Final Chapter - Now, I'm In Love 

Taeyeon and her friends are hanging out at Yuri's house. It's already been a month since Jessica left. According to Hyoyeon, Jessica's mom is now stable, but the doctors still need to have a close eye on her. With that said, Jessica refused to go back home until she's sure her mother is safe and out of danger.

Taeyeon on the other hand is always silent. She's not sure if telling Jessica to not contact her was the right decision, as she is missing the girl. The first week of Jessica's absence is bearable, but when the days pass by, she realized that she's missing the girl. The rooftop has been her go-to-place whenever she's missing Jessica. 

When Taeyeon's with her friends, she tends to stay quiet and sometimes sleep. All of her friends are dating, when she's with them, it only makes her miss Jessica more. Her friends has been mindful of her and tried to keep the PDA in the minimum. 

Taeyeon only gets the news about Jessica through Hyoyeon and Yuri, and the two diligently keeps her updated. Talking about Jessica is a touchy subject, so Taeyeon is thankful to her friends as they are being mindful of her.

"Hey," Yuri tapped Taeyeon's shoulder, as the latter is falling asleep. "Hyoyeon's talking to Jessica."

When Yuri finished her sentence, Taeyeon immediately went to where Hyoyeon is. When she saw Hyoyeon, she signalled her to be quiet and not reveal that she's in the room. Hyoyeon put the phone on loudspeaker for Taeyeon to hear. Hyoyeon always thought that the arrangement is ridiculous, as it doesn't make it better for the both of them.

"Krystal is already comfortable here. She had met up with her old friends here from time to time." Jessica revealed. "But she said that she still miss her friends there, though."

"How about you?" Hyoyeon asked her. "Are you comfortable there?"

A certain short girl is nervous to hear Jessica's answer. What if she doesn't want to come back anymore? The short girl thought. 

"It's okay. Maybe a month more then I'll be comfortable here." the girl on the phone said and that made the short girl's heart drop. 

"A month more? So you're still not going home?" the girl with a purple hair asked. 

"I'm not sure about going back." Everyone heard the girl sighed. "Mom's condition is stable, but, dad said that it's better if we're here in the States. He said it's easier here, and it's more advanced." 

"Oh. So you're not coming back?" Hyoyeon asked the dreaded question. 

"I mean, I can." 

"But?"

"But, I don't want to. Yet." Jessica revealed. "Not that I don't want to because of you guys, it's just, I don't want to leave my mom alone." 

"We understand." Hyoyeon said. 

"We? Who's in the room Hyo?" Jessica asked in panic. 

Hyoyeon looked at Taeyeon for permission, but the latter shook her head. 

"She's not here if that's what you're wondering." Hyoyeon said in a teasing matter. 

"Oh." the girl said in disappointment.

She has been missing the girl as well. She's just complying the girl's wish. 

"She's miserable as well, if that makes you feel better." Hyoyeon humored. 

"I don't want her to be miserable you know. I don't even know why I agreed about that no contact thingy." the girl said frustrated. 

You and me both. Taeyeon thought.

"Someone asked me out." Jessica revealed and it made Taeyeon's heart drop.

"You're cheating on my cousin!" Hyoyeon playfully said. Jessica laughed. 

"Your cousin is really slow you know." Jessica replied jokingly.

A thud was heard in the room, as Taeyeon dropped the book she was holding. 

"I miss you, Jessi!" Tiffany shouted, trying to distract Jessica from the sound. 

"I miss you, too! All of you!" Jessica replied. 

Taeyeon left the room. She couldn't handle her emotions. She wants to talk to the girl but she can't seem to do it.

The sound of a door slammed shut has reached Jessica's ears. The girl sighed.

"Was that her?" The room became silent. 

"Yes. She doesn't want me to tell you that she was here." Hyoyeon broke the silence. 

"She does know that I was just kidding about her being slow, right?" Jessica asked in panic. 

"I'll tell her. Don't worry about it." Hyoyeon assured her. 

Yuri called Taeyeon's phone. It didn't take long for Taeyeon to answer her phone. Yuri put her phone on loudspeaker so that Jessica can hear. 

"Where are you going?" Yuri asked. 

"Some fresh air. Don't worry, I won't be too long. Don't miss me too much." Taeyeon said. 

Every one in the room knows that Taeyeon isn't one to tell such things to them, they knew it wasn't for them, it was for the girl on the other line. 

"Okay. Don't be too long. Tiffany will kill you if you stay out too late." Yuri told the receiver.

"Yes, mom. I'll be fast. I still need to live to be able to see that squirrel." Taeyeon laughed.

"Squirrel? You have a pet squirrel?" Yuri asked confused. 

Jessica, on the hand, laughed at Taeyeon's statement. She didn't know how Taeyeon know that it was her but it made her heart flutter. It made her happy that she's not the only one who holds the memory dearly. Jessica's laughed resonated around the house, Taeyeon heard it as well. And she can't help but smile at the sound. 

"A pet?" A chuckle was heard on Yuri's phone. "Maybe I'll keep her as a pet. So she'll stay with me." she added.

"Maybe you should." Jessica answered on the other line, forgetting that she should be quiet.

Yuri and the rest looked at one another, confused. While the other two on the line kept chuckling and giggling. 

"They're weird." Sooyoung mouthed to her lover. 

"Okay? I'll pretend that I get that." Yuri quickly said. To cover up Jessica's slip up.

"The squirrel has spoken." Taeyeon answered laughing. 

The confused ones let out an 'ohh', as they finally understand what was going on.

"I'll see you soon," Taeyeon paused. "Yuri." she added but everyone knew, including the squirrel, that it was for Jessica.

With that, Taeyeon hang up the phone. Everyone inside the room are looking at one another, and then looked at Hyoyeon's phone as if the girl on the line could see them. All of them are confused about the 'squirrel' thing. They knew Taeyeon won't tell them so they're planning on asking the other girl involved.

"Squirrel?" Tiffany broke the silence. 

"Oh, is that my dad calling?" Jessica then said attempting to get away. 

"Oh, no, no, no." Hyoyeon said. "You're not off the hook, brat."

"What's with the squirrel thing?" Sunny then asked.

"You know I'm older than all of you, right?" Jessica laughed.

"Just for a few months!" Tiffany yelled. "Tell us about the squirrel thingy!"

"Why don't you ask Taeyeon about it?" Jessica replied.

"She won't tell us and you know that." Sooyoung said. 

"And how are you so sure that I'll tell you?" Jessica raised her brows even though no one can see her. 

"Coz you owe me." Yuri spoke up.

Jessica bit her lip and curse under her breath. 

"Tell us, Sica." Yuri urged her. 

"Okay, okay. But, Sunny already knows about it." Jessica replied and everyone looked at Sunny. 

The girl on the spotlight just let out a nervous smile. 

"It seems unbelievable, but, I already forgot about the story." she let out a nervous chuckle. 

"I knew it!" Jessica laughed.

"Tell us!" Everyone shouted. 

"It's not that big of a deal. Taeyeon and I met when we were kids and we went to this lake behind the old park. We made code names, I'm Mrs. Squirrel and she's Mr. Squirrel. She gave me her bracelet that day, and I gave her a rock in return. We promised to meet there the day after but I didn't show up because my sister got sick and we moved to America so we never saw each other again. Well, until I moved back here and I saw her at the ice cream shop with Hyoyeon." Jessica finished her story. 

Unknown to her, everyone's mouth was left agape. 

"So you were the person that gave her a rock that day?" Tiffany asked in shock. 

"What?" Jessica asked confused.

Tiffany looked at her friends shocked. The rest of the gang are equally shocked as her. 

"Guys?" Jessica called out after a minute of silence. "What do you mean, Fany-ah?" she asked again. 

"Well, Taeyeon left the house that day because her parents just embarrassed her in front of her parent's friends. She left being all mad and angry that day but she came home all happy and giddy. She came home with a rock that day. I remember coz she showed it to Yuri and me, she was so excited about it. She told her mom that she's meeting a friend at the park the next day. And then she came home all gloomy the next day. She was always at the park when we were kids. She always tells us that she just find the view beautiful, but now it all makes sense. She was waiting for you." Tiffany explained. 

"So you're the reason why that park closed down?" Sooyoung announced in shock. "What?" she asked confused when everyone was looking at her. 

"Closed down? Me? What do you mean?" Jessica asked confused. 

"Apparently, Taeyeon doesn't want to leave the park one day after a year of staying there every afternoon. So her parents dragged her home and scolded her. When Taeyeon told her parents the reason why, they decided to close the park down so Taeyeon won't be attached to it anymore." Sunny explained to Jessica.

"And wait, ice cream shop?" Yoona suddenly asked. 

"Yes. I saw her in the ice cream shop when I came back in Korea." Jessica told them. "I was with Hyoyeon back then."

"It was on summer, when you saw me in the ice cream shop all alone and I told you guys I was with a friend and she was just in the comfort room." Hyoyeon explained. 

"Oh! Did you bumped with Taeyeon-unnie back then?" Yoona asked Jessica. 

"Yes, she did." Hyoyeon answered for Jessica as Jessica took time to answer. 

"I remember asking her what was wrong back then coz I saw her frozen on her spot. And then she just told me," Yoona paused. "I just saw a squirrel." she qouted Taeyeon. "And now that we're all talking about this, everything makes sense now." she finished. 

"What?" Jessica asked dumbfounded. "So you mean, she knows it was me all along?" 

"No, I don't think so. Taeyeon-unnie told me that she hadn't seen your face that time coz you were looking down. But she saw her bracelet on you." Yoona said. "Not that she told me directly, she said and I quote, "I just saw a squirrel. Too bad I didn't see her face, though. But I'm sure that's her coz that bracelet looks so familiar." She was saying that while chuckling to herself. I actually thought she was going mental."

"I..." Jessica started but was cut off by Sooyoung. 

"Wait! I remembered something!" Sooyoung suddenly yelled. "What was your costume on our Halloween Party back when we were freshmen?"

"Jessica and I went as pirates back then." Hyoyeon quickly asnwered. And then a look of realization came on her face. 

"YOU WERE THE PIRATE WOMAN?" Everybody yelled on the phone.

Jessica moved her phone away from her ears. She blushed on their accusation as she knows what happened that day.

"Yes." she said in a small voice. "Sunny you already know that."

"Well, I forgot about it." the smallest of them said. 

"Well, what's up with me being the pirate woman." Jessica asked blushing. 

"Yah! You brat!" Hyoyeon yelled on the phone. "Why didn't you ever tell me that you've kissed my cousin before?!" 

"Yah!" Jessica suddenly yelled. "How did you know?" 

"Sooyoung drunk a spiked drink and she was getting tipsy so she went out to get some fresh air." Sunny started. 

"I saw Taeyeon kissing someone on the bleachers, I thought it was Sunmi at first, but then I remembered that Sunmi wasn't a pirate that time. So I waited for the pirate, who I know now that it was you, to leave. And then I confronted Taeyeon about it. She told me that she caught Sunmi kissing with someone else and you just gave her a reason to leave her girlfriend." Sooyoung finished telling the story. "Oh if I remembered it correctly, I asked her how does it feel and she answered that it was the best kiss ever. And I wasn't even asking about the kiss!" 

"Wow Jung." Hyoyeon smirked. "I didn't know you had it in you."

"Shut up, Hyo!" Jessica on the other line was blushing profusely. "I had a costume on so I know she won't recognize me, that's why I did it." she defends. 

"So my effort on making Taeyeon stay on the park when we were in middle school paid off. You finally had the guts to talk to her!" Hyoyeon said proudly. 

"Hyoyeon!" Tiffany shouted. "You made our friend stayed in the park every afternoon?" she asked the girl. 

"I did it for like 5 times only." Hyoyeon defended. "In middle school." she whispered the last part. 

"What do you mean 5 times? Taeyeon told me that someone's making her stay back every time I asked her to go home with me." Tiffany pouted. "And now I know you're the one." she glared at Hyoyeon. 

"I didn't! That was like 5 times only! I swear, Fany-ah!" Hyoyeon quickly said.

Tiffany stopped glaring at Hyoyeon when she knew she was telling the truth. And then she remembered something. Taeyeon used to looked at someone whenever she accompany her at the park, she just cannot remember who it was. She remembered that whenever the person passed by them, Taeyeon would have her poker face on and then grin after the girl passed by. 

"Okay, do you guys know anyone who has an octopus hair when we were in middle school? I remember Taeyeon would always wait for that girl to pass by us before leaving." Tiffany asked after a minute of silence. Yuri and Hyoyeon looked at her with their mouth agape. "What?" she asked confused.

Jessica was once again blushing.

"Octopus hair?" the youngest inside the room asked. "I think I saw a girl before, she's always with Hyoyeon-unnie, though. So unnie must know who she is." Everyone turned to look at Hyoyeon. 

"That was Jessica." she said in a small voice. "Daebak! She already noticed Sica before?" Hyoyeon asked bewildered. 

"Yah! Maybe I wasn't the only one with an octopus hair before. My mom did say it was the trend back then that's why she cut my hair like that." Jessica reasoned out.

I might die of happiness and regret if she did notice me before. Jessica thought.

"No way. No one would want that hair back then, no offense meant, Jessi." Tiffany bluntly said. "So I'm sure it's you."

"Daebak! This is so... Wow. Who else have secret about Taeyeon to share?" Yuri asked all of them. 

"Well, if Jessica was the one who sang at the auditorium before, then I have." Sunny jokingly said.

 
"When was that? I did sing in the auditorium before, but that was when I thought no one was watching me. But then someone did watch me. He introduced his name as Chan Young, though." Jessica told the group. 

"You were THE "Bo Na Singing Angel" that she was talking about?" Yuri asked shocked.

"What? She was Chan Young?" Jessica asked equally shocked.

"Gosh! If I had known that she was talking about you all this time, I would've gotten you guys together before." Hyoyeon said in frustration.

"So," Jessica stared in daze. "She knows me as me way before all of this?" she thought out loud. 

"Well, yes, now that we've cracked the code." Yuri said.

"How did she know that I was the Annoying Girl?" Jessica asked. 

"She saw us at the park that night." Yuri explained.

"You went out of the house at night without my knowledge, Kwon Yuri?" Tiffany looked at Yuri with raised brows. 

Yuri looked at her with an uneasy look and nodded slowly. 

"Honey, Jessica is my cousin. And I couldn't tell you anything about it that's why I sneaked out." Yuri quickly explained. 

"We'll talk after this." Tiffany said.

"So you knew that she knew?" Jessica asked her.

"Yea. When she dragged you inside the cafeteria and made you sit in our table, that's when I knew." Yuri explained. 

"But, Krystal. The number. How?" Jessica asked confused. 

"Don't kill Krystal, but she bribed your sister." Hyoyeon answered her. 

"You knew as well?!" Jessica asked in shock. 

"Well, she's my cousin. She guilt trip me. I didn't have a choice but to comply." Hyoyeon calmly said.

 
"So she knows." Jessica told herself. 

"She had a plan you know. Back then, on our Halloween Ball, she's gonna reveal herself to you. But then, you left." Tiffany said. 

"I... I don't know what to say." The girl on the other line was speechless. "I'm gonna call you later, Hyo. I need to go." Jessica hanged up the phone. 

Jessica put her phone on the table next to her bed. She has a lot of thoughts running through her head. She was surprised to find out about Taeyeon's side. She hadn't expected for the girl to have noticed her before. She was surprised that Taeyeon had waited for her when they were still kids. She can feel her face heating up with the thought. She had realized that Taeyeon was only waiting for her to make a move.

"Gosh Jessica, you're so slow." she muttered under her breath. 

She fixed herself and went outside of her room. She made her way towards her mother's room to check if she's awake. 

"Mom?" she calls out.

She opened the door and saw her mother sitting up. 

"Hello, princess." Her mother patted the space beside her. 

"I have a question." she sat down beside her mother. "When dad left us, how did you feel?" she asked her mom.

"What's with the sudden question, dear?" Her mother asked with a small smile.

"I'm just curious." Jessica leaned back on the headboard. 

"I felt sad and happy at the same time. Sad because I can't see and feel his presence anymore, but I was happy." Her mother gave her a bittersweet smile. "Because, now, he's doing what's making him happy without thinking about me."

"You know, he always visits our house because of you, right?" Jessica teased. "He's always looking for you whenever we go out with him." she laughed. "You two are such a teenager sometimes."

"Maybe." she fixed her daughters hair. "Maybe we're both waiting for each other's move. Your father and I can both be tsundere sometimes." Her mom laughs.

"Who are you calling tsundere?" Her dad's head popped out of the door. "Hello, princess." her father greeted her and kissed her and her mom on their forehead.

"Okay dad, since you're here, I'm gonna ask you both a question." she took a deep breath and released it. "I-"

"If this is about Taeyeon, yes, we approved." Her parents simultaneously said. 

"What?" she asked dumbfounded.

"We know, princess. I'm friends with her parents." Her father said which surprised her. "She's a nice girl. At least I won't be having a problem about you being pregnant in an early age." Her parents laughed. 

"Let her speak, dear." Her mother slapped her father's arm. "Do you have anything else to say?"

"I mean, I'm just gonna ask if you're okay. And if it's okay for me to go back to Korea." 

Her father pulled out something from his jacket pocket and her eyes widen when she realized that it's her passport with a plane ticket to Korea. 

"Dad," she started. 

"Your mother and I will be fine. Let me take care of her. You and Krystal can go home." Her father insisted. 

"Mom,"

"I understand, honey. I'll be okay, your dad's gonna take care of me." Her mother touched her hair. "I can tell that she's worth it."

"Update me everyday, okay?" she kissed her mother's cheek. "And please keep the PDA down to a minimum." she rolled her eyes. 

Her parents laughed at her and shook their heads. Their daughter can be sassy when she wants to. They thought. Kim Taeyeon, I trust you to take care of my daughter.

--------

"Woah, that's a lot of information to take in. That's gonna take her a while to sink in. But isn't it amazing?" Tiffany spoke out after Jessica hanged up the phone. "Our best friend is in love with the same person she was waiting for ever since our childhood."

"Aren't we all in love with the same person since we're kids?" Sooyoung asked. 

"Not all." Yoona voiced out. "I met Joohyun in middle school."

"And I met my boyfriend in China." Hyoyeon then added. 

"Just us four then." Sooyoung replied. 

"We need to do something about them." Yuri finally said. "We can't wait until Jessica comes back, only Heavens know when that'll be."

"What are you planning on doing?" Sunny asked her. 

"It's either we drag Taeyeon to the US or we convince Jessica to come back." Yuri suggested. 

"I say convince Jessica." Sooyoung said. "Coz it's really hard to drag Taeyeon somewhere. She'll just offer me food and I'll cave." she told the group and they all rolled their eyes. 

"I vote out Sooyoung in this mission." Sunny raised her hand for emphasis. 

"Bunny! I was kidding!" Sooyoung held Sunny's hand on her own to prevent it from moving. 

"But, I agree with Sooyoung. It's really hard to drag Taeyeon around, she'll bribe you or worse, threaten you." Yuri shared. "So we'll convince Jessica, then." she finalized. 

At that time, someone texted Hyoyeon's phone. Fortunately for them, that someone is the girl they are trying to convince. 

Jung Sooyeon: Hyo pick me up at the airport. I'm coming home.

------

Taeyeon walked around the neighborhood towards the old park. The one where it all started. She went to sit on the big rock near the lake. She ran her hands on the surface of the rock where you can see a mark, 'Mr. Squirrel x Mrs. Squirrel'.

Flashback

"Mr. Squirrel, you're a girl but why are you wearing a boy's clothes?" The girl wearing a dress asked the girl wearing a shorts with a suspender and a purple polo.

"Coz I'm more comfortable wearing this than what you're wearing. I always run around with my friends and they can see my underwear when I jump up high. So my parents made me wear this." the girl in a shorts replied.

Mr. Squirrel just finished marking the rock of their names when Mrs. Squirrel held her hands.

"What are you doing?" Mr. Squirrel asked. 

"I'm holding your hand, coz you're my Mr. Squirrel." The girl in a dress replied grinning.

"My mom said only lovers should hold hands." The girl in a suspender stated, trying to get away from the other girl.

"Then you can be my lover." The girl replied. 

"But," The girl tried to argue.

Before the girl in the suspender can finish her sentence, Mrs. Squirrel kissed her on the cheek.

"Pabo-ya, that's not how you kiss your lover."

Mr. Squirrel kissed the girl in a dress on her lips.

End of Flashback

Taeyeon let out an amused chuckle. 

"I don't know if she remembers that part. Good job young Taeyeon." she chuckled at herself. 

She looks at the view and sighed. She can't believe that the girl she has been waiting since she was a kid was the same girl she fell in love with. She had no clue that Jessica was her Mrs. Squirrel until she saw her bracelet in her bag when they were hanging out at Yuri's place.

Flashback

Yuri asked her friends to come over at her house as her parents went out of town for the weekends. It's only a week left for the Halloween Ball. As they were enjoying their selves, Taeyeon decided to sleepover at Yuri's and everyone decided to as well.

They were all at the balcony when Hyoyeon asked Taeyeon to get her Bluetooth speaker in her bag. As she was looking for the Bluetooth speaker, Taeyeon found something she hasn't seen in a long time. Her bracelet. She realized that it wasn't Hyoyeon's bag. 
When Taeyeon finally found the speaker, she asked her friends on who's the owner of the pink and purple bag. She was surprised to find out that it was Jessica's.

End of Flashback

 

I'm still waiting for you. 

------

*Taeyeon's P.O.V.*

It's our Christmas Ball tonight.

Still no sign of Jessica.

Jessica. Mrs. Squirrel. Bo Na. Pirate Woman. Annoying Girl. 

The women who made my heart skip a beat. Women who made me anxious and excited. Women. Or so I thought. They're all just one person. Jessica.

Jessica. The first girl I ever asked to a ball. The first girl I ever gave something special to me. The first girl ever that made me calm. Jessica Jung. The one I knew, yet, I don't. The girl who I seek, and who kept on hiding from me. She's near, yet so far. 

Jessica, until when I'm gonna keep on waiting for you? 

"Hello, dear." My mom called from behind me startling me. I didn't even notice her enter my room.

 
I'm inside my room getting ready for the ball. I'm wearing a suit and tie yet again. Tiffany had this idea to have a draw lots on what we're going to wear at the ball. The twist is we can't reveal our attire until we get to the ball. I got the suit and tie with suspenders.

"Need help with the tie?" My mom asked and I nodded. "You look beautiful, dear."

"Thank you, mom." I kissed her cheek. 

"So, no date again this year?" she asked and my heart dropped. 

"None. But, I did ask someone." I said while looking myself in the mirror. "Unfortunately, she's in the states right now. So, I'm going solo, again." 

"Well, there's still prom. So, don't worry about it." My mom reassured me. "Are you going home or are you gonna sleep over at your friend's house?"

"We're going to sleep over at Sunny's. Uncle and Aunt aren't home for the weekends." I replied. "I'll be going now, mom. Tiffany's been texting me non stop." I kissed my mother goodbye and made my way towards my car. 

-----

"Damn, Taeyeon. You got the hottest outfit out of all of us." Sunny complained. 

She's exaggerating. They all look lovely. It's a surprising sight, though. Sooyoung is wearing a dress while Sunny's wearing a pants and a polo and pullover. Yuri is wearing the pants, as usual, while Tiffany is wearing a blue dress. A blue dress. Hyoyeon is wearing a red dress while Yoona is wearing an elegant black and white dress. Joohyun isn't part of the draw lots so her outfit compliments Yoona's. 

"Nice choice of color, Fany." I teased.

"Shut up. Who even thought of draw lots?" she groaned. 

"You did." Sunny firmly said. 

"Wish that didn't crossed my mind." Tiffany rolled her eyes and I laughed. At least they can take my mind off Jessica. 

We all entered the ball room and I can feel all the students eyes on us. 

"I'll be at the rooftop when you need me." I whispered to Yuri. 

This is my routine every Christmas Ball in our school. Or every Ball in general. The only difference now is I'm at the rooftop not on the bleachers. I sat down on the couch and looked at where the bleachers is. I can see someone approaching the bleachers. A girl. Jessica. 

I shot up off my seat and looked at the bleachers. That's Jessica. I know those jaws, face and body. And that walk, that must be Jessica. No doubt. I made my way to the bleachers as fast as I can.
Nothing.

No one was there when I reached the bleachers. Was I hallucinating? Do I miss her that much? 

"I'm not even drunk." I said to myself. 

I noticed a note together with a chicken sandwich on one of the chairs. I picked up the note and noticed that it was Jessica's handwriting. So, I'm not hallucinating? 

Mr. Squirrel, 
Let's finish this hide and seek we've been playing since we were kids. You know where to find me. 
-Mrs. Squirrel
P.S.
Please eat this first. I know you haven't eaten dinner yet. xx

I laughed at the letter. She never seize to surprise me. I took a bite of the sandwich and chuckled. I remembered the first time we met. She's really something. 

I got up on my feet and walked towards where she is. The rooftop. This is it.

--------

*Third Person's P.O.V.*

Jessica waited for her seeker at the rooftop. She watched as her seeker took a bite of the sandwich and laughed. Saying she's nervous for her seeker's reaction is an understatement. Taeyeon on the other hand is feeling like she's on a cloud 9. She's feeling excited to finally see Jessica again. As for their friends, they decided to watch them from the bleachers as you can see the rooftop clearly. They set up a hidden camera somewhere in the rooftop, and they had the perfect view on what's happening. 

Taeyeon opened the door to the rooftop and she was surprised to see Jessica in a green dress similar to what she was wearing when they were kids. 

"Of course." Taeyeon muttered under her breath when she realized that her friends planned this. 

"Hi." Jessica greeted her.

Taeyeon looked at Jessica. The girl who gave her mixed feelings.

"You look magical." Taeyeon said.

"Thank you. You're not so bad yourself." Jessica said. Taeyeon laughed as she remembers their first date together. 

Taeyeon sat down on the couch, still looking at Jessica. She can't stop her lips from turning upwards.

"From the looks of your attire, I assume this is all your plan? I should've known, suspenders? The last time I wore this was when I met you." Taeyeon groaned. 

"Let me explain." Jessica hurriedly said. 

"You don't need to explain. I already know."

"But, still, let me explain the side of my story." Jessica insisted. 

"Explain it while holding me." The girl with the suspenders dragged the girl in a green dress to sit beside her. "I've missed you." she said hugging the surprised girl in her arms.

"How can I think straight when you're holding me like this?" Jessica said in a small voice. 

"Oh, honey, there's nothing straight about all of this." Taeyeon said to lighten up the mood. She can feel Jessica's tense body. She can feel a lot of Jessica's body. 

"You know what I mean." The girl wearing a green dress laughed. "You really can be funny sometimes."

"I'm always funny." The girl wearing a suspender argued. "I always make you laugh."

"That's because I'm in love with you. I'm blinded." Jessica accidentally said. 

Taeyeon stopped Jessica's hair and has her eyes widen. She broke the hug and looked at the girl in front of her, who's already red from head to toe.

"What?" The girl in shock asked. 

"It's not like you don't already know that." The blushing girl shyly said. 

"I want to hear it from you."

"I don't wanna say it again."

"But I wanna hear it."

"You already did."

"But you said it while I was not looking at you."

"But you were holding me, that's much better."

"But I want you to look me in the eyes when saying that."

"I'll be a tomato if I do that."

"Then let's be a tomato together."

Jessica crossed her arm while playfully glaring at the girl in front of her, who's whining like a kid. Jessica decided to comply with the girl's wish. She grabbed her hand and kissed it, then she looked at the girls face, tracing the girl's face with her eyes. And finally, her eyes landed on the girl's face. Those eyes that are full of warmth.

"I met you when we were kids, and you already know that coz you were there." Jessica rambled and the girl in front of her chuckled at her silliness.

She's so cute. The girl with a suspender thought. 

"Jessica," Taeyeon called her attention. "What are you rambling on about? It's me, Taeyeon. You don't need to be shy around me. Just tell me what you're feeling." she reassured the rambling girl. 

Jessica stopped and looked at the girl with warm eyes.

"I'm in love with you, Kim Taeyeon. Let me finish," she quickly said when she saw Taeyeon opening . "I'm in love with you. Ever since we were kids, I already have this crazy feelings for you. I cried my eyes out when my parents didn't let me out of the house that day we promised to meet again. When I was in the States, I thought you're going to be a memory that's easy to forget, but, you weren't. Everywhere I go, I see you. Whenever I play with someone, I always look for the comfort you gave me when we first met. I always wear the bracelet you gave me, and when people ask who gave it to me, I always tell them that it was from my fiance. Coz you are, you still are. I have the bracelet to prove that." 

Taeyeon's face flushed when she remembered the memory of the young Taeyeon proposing to the young Jessica. She remembered that she told Jessica that she'll marry her when they grow up and Jessica accepted her proposal by giving her the rock.

"I see you still remember what really happened that day." Jessica chuckled with a flushed face. "So, yea, I thought I'll forget about you but I didn't. When I came back here, I didn't expect to see you the first time I come back here, but I did. I saw you laughing with your friends and I fell in love with you all over again. I wore the bracelet that you gave me that day, you know, hoping that you'll recognize it. But, I got scared of how you'll react so I run away. I was scared that you won't remember me. And then middle school came, Hyoyeon and Yuri always urge me to talk to you but I'm too shy, and scared. You had this cool aura, and you had a good reputation and I'm just this nerd." 

Taeyeon was about to open but Jessica shush her. 

"Let me finish."

Taeyeon closed and saluted. 

"I told myself that I need to move on from you because you're so far away from where I am. And I thought I could do it because we're from different class that time. But then I always see you every afternoon after classes. And I can't stop my heart from beating fast with the sight of you. And then the last year of middle school happened, you got yourself a girlfriend." Jessica closed her eyes ridding the tears that are threatening to escape her eyes. "That broke my heart. And as if it's not enough, I saw you and her making out inside the locker room. Damn, Taengoo, you really made me broken that time." she said in a sad smile. 

Taeyeon's face fell when she saw Jessica's. She can tell the memory is hurting the girl, but all she can do is rub her hands.

"Thanks to that, though, I excel in my studies. Yes, I studied so hard to ignore the reality that you're never gonna be mine. But, fate is really playing with us, I saw you at the bleachers on Halloween. You made my night magical. That was the best kiss I've ever had. And what happened the next few days made me happy, you broke up with your girlfriend. I was happy but you weren't, and that made me sad. You were lonely, and I hope I can make you happy. But, I was a coward. Hyoyeon left and Yuri was the only one I have access to you. After a long and hard of thinking, I decided to ask for your number. And you know what happened after that." Jessica let out a sad sigh. "I was a coward. I got scared of your reaction, and I apologize for that."

"Can I talk now?" The small girl asked. The taller one nodded at her. "You're so stupid. How could I ever forget someone I proposed to? I've waited for you for a very long time, until now. You should've just revealed yourself, saving us both from heartbreak." Taeyeon said with a bittersweet smile. 

"Sorry." Jessica whispered. 

"And to tell you the truth, I never did love anyone but you. What we made that time when we were kids was magical. Yes, we were still kids back then, but, I always had this feeling that you're gonna be the one for me. And I did notice you before all of this, why do you think you always see me every afternoon? Everyone who knows me knows that I hate staying after class." Taeyeon laughed. 

"So yea, I must not know you were Mrs. Squirrel back then, but I felt my heart skip a beat whenever I see you. And Sunmi? I just checked if my heart will skip a beat when I'm with other people, it didn't. My heart only flutters for you. And that time inside the locker? That was the first time we kissed. She kept on asking for a kiss and I got irritated so I gave her what she wants. I didn't know you were there, though. I apologize for that." Taeyeon looked at her apologetically. 

"The reason why I never smiled after her was because I felt betrayed, not because I loved her. I trusted her but she broke that trust. And I thought all girls are like her, hence I ignored all girls that time. And then you happened, I must enjoyed my time talking to the 'Annoying Girl', but I felt comfort with your presence, the comfort that I felt with Mrs. Squirrel. I got scared of the possible feelings I'm developing for you, that's why I made myself believe that I'm in love with the 'Annoying Girl'. But then I found out that you were the 'Annoying Girl', and that made me happy. I know you thought I would be mad, but I wasn't, am not. It made me feel at ease. And I then I found out that you are Mrs. Squirrel, and that made me realize something." Taeyeon let out a small laugh.

"In the past, my younger self felt something magical for your younger self. My middle school self was interested with your middle school self. And now? Now, I'm in love. I'm in love with all the version of yourself. I love you, Jessica Jung."

Jessica hugged the older girl, happiness can be seen in her eyes. The older one hugged her back. This is the moment they have been waiting for.

You're worth the wait, Jessica. Taeyeon said in her mind. 

"I love you, Kim Taeyeon." Jessica said. 

"I love you, too, Jessica Jung." Taeyeon kissed Jessica's forehead. 

A loud booming sound was heard behind them, and a magnificent view greeted them. Fireworks erupted in the sky. Taeyeon looked at the girl in her arms, she's so beautiful, she thought. The older girl grabbed Jessica's face and kissed her passionately. Jessica sighed into the kiss and let her body melt into Taeyeon's. 

 

Meanwhile, at the bleachers.

"Yah! Why didn't you confess to me like this?" Sunny whispered-shouted at the shikshin. 

Sooyoung silence her with a kiss on the lips. 

"I love you, Soongyu."

 

"Baby, let's go to Paris next week." Yuri suddenly said. 

Tiffany looked at her confused. 

"I wanna kiss you under the Eiffel Tower." Yuri said.

 
"Why go there when you can do it here."

Tiffany kissed Yuri in a sweet slow paced. 

"I love you, Tiffany."

The two end up making out on the bleachers.

 

"Unnie," Joohyun called out. 

Yoona was busy watching the fireworks that she didn't notice Joohyun. The youngest got frustrated, so she grabbed Yoona's neck and kissed her on the lips. Yoona got startled at first but relaxed after she felt Joohyun's lips on her lips. 

"I love you, Joohyun." Yoona said out of breath.

 

Hyoyeon on the other hand. 

"Aish, this kids. I'm still here!" she yelled. "I'm going to China tomorrow."

 

-------

 

"I already know all of it before you confessed." Taeyeon teased the younger girl. 

"You could've just told me you already knew." Jessica groaned. 

"Now, where's the fun in that?" Taeyeon laughed.

The two of them are wrapped up in each others arms under the stars. Mellow music can be heard in the background.

"So when's our wedding?"

 

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