*Tzuyu's POV*

  I give Chaeyoung a small wave as she leaves but I'm too preoccupied to even attempt to catch Sana up on everything. Not only did she find out mere minutes ago but she must be lost. Hell, I'm a bit lost. I knew about their little kissing sessions but I didn't expect it to escalate so quickly. All I got out of our discussion is that Dahyun has a hickey and neither of them understands their feelings. 

  Their scared faces flash behind my eyelids and I let out a groan. I can't think straight when all I hear is Chaeyoung's scared voice. I know she has feelings for Dahyun, everything she does shows it. But Dahyun...I'm not too sure about her. I mean, their "friendship" or whatever it is isn't one-sided but I don't know how strong it is on both sides. A part of me just knows that Chaeyoung's fallen so deep that she can't escape and the other part of me is uncertain if Dahyun's feelings are deep enough.

  "," I mumble under my breath.

  "Huh?" Crap, I forgot she was still here.

  I turn to Sana and give a dismissive wave, "Nevermind, it's just..."

  It's just everything.

  My concern over something that doesn't involve me is beginning to wear me down. I really shouldn't care but I keep thinking of everything that could go wrong. They're my roommates and I wouldn't survive if there was tension between them. The group would take a major blow as well.

  A soft hand lands on my shoulder. "I know you're worried but don't stress over it too much," she says in a soothing voice.

  "I know but," I rest my hand on top of hers, "what if something goes wrong?"

  She wraps her unoccupied arm around me. "Like what?"

  "I don't know, Sana..." I respond, restraining a groan. I envelop her in my arms, leaning into her for support. "I'm just scared, that's all."

  Her hot breath hits my neck as she lets out a small laugh. "It'll be okay," she reassures. "They'll work it out."

  "I hope so," I mutter.

  She doesn't say anything else, just leans into me. I pull her closer, tightening my grip on her and hope I don't suffocate her. If I am then she doesn't say anything instead opting to nuzzle her face into the crook of my neck. 

  "Tzuyu," her voice is muffled.

  "Hm?" I hum.

  "Kiss me," her lips brush against my skin.

  A laugh escapes before I can stop it. "That's hard to do when I can't even see your face."

  She giggles in response but moves away to meet my gaze. She's waiting for me to kiss her and when I don't she pouts. I smile, leaning down and pressing my lips against hers. Her reaction is immediate as she melts into me. I get one final thought out before my thoughts jumble up.

  Chaeyoung and Dahyun will work everything out.

 *~*~*

*Chaeyoung's POV*

  "Dahyun," I repeat for what must be the tenth time.

  "What?" she finally answers.

  "We need to talk," I say in a firm voice. 

  She doesn't look at me when she says, "Can't we talk tomorrow?"

  I shake my head. "No can do."

  She groans but lifts her head up, meeting my eyes. "Fine."

  Oh. What am I supposed to say??

  "Okay uh, what are we?" I ask quietly.

  She stares at me for a second. "We're friends, aren't we?"

  Ouch. "I wasn't aware 'friends' kissed," I mutter.

  "Well, we aren't exactly together, are we?" she shoots back.

  I wave a hand to dismiss my question altogether. What'd you expect her to say?, I think. 

  "Alright, the kisses...what do they mean?" I ask, avoiding her gaze. I won't let her see how her answers break me.

  She lets out a chuckle. "They're kisses," she says, stopping to look at me. "I don't know what you want me to say."

  The sigh I've been repressing escapes me. "The truth," I blurt out and she flinches.

  I wait for an answer but it doesn't come. My patience is beginning to wear thin but I force myself to stay composed. I can understand that she'd rather not have this conversation and I can tolerate her disinterest but her reluctance to respond is frustrating. This is almost painful to discuss but I'm doing it so we can be on the same page. I'm not going back to the days filled with kissing only to pretend nothing ever happened the following day. If she doesn't attempt to be honest, I don't ever want to kiss her again. 

  "Fine, then I'll say what I feel," I tell her. "I get that we're friends," I glance at her, "uh supposed to be friends, but it's obvious that it's almost impossible to be just that. I'm aware that platonic kisses exist but today made it clear that we're far from that. I've never regretted kissing you but I don't think I can go on pretending that everything is fine between us. Those kisses mean something to me. I will never have what I have with you, with anyone else. So, I guess we're friends but not friends at the same time."

  "Wow," she exhales. "Our friendship is ed up, huh?"

  A small smile tugs at my lips. "Very."

  She nods, "I agree with a lot of what you said."

 "Really?"

  "Mhm," she responds.

  "So, what does that mean?" I prod.

  "Not sure," she shrugs.

  She's doing it again. "Okay, let me help you," I offer. "What are your feelings for me?"

  Her eyes widen before she slowly blinks. "You're...Chaeyoung," she says, dodging my question.

 "Yes, and you're Dahyun," I roll my eyes. "Answer my question."

 "Like...romantically?" she asks.

  For god's sake...I can't tell if she's playing dumb or not. "Yes."

  She taps her chin thoughtfully. "I like kissing you," she says slowly, "so I guess I like you."

  "You guess?" I ask. 

  "Yes, what else do you want me to say?" she questions.

  "I want a definite answer," I reply.

  She groans loudly, shielding her face. "Jesus, can't you just take my answer?" she asks. "You're so annoying."

  I smile. "You know what else is annoying? You're lack of certainty," I tease.

  "I swear I'm going to..." her voice trails off.

  I'll never pass up an opportunity to get under her skin. "You're going to do what?" I taunt. I drop my voice lower when I add, "Kiss me?"

  Her head snaps up and she looks me straight in the eye. Her expression is unreadable and her eyes are clouded over with something I've only seen once. She slowly stands up and a shiver runs down my spine.

  "Maybe I will," she says, making my heart jump into my throat.

  I jump up, putting an arm out to keep some distance between us before she can get any closer. I'm not going to let her kiss me until we clear everything else up. She walks as close as she can, watching me intensely.

  "Wait, no kissing," I tell her. "We have to clear something up."

  "What?" she asks casually though the look in her eyes never loses intensity.

  "If we kiss again," I begin, "can we stop pretending that nothing ever happened? I'm tired of it."

  "If I say yes, will you shut up and kiss me?" she asks.

  "You have to stick to your word," I add, holding out my pinky for good measure. She laughs but wraps her pinky around mine.

  She drops her hand at lightning speed, stepping closer to me and crashing her lips onto mine. I push her away gently, "Couldn't wait?"

  "Shut up," she mumbles before closing the space between us again.

  As much as I'd like to continue teasing her I decide it's better for me to keep my mouth shut. I place my hands on her waist and pull her closer. The sound of my pounding heartbeat drowns everything else out and I allow myself to stop thinking. At one point in time, I would've feared that she could hear it but I feel like her heart might be racing as fast as mine. She's never been one for slow kissing, she likes intense yet this kiss is careful. By now, her hands would've been roaming but instead, they're on my shoulders, gripping me tightly.

  Something about this kiss is different. It's cautious, almost scared. It's full of feelings that neither of us can express. The last time we kissed, it got heated and I enjoyed it a lot but I prefer everything about right now. I like how slow the kisses are, how I'm shaking out of nervousness, how she squeezes my shoulders from time to time. Maybe it's because I just like her.

A/N

  I think it got a little messy in the second half but I hope you enjoyed. Let me know you're thoughts on Chaeyoung and Dahyun's blooming relationship. Other comments will be greatly appreciated. See you next chapter. Until then!