“So how was your weekend?"

Tiffany glanced up at Sooyoung before frowning at her screen. “It was good. Yours?"

“Wait, it was good? You never say it was good."

“It…was good."

A pause, and then: “Ah. Something happened. Spill the beans!"

“No."

“Why not?!"

Tiffany tapped pointedly on her desk. “Because we’re at work, and because there’s nothing to tell."

“You got back together?"

“Did you not just hear me?"

“You got laid!” When Tiffany didn’t react, Sooyoung clapped her hands. “Oh boy, this is major drama. Tell me!"

“Go do your work!"

Once she was sure Sooyoung was safely anchored at her own desk, Tiffany put her head in her hands. Half of her wanted to tell Sooyoung, someone, anyone! Because she was so happy. So incredibly happy. And yet— she really didn’t know what there was to tell.

Yesterday, they had laid there in bed afterwards, together, for a few hours. There had been a kind of closeness that Tiffany had missed; no, it was more, a kind of closeness that she had never really felt, even before their relationship had started to go south. 

Tiffany shivered in her office chair. She could still feel Taeyeon’s skin, Taeyeon’s breath on her own skin. She didn’t think she could ever forget the feeling. 

In those hours, they had talked about everything they had missed. Everything that came to mind, they said out loud. And as Tiffany explained her lostness, her helplessness, she had also began to understand why Taeyeon had distanced herself. Frustrations were expressed. More tears had fallen; more kisses happened. It was a safe place, carved out from the rest of the world — interrupted only when a sad whine and lonely scratching at their door finally roused them from bed.

Tiffany had nearly cried again as she leaned in the kitchen doorway, watching Taeyeon apologize over and over to Ginger as she fed him. Maybe it was because Taeyeon wasn’t…cold, anymore. She wasn’t careful, she wasn’t polite — she was just Taeyeon, sitting on their kitchen floor with her hair sticking up, patting their dog. She was just Taeyeon, and Taeyeon was back. 

Thank god for that dog. Thank god for Ginger. Thank god for him.

And carried by that thought, Tiffany found herself walking over to Sooyoung’s table and blurting out, into her friend’s surprised face, “Thank you for Ginger. We’re starting over. Taeyeon and I. And Ginger. We’re starting over. Thank you. Thank you."