a gentle shake, “I have to go.”

“Mmm . . . ?”

“I have to get back. Many hungry mouths to feed.”

Tiffany sits up and rubs her eyes. “So soon? I thought we could have breakfast together.”

“Some other time, okay?”

Tiffany pouts but gets out of bed and follows Taeyeon to the door. “Can we meet for dinner today?”

“If you don’t mind having dinner at the dog shop.”

“I don’t mind.”

“Then, you’re welcome to join me and eight furries for dinner.”

Tiffany’s smile as she says goodbye accompanies Taeyeon on the way home. It is a little hard to believe that smile is for her—she had told herself it was impossible so many times. But after a night together, she has to believe it. Tiffany’s smile is not only for Prince Fluffy. It’s for her too.

=

Contrary to what Taeyeon once thought would happen when she falls in love, the Earth does not spin the other way, nor does the sun rise from the west instead of the east. Granted that she was merely thirteen when she was convinced of things like ‘true love’ and ‘soulmate’ and ‘love at first sight’. That everyone has someone they are destined to be with and when she meets this someone, fireworks will go off and her life will be perfect. Then life happened and Taeyeon grew up.

Her first love or crush, rather, was a netball player. Tall. Legs twice the length of hers. Toned. Tanned. She never did work up the courage to talk to the girl. Then one day, a girl from another class came up to her and said hi. She said hi back. The girl asked for her number and said it was for her friend, Karen. She gave the girl her number. And after a series of conversations over the phone, she went out with Karen. They held hands during their first date. Taeyeon gave her first kiss to Karen too. Then, one day, it ended. Abruptly. Karen wanted a break up. So they broke up. And that was the end of her first relationship. Taeyeon was not herself for weeks after that.

But she got out of the rut eventually. And she learnt that life had more to offer than just one girl for her when she met Mel. Short for Melissa. Melissa preferred to be called Mel. Mel was generous. Mel bought her many things. Gifts. But in the end, she broke up with Mel. She was sorry, but she wasn’t feeling it.

Now, she’s twenty-seven and doesn’t expect any fireworks to go off when she falls in love. But her steps are lighter and her smile comes more readily—a change that doesn’t escape the eye of her good friend Sunny.

“Someone’s in a good mood this morning. Any good news to share? Did you meet someone new at last?” Taeyeon smiles and Sunny squeals. “Oh my God. You met someone. Who is she? How did you meet? Is she tall, dark and beautiful?”

“I’ve mentioned her before.”

“Your customer? The one with the white fluffy dog?”

“Mhm. Her name is Tiffany.”

“This is awesome. Tell me more. Who made the first move?” Taeyeon tells Sunny how they got together and Sunny makes little noises throughout the story. “It sounds like she’s really into you,” Sunny comments. “Beware, you’ve got yourself a clingy one,” she says with a laugh.

“She is kinda possessive. She asked many questions about you when I told her I was meeting you for breakfast.”

“Did she ask to come along?”

“She hinted at it . . .”

“Why didn’t you bring her then? I wanna meet her.”

“It’s only been a week. I’ll introduce you two the next time.”

“Do you think it’s not gonna last?”

“No, I don’t think that. It’s too early to say if this will last or not.”

“But if this isn’t gonna end up like Di-saster, why wouldn’t you bring her along?”

Taeyeon cringes at the memory of her disastrously short relationship with Di. “It’s precisely because of Di that I’m never ever gonna introduce any girlfriend less than a month old to any friend of mine.”

“Di is a nut job. Is Tiffany a nut job?”

“No.”

“Alright.”

“I just . . . well, I want it to be just the two of us for now.”

Sunny smiles. “Sounds like you really like her too.”

“Yeah, I do and it’s scary. I haven’t felt like this for a while.”

“This is a good sign. It’s the ones that freak you out who will actually mean something to you.”

“I hope nothing goes wrong.”

Sunny shakes her head. “Things will go wrong. But if you really want it to work, you will fix it.”

“Yes, wise one.”

“I charge by the minute for consultation.” Sunny holds out her palm. “Pay up.”

Taeyeon slaps a napkin on her hand and the both of them giggle.

=