Wendy blankly stares at the bright computer screen in front of her. There're endless rows of letters and numbers as she scrolls through the page, but none of them are being processed and analyzed by her mind. She keeps reading, she keeps scrolling, but doing those things are useless when her mind is somewhere else.

What has her day been like?

She started her day like how she usually is. She woke up, she checked her phone and sent a few texts, brewed coffee and made a simple breakfast, took a shower and then went to work. But somehow, she can’t focus on her job for today. Wendy keeps finding herself distracted, constantly checking on her phone whenever there’s a new notification.

“What is wrong with me,” grumbled Wendy to herself as she pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. She can’t keep going on like this—being distracted and all—when she needs to finish reviewing this report today.

Ever since Irene told her that she’s going to go out with her friends to a nightclub tonight, Wendy can’t do her job right.

Being an overprotective person is not something Wendy would add about herself. She is never bothered to stick her nose into someone’s private life, and that includes her significant other. They have their own life and they are free to do what they want with their life. That’s the principle Wendy has been living with for her whole existence.

That is, until Irene happened.

This is not the first time Irene told her that she will have fun with her friends in a club. Wendy found it ridiculous with the idea of not giving Irene permission to go to a club, especially when they met in a nightclub during their first meeting with each other. But something about tonight irks her, considering how there was a little bit of argument exchanged in their text before Irene stopped replying to her until this very second.

Irene asked her to tag along, to spend time with her and her friends together at the club. And Wendy rejected her invitation because there is a report she needs to finish tonight. Her girlfriend keeps urging her to come, but Wendy is not someone who easily budge once she makes her decision.

Until Irene sent the next message.

Be honest with me. Are you really busy tonight or are you just evading the idea of spending time with me and my friends because of our age difference?

Wendy can only stare at the message long enough until her secretary wakes her up from her daze to notify her about the new report and there’s an ugly pain coming from the back of her neck. She pressed her forehead when a headache slowly built up inside her brain, knowing there is no escape in this.

Because Irene is right, Wendy is not as busy as she wants to be. She doesn’t want to come because she thought an old person like her would just ruin their fun night, the fun night they deserve after working hard for finals week.

It has been an everlasting problem in their relationship regarding the between the two of them. Mostly coming from Wendy who feels insecure and doubts herself that she can mingle with these people who are far younger than her. It has never been a problem for Irene who knows how to present herself in front of everyone when Wendy brought her along with her to the rich people’s party as her plus one.

But overthinking is a trait Wendy has been living with ever since the beginning of her life. It’s a good trait for a businesswoman like her to overthink before making an important decision for their business. For relationships? So far, it’s never been a good trait for her.

I’m sorry.

That’s the only text Wendy sent to her girlfriend whom she knows Irene has been waiting for her reply for ages. It doesn’t take her a long time to receive her text.

you.

Two simple words easily tell Wendy that Irene is mad and disappointed in her.

She tried to ignore her feelings like usual. She tried to push away the fact that Irene is currently angry at her and put it at the far back of her mind. Wendy tried everything to stay focused, to keep working and finishing her report as quickly as she could. She was about to get back into her zone when a new notification arrived and Wendy couldn't help herself to not look at her phone.

Your loss for not coming with us tonight.

And there’s a picture being sent afterwards. A picture of Irene in a very revealing outfit for tonight. She wore a black bra that showcases her great body for everyone at the club to see later tonight, topped with an ed black crop top shirt that barely covers her from being mostly . Irene also wore a black skirt that is so short it barely covers her thighs. If she ever bent over her body tonight, people would have a feast in viewing her crotch.

The grip she got on her phone tightened the longer she looked at the picture. Tons of sentences popped up like a bag of popcorn inside of a microwave because of the mixed emotions she currently feels right now. Questions, assumptions, anger, fear—everything mixed into one with the help of a blender that is her mind.

Never in her whole life Wendy has experienced this before.

Her brain painfully throbs once again, and Wendy abruptly decides to call this day over. She can no longer stay at her office, not when her mind is fully occupied with thoughts that are not related to work at all.

It doesn’t help either to leave her office when she is still distressed at home. She paced around her condo like a stupid person. Hell, Wendy can’t even bring herself to drink a bottle of wine because she has a feeling that she will need to drive her car sooner or later. It will be easier to just come to the club, since she knows where Irene will take her friends to have fun in the night. Even when she doesn’t tell her the location.

But something is holding her back to go, and Wendy clearly knows the reason why. She can’t bring herself to go, no matter how much she wants to be there. No matter how much Irene is testing her patience when she sends her the damned picture of her outfit of the night.

Why is Irene wearing such a revealing outfit tonight? Why did she dress up like that when she knew Wendy would not be there by her side to protect her and usher people who will look at her like Irene is just another feast for them to enjoy? Why does it look like she was wearing that on purpose—just to ignite her fury and make her look like a fool in front of everyone? These are some of the questions that have been running inside her mind and they can’t stop.

Suddenly, the deafening silence in her home got cut the moment she heard her phone was ringing loudly. A glimpse of the contact name is enough for Wendy to answer the call as fast as she can. “Hello? Irene? Where are you?”

“Uh, hi,” answered someone from the other line, who clearly does not have the same voice as Irene. Her body froze from the realization, as negative assumptions started to fill her mind. The grip she got on her phone tightened, it feels like she can break it just by using the strength of her hand. “I’m sorry, but this is not Irene.”

“Is that legit Wendy?” asked someone from the other line, a bit away from the phone based on how low the volume is and it sounded a bit hushed. The question soon to be followed with a loud laugh. “! Irene is something else for naming her contact as ‘old bastard’, really.”

“Who is this?” asked Wendy in her stern voice.

“It’s Joy, Irene’s friend and roommate,” answered the person in the other line with a bored voice. “We met that night when you came to her dorm and apologized.”

Her brain soon played the reel of a piece of her memory. A memory of her driving like a lunatic to Irene’s dorm after she realized that she can no longer live like this, with a broken heart and the thought of the younger woman who seems to just can’t stop showing up inside her mind. “Where is she?”

“Somewhere, on the dance floor,” sighed Joy in exasperation, like whatever Irene has been doing at the club is beyond her control. Not even her best friends can handle her. “Can you please come here and pick her up? Bring her to your place or something? She’s crazy drunk right now because she can’t stop drinking thanks to someone deciding not wanting to go out with her tonight.”

She can feel suddenly taste bitter after listening to Joy. All of this happened because of her stupid overthinking and her huge ego in not wanting to join Irene and her friends. All of this is her fault.

“Please watch over her,” instructed Wendy as she took her key in the bowl near the front porch. “I’m on my way.”

“Does Irene tell you where the club is?” asked Joy, followed by the sound of someone drinking another shot of alcohol. These college students really need to hold back in getting wasted. “We are in Underwater right now.”

“Yeah, I know,” muttered Wendy before she gulped the ball of nerve suddenly forming inside .

Because that’s where she met Irene for the first time, exchanging real conversation with her after texting her for a few days in a dating app. The cramped toilet of the club is the sole witness of the indecent things they did, the reason why Wendy can’t take her out of her mind.

Wendy ends the call and drives like a madman afterwards. She ignored the honk coming from some of the cars because she was switching lanes abruptly in order for her to not slow down. A trip that was supposed to last for twenty minutes, she easily cut it short by ten with the help of her fancy sports car.

The loud sound of music greeted her ears as soon as she entered the crowded club. The air smells like alcohol and sweat, Wendy needs to frown to not throw up from the sickening stench. Her eyes quickly scan through each of the party-goers, trying to spot a familiar someone that she knows by heart. But whenever she tries to take a step forward, someone will push her another two steps back as they can’t stop ugly dancing to the music.

“Wendy!”

She turns her head to find a tall girl with long black hair waving her arm in the air. Wendy remembers her as someone who told her where Irene is that night, and it’s enough of an information for the businesswoman to let her legs lead her to the table that was filled with college students.

There are only three of them at the table, but Wendy didn’t miss the fourth purse randomly lying down on the seat. A bunch of empty bottles are scattered all over the table, several kinds of alcohol she knows the price is not affordable for college students. Some of them knocked down and spilled a little amount of alcohol, some of them still standing tall in their half empty state.

“Irene drinks most of them,” said someone from behind her. She turned around and found Joy with a tired expression masking her face. “Well, at least she drank the empty one.”

Her jaw hardened from the new information she just got. “Where is she?”

“At the bar,” answered another girl beside her. “She never went this crazy for a drink before. What did you do to her, old bastard?”

“That’s my business with her,” replied Wendy after her lips turned into a thin line because of the new nickname she just got thanks to Irene changing her contact name. “It’s none of your concern.”

“She’s our friend!” the girl fights back. Another girl who was beside her trying to hold back her friend from doing more while whispering Yeri, stop it loud enough for her to hear it because of the noisy music at the club. But the girl who was called Yeri by her friend did not back down. “Of course it’s our concern-”

“Is this enough for you to stop yapping?” deadpanned Wendy as she offered her a black card that was shining underneath the dim light of the club.

The protest on Yeri’s face soon dissipated and changed with a wicked smile as she took her black card shamelessly. From the corner of her eyes, she can see Joy roll her eyes from the made-up act while their other friend frowned in worry and whispered Is this okay? to the tallest girl of Irene’s best friend group, loud enough for Wendy to hear it. “Go get your girl, Wendy! We got your back!”

Wendy rolls her eyes from the change of behavior because she just paid for their bill, which she knows a college student like them will not be able to afford. Especially when Underwater is a fancy club. “You guys can go back on your own, right? Or should I call my driver to drive you guys back to your dorm?”

“You have a drive-”

Yeri doesn’t have the chance to finish her sentence because Joy stepped on her feet hard enough for the smaller girl to wince in pain and curse her. Joy flashed her a fake smile as she linked her arm around the neck of the other girl. Wendy still doesn’t know her name. “No need to worry about us. We can just call Seulgi’s brother to drive us back.”

“We are calling my brother?” asked Seulgi—the other girl—in a hushed voice, with a confused expression etched on her face. “But he is out of town right now, though?”

She only raised her eyebrow as Joy doesn’t look like she will erase her fake smile anytime soon, while handing her a black purse that seems like it was Irene’s. Wendy lets out a sigh before she shrugs and leaves them alone, choosing to not give them another damn. All three of them are already adults, they can go back to their dorm without her help just fine. Right now, there is an important thing she needs to do as soon as she arrives at this club.

To search Irene and take her back home with her.

It doesn’t take her long to find the bar, considering she remembers it like it was carved at the back of her hand because that’s where she met Irene for the first time. Her eyes scanned through the back of the people who sat on the high stool, and she stopped looking around when she saw a person with a jet black long hair, currently laughing with the guy who sat beside her.

Their distance is painfully close with each other as Irene’s palm rested on his shoulder, while he got his slimy hand pressed against her back. Her cheek is flushed red, along with half-lidded eyes that give the sign to Wendy to know that Irene is already drunk. She clenched her hand into a fist when she noticed his eyes constantly looking down towards her bust, trying to take a peek in what Irene hid underneath her bra as he disgustingly rubbed her back to show her that he’s affectionate.

All Wendy can see is red, even when the nightclub is filled with colors as the party goes on.

Wendy decided to take a step closer, and it doesn’t seem like Irene noticed her presence because she turned around and hardly slapped the back of another man who was sitting beside her. “Did you listen to his joke earlier, Xiaojun? God, that was ing funny!”

Something throbs inside her forehead. The guy named Xiaojun was laughing along with her girl until he noticed her murderous stare on his back. She can see his face slowly turned pale, but Wendy doesn’t give a if her expression is currently scaring the poor guy. “Um, Irene? She’s here.”

“Who?” slurred Irene with a frown that made her look like she had eyesight trouble. And it seems like she understands the information Xiaojun gives from his gaze, because the next thing she says is a loud snort. “The ing old bastard is not going to come here, Xiaojun. She is currently too busy rawdogging her paperwork instead of spending time with her freaking girl!”

She raised her eyebrow when her drunk girlfriend slammed her shot glass on the counter and yelled for more alcohol. But her anger soon dissipated when the slimy guy whispered something into her ear, and she giggled because of him.

Irene just transferred her anger to Wendy, and all she wants is to break his body in two pieces.

“You are right,” hiccuped Irene as she drank a shot of tequila in one gulp before she continued. “I deserve better. It’s her mistake to waste someone like me!”

“Exactly, baby,” he nastily grinned like he just got a jackpot as he placed his slimy hand on her exposed thigh this time, slowly moving upwards. Her eyebrow twitched from the sudden pet name. Who is he to call Irene ‘baby’ when they just met each other tonight? “You need someone who can treat you well. And I know the right person who can do that for you.”

Before he can reach places up further, Wendy decides to step in and yank his hand away from her thigh. Becoming a body barrier between him and Irene.

“Wendy!” exclaimed Irene happily, like she just did not spill her anger towards her to the guy who looks like he can’t stop touching her.

“What the ?!” hissed the guy in annoyance as he held his wrist, the wrist Wendy just hurt. “What the hell is your ing problem, woman? I’m here first, she’s mine! ing wait for your turn.”

He was about to reach for Irene again, only for Wendy to grab his wrist in a much stronger grip this time. Stopping him and staring at him in the eyes with daggers flowing out from her orbs. “Try to touch her one more time, and I will make sure your wrist is not the only thing I hurt tonight. Do you understand?”

The guy was about to fight back from the challenge. But seeing Wendy didn’t budge at all when he tried to yank her hand out from her grasp is enough to make him cower like a full coward that he is. Her eyes witnessed how colors got drained from his face. Wendy released her grip on her wrist, and the man did not waste even a second to run away from her point of view.

“Hey! Why are you scaring the kind guy?” protested Irene from behind as she hit her back with her fist. It doesn’t feel painful at all for Wendy. “I was having fun with him! Right, Xiaojun?”

Wendy snorted in disbelief as she turned around to find Irene staring at her with anger in her eyes, and the guy named Xiaojun staring at her like she is the devil who just arrived from hell. “And who are you?”

“No one,” Xiaojun raised his arms in surrender, trying to save himself from her wrath. “I don’t even know her. I will just leave you two alone, okay?”

“What the ? Xiaojun!” yelled Irene as Xiaojun practically scattered away from the two of them. Wendy raised her eyebrow when Irene turned around to face her with her angry expression. “Great. Congratulations, Wendy. Now you have scared my friend too. What the are you even doing here? I thought you didn't want to come because you were busy?”

Her lips turn into a thin line when Irene emphasizes the word ‘busy’ in front of her face, using the excuse she has been giving her all afternoon. “Your friend called me, Irene. She said you were drunk as and from what I see right now, she’s right. I’m here to take you home.”

Irene snorted after she cursed Joy under her breath. She walks past Wendy, purposefully hitting her shoulder. “I don’t want to go back. And if I do, I sure as hell don’t want to go back with you.”

The older between the two pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. She feels her head spin, and Wendy is not even the one who drinks alcohol recklessly. Her eyes watched Irene drunkenly swaying towards the dance floor, bumping several strangers along the way. Wendy doesn’t make an effort to apologize on her stead, especially when they are as drunk as the younger woman. “Irene, what are you doing?”

“Partying,” shrugged Irene before she turned around and flashed her a stupid grin. Her hand reached for her t-shirt, tugging Wendy closer as she wrapped her arms around her neck. Irene reeks of alcohol, Wendy needs to tighten her jaw to stop herself from saying unnecessary words. “Now that you are here, might as well we enjoy the party together, babe.”

God knows how many times Wendy has raised her eyebrow. This time, it was because of the sudden change of her behavior. Drunk Irene is a total pain in the , she knows that much after spending quite a lot of time together with the younger woman. The abrupt change of her emotion always makes her crazy, always makes her feel dizzy. “We are going home, Irene. You had fun enough.”

“Ugh, you are no fun!” protested Irene as she released her hold she got around her neck. She stepped away from her, flashing that stupid grin again. “Fine, I will just find someone who wants to have fun with me then.”

Her eyes hardened from the mention of ‘someone’. “Don’t test me, Irene.”

“Or what, Wendy?” challenged Irene, cocking her head to make a point. “What are you going to do?”

Wendy squinted her eyes before she did the unexpected. 

After all, Irene asked for this.

She took a huge step forward and made a surprise move on Irene by picking up her body, throwing her over her shoulder like she was just a sack of rice instead of a person. Wendy makes sure to secure the hold that she got on her as Irene tries to escape from her, hitting her back like it will make her relent and let her go. “Put me down, you bastard!”

The action causes the people around them to stop dancing through the ugly beats, choosing to watch two people who were making a small commotion in the middle of a packed dance floor. Thankfully, Wendy is good at ignoring the people around her, including the woman who is on her shoulder. She chooses to casually walk away towards the exit, as the crowd parts to make a way for her to go through without any difficulty, acting like she was Moses.

“Help!” screamed Irene, while still trying her best to be free from her hold. “This person is trying to kidnap me!”

But no one dares to come closer, not even the bulky security who was standing right at the exit door. It was enough for Wendy to only use her sharp gaze to let everyone know that they shall not dare to go against her. To stop her from leaving the club and forcing to come home together with her.

Then again, no one in their right mind would have the balls to stop the owner of the club.

It was complete silence during their drive back to her condo. Irene ignored her and chose to look past her window. Wendy let out a defeated sigh, deciding to not pester her and annoy Irene more as she focused on the late night road, with cars barely filling the traffic.

Irene still gives her silent treatment even after they arrive at the apartment building. She refuses her help in walking towards the entrance, when Wendy just wants to make sure she will not trip over the stairs and cause ruckus in the middle of the night. They were silent in the elevator, they were also silent as Wendy unlocked the door of her condo. She had enough of the silence after they entered her place, but Irene beat her to it.

“You are so ing annoying today, do you know that?”

“I was just trying to bring you back home, Irene,” defended Wendy, putting the purse her girlfriend seems to have forgotten about on top of the kitchen island. “Why? Was the party that fun? Was being touched by a stupid man who wants to you sounds fun?”

“Yeah,” answered Irene with a loud scoff. “Tonight was an absolute blast, Wendy. It was super ing fun until you ruined everything!”

“Tell me exactly, Irene, what did I do to ruin everything?” challenged Wendy as she took a step forward. “Saving your before that ing guy use you for his own satisfaction? Preventing you from having with a married man because you were too drunk to notice his wedding ring on his finger? Is that it?”

This time, it was Irene who took a step forward. Along with a hard punch that feels like nothing on her shoulder. “You have ing ruined everything ever since you rejected my invitation to come with us!”

Wendy let out a hollow chuckle, in disbelief with what she just said. Emotion has taken over her rationality. She can’t think straight. “So this is my fault? Everything is my fault—is that it, Irene? Not because you were wearing such a revealing outfit and recklessly drinking like an alcoholic?”

“Why?” Irene cocked her head. “Are you having a problem with that? I thought I could dress however I want, and do whatever I want?”

Her jaw tightened from the blatant provocation. “We are in a relationship, Irene. I’m your girlfriend. If anything, I have my right to be concerned over your well-being. Yes, you can dress however you want, and do whatever you want. But you were uncontrollable when you drank too much, you were irresponsible and acted however you like without thinking of the consequences. Your friends might be at the club, but if I wasn’t there to-”

“What?” interrupted Irene. “If you weren’t there, what would happen?”

She stared right into her eyes. The eyes that will sometimes greet her in the morning and have become her favorite sight to start her day. “After you send that picture, I can’t stop thinking about you. I keep wondering if you are okay, if you feel cold at the club, if you are safe. I’m so scared when your friend called me, my mind started to have negative thoughts and I drove like a lunatic to come and get you. When I saw you with that man, everything turned red. I just want to punch his ugly face and keep you away from him, and I started to think if I decided to tag along, none of that would happen because I will be there from the beginning to protect you. If anything ever happens to you, Irene, and I wasn’t there, then I will never forgive myself for being selfish.”

It was a different kind of silence blanketing them. The distance between them is so close, she can feel her breath fanning against her lips. The quiet ambiance lasted for a few seconds, until Irene broke the ice by pulling her collar and clashed their lips together. 

Both of them pour everything into the kiss. All of the pent up anger, all the worries, all of the feelings that were left unsaid. tastes like alcohol, and Wendy can feel herself starting to become lightheaded the longer she kisses Irene. Her kiss made her drunk, intoxicating her like a strong bind that was impossible to break. She changed her angle to kiss her better and gently craned her face, such a contrast to the tight grip she got on her waist. Her last resort to keep her sanity intact, to stay in control of herself.

They connected their foreheads the moment they broke the intense kiss. Irene is completely flushed in red due to her drunk state, along with swollen lips because of their kiss. She looks unbelievably pretty, even with half-lidded eyes.

“I hate you,” murmured Irene softly, almost close to a whisper.

Wendy closed her eyes. Behind the smell of alcohol, there’s a hint of scent from her favorite perfume. Her perfume that Irene stole from her makeup table because she likes the scent, and she can just buy a new bottle. “I know. You never fail to let me know that you hate me.”

“You are so annoying.”

“I know that too.”

“I love you.”

She opened her eyes, finding Irene was staring at her with those gorgeous orbs that sometimes show up in her dream. “I love you too.”

Their lips met each other again, this time in a much calmer kiss. There’s no rush in every swipe of tongue, in every caress of lips. They choose to take their time, savoring every second that passed like this kiss meant a lot more than the others. She gently bit her bottom lip and gave it a soft tug, to calm Irene from her own emotion and let Wendy take the lead. The kiss lasted long enough for the older woman to break out from the haze when she felt Irene slip her palm underneath her t-shirt.

“Baby,” Wendy gently called for her after she broke their kiss, and waited patiently until she got her eyes on her. “We are not going to have tonight.”

Irene let out a groan of protest. Wendy stops her before she can reach her limp . “Why? I thought you loved me.”

“I do, baby. I love you so much,” whispered Wendy like she doesn’t want someone else to listen to her words, except Irene. She tuck a loose strand of her smooth hair behind her ear. “But you are drunk right now, and I don’t want to take advantage of you.”

“I’m not drunk,” sulked Irene like a toddler who doesn’t get their favorite ice cream. “I’m perfectly sober.”

“Are you?” snorted Wendy as she ran her eyes from the top of her head to her toes, to make a point to Irene. “Because you can barely stand up straight right now if not for me holding your body from falling down.”

“Ugh, you talked too much,” grumbled Irene, feeling annoyed with her lecture. “Just shut the up and-”

She doesn’t manage to finish her sentence, because the next thing Irene does is throw up all over her body, vomiting out everything inside her guts and dirtying her t-shirt and her trousers in the process. Wendy can only stand there in shock over the sudden change of situation, watching her own body get contaminated and she can’t do anything but staring. But she is still quick enough to catch Irene who was about to fall after she threw up.

The culprit is sleeping, using her shoulder as her personal pillow. Wendy pokes her cheek, trying to see if her girlfriend is really losing her consciousness and just leaves her alone in the middle of the mess she caused. She let out a defeated sigh, tiredly rubbing her face because her load just got added. 

God knows how much she wants to ignore this for the whole night and then take care of it after the morning comes. But this is not something she can disregard for a long time.

“Fine,” grumbled Wendy, halfheartedly accepting her fate. She easily picked up Irene in her arms, trying to not make more mess and spreading her puke all over her floor in the process during her journey to the bathroom. “Let’s get you cleaned up first before I’m taking you to bed.”

What a night she just had.

---

Wendy had just finished cooking a hangover soup for breakfast this morning when her ears caught the sound of Irene throwing up in her bedroom, the sign that she just woke up from her sleep. She took her time in going to check after her, preparing two empty bowls for the soup first before she walked towards the crime scene.

She found Irene throwing up in a bucket she had prepared on the side of her bed the moment she woke up first. The younger woman let out a painful groan, massaging her forehead. “, my head hurts like a .”

“There’s an aspirin and a glass of water on your left,” informed Wendy as she pointed the said objects on the nightstand with her head.

“Great,” snorted Irene as she spotted the said medicine to help her with her hangover. She took the aspirin and the glass of water into the grasp of her hands. “Good to know.”

A thick frown bloomed on her forehead when she caught the bitterness behind the words she just said. She watches Irene drink her medicine without any difficulties. “What was that supposed to mean?”

Irene ignored her question. “How did I get here?”

“Your friend called me,” answered Wendy truthfully, Irene halfheartedly chuckling from her reply. “She said you are beyond wasted and asked me to pick you up and bring you home.”

“Right, of course Joy called you,” snorted Irene, like she had predicted her answer. “Because why would you even be there in the first place?”

“What the do you mean?” hissed Wendy.

“Don’t be a ing idiot, Wendy. We both know I wouldn’t come here after I have such a fun night with my friends,” spat Irene with a sharp tone in her voice. “The same reason why you wouldn’t be there if not for Joy calling you to pick me up.”

“Is this how you are going to start our morning?” Wendy let out a defeated sigh. “Arguing?”

“Obviously,” Irene rolled her eyes before she went back to lay down in her bed. “Because I can’t leave this place no matter how much I want to since my head decided to be a ing pain in the as soon as I wake up. Now I need to talk with you when that is the last thing I want to do.”

Wendy pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. She should have known her day will not start as smoothly as she expected it to be. A completely wasted Irene means that she will not totally remember what happened last night—all of their arguments, including their kiss that almost led them to have if not for Wendy being strong enough to hold back. And she still also has unresolved problems with Irene. The problem that became the reason why her girlfriend decided to drink as much alcohol as she can last night.

She let her legs lead her to her bed. Irene was turning her back on her when she sat on her side of the mattress. She doesn’t know how to start the conversation. Hell, she never had this kind of conversation in her whole life. “You are still mad at me, don’t you?”

“You think?” scoffed Irene in disbelief. She covered herself more with the help of a thick blanket. “Just shut the up if you don’t want to talk and leave me alone, Wendy. I’m tired.”

Her jaw tightened from her cold answer. She hates the fact that she is the reason behind this Irene. Irene, who hates her existence to guts and prefers to ignore her instead of acknowledging her presence beside her. Irene, whom she hurt because Wendy was being selfish.

“If I talk,” Wendy paused for a little while, staring at the back of her head as she didn't get the courtesy of facing her. “Will you listen?”

Irene doesn’t say anything as her question got answered with complete silence. But the fact that she doesn’t express any form of rejection, Wendy will take that as a yes.

“I’m really sorry for not coming with you last night,” started Wendy as she tightly gripped the edge of the bed unconsciously. “And you were right. The reason why I don’t want to come is because of your friends. I’m—I was scared, Irene. I don’t know these people, and we are not the same age. I’m afraid I will make things horrible if I was there, I’m afraid the party wouldn’t have been as fun. I don’t know how to talk with them. I was afraid that I would make you disappointed instead. And that was before I knew the fact that I wasn’t there was more disappointing than my excuse. All of this happened because I thought too much, and I was a huge coward. I’m sorry.”

Wendy felt the mattress behind her shifted after a few seconds of silence blanketing the room. She felt her soft hand on her cheek afterwards, letting Irene guide her face to look at her in the eyes without making any resistance. 

“Is that why?” asked Irene gently, such a huge contrast compared to their argument a few minutes ago. “The reason why you don’t want to come is because you think too much?”

“I know it sounded like an excuse. I wouldn’t accept that either if I were you. But I—bad scenarios just popped up inside my mind and they are coming from left and right. I just can’t stop thinking how I would make things horrible,” explained Wendy as she doesn’t realize her voice is shaking a little bit. Her hands turned cold, she can’t believe this talk is much harder than facing the stakeholders during the monthly meeting. “It’s my mistake to let my thoughts affect me. I shouldn’t have done that, and I can only say sorry to you.”

Irene only stared at her in silence, and Wendy can’t read anything inside her eyes. She can feel her heart beat so fast. Wendy doesn’t even realize her hand was shaking until she felt Irene touch her palm, and it was warm. “Wendy, do you think I would leave you alone with them?”

The older woman shook her head. “No. I just don’t want to ruin the fun and make you sad. I’m so sorry.”

“Wendy, I invited you to our party because I want us to have fun. Well, I do admit it will be super nice if you can get along with my friends, but that is not the real reason why I want you to be there with us,” explained Irene softly, she can feel her thumb gently caressing her cheek and her knuckles. “I want to talk with you. I want to dance with you. I want to drink with you. I want us to reminisce about our first time meeting each other, that’s why I chose that club.”

She blinked her eyes. “Is that the reason why you were sitting at the bar?”

Her girlfriend flashed her a grin while entangling their fingers together. She’s incredibly warm, Wendy wants her to keep holding her hand for as long as they live. “And the reason why Xiaojun was sitting on your seat. He’s also my best friend, by the way. He was there to search for a new boyfriend.”

A frown bloomed on her forehead. “You remember what happened last night?”

“Just now, actually,” grinned Irene innocently, like she wasn’t just apologizing. “When that man tried to hit on me, Xiaojun was actually there to keep me safe and watching every movement he made. He was going to pull me away in case the guy dared to do something more than just touching me, until you arrived and became my hero.”

Wendy raised her eyebrow from the revelation. Now that everything becomes clear, the anger she felt last night suddenly resurfaced, “Why are you wearing that outfit last night?”

“To make you angry,” smirked Irene like a sly fox, like she had been planning this all along. “It was Yeri's idea to make you mad. Turns out, it was a huge success. I should text her my thank you later. You were really hot in stopping him from making more advances to me, by the way.”

“No more of wearing that kind of revealing outfit,” Wendy tightened her jaw as her voice became stern. “I will not allow that anymore.”

“Becoming possessive, are we?” Irene turns into a Cheshire cat from the way she flashed her wicked smile. Her finger reached for her collar, and hooking them to pull her closer. “Why? Because you are the only one who is allowed to see me like that?”

“Yeah, because I’m the only one who is allowed to see you like that,” whispered Wendy as her eyes lowered to stare at her lips. “Because you're mine.”

She slowly leaned forward, and the tip of their noses almost brushed against each other when Irene suddenly put her palm above her lips. Wendy perplexedly blinked her eyes as she looked at Irene who already had a panicked expression on her face.

“I just woke up, so I have a really horrible morning breath. And I threw up as soon as I opened my eyes, so my breath is super ing disgusting right now,” muttered Irene, like she was talking to herself instead of talking with Wendy. The latter can only stay silent, too surprised with the sudden interruption. “Let me just brush my teeth first before we kiss.”

And just like that, Irene left her alone on her bed to rush towards the bathroom. Wendy blinked her eyes once again before she broke into a chuckle, finding the whole situation funny. Her morning goes from arguing with Irene who was still mad at her, to Irene who doesn’t want Wendy to kiss her in her messed up state. She found the whole thing stressful, and oddly cute. Wendy doesn’t know why she was thinking like that as she stood up from her bed to join Irene in the bathroom.

But before she can even take a step further, her girlfriend suddenly shows up and stands under the doorframe. “I’m done.”

Wendy raised her eyebrow. “That was qui-”

Before she can finish her words, Irene suddenly comes and jumps towards her. Thankfully, Wendy is quick enough to catch her in her arms and prevent her from falling down from her hold. While the younger woman circled her legs around her waist and placed her arms around her neck. Wendy can smell the scent of her mint toothpaste coming from as her lips formed into a grin. “Now, where were we?”

A chuckle left before their lips met in the middle for a kiss. It doesn’t take long for both of them to start involving tongue in their passionate link-up. tasted like mint, void of any bitter alcohol. Wendy inwardly applauded her for cleansing in such a short time. 

She barely realized she was already sitting on the edge of her bed once again. Wendy only found out about their current position when Irene shifted on her lap and started grinding her clothed core against her crotch. A groan slipped past her lips in the middle of their kiss because of the sudden movement. She slips her hands underneath her oversized t-shirt to stop her waist from making another move.

Irene was smirking against her lips as they broke their kiss. “Shall we continue what we left behind last night? Shall we do it raw this time?”

"No," answered Wendy without leaving any space for Irene to negotiate with her decision. Her thumb makes invisible circles on the skin of her waist to give her a sense of comfort. Irene was biting her bottom lip, and Wendy can’t fight back the urge to kiss her. “I thought your hangover was horrible?”

“Your aspirin worked like magic, babe,” giggled Irene before she took off her oversized t-shirt effortlessly, giving Wendy the sight of her with a hardened at the top of each peak. “Mind to tell me where did you get that?”

“Just use mine,” whispered Wendy as she let one of her palms wander to where her exposed is. “I can buy another.”

The younger woman flashed her a smile before they shared another intense kiss again, and they spent almost the entirety of the morning wrestling in bed.

---

Wendy silently stared at the majestic sight beside her. The woman is using her arm as her personal pillow, not that she minds. Her black long hair beautifully spills all over, flowing down like a soft curtain on her bed. A glimpse of her shown to her eyes, perfectly glowing by the help of the sunlight that fills the entirety of her bedroom.

And there red petals all over her skin, courtesy of Wendy who planted it in the heat of the moment. They started to turn purple, a sign to tell her how much time has passed. Wendy got curious for more as she gently brushed aside her hair to see her nape, only for her to find more purple marks in the sea of her white skin.

She leaned forward, placing her lips above the hickey she tattooed on her skin some time ago. Softly kissing each one of them until she heard a chime of giggle. The body inside her hold shifted, and turned around to reveal a beautiful tired face with a happy smile carved on it.

“Three rounds wasn’t enough for you?” asked Irene with a giggle as her finger reached for her face. A blunt nail gently scratching on her cheek. 

“It will never be enough if it’s with you,” whispered Wendy while taking her hand into her grasp, kissing her inner palm.

“ert,” teased Irene with a playful roll of her eyes. She gave her lips a soft peck, Wendy almost protested from how quick it was. “But it’s nice to know you can’t get enough of me.”

The older woman rolled her eyes as the college student turned around to face her better. Irene still uses her arm as her pillow, and she doesn’t find the need to retract. Even though she can feel her arm starting to become numb.

“I’m sorry for throwing up all over you last night,” apologized Irene as she made a circle on her cheek with her thumb. “Must be a pain in the to clean it.”

A scoff left her lips, knowing exactly that Irene doesn’t feel sorry to the slightest. “Consider that as my punishment for making you angry.”

Her ears listened to the beautiful sound of Irene’s laugh once again. She only stopped when Wendy kissed her this time, much longer than just a mere peck Irene gave her earlier. Much sweeter, and so comforting.

“Your friends were fun. I understand why you want us to meet each other,” Wendy started the conversation this time, and she got every attention Irene is currently giving to her right now. “Although, I don’t think our first meeting can be considered as decent.”

“They think you’re great from all the text I got in our group chat. Well, mostly because you gave them your black card for them to use just like that,” snickered Irene as her blunt nails scratched on her abs this time, just right above her navel. It’s not further down yet, but Wendy is focused on every movement she makes. “They asked if they could use your card to buy things.”

“I froze the card the moment they paid for their drinks last night,” snorted Wendy as she closed her eyes, enjoying the hands wandering around her body as she touched every nook and cranny without missing a spot. “Tell them that card is already useless.”

“Cheapskate,” Irene poked out her tongue, and Wendy kissed her in retaliation. “Speaking about friends, you need to apologize to Xiaojun. Poor man was so scared of you last night.”

“Why should I?” asked Wendy halfheartedly. “He must understand why I did that.”

The fingers who were wandering around her body gave her waist a pinch. “Hey, he was my bodyguard to protect me from erts before you came.”

“Then send my thank you to him instead.”

Irene gave her a loud groan in frustration. “You are so annoying.”

“I love you too.”

She widely grins from her reply, and gives her a long kiss as her reward for saying the right thing. Wendy hums from the kiss, tugging her waist closer to not let any gap exist between their bodies. Not when she wants to bask in Irene’s warmth and have her stay in her embrace.

“You looked beautiful last night, by the way,” admitted Wendy, something she has kept as a secret for hours. “And very distracting. I can’t focus on writing my report because of you.”

“Really?” asked Irene with a sly grin on her face. Wendy rolled her eyes from what was going to come. “Is that why you were so jealous and being so possessive with me when that guy was trying to hit on me?”

“I was just protecting you.”

“Of course,” Irene let a giggle escape as the tip of their nose brushed against each other. “You were just being protective.”

Their lips met again, and this time, Irene is asking for her permission to slip her tongue inside . Wendy let her, but it doesn’t mean she will just give it to her without a fight. The kiss grows intense as the second ticks away. Her body started to hover above Irene, trying to show her who will hold the steering wheel.

But before it can grow into something much further, a rumble of sound coming from Irene’s belly broke the intensity of their kiss. Wendy tried her best to hold back her laugh, while her girlfriend punched her shoulder as hard as she could.

“Hungry, princess?” teased Wendy this time, liking how her face quickly turned red from a simple question.

Irene was sulking, and she looked super damn cute with her pouting lips and puffed cheeks. No one can’t blame her for giving her another kiss, especially when Wendy can mask it as an apology from trying to laugh. “I hate you.”

“I know,” Wendy kissed her again. “And I just remember I cooked a hangover soup this morning. Just wait here, I will get your food. Breakfast in bed, how does that sound?”

“Cool,” shrugged Irene as she tried to regain control of herself after being so embarrassed because of her stomach rumble. Wendy makes sure to kiss her forehead first before she leaves the bed and lazily wears her discarded shorts. “Be quick. I’m hungry.”

“I know that too,” smirked Wendy, only for Irene to roll her eyes and throw a pillow on her. “I love you too, babe!”

Another chime of laughter, and the morning just couldn’t get any better.

---

unbetaed we die like wendy's black card (tbh i dont even know what im writing)

the time setting of this chapter happened a few months after the flashback 1 chapter. so the finals is a new set of exam our brat need to struggle with

anyway, please leave a comment and let me know what you think about this story so i can use it as my motivation to start writing for the next one! if you want to interact with me, you can find me on twitter (just follow, i will accept)! feel free to also buy me a coffee!

i think that's all from me. thank you for reading, i hope you enjoy and like this, and see you in the next chapter!