Taeyeon doesn’t remember leaving her chair and table. She doesn’t remember walking to the bed. Neither does she remember sitting on it. But when her lips finally leave Miyoung’s, her eyes open again and she finds herself half sprawled across the bed with Miyoung.

“Oh my . . .” Taeyeon gasps.

Miyoung is breathing heavily like she is. Her cheeks are also tinted rosy. And her lips, reddened. Taeyeon takes in the sight. The sparkling eyes, the lift of cheekbones. Surely this is the most beautiful woman in the world lying next to her on the bed. Her brain is having trouble processing this new reality. It is the most unexpected reality. A yearning that had long been removed from her heart. A desire that had been replaced by others over time. But with this kiss, comes the return of feelings that had been hidden in the deepest recesses of her heart and soul. Everything sweeps back in and crashes on to the shores of consciousness, overwhelming her a little.

“Taeyeon . . . I have been dying to be close to you like this. Ever since I saw you again, I had been battling, warring against my forbidden desires. To be able to know the taste of your lips once more. To be able to feel the heat from your body . . .”

“Miyoung . . .”

“You asked me if I still have feelings for you. This is my answer.”

Taking Miyoung’s hands in to hers, Taeyeon whispers, “I have these feelings for you too.”

“But you and I, we are both married. I don’t know how this is going to work once we leave this room.” Miyoung’s eyelids flutter and close. “What if Taisui comes back for me? What if—”

Silencing Miyoung with a finger, Taeyeon shakes her head. “Not tonight. We will not talk about this right now.”

“But—”

Taeyeon presses her lips on Miyoung’s and holds it there until Miyoung returns her kiss. “Leave these things for the next day. Right now, we have each other and Dayu has left to give us time and space. Enough of worrying about tomorrow. Enough of being afraid of things to come. I want to be brave and tell you how I feel. I want to dare to touch you the way I want to.”

Miyoung bites her lip and smiles. “How do you want to touch me?”

“I want to touch you not like a friend would.”

“Show me.”

Raising a tentative hand, Taeyeon holds Miyoung’s gaze as she caresses those lovely rosy cheeks with her fingertips. She draws a curve, following the jawline down to Miyoung’s chin and tips her finger over so that her knuckle traces a line up over lips to the tip of Miyoung’s nose. Her finger’s journey does not end there. It continues up the bridge to the forehead before turning to brush through Miyoung’s eyebrows.