Chapter 17

Jessica’s POV

Fixing my skirt, I remained lying on the bed as I watched Taeyeon ran in panic after an incredibly aghast Pinky.  I admit I would be as surprised as her if I were to witness something like that but there was something unusual in the way Pinky reacted. Although I only managed to see her face for a second or two, I could tell that Pinky looked like a girlfriend who just caught his boyfriend cheating with another girl – as if Taeyeon is her boyfriend and I’m the third party.

I never thought differently of Taeyeon the first and second time we met, but our third meeting at the bar changed my view of her. At first, I thought Taeyeon was only being shy and polite when she stutters and spaces out when I’m around. I’m not implying that she’s attracted to me, I’m saying she’s behaving in that manner because of her interest in girls.

Noticing how much time had elapsed since Taeyeon left, I left the bedroom and saw the door was left wide open. Peering through it, I scanned the entire hallway and found no signs of Taeyeon and Pinky. “Outside.”

There I saw Taeyeon, standing lifelessly with one hand covering her eyes.  

I don’t know what came into me, but when I saw her sobbing so hard, I dashed to her and wrapped my arms around her.  She stopped crying for a moment but it resumed when I tightened my embrace.

“Jessica…”

I let her stay like that for quite a while then I reluctantly pull away from her. “It’s getting dark. Let’s head back.”

As soon as we set our foot in her flat, Taeyeon immediately ran to her room and threw herself onto the bed. She grabbed one of her pea plushies and hugged it tightly.

“I’ll return tomorrow or whenever you’re… convenient.” I said as I took my bag and other belongings.

No replies. She started crying again.

“Taeyeon?”

Without facing me, she nodded weakly as she kept on sobbing.

I have no idea what exactly happened between them but now is not the time to ask. With a slight hesitation, I placed myself onto the bed, her back facing me. I moved a bit forward and wrapped an arm on her waist, holding her close. She flinched at the sudden contact but she didn’t push me away.

I’m not good with words, so I thought this is the best that I can do to comfort her.

I kept holding her like that for God knows how long then I felt my eyelids become heavy and we both drifted into slumber.

“You’re finally up.”

“Jessica? “ Taeyeon asked with half-opened eyes. Her head shot back in a snap when she realized how close their faces were. “W-what are you doing here?”

“I spent the night here, obviously.” Jessica replied in a sarcastic tone, dark brown orbs moving downwards to stress her point.

Following Jessica’s eyes, Taeyeon found her arm wrapped securely around Jessica’s narrow waist while the other was on her neck. “Oh… right. S-sorry.” She mumbled as she scooted herself away.

“80,000 Won for this session.”

“What!? 80,000!?” The tutee screamed in horror, making the girl beside her grunt in annoyance.

“We started at 5:00 PM yesterday. What time is it now?”

Taeyeon eyed the clock on her nightstand. “11:05.”

“16 hours, 5,000 per hour. Oh, and you still owe me that 65,000 so 145,000 Won in total.” Jessica informed her like a real businesswoman.

“You haven’t even tutored me for an hour. That’s not fair!”

“Well, blame your best friend for interrupting our sess—“Jessica’s sass deflated in an instant when Taeyeon fell quiet. Good job, tongue.

Regretting her slip, Jessica stood up from the bed. “I guess I should be leaving for real now.”

“Wait…” Taeyeon grabbed her hand gently, making Jessica sit back onto the bed. With pleading eyes, she said, “Tell me what happened in the bar that night.”

“Only if you tell me what’s with you and her…”

“I…” Taeyeon relieved a deep sigh. “C-can I trust you?”

“Maybe.”

Taeyeon sighed again. “No then.”

“Why?”

“Because… I want you to be my friend.” Taeyeon confessed, causing the other blonde to open in surprise.

Baffled by the shorter girl’s sudden confession, Jessica questioned. “How is it connected to that?”

“You might change your mind if I tell you.”

Jessica chuckled, a smug grin plastered on her face. “Who says I already agreed to be your friend?”

Taeyeon’s sho