It was a girl from school. She had just purchased a bag of oranges from the convenience store when she spotted us, and had happily tapped on the car door.

Her name’s Yoona, if I remembered correctly. She was one of the top beauties in school, the kind that exuded a natural grace around her. Not pretentious too, therefore, everyone liked her.

“… And Yuri?”

The girl ltitled her head to look at the person beside me. Yuri smiled easily before tapping her forehead in an exaggerated manner, “Ah, spotted.”

“Could you keep this a secret?” She smiled at Yoona charismatically.

I turned to look at Yuri slowly. What an actor. She could change her expressions so easily, one moment she was pensive and the next, an innocent smiling person.

Who is she, truly? .

Still collecting my thoughts, I noticed Yoona widening her eyes in amazement. “Wait, so, the two of you are on a date?”

Yoona nearly dropped her bag of oranges and Yuri happily nodded her head, “Yes!”

I broke my silence, “No.” We said at the same time and Yoona looked from my expression to Yuri’s shrug, before she nodded her head.

A smile widened slowly on Yoona’s pretty face, and she looked as though she had just grasped the situation. “Ah, It’s a secret, isn’t it?

Yuri shrugged, “I wouldn’t mind if it’s exposed.”

“I would.” I said firmly and Yoona nodded, “Right, Tae----“, realising her mistake of mentioning the name that she wasn’t allowed to mention, she changed to “Ah, She’ll get angry, wouldn’t she?”

By “She’, Yoona meant Taeyeon of course. I nodded again once lightly and Yuri shrugged, “She’s not here anyway, all the better for me to steal her girlfriend away.”

I glanced at Yuri sharply but she merely continued, “Come on, I’ll send you home…. You must be tired from all that action earlier, am I not right?” She placed a strand of loose hair gently behind my ears, her lips were curled up gently into a smile. And then, she turned to Yoona.

“Goodnight, Yoona.” Yuri said, waving. I merely looked straight ahead.

There was a pause as Yoona glanced shyly at me, as though waiting for a ‘goodbye’, however, she realised that I wasn’t about to say anything. Nodding her head lightly, she smiled haplessly at Yuri before saying, “I’ll see the two of you in school, then!”

-

“So, how was it, how was it?” Jessica asked the moment I got home.

“How was what?” I asked, then realising that my tone had alarmed Jessica a little, I sighed before rubbing my temples in an exhausted manner.

“I’m sorry, I’m just really tired right now,” I said, before looking at Jessica with a brighter smile, “Were you waiting for me all this while?”

“Yes…” Jessica placed an arm around my shoulders when her eyes widened in alarm, “T, are you injured? Why is there a patch of blood on your coat!” She frantically checked my arms.

I took off my coat to look at the bloodstains, “No, I feel fine…” She looked unconvinced, “Really. It must be Yuri’s, she fell while we were walking. And I helped her up.”

“Yuri’s huh,” Jessica rubbed her chin, “How careless of her! Is she alright then?”

“I guess.” I nodded my head and grabbed my coat before disappearing into the room, evading Jessica’s questions. I knew she had many, many more.

-

Yuri winced slightly. She had her forehead leaning against her right palm and her brows deeply scrunched up in pain. Her fists tightened involuntarily when the alcohol swab touched the wound on her right shoulder lightly.

There was a chasm of silence in the neat, spartanly decorated study room and minutes passed before the silence was broken.

Finally Yoona opened to say, “You…. Smiled.” Yoona said slowly and Yuri opened her eyes.

“What?”

“I said you smiled.” Yoona repeated herself and Yuri closed her eyes with a tired sigh, “You know it’s just an act.”

“I know, but, it’s the first time I’ve actually seen you smile....” Yoona said slowly, her eyes that were focused on dabbing the wound on Yuri’s shoulders glanced up meaningfully.

Yuri remained silent and Yoona continued, “Do you love her?”

“Are you crazy?”

“Maybe,” Yoona shrugged, and she blew the wound lightly. Peeling off the adhesive from the plaster, she placed it neatly on Yuri’s shoulders in an expert manner, almost as if she had done this a million times before. She got up gracefully and was about to leave when Yuri pulled her back by her wrist.

“I. don’t. love. her,” she said each word slowly and Yoona merely chuckle lightly, “You’re lying and you know it.”

She pulled Yoona’s wrist harder and Yoona winced, “Remember what you came here for.”

“I do.” Yuri said coolly and was about to walk out of the study when Yoona pulled her back this time.

Easily, almost as if she had done this a million times before, she leaned against Yuri’s back lightly; her forehead touching Yuri’s back, “You’re mine, don’t forget...”

-