"Amber... What are you doing just sitting over there?" Asked Krystal in bed one lazy morning.

Amber chuckled at the eagerness evident in Krystal's voice.

"I was just thinking a lot about us I guess..." She said.

She then came to realize something;

"Your house is oddly quiet... Are we home alone?" Asked Amber

Krystal's tired eyes widened at the realization. Of course... and that means...

"Then... Go on... what's your second reason you love me so much?"

Amber with a soft expression, got up from her seat and slowly joined Krystal in bed.

She took her time to stare intently at Krystal in the eyes, taking in the beauty in front of her.

"My second reason... I love your smile. More specifically... When I'm the one who's making you smile."

"Alright! I can do this, I can face her again! They're all just stories and anything similar that happens in real life are all just coincidences!" 

It was much later at night, and Krystal was giving herself a pep talk trying her best to get those scenarios out of her head.

Thoughts of Amber actually being what fans had written caused her stomach to flip and palms get sweaty whenever she was near the tomboy.

But this time she feels she's over those nerves and is ready to head out with Amber again before she sets out to go to America.

She dialed Amber's number 

"Hello?" Answered Amber

"Ah, Amber! Um.. I'm sorry for the way I acted earlier... Want to head out somewhere to eat? It'll be on me!" 

Amber was very surprised by Krystal's abrupt change "Woah what? So are you feeling better?? Has your issue been resolved?"

"Yep, I'm positive! See I told you I just needed some alone time..." 

"You really had me worried there... for a second I really thought I did something wrong, I would have been super depressed thinking about what I could've done to have upset you..."

Krystal nervously gulped "um... I'm sure it shouldn't bother you that much-" 

"But it does Krystal! I swear I want to do everything in my being to make sure that you're okay! and that I don't want to be the reason you're distressed or crying... I want to be the reason you're smiling."

Krystal firmly gripped her pant leg.

Amber is seriously making things a lot harder for Krystal than it needs to be.

But Krystal shook her head and had to move forward

"Amber... you don't have to get all sentimental like this... Yes I promise you you didn't do anything wrong, so please don't talk like that..."

"Hmm... Okay! I'll be right there to pick you up! Later Princess!"

She hung up.

Princess. That's not something friends would call each other right??

Krystal shook her head once more trying her best to get any kinds of those thoughts of doubt erased from her mind.

Her and Amber are just like any other friends, and she plans to keep it that way.

Whether Amber likes her or not is none of her business. She shouldn't just conclude such a thing so easily over a couple coincidences... Besides Amber had always been affectionate right? She treats her friends just as lovingly.

Krystal waited outside her house in the snow, expecting Amber's car to arrive any minute now.

The moment she saw the familiar front face of Amber's jeep, she smiled, hoping for good, less awkward, things this time.

Krystal stepped forward, and halted seeing Amber step out of the car.

She looked at Krystal with a content smile, Krystal already darting her eyes the other way suddenly feeling slightly awkward. 

"It's cold, huh?" Said Amber.

"Uh...  yeah."

Amber looked down and noticed Krystal's hands in her coat pockets.

She cocked her head, and grabbed one of the girl's hands, and saw she wasn't wearing gloves.

Her hands felt cold. This will not do.

"Krystal... You aren't wearing any gloves, why?"

Krystal really didn't wanna deal with this at the moment and she tried her hardest to keep calm for she doesn't want her palms to get sweaty in Amber's hold.

"Ah... I... They're all in the wash?"

Amber held a somber look at her.

She remembered a trick Jackie showed her whenever her hands got cold;

"you have to get your hands in front your mouth, then blow!" 

"why?"

"there's nothing warmer than your breath! So use it to warm up your hands!" 

Amber nodded in remembrance, and held up Krystal's cold hands to the direction of her lips, Krystal completely perplexed and anxious at what exactly Amber was about to do.

Amber had Krystals hands cupped in her covered ones, and placed them over , beginning to blow, Krystal immediately wincing, her heart beating frantically.

'WHAT IN THE HELL IS SHE DOING??' Thought Krystal internally not at all sure whether to just stand there and let Amber blow her moist breath into her hands or retract them completely and step back.

"Do your hands feel warmer now, Princess?"

The tone of Amber's voice...

'Oh HELL no-'

Krystal immediately took back her hands and took a couple steps back.

Amber looked at her confused, and scratched the back of her head at her "Oh uh... I see you didn't like that... My bad." 

Amber turned the other way, feeling embarrased. She just wanted to warm her hands. Why was Krystal acting like this?

Krystal walked forward toward the passenger seat "L-Let's get going then..."

Amber was suddenly iffy with Krystal. She's still acting... shy and awkward like earlier. Was her problem actually resolved or not?

What even was her problem?

Amber decided to shrug it off and put it aside for now as she wants to have a good time with her.

She got in the car and started the engine

"So Krystal... where to?" She asked

Krystal slightly jumped in her place. She turned to Amber.

She isn't sure why, but staring directly at Amber's face suddenly made her nerves worsen.

Even so making eye contact with the tomboy made her feel like the surrounding air was getting taken away from her.

Amber then slowly reached forward, her face progressively going into an intimate proximity towards Krystal, making the poor girl forget how to breathe.

'What is she doing?? D-does she intend to...?'

Amber slightly tilted her head... then looked above Krystal.

Immediately Amber reached out her hand and pulled the seat belt down over Krystal's body, and locked it in.

"Haha, I was confused as to why you haven't put on your seatbelt yet. So spoiled, you really do want me to do everything for you..."

Amber placed her hands on the steering wheel and already started to drive off.

'Is she doing this on purpose??' Thought Krystal. This is all starting to drive her crazy.

"So Krystal, once again... where to?"

"Oh uh... let's go to the nearest meat grill. I'm still on paying  for our meal." 

"Got it, got it."

Amber drove, eyes glued on the road ahead of her, windwipers clearing up any snowflakes that fell.

Krystal isn't sure if Amber also feels an awkward atmosphere, but regardless, she didnt know how to deal with it at the moment. 

She normally never had a hard time starting a conversation with Amber... So why are things so different?

'These fanfics seriously ruined my perception... Amber is nothing like that!'

speaking of which, she pulled out her phone, paying mind that Amber isn't looking at her screen.

She was on a new fanfic that had captured her interest, and there was an updated chapter. Neat.

As she was about to click on it, she noticed the mature warning.

'Oh my god... I almost clicked on it! Yeah I won't be reading this one-'

sudden bump in the road that had both Amber and Krystal jump in their seat.

"Woah! That was a bumpy road... must be all the clumpy snow!" Said Amber as she drove ahead.

She slightly turned toward Krystal's direction and was disappointed to see she wasn't reacting. She sighed and continued driving.

Krystal meanwhile was internally screaming. The bump in the road accidentally made her click on the mature chapter... well shes in for it now.

'No no no! I will immediately go back to the previous page!'

She was about to go back, but then curiosity came strongly to her again. Should she read it? 

Mature themes might make her perception worse... she'll just skim through...

There were... a lot of inappropriate words that caught her eyes, and as she further skimmed and scrolled down the more her eyes felt like they were about to pop.

"Krystal"

Amber calling out her name.

"Krystal!"

Pulling her hair, biting her skin

"Krystal!!"

Curses belted out, sweaty bodies intertwined together-

"JUNG SOOJUNG!" 

Krystal immediately, dropped her phone and turned her head at Amber.

Amber kept calling her name a bunch of times.

"We're here." She said

"Oh..." responded Krystal quietly, as she picked up her phone that fell beside her feet.

Amber really wanted to ask Krystal once more if she was okay, but she knows asking that would bother the latter... so she continued to suppress her worries for now.

"Let's go and eat then..." She said, and they both got out the car.

Amber walked toward the small restaurant's direction, and as she had her hands inside her coat pockets. She extended her right elbow out, expecting Krystal to link arms with her like she always does.

But to Amber's dismay, she didn't. Amber normally disliked linking arms, but she got used to Krystal doing it as she did it the most often. 

So to see the stoic girl solemnly walking by her side, without excitedly linking arms, had Amber feel like someone started stacking painful weight on her heart. 

She really wants to know what Krystal is going through right now... and why she hasn't been acting like herself...