The dark blue blanket with millions of stars filled the sky, signaling that everyone has to start heading over to bed and drift off. Even though the day was incredible for the kid and mushroom, they were forced to separate for a night to rest.

After putting on the proper clothes, they both headed off to their separate bedrooms to sleep. But they were both hesitating, not wanting to end this day they had together and just kept staying still beside their doors, looking at each other.

“N-Night, Mushroom.” Taeyeon mumbled, smiling with a hint of disappointment.

Tiffany returned a nod and the same smile, placing her hand on the doorknob.

They needed to rest, they knew that.  But how is that possible when they’re already fond of each other?

Taeyeon did her best to clear her mind and not get carried away. They were gonna see each other first thing in the morning so why is she acting like this? Once she got that thought straightened up in her mind, she took advantage of the moment and entered her bedroom.

Tiffany, on the other hand, just felt a bit of heartache when Taeyeon finally entered her room. She was just standing there, frowning. She had less will power than Taeyeon and was stuck between just sleep, or spend more time with her roommate.

But then again, both were also possible.

She made her way to Taeyeon’s bedroom, opening the door slowly and peeked in, finding a person on the bed to face the other way under the covers. Tiffany smiled to herself and walked in after closing the door behind her as silently as she could.

Without a sound, she crept to the bed and climbed in, wrapping her arms around the shorter one’s waist.

“F-Fany?” Taeyeon turned around, shocked to see the mushroom in her bed. “What are you doing here?” She smiled widely, returning the hug. “Ah, who cares, this is just what I wanted.”

Tiffany giggled silently and cuddled the older person before they both finally had a sound and content sleep.

---

            A rushing figure is seen past the innocent mute’s eyes, upset about the fact that the only person she cared for deeply in her life has to leave her alone once again. She watched frantic person put on formal attire, brush her hair, and double-check her things at the same time.

Seeing as Taeyeon was about to leave, the younger person turned to the scrabble board game laid out on the table, spelling out a sentence to be read by the hurrying girl.

“Okay…fixed that, fixed those, fixed them—Oh mother of—what time is it?” Taeyeon mumbled to herself before turning her phone on, revealing that she was already 10 minutes late for work. “Crap!”

The older girl grabbed her suitcase and quickly ran to Tiffany, wanting to bid goodbye. “Alright, I have to go, Fany. I already made some rice for you, the ingredients for an omelet is in the fridge. I’ll see you later tonight, okay?” She said as quickly as possible and reached out to pat her head.

But the silent girl grabbed her arm, pointing to the board game beside them.

“Please don’t go to work today.” It read.

Even though it was such a simple sentence, the words struck Taeyeon’s heart, causing her to forget about being late and just focused on the upset person looking up at her. Tiffany kept a tight grip on Taeyeon’s arm, letting the latter know that she really didn’t want her to leave.

They had a few seconds of intense eye contact, sending messages to each other. As much as Taeyeon wanted to stay for the person before her, work was piling up on her desk as of this moment, and she was used to having a clear desk by the end of each day. Skipping work for a day will certainly break that record.

“M-Mushroom, I…I can’t, I have to work to keep both of us alive, you know?” Taeyeon finally replied with a light joke, hoping it’ll perk up the atmosphere but the voiceless girl just weakened her grip, nodding lifelessly.

The older girl’s heart ached, seeing Tiffany turn her head down and hide her eyes that were filled with disappointment and sadness. “I’ll see you later, okay?” She placed her hand on the mushroom’s head, patting it gently.

Taeyeon started to walk to the apartment’s door, having multiple look-backs at her roommate. It just made her heart feel more pain to see the mute be completely still, having her head faced towards the living room’s carpet.

Yet she already made her choice and had to go, whether the latter liked it or not. Taeyeon reluctantly left her apartment, closing the door behind her gently before sighing heavily. “…Fany…” Her voice croaked out. She was already down to a quarter of wanting to go to work—but even though she wanted to stay, she always did what was right.

Her legs moved unwillingly down the stairs and to her car.

“Why was I raised this way?” Taeyeon groaned, climbing into the driver’s seat. For all her life, she just went with whatever seemed logical and proper, it made her world unchanging and lifeless.

But now, she took a stranger into her home a few weeks ago. She’s taken care for her quite well and did everything to make both of them happy. Her world wasn’t black and white anymore, why does she still have to go with the right decisions?

Taeyeon kept pondering on this thought, staring at the open road with her hands on the wheel.

“C’mon, Taeng…do it for that high schooler that never went to a party because you made her study too hard for a diploma.” She mumbled to herself. But still, it wasn’t enough to move her. “Do it for Tiffany.” When she said that, the image of her roommate’s disappointed face struck her mind, instantly letting her leave the car and jog up back to her apartment.

Tiffany’s completely changed her point of view in life.

Taeyeon quickly came in her apartment, briskly walking to the living room and found Tiffany, staring at the scrabble board lifelessly. “Oh geez.” She sighed with a light smile and hurried to hug the silent girl tightly. “You have powers, don’t you, Fany?” She joked and hugged her tighter.

The person inside Taeyeon’s arms was shocked to find the person she cared the most about back in their apartment. But hearing that joke, she just knew that she’ll have Taeyeon for another day. There was no point in arguing in her mind and simply wrapped her arms around her close friend, returning the hug with a gleeful eye-smile.

“I think I’m already attached to you.” The shorter girl whispered, burying her head on the crook of Tiffany’s neck, taking in her scent. “You’ve officially left a giant mark in my life, Tiffany.”

The younger person simply let out a silent laugh, hugging her tightly.

---

            “Hm? Why are you pointing at that?”

The silent girl just smiled widely and continued feeling up the picture of the pink-colored flower in the book Taeyeon held.

“You like the flower?”

Tiffany shook her head slightly and pointed at flowers that were both pink, circling them over and over.

“Both of those flowers?” The oldest continued to guess what she was trying to say. The person in front of her turned to her and pouted, shaking her head once more.

“Pink.” Tiffany mouthed out voicelessly. Taeyeon simply read the girl’s lips and reacted with a loud ‘Oh!’

“You like pink?” The taller person showed a bright eye-smile and nodded vivaciously. “That’s one more thing I know about you then.” Taeyeon chuckled and continued to go through the book with her roommate.

The day went on as Tiffany sat on Taeyeon’s lap, enjoying each other’s company even though their way looked so simple. They made it look like the only thing they needed was something to discuss and their own warm presence.

Ignoring every phone call that came up or a knock on the door, their time was left interrupted. No one or nothing can even get through the little world they made together.

It was a world that revolved around each other and nothing can get between them. Their hearts were already beating as one, souls were connected and everything else you can think of—it’s just that one of them still didn’t realize that.

 Tiffany cuddled closer to her friend, smiling blissfully. “What?” Taeyeon chuckled at the sudden action as she looked over at the mushroom’s peaceful face. The younger person simply shook her head and continued to be in total ecstasy.

“You’ve changed a lot since we met.” Taeyeon said with another chortle escaping from her lips, making the person in her arms turn back to the speaker’s face. “I remember finding you that night, crying and so lost…it just makes me feel so relieved that I was able to make you smile and happy like this.” She finished with a tap on top of Tiffany’s nose.

At that moment, a million things raced through the younger one’s mind. So many things that she wanted to say but couldn’t. If only she wasn’t cursed with this…state.

Even if she had this strong desire to love the person in front of her as much as she could, she still couldn’t manage to utter a single word. “You’re worthless.” Tiffany thought to herself. “You can’t even say something to the person who owns your heart at this very moment.” And with that, tears filled the Korean-American’s eyes. She hated herself for not having the courage to pour her heart out—why couldn’t she? That’s the question she kept asking herself all this time.

Was it because she doubted her own feelings? No, of course not.

Was she scared? Yes.

She was scared that Taeyeon saw her nothing more as a friend—or rather, someone not worth falling for. She was a mute and couldn’t even express her feelings directly. That single thought made Tiffany’s heart cry out.

Tears started pouring out of her eyes, alarming the person holding her. “Fany-ah? What’s wrong? Does something hurt?”

The teary-eyed person forced out a smile and shook her head, quickly wiping away her tears. “What happened? Did I say something?” Tiffany just continued her reluctant smile and turned back to the book.

Even though Taeyeon desperately wanted to do something about the happening, she had no idea what was going on since the mute wouldn’t tell her. She was left to restrain her feelings of concern and went along with the moment, pretending nothing even happened.

---

            How long has it been since her life has been like this?

Taeyeon asked herself as she watched the mute in her arms sleep. Both of them were lying down peacefully on the older person’s bed, letting the night pass by them silently though dreaming. But one of them can’t seem to sleep at all just because of her fast-paced heart.

Tiffany mumbled something inaudible before moving even closer to the person beside her, causing Taeyeon to form reddened cheeks while having no choice but to hold her close.

“F-Fany…” She whispered with a voice almost impossible to hear. Her breathing was unstable. Her body refused to move just for the sake of keeping Tiffany asleep. Her eyes were focused on the mute’s angelic sleeping face. And her heart kept screaming out her name. Why was she like this? Did Tiffany cast some sort of spell on her?

Taeyeon wanted answers to her question at this very moment since the confusion was killing her. She knew—she felt herself changing just because of the person in her embrace. It scared her. She’s never felt this way before.

It’s not like she wanted these feelings to go away, she just wanted to know why and what are they. All she knew at this moment was what it was doing to her. “TaeTae…” Tiffany mouthed out in her sleep with a small smile.

Taeyeon couldn’t help but smile back before she placed a chaste kiss on the mute’s forehead.

She knew that she definitely can’t live without Tiffany anymore.