Spring. Taeyeon pulled the thin jacket tighter around her petite body but it did not do much to provide heat. Shivering, Taeyeon hopped in place to ease the discomfort of the blithering wind and her growling stomach.

"Taeyeon!"

She praised God in relief and jogged towards the car that was heading her direction. Pulling the door harshly and letting it shut with a slam, she didn't fail to throw a glare at her sheepish-looking best friend.

"You are late."

"Sorry Taeyeon, I-"

"It's our dinner date before I leave to complete my course in the States."

"Sorry-"

"Our reservation time is half past five but it is six now."

"Sorry, sorry, I had a meeting with-"

And there Tiffany goes with her explanation which Taeyeon rolled her eyes in response. Taeyeon was starving and she did not need to hear any excuses. She knew her best friend was probably engaging in some gossiping session with her colleagues that she lost track of time.

"Okay."

"Okay? Really?"

Tiffany leaned towards her with twinkling eyes. Taeyeon felt her breath caught and she suddenly realized that Tiffany was really pretty. Coupled with the orange hue of the evening sky- no, Tiffany was beautiful. Her stomach twisted, her gaze fell to her lips and Taeyeon let hers meet Tiffany's rosy ones.

Time froze and Taeyeon could only render how soft Tiffany's lips felt against hers. It wasn't like any of her previous boyfriends. Tiffany's lips- wait, Tiffany?

Taeyeon pulled away with a sharp gasp to meet Tiffany's shocked expression. Her face was flushed and Taeyeon could see the gloss from her own lipstick coating Tiffany's lips. She fumbled with her seatbelt in panic, pushed the car door open but her action halted when Tiffany grabbed her arm.

"Wait Taeyeon, what-"

Taeyeon could hear the quaver in Tiffany's voice above the sound of her resounding heartbeat coursing through her veins.

"What was that?"

Confused, Taeyeon could not meet Tiffany's gaze as she pried her hand away.

"It's a mistake."

Taeyeon said, more so to convinced herself. That night, Taeyeon changed her ticket and board the next available flight with a heavy heart and a conflicted mind.

////////////////////

Summer. Taeyeon smacked her lips, puckering as she observed them in the mirror. Satisfied, she opened her door and plopped down unceremoniously on her boyfriend's lap.

"Babe, how do I look?"

The ginger glanced with an approving look and grinned at the shy blonde. Leaning forward, he kissed her on the lips as an approval. Taeyeon giggled against his lips and pulled him out to join the party across the street.

Taeyeon raised her glass for a toast and winked to the DJ. She lost herself to her music and giggled when the ginger playfully ran his fingers across her sun-kissed shoulders.

"Honey."

He cooed and Taeyeon leaned back into his embrace. They stayed another hour, swaying to the music until Taeyeon decided that the party had aroused her enough to bring her boyfriend home to stay for the night.

Taeyeon nearly tumbled with their hands clawing at each other and lips impatiently exploring every inch of exposed skin.

"Taeyeon."

The blonde gasped against her boyfriend and pushed him away, turning to face a past she left behind in Seoul. Tiffany stared at her with a stoic expression but Taeyeon had known Tiffany for nearly half of her life to recognize that unmistakable pain behind those eyes. She stood, unable to react until the ginger excused himself and urged Taeyeon to invite Tiffany into the apartment.

"It's nice, very much like you."

Tiffany commented and Taeyeon scratched the back of her head. She only had two glasses of wine but her ears were pounding, her palms were sweating and Taeyeon was at a loss for words. Tiffany was exactly the same when she left despite the slightly more distinct jawline and longer hair.

"You dyed your hair."

"Uh."

Taeyeon knew that Tiffany was trying to get a conversation going but the air was tense. Tiffany is her best friend for goodness sake and Taeyeon don't remember why was it so awkward around her. It was a mistake, it's in the past plus she has a boyfriend and-

Taeyeon shook her head, took a deep breath and finally partake the role of a polite host by inviting Tiffany to take a seat and served her a cup of tea. It took a few minutes of effort and a conversation finally flowed. Taeyeon relaxed, Tiffany laughed and Taeyeon exhaled in relief to know that Tiffany still emits the comfort that she was so familiar with. It was nearly midnight when Tiffany decided that she should not keep Taeyeon occupied any longer.

"So-"

Taeyeon tore her eyes away from Tiffany's gentle smile and the awkwardness returned tenfold.

"Thank you for today. I'm glad to see that you're doing well."

"Don't mention. Thank you for coming this far to visit me."

Tiffany smiled wider and Taeyeon rubbed her sweaty palms against her denim shorts.

"I'll see you again? Before you go?"

Taeyeon couldn't let this friendship slip through her fingers. Not when she was the one who jeopardized it. If a smile could blind a person, Taeyeon was sure Tiffany's radiant one made a blind see stars instead.

"Sounds good, Taeyeon."

Taeyeon threw caution to the wind, bid her best friend goodbye with a hug and her heart warmth with the familiarity. Her breath caught in when Tiffany suddenly cupped her face, held her gaze and planted her lips on hers.

Time halted, breath hitched, accelerated heartbeats and when Tiffany pulled away, Taeyeon felt something fluttered in her chest.

"I had to know. I think I've got my answer now."

Tiffany whispered against her lips with a sad smile and left. Taeyeon's lips were tingling, thought about Tiffany's answer that she would never had the courage to ask and realized that it was truly her mistake.

Taeyeon broke up with her boyfriend that night.

"I expected it. I know- the way you looked at her. I know."

Taeyeon didn't know what he meant but her head was pounding and it wasn't the alcohol.

////////////////////

Autumn. Taeyeon caught another falling leaf as it fluttered along with the breeze.

"Unnie, here."

Taeyeon pulled her free hand out of her pocket and mumbled a thank you as she sipped on the coffee that Seohyun gave her.

"You look horrible."

Seohyun stated and Taeyeon lightly punched her arm in retaliation.

"That's not very nice of you to say to someone after not seeing her for half a year."

"Well, you left without saying goodbye."

"I- I was busy and I forgot."

Seohyun stole a glance at her, took another sip of her tea and stared ahead.

"It's because of Tiffany unnie, isn't it?"

Taeyeon nearly choked on her coffee as she stared at Seohyun incredulously.

"You both look horrible."

Seohyun sighed, muttered how the two are idiots and stood up. Taeyeon didn't had time to react when Seohyun patted her shoulder, walked away and someone else claimed the spot Seohyun sat at a second ago.

"She is right-"

Taeyeon swallowed as the husky laugh tickled her ears. Tiffany smiled, one that speaks volumes but it did not reached her eyes.

"-you look horrible. Haven't you been sleeping?"

"Shut up."

Taeyeon's pride wouldn't back down without a retaliation as the duo spent another minute remarking at their haggled appearance.

"Panda."

"Wrinkled old lady."

"Midget."

"I thought this height thing was way behind us?"

Taeyeon and Tiffany shared a good laugh but they were soon brought back into the awkwardness as it mellowed down. Tiffany quickly launched another conversation- updating Taeyeon about her new company, her family, their schoolmates and close friends- whereas Taeyeon shared about her studies, upcoming projects and their common passion of the latest fashion trend in the States.

"I miss you."

Tiffany confessed and guilt washed over the blonde. Her feelings were still conflicted; she was usually too tired to think about anything else with the burdensome amount of work to handle from school. No doubt the growing affection Taeyeon has for Tiffany, but there were so much at stake with plenty of what if, what if, what if nagging at her.

"Yeah, me too."

Taeyeon was cautious with her words and affection because giving Tiffany hope would make her a villain. Tiffany seem to understand and Taeyeon was glad when Tiffany settled with a pat on her arm instead of other forms of affection. Tiffany walked her to the taxi stand in front of the mall in silence. With Tiffany standing right beside her, Taeyeon could not ignore the little voice in her mind.

What was it like to kiss Tiffany? To hold her hands? To hug her?

Taeyeon bit her knuckles as she saw the taxi turning the curb in the distance. Stealing a sight glance, her breath caught at the sight of a Tiffany with her tresses framing her slightly rosy cheeks and her furrowed brows of concentration- an indication that she was deep in thought.

The taxi neared the stand and the driver honked, causing the duo to jumped a little as they were snapped out of their thoughts.

Tiffany casted her glance at Taeyeon, the floor and the surroundings- as if contemplating of what to say. It was adorable and Taeyeon couldn't resist so she tip toed and conveyed her apologizes through her lips.

"I'm sorry."

Taeyeon whispered against Tiffany's cold lips. She flagged the taxi and hopped on without sparing Tiffany another glance.

Taeyeon realized that she might have felt something Tiffany since a long time ago. Was it simply adoration, admiration, fondness or love? Taeyeon muffled her screams behind her palms in stress and confusion. She hated herself for hurting the people around her; for hurting Tiffany. The bottled emotions finally spilled over the top and Taeyeon cried herself to sleep that lonely night.

////////////////////

Winter. Taeyeon jerked in her seat when the announcement blared through her headphones. Heaving a sigh, she tighten the seatbelt around her waist and gaze through the window as the flight maneuvered towards Incheon airport.

The lights in the horizon dotted the night sky. The neon sights slowly increased as the time countdowns to their arrival at the airport. Her stomach lunched and Taeyeon tensed as the plane landed with a thud.

Taeyeon sluggishly dragged her luggage, check the time and decided to haul a taxi back to her apartment. Oh boy, Taeyeon groaned at the realization that her bed would probably be covered in a year's worth of dust.

"Taeyeon unnie! Over here!"

Taeyeon teared up when she saw Seohyun waving frantically at her and Sunny jumping with a huge sign that says "Welcome Home, Idiot Taeyeon" in the distance.

"You shouldn't have."

Taeyeon hugged Seohyun warmly as Sunny fussed over how much weight Taeyeon had lost. Their conversation was light as Sunny drove her home and Taeyeon received warmth that winter night- the kind that bubbled from the depths of her, eliciting genuine laughter and one that she could only find in Seoul.

She knew she had a bigger problem to solve at hand but Taeyeon teased the blushing Seohyun and they both protested when Sunny's aegyo rung in the car.

Taeyeon is home.

She woke up with a start when the doorbell rang and she muffled a curse into the pillow she held hostage. Lazily dragging herself out of bed, Taeyeon flung the door open without checking who it was.

It took her a minute to stop complaining at how cold it was, another as she grumbled at the person who interrupted her beauty rest and another minute as she straightened up, staring agape at an amused Tiffany at her doorstep.

Tiffany let herself into the house, removing her coat and shaking in laughter as Taeyeon bolted back into her room with a curse. She waited patiently, making toast and coffee as Taeyeon washed up.

"Here."

Tiffany handed Taeyeon a cup of coffee who chose to sit at the far end of the couch.

"Sorry for that, jetlagged."

"We are best friends, Taeyeon. What have I not seen?"

Taeyeon saw how Tiffany's smile twitched but it was too much for her jetlagged brain to address it so she sipped her coffee quietly instead.

"Ah Tiffabucks, just how I like it."

Taeyeon didn't fail to notice the faint blush at the compliment but the tension was slowly setting in so Taeyeon diverted her attention to the sloshing liquid in her cup.

"Taeyeon-"

Tiffany started and Taeyeon swallowed nervously. It wasn't a playful "Taeyeon" when Tiffany is teasing, nor a casual "Taeyeon" when Tiffany tries to start a conversation but a we-need-to-talk "Taeyeon" and she felt a dread returned tenfold.

She wasn't sure how much she was listening when Tiffany started talking, heaving silent sighs and breaking into tears. She wasn't sure how much she was listening she felt her heart palpitated along with every little action from the brunette, thinking that Tiffany was beautiful and how her heart break as the tears rolled down her cheeks. She wasn't sure how much she was listening when Tiffany's warmth seeped through her skin as she wrapped her arms around the shoulders, the smell of Tiffany's shampoo invading her nose and the pounding sound of her heartbeat in her ears.

"Your heart-"

Tiffany suddenly chuckled in her embrace.

"-it's beating really fast."

Taeyeon jerked out of her trance to find Tiffany gazing up at her with a hopeful twinkle in her eye. Even in her jetlagged fogged mind, Taeyeon finally found the answer that Tiffany had and realized all along- maybe even bestfriends, shared the same answer. Leaning down, Taeyeon let her lips do the talking when words failed and Tiffany reciprocated her affection.

"Taeyeon-"

Tiffany breathed against her lips as a fresh batch of tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Taeyeon, is this a dream? Is this a mistake too?"

Tiffany's voice quavered with uncertainty. Despite the biting cold of winter, warmth seeps through every veins in her body and Taeyeon's senses buzzed with Tiffany, Tiffany, Tiffany.

"This is not a dream."

Taeyeon finally smiled, her finger tracing Tiffany's delicate features and she leaned forward for another kiss.

"There is no mistake, Tiffany. There is no mistake."