Chapter 18: The long goodbye

"Ah-CHOO!"

I slumped lower in the couch and blew my nose noisily with a piece of tissue. "Gawd… It's like I'm playing a trumpet."

The blonde sitting across the coffee table tut-tutted disapprovingly as she handed a new box of tissues to me. "You're such a fool, Choi Sooyoung."

"Why thank you, Kim Hyoyeon," I grunted as I snatched the box from her and placed it on the seat beside me. "Aren't you my best friend? Show me some sympa—"

Another explosive sneeze.

Hyoyeon leaned back against the armchair and folded her arms. "It's precisely because I'm your best friend that I'm telling you that you're a fool."

I merely rolled my eyes and continued dabbing at my very sore nose. I swear the thing's gonna drop off soon.

My best friend shifted impatiently in her seat. When she realized that I was more interested in stemming the river from my nose than continuing the conversation, she wriggled forward, pressing her palms against the table's smooth glass surface. "Why don't you tell her? Maybe she feels the same?"

"She doesn't feel the same."

"But I thought you said she ki—"

"Stop," I interjected my voice terser than I expected it to be. I slid further down the couch till I was lying flat, and draped my forearm over my eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you."

Despite rudely cutting off Hyoyeon’s words, my head again swam with memories of what happened that night at Jessica’s place. I was shocked, to say the least, when the girl grabbed my collar. But it didn't end there.

The moment our lips touched, my mind went blank. We had then broken apart, only for me to see her gazing up at me through heavy-lidded eyes, with slightly parted and her breathing erratic. She must have opened a Pandora box of sorts, because the next thing I knew we were engulfed in another kiss, one that was longer, deeper and far more eager.

I don't want to go into the details, but our, umm, activities meant that we were getting increasingly tangled in the sheets. Whilst this may seem like a y notion, it's quite a different matter when you're at risk of being accidentally mummified. At last I detached myself from her to get the blanket out of the way, but when I lowered my gaze I realized something else.

She had fallen asleep.

Of course, it was at this time that reality hit me like speeding monster truck. To cut the long story short, I had immediately shot up from the bed, but as my leg was caught within the sheets, I ended up stumbling and stubbing my toe against a nearby lamp. There was then some hopping around on my other foot while I cursed in a strangled voice, before I tripped on god-knows-what and landed face first on the bed again next to Ice Princess. This left me so flustered that I scrambled to the attached bathroom and did the first thing that came to me, that was, sticking my head under the shower until the cold water numbed the tingling sensation in my skin.

It had taken me some time to cool down (literally), but I still didn't trust myself being in the same room as Jessica. So I stayed in the bathroom in my half-soaked clothes, eventually dozing off. When I walked out of her apartment in a zombie-like state, dawn was already breaking. Unsurprisingly, I came down with a bad cold soon thereafter.

Which brings me back to my conversation with my best friend.

Hyoyeon frowned. "Sooyoung…"

"She also said that my foot was squishy," I countered dryly.

The blonde in a deep breath. "But—"

"No, Hyo. What is the point? Whether I like her, whether she likes me… The fact is we can't be together."

"I have to get back to states to continue our business, and Jessica has her career. If there are any rumors about us…her career will be destroyed."

Jessica’s career, all the effort she had put in. How long had it taken for her mother to give her blessings?

"This is…for the best." I tilted my head up to meet Hyoyeon’s eyes. It was the first time I had seen such an anguished look on her face, and I wondered if her expression mirrored mine. opened and closed rigidly, as if she desperately wanted to say something, but no words came. In the end she shook her head and sighed.

And with her lack of rebuttal, the last flicker of hope died in me.

I bit my lip as I got up from the couch. "Well, don't worry about me," I said as I tried to flash her a smile, "I'd better go pack my luggage."

Just as I was about to walk away, however, a beep sounded. Instinctively I glanced at the coffee table, and saw that the screen on my phone had lit up. I bent down and open the phone.

You still owe me a wish.

The sun was halfway across the sky when I appeared outside Jessica’s apartment, all fidgety. Although she had not contacted me since that night, I frequently obsessed over whether she knew what happened. From what I could tell she had slept through the whole fracas, proving that it was not only possible for a person to fall asleep while standing, but also remain asleep even when the sky was falling. Even then, one could only guess, right?

While the part of me that was guilty about what happened prayed that she had forgotten, a small part of me wished that she was fully aware of it. I didn't want to think about that though. Because I knew that deep inside, I was frightened. I was afraid that that she didn't feel the same way, that if I tried to let her know how I felt I would be rejected. I mean, if she felt the same, surely she would have tried to say something to me as well? But there was nothing so far, other than a drunken kiss (okay a few drunken kisses) that I couldn't even take seriously.

After much pacing up and down the corridor that was threatening to wear out my sneakers, I stopped in front of the door and lifted my hand to knock. My fist was inches away from the wood when it suddenly swung open.

"Je—Jessica?" I stammered.

The girl was clad in an oversized t-shirt, which almost hid the blue shorts she wore below. She held my gaze for a fleeting second before looking away, just enough for me to notice the dark circles below her eyes.

"Come in," she murmured.

I stepped warily into her apartment, my heartbeat racing as I pondered what I had gotten myself into. I thought I was ready, but the sight of her had reignited all sorts of mixed feelings and... Impulses. She settled quietly on the couch, and I decided to opt for the one opposite rather than beside her. It wouldn't be nice to die of a heart attack in her house now, would it?

"So…" I mumbled while squirming restlessly in my seat, not daring to look her in the eye. Does she remember anything at all? "What's up?"

Shortly after receiving that cryptic text message from Jessica, I had gotten another one asking that I meet her at her place. She explained that it would be difficult for her to get out of the house, and I could totally see why. The area surrounding the apartment complex was teeming with reporters when I arrived. It was solely because the security guards recognized me as her (ex) personal assistant that I was allowed entry through a hidden gate. Clearly Ice Princess’ fame has gone up a few notches with her recent win at the awards.

"Mmm…"

The girl crossed her legs in front of me, and I blocked out the unwanted thoughts before they even had the chance to materialize. This was getting too frustrating, in all ways. I swallowed thickly, making up my mind to be brave and look her in the face – only to see that she was staring out of the window.

"Thanks…for getting me home that day."

She remembers?! My heart started thumping so loudly, it was as if my insides were having a rave party. I rubbed my sweaty palms against my lap nervously. "No—umm—no problem. How did you know…?"

"I don't remember what happened, but the bartender told me you sent me home."

"Oh." My heart fell, though I consoled myself that I should be lucky she couldn't recall the incident, as otherwise she would be furious.

Or would she?

"Although…" Jessica’s voice rang out again, disrupting the never-ending debate in my head. I watched apprehensively as she continued to gaze out of the window, her eyes darkening as she seemed to recollect something. Are her cheeks turning pink?

Is she thinking what I'm thinking? Which is what I think she is thinking?

"Never mind," she suddenly snapped.

A short pause.

"You… didn't come for the awards show."

My eyes widened. Is that a question or a statement?

She went on, more softly this time. "I was looking for you, but you weren't there."

I blinked a few times, and barely opened my mouth to reply when she spun around and looked at me square in the eyes, giving me a startle.

"You still owe me two wish. And one of it is I want it now."

"Huh?" I gawked at her, taken aback by yet another twist in the conversation. It appears that Jessica also shared her mother's trait of switching topics like an F1 driver switches gears.

"I want you to cook for me."

My jaw dropped. "Pardon? You want me to what?"

"Cook for me, you know, make food?" She started gesturing with her hands, as if she was trying to explain the concept to a Martian.

"I got that," I answered dully, "but why?"

"Must there be a reason?" Ice Princess retorted as she fell back against the couch and shrugged nonchalantly. "It's up to me what I wish for, right?"

"Yes, yes, princess…"

She seemed to smile at the use of my old nickname for her.

"What do you want to eat? I'm warning you, though I cook for myself from time to time, I'm not exactly a great cook."

Jessica hummed thoughtfully. "What's your favorite food?"

"My favorite food?" Furrowing my brows, I considered the question. "Uh, I don't know…I quite like risotto?"

"Ree-so-toe it is then."

My jaw dropped for the second time that day, much to my chagrin. It was already a miracle that the medicine was working and my nose had stopped dribbling; I wasn't in the least interested in visiting the doctor again for a dislocated jaw.

"But—but—"

And she didn't even seem to know what I was referring to!

Ice Princess leaned sideways, fishing out a familiar slip of paper from her shorts pocket and waving it in my face. "My wish."

"Fine, fine," I conceded defeat as I stood up from my seat. "I need to use your computer."

At the sight of her quizzical expression, I raised an eyebrow. "What, do I look like a cookbook to you?"

Some serious googling and a clandestine trip to the supermarket later, I was back with the ingredients needed to cook the dish. Luckily, the driver happened to be in the area and could give me a ride to and fro the supermarket. I couldn't imagine how I was supposed to lug the heavy grocery bags up to Jung Kingdom, much less get through the moat that was the paparazzi.

My temples