"Do you know a Chou Tzuyu?"

"You mean you don't know Chou Tzuyu?”

"Why are you saying it like that?" Nayeon looked at her as if she had grown an extra head. They were having their weekly meeting at the cute café near campus and Jihyo had dropped the question casually, but Nayeon knew her too well not to have figured out by now that there was something behind it.

“Because everyone knows her, even though it’s her first year.”

“Really?” The question was genuine. Jihyo didn’t really keep up with gossip. Nayeon kept usually updated her when something major happened anyway.

“Why are you asking me about her anyway?”

“Well, we share a class and she keeps asking me to study together sometime.”

Nayeon suddenly looked really interested. “You’re telling me that the girl that half of the campus is in love with is asking you out and you keep rejecting her?”

“Who said I rejected her? And who said anything about asking out? I’m sure she just heard I take the best notes and wants me to share them with her.” Jihyo couldn’t hide her blush. Sure, the thought of Tzuyu being interested in her had crossed her mind but she tried not to dwell on it. It was pointless.

“So you’ve gone out with her?”

“No! Well. We’ve just. Studied. Together. A couple of times.” Jihyo wasn’t nervous. It was just Nayeon kept looking at her like that and it was irritating.

“How haven’t you told me before you’re dating Chou Tzuyu?”

“Shut up!” Jihyo hit her arm and looked around to make sure no one had heard her. “We’re not dating. We’re not even friends. We’ve just studied together in silence for a few hours.”

Nayeon didn’t really care about her explanation. “Oh my God. This is too good. Park Jihyo finally dating.”

“I swear to God Nayeon if you don’t shut up…” Finally, the other girl seemed to take the hint to stop teasing her unless she wanted to really regret it.

“But don’t you like her? I mean she is gorgeous.”

“I know.” She replied as she lowered her eyes to stare at the cup of tea in front of her. Well, of course Jihyo had noticed that. She wasn’t blind.

“Then why don’t you give it a try? It really seems to me like she’s interested in you. She’s not known for socializing much.” Jihyo shrugged her shoulders, suddenly looking a little uncomfortable, and Nayeon’s gaze softened. Jihyo was pretty and she’d had a lot of people after her, but she never gave them a chance and it was starting to worry Nayeon.

It made her feel a little guilty too, she couldn’t help but think that maybe Jihyo had been too focused on helping her during the last year. “Just try this once? You could talk to her a little more, see how it goes. I’m not asking you to marry her.”

“We’ll see.” Jihyo said, the joke making her smile faintly.

***

As soon as she got out of class and before going back home Jihyo went straight to the convenience store around the corner to buy some ice cream. It was Friday and it hadn’t been a good week, but it was finally over and she could relax and snuggle under the covers with her much needed chocolate dose while she watched some stupid drama and forgot about the stress.

However, just when she was about to pick up the ice cream tube, another hand beat her to it and she turned around ready to glare at the person that had stolen it from her.

“Tzuyu?”

“Oh. Jihyo. Hi. Sorry about this, you can have it.” The younger girl appeared to be flustered and quickly handed her the ice cream.

“There’s no need, really, you can have it.”

“No, no, I know it’s your favorite.” Tzuyu kept insisting, and it was getting harder for Jihyo to resist. She was fighting her urge to just grab it when she realized something.

“Wait, how do you know that?”

Tzuyu blushed. It was a funny look on the usually calm and composed girl. “You mentioned it last week. During our study session.”

She remembered that? Jihyo wasn’t expecting that, but it also made her smile for some reason. Nayeon’s advice to give the girl a chance kept replaying in her mind.

“Wait, you know what, let’s just share it.” She said without thinking, surprising even herself. She pointed to one of the tables outside and motioned Tzuyu to follow her.

“You sure you don’t mind?” The taller girl asked her again as she sat down in front of her, still looking a little unsure.

“Yeah. Don’t worry about it.” She smiled widely to reassure her.

They dug in and started to eat slowly, first in silence, but Jihyo quickly started a conversation. She didn’t want it to be like their few meetings before where there had been barely any words between them. They talked about classes, about their plans for the weekend, and before she knew it Jihyo found herself laughing carelessly and joking around with Tzuyu. Even though she looked so serious most of the time Jihyo was pleasantly surprised to find out she was really goofy and funny once she relaxed.

“I didn’t expect you to be like this at all. You’re usually so…”

“Boring?” Tzuyu interrupted her, and Jihyo frowned to show her disagreement.

“No! Just… so proper and collected.”

“I’m just shy at first I guess.” Tzuyu shrugged her shoulders. “It’s why I didn’t say much the first times we hung out… I was so nervous too.” It definitely hadn’t looked like that to Jihyo.

“Nervous? Why would you be nervous?”

Tzuyu smiled shyly, looking everywhere but at Jihyo. “I mean I’m sure you’ve already figured out I like you, so I wanted to make a good impression but I didn’t really know what to say and I was kind of intimidated…”

Jihyo was shocked at the girl’s blunt admission. She must have really meant it before when she told her she couldn’t lie at all.

“Oh.”

Tzuyu’s eyes widened once she realized Jihyo was surprised. “You didn’t know? I thought it was obvious. Have I made things awkward? I’m so sorry this always happens to me I don’t know when to keep my mouth shut.”

“No, no, no.” Jihyo stopped her before her rambling got worse, leaving a hand on the other girl’s forearm. “I’m just a little shocked. But flattered. You haven’t made things awkward I just… don’t really know how to deal with this kind of stuff. Haven’t had much experience to be honest?”

“Why? To be honest I was kind of shocked to find out you were single. Someone like you must have had the chance to date anyone you wanted to.”

Now it was Jihyo’s turn to blush. “What do you mean someone like me?”

“You’re seriously beautiful. And you’re also so nice, and kind, and funny… I mean I think everyone in our class has a crush on you.”

Tzuyu looked so… honest saying all that. No one had ever said something like that to her, and Jihyo had no idea how she was supposed to reply.

“I don’t really know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything. I’m not saying that to woo you or whatever… I get that you’re not interested but I’d still really like to be your friend if that’s okay by you.”

Jihyo felt the impulse to deny she wasn’t interested and she had no idea where it was coming from. A few words from a pretty girl were all she needed to throw caution to the wind and forget what she had been telling herself for such a long time to avoid getting her heart broken all over again?

“It’s not that, I mean, you’re gorgeous you must know that, and I’m really enjoying the time we’ve spent together but… it’s kind of complicated.”

“Why?” Tzuyu stared at her with those eyes that seemed to see right through all the defenses Jihyo had put up, and it made her want to talk about it to someone for the first time.

“I… I’ve had feelings for a close friend of mine for a long time but she was in love with someone else. Another close friend, actually. But she broke her heart and left and I’ve been the one picking up the pieces and taking care of her ever since. I would never hold it against her, I mean she has no clue. But it really hurts. And I’m slowly getting over her, I think I’m almost there but I don’t feel quite ready to try yet.”

Tzuyu listened attentively, and without her even noticing she had covered Jihyo’s hand with hers while she spoke. It felt incredibly comforting for such a small gesture.

“That sounds really hard. I understand. But I want to let you know I’ll be waiting. In case that when you’re ready you want to try. With me.”

“I think I would. When I’m ready.” It felt risky to Jihyo just saying that, but for the first time in forever she felt like the risk was worth taking.