Yoona places the two empty mugs – once filled with hot cocoa – inside her kitchen sink. She washes them diligently, tracing the small drawings on both cups before leaving them to dry. She opens the fridge and scans its contents, groaning at her half-empty options.

It was way too early in the morning to be regretting her choices of yesterday. She had planned to go grocery shopping, but when it came to her, some barriers were hard to break.

She closes the door.

Maybe I should go today.

Yoona turns around and before walking back into the bedroom, a glint at the corner of her eye catches her attention. She’d missed it when she left her bed but for some reason, she didn’t have the heart to ignore it this time.

She makes a detour and crosses the living room, her hand reaching for the small stone on her display cabinet. The smallest thing on the shelf yet, it shone brighter than most of the other items in her apartment.

“You’re quite a catch, huh?” She twirls it around in her slender fingers, observing it to no end. Coated in a light shade of blue with specks of white, it certainly stood out. Maybe not on the day she first saw it, but it held memories Yoona hoped to keep.

She recalls the day. She remembers sitting on the large log and looking out at the river. She remembers holding her hand and glancing at her lips. She remembers the smell of the air and the smell of her perfume. She remembers.

“Honey?”

She places the stone back on the cabinet and turns to face the girl draped in a thin blanket. Her head peeks from the door frame of their bedroom, hair dishevelled and lips pink.

“Yeah?” Yoona replies.

“What’s taking you so long?”

Yoona looks at the stone for a quick second before turning back to her friend. She gives a lazy smile and approaches the shorter girl, admiring her unkempt appearance. She closes the door behind her and decides she’d rather relish in kisses than stock up the fridge.

The grocery shopping was going to have to wait.

---

Yoona enjoyed reminiscing on the stone’s kept memories. She enjoyed recalling exactly how those days were played out.

At exactly 3:24AM.

Yoona remembered the exact time she was literally thrown out of her own bed. It wasn’t the fall that woke her up but the loud voice that rang through her ear.

“You have 10 minutes to get ready!”

She laid face down on her bedroom floor, her white duvet carelessly sprawled over her body. She put her hands over her ears, groaning.

“You’re crazy. Go home, Jess.” Her high-pitched voice was very recognisable.

“I did not drive half an hour just for you to tell me to go home. The car is packed, Sooyoung’s dressed and…”

“…and?”

“Yuri keeps asking about your ex.”

Yoona could feel the sly smirk across her older friend’s face as if she knew what exactly could set the doe-eyed girl off. She sighed, relaxing into the floor.

“15 minutes and a breakfast stop.”

She heard Jessica clap cheerfully and leave the room almost as fast as she came in. It took Yoona 3 minutes to compose herself before she got off the ground. It never dawned on her as to how Jessica got into the apartment in the first place but knowing Sooyoung, she’d do anything for the shorter girl – even at 3 o’clock in the morning.

Yoona didn’t actually think Jessica was being serious the day before. She knew she could be spontaneous at times, but this was just out of hand. Waking her up before the sun and giving her a limited time to get ready? This was probably the craziest thing Jessica had ever come up with.

Nevertheless, it was Yoona’s decision to follow along. She washed her face, sparing a couple of seconds to stare at herself in the mirror. Road trips weren’t really her thing. She was more of a stay-at-home kind of gal but the first mention of Yuri had her up on her feet faster than Hwang Miyoung at a shopping centre. Yoona obviously had no idea what self-control was.

She dressed herself in a random t-shirt and jeans before throwing on her oversized hoodie. Walking over to the duffel bag lying beside her bed, she stuffed it with whatever she found in her closet. There was no telling how long they’d be gone. Jessica never planned ahead for anything and the last time they went on a road trip, they ended up leaving for half the year.

Yoona had her reasons for joining them. One of those reasons may or may not have been Kwon Yuri. A new friend Jessica introduced a few years ago, Yoona was finding it hard to refuse these getaways with her friends.

“Please don’t sit on the kitchen counter. We eat there.” Yoona frowned as she took her last steps down the stairs.

Jessica hopped off, crossing her arms. “You said 15 minutes. It’s been like, 20.”

“I knew you’d wait for me either way.”

She huffed before walking to the front door where Sooyoung stood with her own bag. Yuri, who was sitting on the living room couch, quickly stood once she saw Yoona. She smiled.

“Hey Yoona!”

The corners of Yoona’s lips tugged. “Hey.”

She pulled her bag closer to her shoulder, throwing a glance out the window. It was still dark out but living in the city, it was like nobody actually slept. The building beside theirs was lit up as if everyone in it were having one giant party – a party Yoona had no interest in dwelling on.

---

“I actually have no idea where we’re going. This is all Jessica’s plan.” Sooyoung whispered to Yoona once they situated themselves at the back of the car with Yuri in the passenger’s seat. “I’m guessing camping?”

“I’m hoping not.”

Jessica watched them through the rear-view mirror. They were oblivious to the fact that she could hear them. “It’s just a small trip. Stop acting like you’re leaving for war.”

“It’d be a suitable analogy.” The driver shot a glare at Sooyoung, only making the latter shrink in her seat.

They stopped at a 24-hour diner on the other side of the city. It seemed like a strange choice judging by the number of restaurants they could’ve gone to near Yoona and Sooyoung’s apartment building, but whatever Jessica wants, Jessica gets.

They took the booth at the closest corner to the entrance with Sooyoung and Yoona sitting across from Jessica and Yuri. After ordering, the four of them sat in comfortable silence with the tallest one’s head lolling from side to side every now and again.

“You woke Sooyoung up way too early.”

“She can nap in the car– can you please not put your head on the table? It’s dirty.” Jessica wedged a finger between the table and Sooyoung’s forehead, lifting it off the surface. “Do you know how many germs are on this?”

“Why are we eating food off it then?”

“We’re not. If you hadn’t already known, our food comes on plates, you uneducated goose.”

The girl sitting across from Yoona instantly let out a small giggle and the younger had to stop herself from clutching at her chest. She was just too adorable.

The moment Yoona thought that, Yuri’s eyes averted to her as her giggling died down. The former had no idea how to cover it up so she did the worst thing she could do: continued staring.

She had hoped she seemed like she was staring in awe rather than despise. The fact that Yuri gave a shy smile and was finding it hard to meet eyes with Yoona again told her it looked rather endearing. The urge to clutch her chest grew stronger.

Half-way through their meals, the doe-eyed girl kept catching Yuri staring at her waffles from time to time. Yoona was never one to share her food, especially since she hadn’t eaten dinner the night before. But the way Yuri would give the tiniest pout every time Yoona fed herself the meal was very hard to ignore.

As Yoona motioned her next bite towards – watching the oblivious Yuri stare at her – she turned it last minute to feed it into Yuri’s parted lips. The latter jumped back with a squeak, covering as she slowly chewed the food.

Yoona tilted her head with a lazy smile, her arm still outstretched. “If you wanted some, you could’ve just said so.”

Sooyoung had been too preoccupied with her pancakes while Jessica turned after the whole incident – late reaction at its best. “Are you okay, Yul? You look…scared…of Yoona.”

The said girl pulled back her arm to continue eating her food as if nothing had happened. Yuri swallowed the piece of waffle before facing Jessica.

“I-I’m just really excited.”

Jessica smiled. “Well I’m glad someone is.”

“I’m ekshaited!” Sooyoung nearly exclaimed with a mouthful of pancakes. Jessica’s hit reverberated across the walls of the diner.

---

The sun was rising. Orange splashed against the horizon as it rose across skyscrapers and dipped onto busy pedestrians and passing cars. Yoona would be lying if she said she’d miss the city. She didn’t own bad memories of the place; it was just too obnoxious for her.

The blinding lights, the constant sirens and car horns, the occasional drunkard who rambled on about politics. They were all things that annoyed her especially on the 5^th floor of her apartment building. She’d be trying to catch some shuteye only to have it interrupted by a loud beep.

She was amazed Sooyoung could sleep through all of it. The girl wouldn’t wake up even if there was an incredibly out-of-tune marching band stomping through their rooms. In a way, Yoona envied her.

She enjoyed watching the sight of the buildings shrink behind the car though. The lights of the city dimming and the frustrating sounds fading into the back. If there was a part she loved most, it was then.

Plus, there was a total hottie sitting in the passenger’s seat who, in Yoona’s perspective, appeared exceptionally cute when she took a nap. Hell, she always appeared exceptionally cute – nap or not.

The complete opposite was sitting right beside her, mouth hung open as light snores escaped into Yoona’s ear. Yoona wondered if Sooyoung’s snores were what blocked out the chaos always happening outside their apartment.

“Push her off your shoulder if you don’t like it. You’re going to stare a hole into her head.”

“She’d deserve it.” The youngest didn’t bother moving her friend’s head. She stared into the rear-view, looking at the driver. “Do you have any idea where we’re going?”

Jessica smiled. “Wherever the road takes us, I guess.”

“I know you’re really a…spur-of-the-moment chick…but this road trip seems pretty sudden, doesn’t it?”

Jessica glanced into the rear-view, staring at Yoona before her eyes averted back to the road. She seemed to be deep in thought, Yoona presumed. She couldn’t tell exactly what her friend was thinking about until she finally broke the silence.

“Sooyoung and I really enjoy this stuff. She doesn’t show it but, she has a lot of fun.”

“Well, I know all that. You could’ve just taken Sooyoung with you. Your own little getaway or something.” Yoona huffed a little. She wasn’t agitated. Jessica tended to take them on adventures every chance she got, but the fact that she had to be disturbed during her sleep had her off to a bad start.

“Isn’t it nice to see the sunrise beside you while the city fades behind? I was just in the mood to see it today.”

“It’s nice but…not knowing where I’m going kind of scares me.”

Jessica gave a soft chuckle. “You’re in safe hands, Yoong. I thought you would be trusting me by now.”

Yoona muttered a quiet ‘I do’ before turning to face the window. She folded her arms, knowing she wouldn’t be taking a nap any time soon. There were too many thoughts to deal with for her to relax – one of them being their destinations.

“She keeps asking if you and your ex are back together. It’s cute but it’s also starting to get annoying.”

“And yet, you keep answering.”

“What am I supposed to do? You’re not making a move. She keeps losing hope.”

Yoona huffed. “So knowing I’m single keeps her going, huh?”

Jessica frowned. “Don’t be a .”

Yoona felt like she deserved that reminder. “I just don’t want her to keep asking you. It makes me feel like I’m not the one she’s interested in.”

“Then get your head out of your and tell her yourself. I know she’d wait forever but you’re torturing her like this.”

Yoona stopped contributing to the conversation. She knew when it was time to stop. She knew when Jessica was right. She knew there were things she had to do.

After a while, Jessica stole secret glances at Yoona through the mirror as a fond smile graced her face. She sighed and didn’t hesitate to say, “This time, let me play cupid.”

…

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wowowow some of you from my last fic are still here. i hope this chapter hasn't bored you too much :'( thank you for reading! :)