A/N: Thank you so much everyone for your support! It's a little difficult maintaining so many stories at once. I have a lot of problems back at home and I'm busy with school too, but your comments and support keep me going. Writing really helps me stay calm. I love you all very much! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

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Finally the time had come.

Yoona was passed out on Sooyoung’s bed with Taeyeon while Tiffany and Seohyun were on Taeyeon’s bed. Apparently picking out an outfit was more work than expected. So much work that it caused physical and mental exhaustion.

Sooyoung checked herself out in front of their mirror several times. A several thousand times. She had picked a red pair of skinny jeans, a white shirt and a black dress shirt on top. It was simple, yet bold and elegant at the same time. At least, she thought so. That and more than 80% of her clothes at this point were slightly crinkly and lying on the ground.

“I’m going to head out now,” the girl announced, giving a salute to the exhausted girls who seemed almost lifeless now.

Yoona and Taeyeon waved their hands dismissively, not entirely sure what was happening but very happy that the deed was in fact over with. They felt as if they had climbed an entire mountain, satisfied and a little light headed. And perhaps a little disoriented.

“Good luck!” Tiffany called a little weakly, her eyes closing as sleep found her and the rest of the girls.

Sooyoung quietly snuck out this time, a little disappointed that she didn’t get a goodbye hug of support from her friends. But she could accept this since she had asked for just a little too much.

She walked outside and took in a deep breath before taking the bus over to Sunny’s apartment.

---

Jessica was very proud of the final result while Sunny was fixing her collar. Jessica had put the girl in a pair of black, ripped skinny jeans and a white dress shirt with a black tie apparently borrowed from yours truly.

Jessica prided herself in her extensive collection of bows and ties that she had been collecting since high school. Since she believed that Sunny’s clothes in fact looked very plain, she figured that a tie would help dress her up a little.

“I look like a waiter,” Sunny grumbled as she loosened her tie, “Don’t I look a little formal?”

Jessica shook her head and pointed at the various paint stains on Sunny’s pants, “Would a waiter wear ripped skinny jeans? And look, there are splotches of yellow and red and white! The tie distracts from that.”

“The paint adds personality,” Sunny protested, pursing her lips and lightly tracing the stains with her fingers. She remembered the painting behind every stain, and she felt extremely proud of them.

“It’s 6:30,” Jessica announced, looking at their wall clock. “She should be here soon.”

“Somehow I’m nervous,” Sunny said as she picked up her purse. She made sure she had her wallet and all the other necessities a girl would need on a night out.

Jessica rolled her eyes before resting her elbow on Sunny, “Of course you are. This is your first date.”

Date. First date.

The words echoed in Sunny’s mind. What was she doing? Was she doing the right thing? Her heart was thumping and she could feel her face flushing. Was she really getting all jittery right before the date or was Sooyoung nearby?

The knock on her door answered her question.

Sunny glanced at her door before looking at Jessica. Her friend nodded at her, her lips spread into a wide smile. It was weird seeing her so excited like this. She was only ever this excited when Taeyeon was romantic or when it was vacation time. Sunny bit her lip, her body starting to tremble and her hands beginning to feel clammy.

She cursed a little under her breath. She didn’t feel like this when they had bumped into each other at the convenience store. She didn’t even feel like this when she found Sooyoung wrestling with her friend the other day. She didn’t even feel close to being this nervous, even during her first ever critique in college.

Sunny looked down at her covered wrist. Her gem was glowing and it was burning. And that’s when she noticed it.

“Is it just me, or is the light a little purple?” she mumbled to herself. Jessica heard her question however and gasped rather loudly before roughly grabbing Sunny’s wrist.

“It’s purple!” she proclaimed excitedly. She jumped up and down and practically yanked off her friend’s bandages.

“Sica, please!” Sunny shouted, trying her best to calm down Jessica. She wished that Taeyeon had been here to properly shut the girl up.

The knocking was heard again and Sunny suddenly remembered that she had a date. Glaring at her violent friend, she wrapped her wrist back up and walked over to the door.

“Hey,” she greeted as coolly as possible.

Somehow she expected Sooyoung to be in some extravagant dress. They had been deciding her clothes since the morning time, after all. She wouldn’t tell anyone, but while Jessica had been picking out her outfit, she had been doodling a figure in her sketchbook in different dresses. And if one had looked carefully, they could’ve sworn that the figure was Sooyoung.

Sunny didn’t notice the slip until afterwards and buried the sketchbook under her pillow in case Jessica felt like being nosy of her art work that day. Luckily enough for her, she was too distracted in making her look presentable.

Sunny secretly decided that Sooyoung looked good in every colour, in every design, in any piece of clothing imaginable. It was certainly unfair how gorgeous and stunning the taller girl had been. It made ripping the girl off her mind and thoughts nearly impossible.

But now, standing in front of her in a simple red, black and white, Sunny had decided that she liked Sooyoung the most when she was bashful, cheeks pink and her fingers fiddling with each other.

“Hey Sunny,” she finally greeted back, her big eyes making contact with her own. Sunny was surprised that the girl wasn’t even wearing any make up. Especially with all that preparation. But Sunny wasn’t complaining.

“You ready?” Sunny asked, closing the door behind her and ignoring her friend who was smiling creepily at the two.

“Yes,” Sooyoung responded, her head nodding in case Sunny hadn’t heard her.

Sooyoung wondered what was appropriate to do on a first date. She watched as Sunny lead her to the elevator and smiled brightly at her. Sooyoung could barely breathe and she felt extremely embarrassed by it. She wondered how red her cheeks looked and she wondered if it was obvious that she was sweating.

“You look nice,” Sunny complimented, her eyes giving the tall girl a one over. Sooyoung bowed in thanks, unable to find any words. “Hey, Sooyoung relax would you?”

Sooyoung once again couldn’t find her words, but instead she took a deep breath. She remembered Yoona and Taeyeon’s words of encourage. Be yourself. Be. Yourself.

Sunny placed a hand on Sooyoung’s shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. Sooyoung didn’t fail to notice how the smaller girl was on her toes and it made her smile.

“It’s our first date,” Sunny said with a wink, “You don’t want to miss out on it, right?”

Sooyoung had to use every bit of her energy to prevent herself from passing out at that wink. How was Sunny so good at making her weak in the knees?

“Of course not,” Sooyoung managed to reply, her hand brave enough to reach out for Sunny’s. She grasped the tiny hand and squeezed it, not wanting to let go any time soon.

And she didn’t.

To be honest, Sunny wanted to swat away Sooyoung’s hand. She wasn’t entirely comfortable with her holding hands with her, but she didn’t want to hurt the girl. Especially since this was probably the bravest thing she’d be doing all night. But as time passed by, Sunny began to like the sensation, the warmth.

Sunny dragged Sooyoung to her car and the two held hands as Sunny drove them to their dinner destination. It was a soft tofu place. The menu was small, but the food was delicious.

The two managed to have some small talk in the car. Sunny decided that she shouldn’t force Sooyoung to speak so much, so soon. She noticed that her cheeks had been getting less flushed as time went on. She was satisfied with that, and allowed Sooyoung to take her time to getting used to being around her.

If she was going to make a real attempt at a relationship with Sooyoung, she had to wait until she was comfortable enough to be herself. And she knew the effects of the gem as well. How could she not? The gem was making her vision cloudy, just because they were holding hands. And while the sensation made her feel good, she couldn’t help but hate the gem even more for making this process so hard and unnatural.

What happens when Sooyoung gets used to the way the gem made her feel? Will she realize that she doesn’t actually like Sunny? Will she leave her?

Sunny didn’t want to think of that.

“You like soft tofu?” Sunny asked as she parked the car. “This is my favourite place to go to.”

Sooyoung nodded and closed her eyes as the scent filled her nose, “I love soft tofu.”

Sunny chuckled as Sooyoung started wandering into the store as if following the scent.

“You hungry?” Sunny teased, causing Sooyoung to snap out of her trance.

“Just a little,” Sooyoung responded, averting her shy gaze from Sunny.

The two were seated quickly and Sooyoung allowed Sunny to order for her. She looked around, noticing that there weren’t too many patrons around. The place was relatively quiet, save for a few conversations and the faint sound of the radio.

“This place is cute,” Sooyoung commented with a nod, “I like it.”

Sunny smiled widely, satisfied with Sooyoung’s response. She seemed calmer now, her body trembling less. But her hands were still fidgety and Sunny noticed how her leg was shaking under the table. It was progress however, and Sunny was content.

“Right? Taeng, Sica and I would come here at least once every other week,” Sunny shared before taking a sip of her tea, “Best soft tofu, ever.”

“We should all come back as a group,” Sooyoung suggested with a wide smile, “Yoona loves trying out new places, not to mention soft tofu.”

“That sounds like fun.”

As the night progressed, Sooyoung felt more and more comfortable around Sunny. The two talked about classes, professors, assignments, tests, and their upcoming midterms. Soon enough, Sooyoung’s leg had stopped jittering from underneath the table and she was even leaning forward, towards Sunny. Her right hand was underneath her chin as she spoke animatedly about her favourite author. Her left hand was stirring her soup absentmindedly.

Sunny was also leaning forward, her eyes completely enchanted with the way Sooyoung spoke so passionately about literature. Seeing the girl evolve from bubbling mess to talkative hyena was certainly interesting. Sunny decided that she loved seeing Sooyoung so excited like this.

Before they knew it, three hours had passed by. Both girls had emptied their bowls, and Sooyoung had bravely, once again grabbed Sunny’s hand into her own.

“We’re closing in half an hour,” their waitress told them, refilling their tea for the last time of the night.

“Whoa, what time is it?” Sunny asked, pulling out her pocket watch to check the time. “It’s 10! How long have we been here?”

Sooyoung shrugged, “3 hours I think? It doesn’t seem like it’s been that long.” She was amazed that so much time had already passed. It was almost like a passing dream, one of the dreams she’d been having since they met.

She leaned on the table again and looked into Sunny’s eyes. She wondered, had she ever dreamed of her? Did she even cross her mind?

The night had gone by in the blink of an eye. Although she was shaking in nerves at the beginning, she felt as if she’d known Sunny all her life. She had told Sunny about her parents, her older sister, about her life in high school with Yoona and about her future plans. And Sunny never seemed to get bored of her. Sooyoung could’ve been imagining it, but she swore that Sunny never stopped smiling and laughing the whole time. She was attentive, asked questions and even added her own anecdotes.

But Sooyoung was a little mad at herself. She talked a little too much and hardly got to hear much of anything from Sunny. She heard more stories about Taeyeon and their adventures in high school. And she found out that Sunny loved patbingsoo but hated red beans.

“You want dessert after this?” Sunny asked, squeezing Sooyoung’s hand as she guided her out of the restaurant. Holding hands seemed natural now and Sunny felt something missing whenever Sooyoung had to let go.

“Yeah, let’s go get ice cream in Taeng’s honour,” Sooyoung snickered, pulling Sunny this time to an ice cream place that was in sight.

“Aw, let’s go bring some for her,” Sunny insisted, quickening her pace to match Sooyoung’s. Within a few hours, the girl had turned from completely docile to acting like they were long time lovers.

Lovers.

Sunny wondered if Sooyoung considered them lovers yet.

No, of course not. It was only their first date. Sooyoung had just learned to call her name without blushing. Sooyoung had just learned that she didn’t bite and that she wasn’t as overwhelming as she had thought.

And then the thought passed her mind again. Now that Sooyoung knows that she’s just another, normal human being, would she get bored of her? Sunny shook her head, she should be having fun right now. She should be focusing on the sparkling eyes in front of her, asking for 5 different flavors of ice cream.

Wait. Five different flavors?!

“Aren’t you going to get sick?” Sunny asked, genuinely concerned, “It shouldn’t be good for you to have so much ice cream.”

Sooyoung giggled and shook her head, “Sunny, you just told me an hour ago that just last year Taengoo ordered 10 different scoops at once.”

Sunny blinked, not entirely remembering when she had done exactly that. She must have said a lot, letting whatever was on her mind spill from . Sooyoung had some magical ability that made her want to open up. Taeyeon had mentioned it before, but Sunny didn’t think it’d work so well on her. She learned a lot about Sooyoung too, and it was only the beginning.

“Well,” Sunny responded, letting out a sigh of defeat, “Whatever, just get as many as you want, you pig.”

Sooyoung shot Sunny a glare before sticking her tongue out, “You’re so mean to your date!”

“Who’s being mean?” Sunny asked, giving Sooyoung a smirk, “I think I’ve been quite the gentleman all night. It’s out first date after all, and I even let you hold my hand.”

Sooyoung blushed immediately, not having realized how forward she had been all night. She was too excited, and way too lost in her bliss to realize how touchy she had been with Sunny. It didn’t feel like a first date, it felt like their 10^th.

Sunny noticed Sooyoung’s sudden bashfulness and felt a little bad for teasing her. She even let go of her hand and went back to staring at the ice cream.

“Sorry,” Sooyoung mumbled before letting out a bit of nervous laughter, “I didn’t mean to, I just got really excited.”

Sunny wondered if maybe she should take her hand back, tell her she was just joking around and go back to eating ice cream. But something in her stopped her, she felt hesitant all of a sudden.

“You know, this has been really wonderful,” Sooyoung continued, still not facing Sunny. “Dinner was great, you look really cute by the way, and I had a lot of fun.”

The shorter girl wasn’t sure what to say, but she couldn’t wipe the smile off her face. She was really glad that Sooyoung was so satisfied with their date.

“I was really scared when I asked you. I was so sure that you would say no,” Sooyoung babbled, her fingers twirling around each other again, “I was so sure that you were going to laugh in my face and remind me that you weren’t interested.”

“Sooyoung,” Sunny mumbled, placing her hand on the tall girl’s shoulder. She turned around and Sunny was surprised to see tears in the younger girl’s eyes.

“I’m sorry if I went too far, Sunny,” she mumbled, sniffling and wiping her tears away.

Not able to take the tears on such a beautiful girl’s face, Sunny pulled Sooyoung into a hug and rubbed her back.

“Silly girl,” Sunny whispered, holding Sooyoung as close to her as possible, “I was just playing around with you earlier. I’m glad you were bold, I’m glad you held my hand.”

Sooyoung was already too lost in her tears. She was always an emotional girl, and once the crying started, they weren’t going to stop anytime soon.

“I should be the one apologizing Sooyoung,” Sunny cooed, rubbing her face into Sooyoung’s chest, “I made my date cry.”

When she released Sooyoung, she held her hand and bought the girl the five flavours she had chosen earlier. Sooyoung was still crying, but she accepted the ice cream and Sunny’s hand happily.

Once the taller girl finally calmed down and finished her ice cream, she apologized once more. Sunny could care less, for she was too captivated by the way the moonlight made Sooyoung glow. The younger girl was truly playing against the rules by being this beautiful. Sunny felt trapped, like she was under some sort of spell whenever Sooyoung would look at her.

Sunny lifted her hand and wiped away from stray tears from Sooyoung’s cheek. She ravished in the pink that appeared on her date’s cheeks and giggled when the colour spread to the rest of her face.

“Why are you still blushing?” Sunny asked with a chuckle, “I thought you were used to me already?”

The question only made Sooyoung’s face turn into a darker shade of red, “It’s only been our first date, Sunny. How could I be completely used to you already? Sure, I feel a lot more comfortable around you but how can I not blush when you touch my face like that?”

Instead of replying, Sunny teased the younger girl by sticking out her tongue. In fact, she wasn’t entirely sure how to answer, feeling a little bashful herself.

The two sat in silence on a bench, hand in hand, their breathing in time. Sunny would occasionally glance at Sooyoung, wondering what she was thinking about. Sooyoung had only one thing on her mind.

“It’s purple now,” she muttered, completely astonished by the deep purple that was on her previously black gem, “Is yours…?”

Sunny sighed, she really hated unwrapping her bandages and revealing her gem, but she felt that hiding it from Sooyoung would give the wrong message. So she gave in and showed her wrist and the matching purple colour.

“It’s pretty,” Sooyoung cooed as she gazed longingly at their matching gems. “Does this mean we made progress?” She asked innocently, her smile reaching her eyes.

Sunny decided that it looked a little strange on Sooyoung, but she also decided that she liked it.

“I guess so,” Sunny replied simply before wrapping the bandages around her wrist again, “I mean, we did spend all night together. And I guess…”

Sooyoung pierced Sunny again with those big, brown eyes, her expression hopeful, “You guess?”

“I guess I do kind of like you,” Sunny admitted, her cheeks starting to feel a little tingly. She hoped that it wasn’t too obvious, but unluckily for her, the moonlight, her pale skin and her light blonde hair didn’t make hiding the red colour too successful.

Sooyoung squealed, satisfied and way too happy about the words that came out of Sunny’s mouth. She decided that she was going to remember those words and replay them over and over again in her head.

The two bathed in each other’s presence in silence once more, Sooyoung’s head on Sunny’s shoulder as the two stared at the moon and its stars. Sooyoung normally hated silence, especially when it made her feel awkward. But she enjoyed this, she enjoyed being with Sunny like this.

“What are you thinking about?” Sunny asked, her voice soft. Sooyoung had never heard it like that before and she could feel Sunny squeezing her hand.

“You,” Sooyoung answered honestly, despite it sounding a little cheesy. Her face heated up again, but her face was buried in Sunny’s shoulder so the older girl couldn’t see the colour of her cheeks.

“How often do you think of me?”

“Almost all day.”

The two sat in silence again as Sunny took in this information. She was glad that Sooyoung was being honest, and she was glad that she wasn’t the only one who was like this.

“Do you dream of me?”

Sooyoung was a little taken aback by this question, but since she was being honest so far, she had to continue being honest. After all, relationships needed honesty and Sooyoung hated lying and she hated liars.

“Yes,” she said a little quietly, burying her face deeper into Sunny’s shoulders.

This time, Sunny shuffled a little, her actions asking Sooyoung to get off of her. She turned her body and grabbed Sooyoung by the shoulders. The two looked at each other for a little while, Sunny with an unreadable expression and Sooyoung ready to pass out any second.

What was happening right now? She wondered, her eyes trying its best to understand what Sunny was thinking about.

“I dream of you too,” Sunny replied, a small smile tugging on her lips. She leaned forward and pressed a kiss on her forehead, leaving Sooyoung completely dazed.