“Tell me it isn’t true...” 

 

Minji stood in the middle of their shared high-rise apartment, her hair and clothes drenched by the rain as stared at her girlfriend. Her body was trembling slightly, from anger or the cold, Bora didn’t know. Her eyes were teary. Black wavy hair now clung to her wet skin, her glasses fogged up with the heat of the room. Her white shirt was slightly see-through. 

 

In all the years they had been together, Bora never had seen the older woman in this badly put together. Her entire body was shaking. Eyes bright red, a clear sign that she had been crying for a long time before coming here. Running here. 

 

“What are you talking about?” Bora let out a chuckle, placing her keys onto the counter before pausing, nerves taking over her face as she saw her state. “Did you walk in the rain? Where is the car?” 

 

“I need you to tell me the truth, Bora,” Minji’s voice cracked with emotion, her grip tightening around her phone. “Handong and Yubin said they saw you with someone... being intimate. I-But they’re lying, aren’t they? They’re lying because you wouldn’t do that to me, right?” She paused, eyes filled with desperation. Her voice softened but didn’t lose any of her urgency, “... Right?” 

 

Bora opened before closing it like a fish out of water,  her eyes dropping to the ground. Guilt rose in like bile. The pitter-patter of the rain echoed against the windows almost mimicking the sound of a clock, ticking loudly like an impending life sentence. 

 

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

 

Bora had sat alone in a bar, her grip tight around her scotch. It had been a rather tough day, both at work and with Minji. They had been arguing a lot more recently and the anxiety, stress, and fear made it unbearable to be in the apartment any longer. 

 

She gulped her drink, the burn of liquor bringing warmth to her chest, her shoulders relaxing slightly for a moment before the sudden scrap of the barstool against the wooden floor startled her. She turned and felt the air get caught in . 

 

A woman with above shoulder-length blonde hair sat down beside her, drink already in hand as she smiled. 

 

“I hope I’m not intruding.” The blonde held out her hand as she introduced herself, “I’m Siyeon, and you are?” 

 

Bora took her hand, her grip light. “Bora.” 

 

“Nice to meet you, Bora” Siyeon smiled and Bora could swear she felt her heart skip a beat. “Mind if I join you?” 

 

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

 

“Please…” Minji took several steps forward to cup her face, forcing her to meet her eyes as she repeated, “Please tell me...tell me that they’re lying, tell me that they didn’t see you. That they saw someone else, please.” 

 

“I-” Bora closed , swallowing loudly.

 

“Jesus Christ, Bora!” Minji sobbed, her hands coming up to press against her eyes, she turned her back towards her.“Why aren’t you saying anything? I’m giving you the chance to explain or to even lie but you’re not saying anything that can help this… I can’t even ing look at you.” 

 

Bora’s eyes wandered around them, sighing as she held her hand out for Minji , a forced smile coming onto her lips, “Baby, I don’t know what you’re talking about, okay?” 

 

“Don’t touch me…” Minji glared at her, a shaky hand came up to point as she put some distance between them. “Just be honest with me!” 

 

“Minji, I love you, okay?” Bora reached for her hand once again, “I love you,” 

 

“You don’t lie to someone that you love!”

 

-/-/-/-/-

 

Bora didn’t know exactly how they ended up in the position they were currently in but she couldn’t think about anything other than Siyeon. Her lips intoxicating her just like everything else, making it hard to focus on anything else except the present. 

 

Siyeon had lifted her onto the restroom’s sink, fingers digging into her hips as she continued her assault on Bora’s lips, neither one wanting to come up for air, to break the bubble they were in. 

 

“Wanna move this somewhere more private?” The blonde’s voice rasped, ticking the baby hairs that hung freely around her ear.

 

She inhaled sharply, “I shouldn’t.”

 

-/-/-/-/-

 

“No, you don’t.” Minji exhaled shakily, “You can’t love me…”

 

“Minji-” 

 

“You don’t love me, you don’t know what it means to love someone else.” Minji threw her phone at the ground causing the younger woman to jump as it shattered. “You don’t lie to the people that you love, you don’t hurt the person that you love! ” 

 

“She didn’t mean anything, I promise!” Bora’s eyes filled, her voice cracking. “Just trust me, please trust me.” 

 

“She didn’t mean anything?” 

 

Bora shook her head once again, attempting to take her hand once again. “No, she didn’t, I promise.” 

 

“God, that almost makes it worse.” Minji slid against the wall to her feet, burying her face in her hands as she tried her best to hold back more of her tears. “If you were in love with her and wanted to be with her, I would understand more but it was just a temptation..” 

 

“Baby, please.” Bora got to her knees in front of her, her hand outstretched, hesitant to gently remove Minji’s hands from her face. Urging her girlfriend to meet her gaze. “We were arguing and I thought- you told me to leave!” 

 

“So, you’re saying that it’s my fault? It’s my fault that you cheated?” Minji searched her eyes,  “I told you to leave, not to stick your tongue down someone’s throat!” 

 

“Of course not,” Bora shook her head, her hands outstretched so she could slowly take her into her arms. “Baby, please, it didn’t mean anything, I didn’t realize what I was doing until it was too late. Besides, it’s not like you haven’t cheated on someone before- you cheated on Yoohyeon.” 

 

“Yoohyeon and I were engaged because of our families, not because we loved each other. We were only friends and covered for each other.” The eldest spat, “Which you know if you ever actually spoke to Yooh!” 

 

Bora sighed heavily, her hands gently coming to rest on Minji’s legs, her voice soft, “I made a mistake, Minji… That’s all it was, a one time mistake.” 

 

“You could’ve told me that…” Minji’s voice came out as a whisper, devoid of emotion. “When it happened, you could’ve come to me and told me what happened. I would’ve talked it through, we would’ve worked through it…But now, you’re a completely different person to me now.” 

 

“Please, Minji,” Bora grasped her hands desperately, tears streaming down her face, “Please look at me, please.” 

 

“I gave up everything for you, Bora….I gave up everything to be with you. I was going to marry you.” A weak smile appeared on her lips as she met her eyes. “I was going to ask you to marry me, to spend the rest of your life with me…” 

 

“I love you, Minji, I love you, you know I do.” Bora urged, tears streaming down her face,  “I love you with all of my heart and soul. I promise I do, I really do. I just- I was so tired of you not letting me in, you keep pushing me away. And I can’t stop thinking that I must have done something wrong for you to be like this.” 

 

“I wish I could believe you.” Minji made her way to the  couch, pushing past Bora to bury her face in her hands. Her entire body shook as a sob escaped . “I really wish I could believe you, I want to believe you, but, I guess we have different meanings of love...love doesn’t mean the same thing to you as it does to me.” 

 

“Minji, please,” Bora’s voice cracked as she begged, still on her knees. “Please give me a chance… Let me prove that it was just one mistake, okay? I won’t do it again, I promise. Please I don’t know what to do without you, you’re all I want… I never meant to hurt you, it was never my intention to hurt you.” 

 

Without a word, Minji’s chest shook as she exhaled. As she got to her feet, she pulled Bora to hers as gently as possible. Their hands loosely entwined as Minji placed light kisses on them, her heart hurting as she did so. Ignoring her silent pleas to look at each other. To meet her gaze. 

 

“I think it’s time we take a break.” She announced quietly, eyes on the floor. “I don’t… I love you but I need space. Time,” 

 

Minji moved to the bedroom, pulling pieces of clothing from the shelves and wardrobe, placing them in her bag before moving to the bathroom to get her toiletries. When she returned to the bedroom, Bora was waiting in the doorway, leaning on its frame. 

 

“Please don’t go…” 

 

She glanced towards the doorway, her hands resting on the desk. She was exhausted. “Bora, don’t.” 

 

“Minji, we’ve been together for six years...Six. Are we really going to break up just because I made a little mistake?” Bora asked, pain clear in her voice. “It was one mistake, Minji…” 

 

“I understand it was a mistake,” Minji snapped suddenly before exhaling heavily, “I- I’m sorry… but I need time to process what happened, I can’t not leave right now, Bora… I’m scared. Hurt. I need space or I-” she swallowed, “I just need time. I know it was a mistake but you need to understand that I need to process that on my time, my terms, okay?” 

 

Silence filled the room. 

 

“I love you,” Bora’s voice cracked, “I’m sorry.” 

 

“You have no idea how much I love you. How much you mean the world to me, how much pain that I am in right now… And the worst part is...you’re not even sorry. Yes, you’ve said you’re sorry and that it was a mistake but...you’re only apologizing in the first place because you were caught.” A sad smile spread on her face, “and that’s not sincere, Bora...  Your apology? I don’t believe it. So yes, six years of being together and we’re taking a break because you ed up. You ed up. Not me, you. So if I decide that I can trust you again and you want me, then we can get back together...then we will.” 

 

“And if that doesn’t happen?” 

 

Minji picked up her bag, pausing beside the smaller woman as she pulled her into a hug, her heart beating so hard that Bora could feel it through her shirt. Pressing a light kiss to the younger woman’s forehead before resting her chin there for a moment before pushing past her, hesitating at the door.

 

“If that doesn’t happen, well,” Minji chuckled without humor, “I guess that’s something we’re both going to have to get over… I’m sure whoever she is, well, she’d be glad that you have an actual place to hook up in rather than some bathroom in a club. More sanitary this way.” 

 

Opening the front door, the older woman hesitated, tears rushing to her eyes as she heard the sobs escaping Bora. Without looking back, Minji left the apartment, her back resting on the closed door as she shut her eyes, inhaling sharply to keep herself from sobbing just as hard.