Sana: Hey, how’s your day going?

 

Two minutes later.

 

Momo: Not bad...hbu?

 

Sana: Alright. Hey, you know I was at the party at Jisoo’s place this weekend, right? We talked but I don’t think you recognized me.

 

Three minutes later.

 

Momo: Oh...really? My bad. We should meet up in person so I can make it up to you.

 

Sana: Like on a date? ;)

 

Two minutes later.

 

Momo: Yeah, it’s a date. Let’s meet at the cafe on campus at 1PM tomorrow.

 

Sana: See you then! :)

 

Sana tossed her phone onto her bed beside her and squealed. Ever since she came across Momo—who she learned was a transfer student from Japan—Sana had become a bit infatuated with her. Most girls were easily swayed by her charms, but Momo was giving her trouble. On Tinder, Momo seemed very interested, but when she’d actually found Momo at that party the other weekend, it was as if Momo didn’t even know who she was. She was polite of course, but very stiff around Sana—much to Sana’s dismay. Momo left to go get a drink and never came back. Sana saw her later with that Jihyo girl but that was about it. Sana had felt too embarrassed to approach Momo again.

 

But, she was determined to win over Momo’s heart! She was confident in her abilities and she knew Momo was no match for her. A little bumpy start certainly would not deter her efforts! Plus, Momo had basically asked her out on a date on Tinder. Granted it was only on campus, but it was a start.

 

“Guess who just got asked out on a date!” Sana pranced around her apartment, skipping into the kitchen where Nayeon was eating some fruit.

 

“Don’t tell me…” Nayeon held up a hand and her usual, sly smile crept onto her face. “Did Mina actually open for once and get noticed by Ji—”

 

“Shut up!” Mina called from her bedroom. Sana and Nayeon snickered.

 

“Momo asked me out on a date!” Sana announced, practically radiating light like the sun.

 

“Congrats, you finally s your way into her heart.”

 

“Thank you,” Sana beamed. “Speaking of hearts...how are you and Jeongyeon?”

 

“Oh my god, don’t tell me that Mina told you about the phone number too!?” Nayeon yelled loudly so her voice could easily carry to the younger girl’s bedroom.

 

“I did not!” Mina yelled back—a faceless and furious entity obscured by the walls of her bedroom.

 

“Really, she didn’t,” Sana giggled. “I just had a feeling you were crushing on Jeongyeon hardcore. Tell me more about this phone number…” Sana sat down at the kitchen table opposite of Nayeon and rested her head on her hand.

 

Nayeon groaned. Curse her own stupid, big mouth. “Jeongyeon gave me her phone number,” Nayeon said casually, acting like it was no big deal...like her heart wasn’t racing typing out the first message she’d sent to Jeongyeon (Hey, this is Nayeon. Mina told me you wanted to reach me?).

 

“Oooooooh,” Sana cried. “So are you guys like...dating now?”

 

“I literally just started texting her. Slow down, Thunder Rabbit.”

 

“It’s a start! I’m so happy for you!” Sana smiled a gooey smile at Nayeon, who rolled her eyes.

 

“I guess.”

 

“You better ask her to go out to a restaurant or something.”

 

“We already have plans tomorrow night...we’re meeting for dinner.”

 

“Ohhhh myyyy godddd!” Sana squealed. She got up and walked around the table so she could pull Nayeon into a hug. “Look who’s all grown up and going out on dates.” Sana squished her cheek against Nayeon’s.

 

“I’m...older than...you,” Nayeon huffed out with what little breath she had because Sana was suffocating her.

 

“You’ll always be a kiddo in my heart,” Sana mused, finally releasing Nayeon and ruffling her hair.

 

Nayeon sent her a look of daggers, but secretly she enjoyed Sana babying her.

 

“You’re going out with Jeongyeon?” Mina called from her bedroom.

 

“Yes, and if you actually get out of bed and have a conversation with me face to face like a normal human being, I’ll tell you more,” Nayeon shot back.

 

There was a pause. “Nah.”

 

That’s what Nayeon thought. It took a lot to get Mina out of her room...more specifically out of her bed.

 

Sana simply winked at Nayeon before she twirled back into her own bedroom and left Nayeon alone in the kitchen to finish her fruit.

 

“So you need to meet us in the cafe at 1PM tomorrow, got it?” Jeongyeon told Momo. They were both walking home from their last class of the day.

 “We always meet there every day...why are you making such a big deal about it?” Momo asked.
 

“Just...don’t be late, okay?” Jeongyeon insisted. “Grab a table for us.”

 

“Alright fine...you’re so weird, Jeongyeon,” Momo teased.

 

“Not as weird as you,” Jeongyeon shot back, and the two girls looked at each other seriously before they both couldn’t help but break out into smiles.

 

Even though Momo had just transferred in this semester, she got along really well with both Jeongyeon and Jihyo. Jeongyeon and Jihyo had both been dreading who their new random roommate would be after their previous roommate, Joy, had left for a travel abroad program to London for the Spring semester, but it worked out super well for everyone.

 

“Jihyo told me you have plans with Nayeon tomorrow night,” Momo announced.

 

“Yeah, yeah,” Jeongyeon dismissed.

 

“I’m glad you actually got the courage to ask her out,” Momo added.

 

“Me too,” Jeongyeon admitted. In all honestly she was looking forward to getting to know Nayeon more than just how good she was in bed. She was nervous, but also excited.

 

 

Sana made sure to show up fashionably late to the cafe...at approximately 1:05PM. She didn’t want to appear too eager by getting there early, nor too late and seem totally rude and uninterested. She slowly walked into the large eating area, searching for Momo among the tables. Finally, she found her at a four person table up against the wall. A smile grew on her face as she made her way forward.

 

“Hey!” she chirped once she reached the table and sat down in the seat across from Momo. Momo, who was bent over her phone and had already begun devouring her lunch, looked up in confusion.

 

“Sorry I’m a little late...but thanks for reaching out to me. I’m glad we can talk in person without it being so loud and crowded. Parties are always kind of annoying!”

 

“Huh?” Momo was staring at Sana as if she’d grown a second head.

 

Sana’s charming smile began to falter as she took in Momo’s utterly confused and surprised expression. “The party the other weekend...at Jisoo’s place? We spoke there briefly, remember?”

 

Momo slowly nodded her head. “Yes...but—”

 

“Anyway I’m going to go and order my food now since you already grabbed yours, be right back!” And on that note Sana stood up and walked toward the register. Momo watched her go, gawking at the younger girl.

 

Momo immediately sent an SOS to her apartment group chat.

 

Momo: SOS! Where are you guys??????

 

Jihyo: Sorry, got caught up with some work. Can’t make lunch today. Have fun without me!

 

Jeongyeon: Same here…something came up. I’ll see you later today when I get home from class!

 

Momo: You guys don’t understand...that Sana girl just randomly sat at my table and she’s going on about Jisoo’s party and I have no clue what she’s talking about!

 

Jihyo: Well...since neither of us can make it anymore, you might as well enjoy her company.

 

Jeongyeon: Make a new friend, we believe in you! ;)

 

Momo: You guys definitely set this up, didn’t you? I hate you both.

 

Jihyo: Love you too! <3

 

Momo was going to type out some curse words when Sana arrived back at the table with a plate full of food. It was some sort of wrap with a side of chips and a coke. “This cafe is always so good,” Sana mused as she slid back into her seat and looked at Momo with a smile. “We’re lucky it’s right on campus.”

 

It’s true, this cafe did have amazing food. Momo would eat there every day if she could. “It is good,” Momo agreed, biting into a bit of her flatbread.

 

“So, what’s the deal with you?” Sana replied after taking a slip of her soda through her straw loudly.

 

Momo gave her a blank stare.

 

“You’re a transfer student from Japan, right?” Sana asked while playing with her straw wrapper.

 

Momo nodded.

 

“You know I transferred here from Japan a few years back, too.”

 

This caught Momo’s attention. Her ears practically perked up like a dog. Sana must’ve noticed it too, because she smiled.

 

“You didn’t even know because my Korean is flawless, right?” Sana guessed.

 

“You speak it very well,” Momo replied, staring at Sana as if in awe. Momo stumbled over her words and had to be corrected by her roommates sometimes. Even though she studied Korean for years, her classes never really prepared her for being totally immersed in the language.

 

“It’ll come with time, don’t worry,” Sana replied. “If you’d like, we can speak in Japanese when we’re together.”

 

There was something so alluring about that—sharing a language with someone that no one else spoke. Momo probably looked more eager than she meant to, nodding profusely. “I’d like that,” she admitted. Sometimes, only speaking in Korean 24/7 made her think she might start forgetting Japanese altogether, and that thought was somewhat upsetting.

 

“Why did you decide to transfer here?” Sana asked after taking a tiny bite of her wrap.

 

“I’m interested in Korean culture and I wanted a change,” Momo began. She looked at Sana’s wide eyes, staring at her from across the table. There was so much love and warmth in them that Momo instantly felt she could trust this girl with anything, maybe even her own life. “And I’ve always wanted to become a dancer. I want to be in music videos and perform on music shows,” Momo added. This was her dream, as silly as it may be. She was always scared of being judged and dismissed for it, but here she was, laying it all out for Sana.

 

“You dance?” Sana exclaimed excitedly.

 

“Yeah...I’ve been taking lessons since I was a kid and—”

 

“You need to show me one day!” Sana chirped. “That’s an amazing dream you have...I’m sure I’ll see you on TV one day.”

 

At that thought, Momo looked down at her food and suddenly felt flustered. “Oh...it’s such a longshot really…”

 

Wait a second. What was she doing? Why did she feel so nervous under Sana’s gaze? It made her feel like a glass slide being put under a microscope for inspection. Sana was trouble. Momo could just tell by the way the girl was looking at her...and the way she was purposely her bottom lip “out of habit”...and the way she was very daintily eating bits of her wrap.

 

Sana was flirting with her.

 

OH! ()

 

Momo stuffed a bit of flatbread into as her revelation sounded off aggressive alarms in her head. Yes, Sana was clearly trouble, and that’s why Momo had tried to steer clear of the girl at Jisoo’s party the other night.

 

“As long as you practice and work harder than anyone else...you’ll be able to do it, I know it!” Sana cheered.

 

Momo swallowed her flatbread loudly, thinking of how to get out of this situation in some way. But she didn’t wanna be flat out rude. If she just toned down her interest then maybe Sana would stop looking at her like she was as delicious as the wrap in front of her. “Yeah, I suppose so,” is all she said. Momo turned her gaze away from Sana and focused on the people around her instead.

 

There was an awkward pause. “So you’re friends with Jeongyeon, huh?” Sana asked.

 

Momo’s eyes were drawn back to the girl in front of her at the sound of her roommate’s name. “Yeah,” Momo said, shortly.

 

“Interesting,” Sana replied after taking another bite of her wrap. Would she ever even finish it at this rate?

 

“Do you know her?”

 

“No, not really. But my roommate does...very well, actually.” Sana smirked slightly at that and Momo nearly choked on her flatbread.

 

“You’re Nayeon’s roommate?” Momo prodded. Things just took an unexpected turn of events.

 

“One of them, yeah,” Sana replied. “It’s funny that we’re on a date now and they’re going out on a date later. We just need Mina and Jihyo to get together and the roommate pairings will be complete!”

 

“Mina?” Momo asked, looking quite lost. But in her head, she was thinking: date??? This is a date???

 

“Oh, that’s my other roommate,” Sana explained. “She’s Japanese too, actually.” She took a sip of her Coke again and looked quite satisfied with herself. “I’m so happy we’re actually getting to talk. You’re much cuter in person than you are in your pictures on Tinder, which is hard to believe because they’re adorable!”

 

Tinder?!? Momo didn’t even have the app installed on her phone. She pressed her lips together. So this was what Jeongyeon and Jihyo were up to lately...they made her a Tinder profile and were catfishing girls, pretending to be her? She was gonna have a word with them when she got back to her apartment and she was sure those words wouldn’t be pleasant.

 

Should she tell Sana and crush her hopes and dreams now? Yeah, that was probably the best move.

 

“Sana...there’s something I need to tell you,” Momo confessed. Sana her bottom lip again and her eyes widened like a rabbit’s. “I...don’t actually have a Tinder.”

 

Sana was taken aback. “But...we’ve been talking. Your name is Hirai Momo, isn’t it?”

 

“Yes, but I never made a profile. It must’ve been my friends, playing a prank on me. I’m really sorry you got roped into this…”

 

“So...you didn’t message me about meeting up today?”

 

Momo shook her head.

 

“Oh,” Sana stated lamely. “Oh!” She immediately stood up and began collecting her things. “I’m so sorry then! You must’ve thought I was such a weirdo. This is so embarrassing…” Momo had never expected to see Sana’s cool exterior crack so quickly. “I’m sorry for bothering you…”

 

“Sana...wait,” Momo said, causing Sana to set her food tray back down on the table. “You don’t...have to go.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Yeah...I mean I don’t mind eating with you.” Shoot. What was Momo doing? She wanted nothing more than to get away from Sana and her piercing gaze and yet here she was practically asking the younger girl to stay.

 

Sana stood for a moment...debating her next move. She was mortified that she’d embarrassed herself so badly in front of Momo. She’d been catfished! How could she ever live this down? Sana felt like such a fool. But, here was the girl she was after, offering her some kindness.

 

Sana sat back down slowly and flicked a piece of her long, dark brown hair back over her shoulder.

 

“At least finish your wrap,” Momo replied. “You eat like a bird, you know.”

 

“Thanks.” Sana picked up her wrap and took a bigger bite, chewing it diligently. “Some prank your friends played. Looks like they were trying to set us up.”

 

Momo took a big swig of her fruit punch. “I’m gonna kill them.”

 

“Well don’t kill them just yet...you might wanna thank them later.”

 

Did she mean…?

 

Sana simply winked at Momo, who gaped at her. Sana’s confidence came back to her faster than Momo could believe. “What’s your number? Since I can’t message you on Tinder.”

 

Momo swallowed for a moment, and then repeated her phone number out loud. Sana smiled as she typed it down into her phone. She saved Momo’s contact info with a peach emoji.

 

After another ten minutes of awkward silence and small talk, Sana began collecting her things and stood up once again.

 

“Well, this was fun,” she said. Fun certainly wasn’t the word Momo would’ve used to describe this encounter. More like embarrassing and horrifying. “Let’s hang out again when you actually have a say in setting it up, okay? You need to show me your dancing skills, after all. Show me what you got.”

 

Sana’s face was warm and expecting. Momo just couldn’t bring herself to shatter the girl’s spirit. Even though she knew Sana was trouble, she managed to nod.

 

“Alright then, see you around, Actual Hirai Momo.” Sana waved enthusiastically and then disappeared behind other students who were leaving to start heading to their next class. Momo sighed and watched the girl go.

 

She was screwed.

 

Whipping out her phone, Momo furiously texted again into her apartment room chat.

 

Momo: You’re both lucky I have late classes today, because there’s a storm coming for you both when I get home.

 

Jeongyeon: I feel like I’m being threatened by a 7 week old puppy.

 

Jihyo: That’s oddly specific. Momo, you can tell us all about your date when you get home! Can’t wait! :)

 

Looking down at her phone, Momo let out a hiss. Her friends really had gone too far this time. Playing with her heart—and someone else’s for that matter—wasn’t funny. It was cruel. She couldn’t let herself fall for someone like Minatozaki Sana. Especially when she had a habit of falling for flirts in the past. It only led to heartbreak and pain.

 

She’d normally be better at resisting temptation but Sana was really, really cute.

 

At exactly 6:01PM, Nayeon pulled up outside the apartment building Jeongyeon had texted her. The girl whipped out her phone to alert Jeongyeon that she had arrived. Replying with a simple “here,” Nayeon took a breath and quickly switched off the IU album she’d been listening to and switched on a pop radio station. Jeongyeon, who had been waiting by the door of her apartment building, casually exited into the slightly chilly air with her hands stuck into the pockets of her jean jacket. Her look was very “girl crush,” or at least that’s what Jihyo had told her. That was perfect since she liked Nayeon and wanted Nayeon to like her, too.

 

She assumed Nayeon’s car was the one pulled up near the door with the headlights on, as there were no other cars idling. Jeongyeon peaked into the windshield and spied Nayeon’s face staring back at her. The girl raised a hand to wave and Jeongyeon took that as the cue to get into the passenger seat. Immediately, Jeongyeon’s heart began to expand and feel full. She hadn’t actually seen Nayeon’s face since she’d slid out of the girl’s bed in the morning after they’d slept together.

 

Since then, they maintained a regular texting conversation, and Jeongyeon confirmed that their relationship wasn’t doomed to just be a one night stand. For example, they both had a lot in common. They liked the same music, seemed to enjoy the same memes, and both couldn’t wait to graduate. Jeongyeon was excited to get to know Nayeon more. She’d asked the girl out on a whim and was beyond ecstatic when Nayeon replied that she’d pick Jeongyeon up at 6PM since she was the one with a car.

 

The door opened with a bit of a creak. Jeongyeon entered the car as gracefully as possible and sat down quickly, pulling the door closed behind her.

 

“Hey,” she said as she reached back for her seatbelt and buckled it with slightly shaking hands.

 

“Hey,” Nayeon replied, gripping both of her hands tightly around the steering wheel. “Ready to head out?”

 

“Yup.”

 

Nayeon put the car into drive and pulled away from the curb. “So I looked this place up online and it has good reviews.”

 

“Yeah, I’ve been there a few times and I really like it.” Jeongyeon had picked a place familiar to her—a small Thai restaurant where she ordered the same thing everytime she went there. It seemed casual enough to be a good place for a first date.

 

Nayeon became a bit chatty as she drove. She had the habit of rambling when she was nervous. Jeongyeon simply listened or laughed when Nayeon said something ridiculous. The atmosphere was a bit tense at first but it began to grow more pleasant and easy.

 

“You know, I don’t go on dates with just anyone, let alone a junior, so you should consider yourself lucky,” Nayeon stated as she pulled into a spot at the restaurant and put her car into park. There was an edge of teasing to her statement mixed with an edge of seriousness.

 

“Do you invite strangers into your bed often or was I lucky that night, too?” The comment made Nayeon side eye Jeongyeon, whose serious face quickly morphed into an easy smile. Clearly her joke struck a nerve with Nayeon. That night had been embarrassing for Jeongyeon too, but Jeongyeon didn’t want Nayeon to know that.

 

“Please,” Nayeon scoffed. She flicked her long black hair over her shoulder and grinded her teeth. “That was a mistake.”

 

It was Jeongyeon’s turn to grind her teeth. “Yeah, definitely.” The two girls stared at each other levelly. Jeongyeon moved ahead and held the door to the restaurant open for Nayeon. The dark haired girl let out a quiet “thank you” as she entered the restaurant. They got a table for two and were seated near the front of the restaurant.

 

“Do you make your way into strangers’ beds often?” Nayeon asked, resting her chin on her hand and staring intensely across the table at Jeongyeon.

 

Jeongyeon crossed her legs and raised an eyebrow. She turned away from Nayeon. “No.” Jeongyeon wondered if that would be a good or bad thing to Nayeon. The girl’s face was expressionless though. “I don’t normally drink that much. I wasn’t using my best judgment.”

 

The waitress brought the girls glasses of water. Nayeon unwrapped her straw and began stirring her water so that the ice cubes clicked against each other pleasantly. “Me either,” she admitted. “I just saw you and wanted you. That was that.”

 

Jeongyeon gulped. Nayeon was staring at her ratherly intensely. Get a hold of yourself, Jeongyeon! You’re supposed to be calm and collected—that’s your image!

 

“Well, you were practically all over me…” Jeongyeon mused.

 

Nayeon’s mouth opened and she scoffed again. “I do distinctly remember you asking me if I wanted to leave the party.”

 

Jeongyeon could feel her ears turning red. At Jeongyeon’s reluctance, Nayeon smiled. This girl was trying to get Jeongyeon flustered.

 

“You’re the one who suggested your apartment.”

 

“Fair enough,” Nayeon leaned back in her chair and continued to smile at Jeongyeon.

 

“How much of that night do you remember, anyway?” Jeongyeon asked curiously. It was a blur to her but some things stood out in her own mind rather clearly.

 

“Bits and pieces.” Nayeon began to clink the ice cubes in her glass once again.

 

The waitress came over and took their orders. Jeongyeon got the same thing she always got and Nayeon ordered the same.

 

“Same here,” Jeongyeon replied. “It’s all a blur.” Jeongyeon slid her glass closer to her and took a sip of her water.

 

“It was good, right?”

 

Jeongyeon nearly spit out her drink.

 

Nayeon laughed. “Come on, I know you thought so. Or else we both wouldn’t be here right now.”

 

Jeongyeon cleared . “Um, yeah.”

 

That made Nayeon smile more, revealing the funny front teeth that had been on Jeongyeon’s mind for weeks after they’d slept together that night.

 

“We probably shouldn’t be talking about this at a restaurant, you know?” Jeongyeon looked around self-consciously to make sure no one else had heard them. Luckily the other guests were at tables far away.

 

“I know, I just wanted to tease you.” Nayeon smiled that funny smile of hers again and it did all sort of things to Jeongyeon. Jeongyeon barely held it together, pulling her lips into a straight line and doing her best to muster up a glare.

 

Nayeon giggled at her. Jeongyeon rolled her eyes. “And I just wanted to get you to admit I’m good in bed, for the record.”

 

Jeongyeon began to crack a little bit. “I never said that—”

 

“You said it was good—”

 

“I was drunk and probably couldn’t have told the difference between the floor and the ceiling at that point.”

 

“Are you saying we have to try it again so I can prove it to you?”

 

Jeongyeon’s jaw practically dropped to the floor. She looked almost disgusted with Nayeon, who smiled at her sweetly from across the table—causing her eyes to squint up into half moons. It would be adorable if Jeongyeon wasn’t absolutely infuriated. Who was this girl with this big ego of hers?

 

“Yeesh, you’re really something,” Jeongyeon muttered once she finally recovered. Nayeon simply laughed that laugh that sounded like a villain from a Disney movie.

 

“Something pretty amazing.”

 

Jeongyeon nearly threw up her hands. “Do I have to pop your balloon-sized ego with my fork, huh?”

 

“Hehehehe.”

 

“Let’s talk about something more important...like memes.”

 

They proceeded to talk about memes in depth for about ten minutes, which led them to talk about nostalgic TV shows from the childhood. They continued to bicker throughout the night. Nayeon was convinced her opinions were always right, meanwhile Jeongyeon was convinced that anything Nayeon said was ridiculous.

 

After insults were hurled at each other, and flat noodles were devoured, the two girls decided to leave the restaurant after fighting over how to pay for their bill (Jeongyeon offered to pay, but Nayeon refused—eventually the two girls ended up just paying for their own meals and calling it a day).

 

So it was very much a surprise to Nayeon and Jeongyeon both that the two somehow found themselves lip-locked while sitting in Nayeon’s car.

 

Nayeon practically crawled over the divider between the driver’s and passenger’s seat, finding her way onto Jeongyeon’s lap. They stared at each other for a beat before Nayeon pressed her rosy red lips to Jeongyeon’s pink ones with such a sense of desire that Jeongyeon was pushed back against the window of the car door.

 

Jeongyeon’s hands rested on Nayeon’s jaw and chin while Nayeon played with the soft tufts of hair on the back of Jeongyeon’s neck. Nayeon pulled off Jeongyeon’s round glasses and gently set them on the dashboard before she launched into another brutal kiss. Each time their lips met with more force—the distance between them grew smaller and smaller until they were practically inseparable.

 

Yeah, it felt good. So good, in fact, that Jeongyeon was very tempted to take Nayeon up on that offer of trying things out again. Purely for science, of course, just so Jeongyeon could prove Nayeon wasn’t as good in bed as the older girl believed herself to be. Purely scientific. But it was a school night, after all, and Jeongyeon didn’t want to rush anything. After about ten minutes, Nayeon returned back to the driver’s seat, breathing hard.

 

“Wow,” Nayeon murmured.

 

Jeongyeon simply sat there in a bit of a daze. “That was…”

 

“,,,your wildest dreams come true?”

 

Jeongyeon leaned over and smacked Nayeon on the arm. “Ow! What was that for?” Nayeon looked at Jeongyeon in offense.

 

Jeongyeon shook her head. “You’re ridiculous.”

 

“Maybe so.” Nayeon started her car and pulled out of the spot. “But you know you love it.”

 

Maybe Jeongyeon did. All she knew is that Nayeon’s kisses replayed in her mind over and over as the two girls drove back to campus.