three
Focus
The next morning, Taeyeon came out of the bathroom to find Tiffany already awake. She was mildly surprised, given that Tiffany never woke before 9am, but a high-pitched yipping quickly reminded her of the reason.
She rounded the corner and stepped into the kitchen. The first thing she saw was Tiffany on her knees, hastily throwing bits of dog food back into a bowl. The first thing she felt was eager little claws and an enthusiastic little tongue on her ankles.
“No! Bad boy! Come back!” Taeyeon stood, rooted to the spot, as Tiffany lunged for the puppy and pulled him away. “Sorry about that,” said Tiffany apologetically. “Bad boy! Bad!"
After a moment, Taeyeon looked away and walked over to the cupboard to get her morning going. She was just about to boil water when she noticed the still-steaming pot of coffee sitting on the counter.
“Um, I made some coffee to share.” Tiffany stood up, cradling the puppy as it worked diligently to her chin. “Hope you don’t mind."
“Thank you,” said Taeyeon simply, pouring some into her mug. She set the pot down beside the other, matching mug that was already on the table, untouched. “Do you want milk?"
“Hmm?”
Taeyeon turned to see Tiffany raising a distracted eyebrow at her. “Milk, in your coffee,” she said again, watching as the puppy scrabbled to get out of Tiffany’s hold. “Do you want any?"
“Oh! Yes, please. Thank you."
Somehow, she knew Tiffany’s coffee would get cold before it would be drunk, so wasn’t this a futile effort? But she did it anyway, took the milk out of the fridge and poured some into Tiffany’s cup and her own. She found a spoon, stirred both mugs, and took a slow sip out of her own.
From behind her, she could hear sounds: Tiffany’s quiet curses against the backdrop of the puppy’s barking. Briefly, Taeyeon considered leaving the kitchen for some peace and quiet, but her stomach growled its protest. Alright, then, she thought. She could deal with some sound for a day — as long as this wasn’t going to be a common occurrence from now on.
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