Taeyeon incessantly tapped the table with her fingers, her thoughts going into strange overdrive.
 

Was she caught in traffic? No, the café was just within walking distance to her office.
 

Was she too busy? Probably, but she never failed to make an appearance, even if it were only for a few minutes.
 

Was she abducted by aliens? Nah, what would they need a stubborn eyesmiling princess for? To design their clothes? There were so much easier prey around.
 

Was she sick again? Possibly, but it would be weird for her to get sick again so soon.
 

So, what was it? Why was Tiffany not there yet? If she were to arrive any second now, then she would just be right on time, and that would be weird. They were both always early. Always.
 

Taeyeon felt relieved as she spotted Sooyoung and Yuri walking towards her. They would know why Tiffany wasn’t present, and they would distract her from the weird theories she was coming up with.
 

“Hey, Tae,” Sooyoung greeted her, while Yuri gave her a wide smile.
 

“Hey,” she replied watching her two friends take their seats across from her. It was odd to see Sooyoung in front of her rather than a certain someone.
 

Taeyeon remembered how she was so used to turning her head at a slight angle to avoid looking directly in front of her, but that was only until a few weeks ago. She felt her eye twitch as she realized that her thoughts were drifting to Tiffany once again.
 

“You okay there? You seem distracted,” Sooyoung told her, giving her a brief glance before going back to the menu in front of her.
 

“No, I’m fine,” she responded, a little flustered since she felt like she was caught thinking about something she wasn’t supposed to be thinking about.
 

“Oh! Right! I almost forgot!” Yuri suddenly burst out, making the other two jolt in surprise. She lifted the paper bag she was carrying and handed it to Taeyeon. “For you.”
 

Taeyeon took the bag hesitantly, blinking at Yuri in confusion.
 

“From Fany.”
 

Taeyeon’s eyes widened in response.
 

“What?!” Sooyoung said, aghast. Apparently Taeyeon wasn’t the only one who was surprised.
 

Taeyeon peeked inside the bag. dropped open at the sight, and she yanked at the staples sealing it.
 

“What’s inside, Taeyeon?”
 

Instead of responding, Taeyeon took the contents out of the bag to show them to her friends.
 

She realized that maybe she shouldn’t have done that as she watched the shikshin’s eyes go impossibly wild and almost feral.
 

“Whoa, that’s a lot of jelly. No wonder that thing was heavy,” Yuri stated, astonished at the five big packs and one big box of jelly in Taeyeon’s hand.
 

“It’s not just jelly, Yuri! It’s IMPORTED jelly!” Sooyoung whined in hunger and amazement.
 

Taeyeon took a closer look at the sweets, and noticed that the labels were in English. She went through the five packs in her hands in awe. She’d never seen jelly molded into some of these shapes before. There were jelly teeth, sharks, fishes, burgers, and pizza. Meanwhile, the boxed candy was labeled with text Taeyeon was familiar with: Harry Potter. She had heard of the trademark product, but had never tried it nor seen it in person.
 

She didn’t know how to react to this. It was too much, certainly. And why?
 

Yuri sensed Taeyeon’s confusion and found it amusing. She smirked before finally helping her puzzled friend out. “Tiffany said it’s a thank you gift for the photoshoot.”
 

“Damn, I should have volunteered,” Sooyoung muttered quietly, although the other two could still hear her.
 

Taeyeon nodded at Yuri. She tried so hard not to smile but failed. She immediately put back the plethora of candy inside the paper bag before Sooyoung could steal them away. No way was she going to give any to her. She was going to eat every single piece even if she had to brush her teeth ten times a day.
 

Taeyeon realized that she now had a perfect segue for her internal question. “Why did Fany give it to you, though?”
 

Yuri blinked at the blonde across from her. She calls her ‘Fany’ now, too? Yuri smiled a little. She was happy her friends were now getting along. “Ah, Fany had to attend New York fashion week, so she’ll be gone for a while.”
 

Taeyeon slowly nodded in response, trying to mask her slight confusion. She knew Tiffany always attended those international fashion events, but why didn’t she tell her? She was sure Tiffany had her number. It kind of hurt, learning about the brunette’s whereabouts from Yuri instead of Tiffany herself. Plus, receiving her gift from someone else, too. She was grateful that Tiffany chose to give her a more extravagant present, but she realized that she’d prefer to just get one pack of local jelly if it meant that it would be Tiffany who’d personally give it to her.

A/N:

Hey, y'all! Wasn't gonna post anything for a while 'cuz my brain and hands still don't wanna cooperate for this story, but IT'S TAENY DAYYYYYY! ((sobs while throwing confetti in a corner))

I've got the next chapter down, but that's it. I gotta step up my game!

Thanks for all the comments and lurvvv. They really mean a lot, I swear. <3