‘’Yuri...?’’ Jessica whined softly and tugged the hand that she was holding onto since they retired for bed.



‘’Hmm?’’ 



Yuri turned to look at the girl that was lying on her stomach throughout the night, who she assumed was asleep all along. There were no replies and there was a moment of silence. Soon, under the dimmed moonlight shining through the translucent curtain, her hand was released from the tight hold and she saw the shoulders quivered slightly, then the body trembled.



‘’Baby?’’



The tanned girl hovered over and Jessica was in between her hands. Figuring that the latter was crying, she leaned on top of the back gently to give her girlfriend a back hug and planted tiny kisses on the top of the head, tenderly brushing the shoulder in attempt to comfort her. Caressing the wet face, she wiped away those tears and placed her cheek against the other.



The four girls were returning to Korea the next afternoon and the American was upset about having to leave her mother. The dinner they had earlier on was difficult to enjoy, but everyone did their best in trying to keep a smile on their faces, especially the two daughters and mother. Nobody mentioned about the departure even till it was time for bed. Yuri could feel that Jessica was extra moody ever since they were on their way to dine out, and she hardly finished her food.



Yuri tightened her holds when the body trembled again. The next moment, Jessica turned around and wrapped her hands around the neck, clinging onto her source of comfort. She tilted her head up to kiss Yuri on the chin, burying her face deeper into the crook of the neck. The on her back never stopped and she liked how it felt. She was still sad, but it made her felt less terrible than before. She wished she called out for Yuri earlier so she won’t have to suffer so much trying to hold in her forlorn.



‘’I will miss my mum badly, Yuri…’’ She whispered with the cracked voice of hers.



‘’So will she, baby. And so will I. She’s a nice lady.’’



Jessica skimmed her face against the chest, sobbing under her breath. Yuri lifted her chin with two fingers and gave her a loving smile, closing in to shower her with more pecks on the forehead. She closed her eyes as she enjoyed the comforting warmth. She then realised, her tears had magically stopped flowing.



‘’Thank you sweetie… My mum likes you too.’’



Yuri merely simpered. They remained in each other’s arms for a moment before someone spoke again.



‘’Do you want to join your mum in bed tonight?’’



‘’Am I a little too old to sleep with her?’’ Jessica hesitated upon the suggestion.



‘’Of course not, silly. Go spend some time with her. I bet she won’t be able to sleep just like you. You will miss her, but she will miss both you and Krystal.’’



‘’Maybe I should. Can you walk me down please?’’



‘’Of course, come.’’



Yuri pulled her up from the bed and took baby steps down the stairs in the dark with Jessica holding onto her from behind. By the time the couple reached the ground level, they spotted a figured sitting outside Mrs Jung’s bedroom door. Jessica moved forward to take a closer look and realised that it was nobody else but Krystal.



‘’Soojungie?’’



Krystal’s head shot up from her knees and her reddened eyes met her sister’s. It seemed like they both understood each other’s intention and smiled in synchronised. Jessica went ahead to pull her sister up, patting her on the back. She turned the knob and Krystal entered the room first while she remained behind for a short moment. She approached Yuri who had her hands in her pockets, and s her hands around the small waist.



‘’Good night baby. My big fluffy bear shall accompany you for the night.’’



Yuri kissed her on the nose and teased. ‘’Well, I bet it will be much nicer to hug.’’



Jessica threw a playful punch on her smooth face, leaning in to capture those lips for the last time and let their intertwined hands stretched to the further as Yuri walked away. Just before they broke off the hold, the American pulled the taller girl back and attempted to remove the pull over that Yuri was wearing. Grabbing onto those hands instantly, Yuri deterred her.



‘’Sica! What are you doing?’’



‘’I want to wear your pull over, can I?’’



‘’Why? Are you cold? You want me to go get yours for you?’’



‘’No, I just want something that belongs to you and smells like you to accompany me to sleep. You have the bear after all, and I have nothing. It’s not fair you see.’’ She pouted, fiddling with the jacket.



Yuri side-eyed this girl before her, then slowly removing her covers and was left with only her thin tank top. Instantly, she felt the coldness speared through her body. Nevertheless, she handed her pull over to Jessica and put it on for her. Pulling the hood over the head, she cupped the face and tasted the lips, then departed for the second level.



‘’Yuri!’’ Someone whispered just loud enough for her to hear.



Hugging her own body, she squatted down at the stairs and saw Jessica taking a deep breath of her hoodie, then mouthing something to her.



‘’Dream of me.’’



She gave a thumb-up sign and both retreated to where they were supposed to be.



***



‘’Mummy?’’ Krystal called out as she climbed onto the bed like when she was younger with Jessica following behind her.



Mrs Jung sat up instantly and it was apparent that she had cried too, just like her precious daughters. She spread her arms widely, taking her two girls into her arms. Like how she used to tuck them into bed when they were still living in America, she took the girls one on each of her sides; gently and rhythmically tap them constantly on their arm.



‘’Mummy, I will miss you and your touches and your food very much…’’ Krystal commented with a kiddish voice while Jessica nodded in agreement.



‘’Believe me girls. I will miss cooking for you even more, although the preparation may be taxing, or be it the dish washing that will be tedious. Not to mention, I wish I can hold you both in my embrace in every moment of all my days like how you were still a baby because you two are my dearest assets, my most valuable possession. Of course, you, Krystal and Jessica, are the pride of my entire life. You girls make me proud. Maybe meeting your dad wasn’t that bad, at least I have two beautiful daughters that I will exchange for nothing. I know I have been cowardly, but I believe, like what Yuri said, that I will soon be able to conquer every of my remaining fears and return to you girls back in Korea. I may already adapt to the lifestyle in the states, but for the sake of you, I will do anything.



Jessica, you have done an absolute good job in taking care of your younger sister. I know all along how much you loved Krystal since she was a foetus, no matter how naughty or troublesome she was back then, breaking your favourite Barbie character by accident, ripped your best dress because she wanted to make herself a cape or doodled on your assignment. You never blamed her and all you ever did when she realised how much trouble she had caused you was to wipe her tears away, tell her that her sister doesn’t mind and bring her out for a swim at the beach followed by buying her an ice cream cone to cheer her up again. You protected her countless time, fought for her in school when someone about having her front teeth broken due to a fall from her tricycle, and sometimes take the rap for the mischiefs that she had done. That’s how wonderful you are, Jessie.’’



Krystal looked over at her older sister after hearing what her mother had to say; giving a smile of appreciation and held the hand that was slightly smaller than hers. Mrs Jung then continued.



‘’Krystal, you may be young, but you have been very independent. Even if you face difficulties, you will rely on your sister more than relying on me. Those days when you could barely speak but yet always cry for Jessica after acknowledging that she had left for school and you couldn’t have breakfast with her, and times when you offered to do the house chores for me in exchange for certain things, which mostly were your sister’s favourite snacks or toys just so you could give it to her after a long day at school. I still remembered how you will skip your favourite cartoon every Thursday just to have an after-school snack with Jessie who would end school late because of her soccer practices. You would often sneak up to Jessica’s room to kiss her when she naps, and when you grew older, you always squeeze into her bed just to sleep with her.



You are very understanding towards Jessica, and loving too. I never hear any bad thing about you when you lived in Korea, and I trust that it was because you were really well behaved, not creating any problems for your sister. The way you both interact melts my heart. Seeing how well you girls get along without any single problems was what made me less worried these recent years when I failed to be around. I know you both will take good care of each other, be it now or in the future. There’s even Yuri now, a very nice and trust-worthy girl I must say.’’



The tip of Jessica’s mouth curved up widely when she heard the comment. She sniffed the hoodie that smells exactly like Yuri and wondered what the girl was doing upstairs, thinking if she was asleep.



‘’As I ready myself and probably fly back to Korea anytime, you girls must continue to be like what I had just mentioned, loving each other unconditionally no matter when or where. The departure this time round will just be another stage of our life so don’t get too upset. Always remember that Mum will always love you girls okay?’’ Mrs Jung patted them on their heads.



‘’We love you too, Mum.’’ The duo replied simultaneously.



‘’That’s my girls. Let’s get some sleep now, shall we?’’



***



The tiny ray of sunlight shone into the master bed room, shining onto Jessica’s flawless skin. The princess slowly awoke to the peaceful surrounding; rubbing her eyes several times and explored the room for a brief minute. She turned over to see that her mum and sister were still in their deep slumber. With as little movements as possible, she leaped off the bed and skipped back to her room. Once she opened the door, the adorable sight of Yuri sleeping came into her sight.



A grin broke across her face instantly and she stood at the door doing nothing but admired her splendiferous lover slept. It was only a few moments later then she broke out of her daze, heading to the comfort room to freshen up. Her eyes were a little puffy due to the crying before Mrs Jung spoke to her and her sister, making her look exhausted. She sat on the edge of the bathtub and observed the place as she brushed her teeth, trying to store as much memories of her house as she could register.



It was still early and she couldn’t fall back asleep, surprisingly, and then she decided to make breakfast for everyone in the house. She had the bacon in the oven while she figured out how to do the pancake mixtures, having mixing bowls in front of her as she stared at the instructions behind the box. It wasn’t an easy task to correctly measure the proportion needed for the right serving, but she did what she could.



It scared her to turn on the stove and to flip the pancakes, however her determination got the better of her and she carried on without giving up or running to Yuri for help. It was after a long hour before she finished cooking all the pancakes, and despite the few pieces that turned out burnt due to the lack of mixture she put to cook, the rest was pretty mouth-watering. The bacons happened to be ready at about the same timing, which made it easier for her to lay out her dishes together for everyone.



‘’Looks like someone made breakfast today.’’



Someone’s hands glided across Jessica’s back to her waist, back-hugging her and startled her. The moment she turned around, she received a kiss on her lips. Her mind barely processed anything and she was already melted by the action. She was lifted onto the high chair of the kitchen bar, and she deepened the affection just before it was broken off.



‘’Good morning to you, my little princess.’’ Yuri greeted with a cool smirk.



Jessica giggled. ‘’And good morning to you too, my handsome love.’’



The taller girl laughed and caressed her face, looking at the food available with her eyebrows raised, extremely impressed by the effort. She nodded approvingly when she was asked for her opinion, and nothing made Jessica grinned even wider than ever.



***



Sulli and Yuri stood aside as they watched the three ladies sitting together side by side. They couldn’t hear what the conversation was about, but it definitely pained them to see their girlfriends bawling their eyes out, sobbing non-stop with a sympathetic tear-stained face.



‘’Remember to listen to your sister alright? Study hard and be nice to Sulli, understand? Call home often so I will know how you are doing. You are still underage so remember to behave yourself and don’t drink outside. Do well for your examinations okay? Mummy loves you, Soojung ah.’’



Mrs Jung hugged and kissed her baby daughter who was crying so uncontrollably like how she was first sent away. She looked towards her left and there was Jessica, who was looking down, tearing the tissue paper in her hands. With an arm still around Krystal, she held onto Jessica’s trembling hands and smiled.



‘’Don’t cry anymore, Sooyeon. Like I said, this is just another separation. Soon enough, we will meet again. I’m pleased to have you girls back for the past two weeks, especially with your respective partners who are outstanding people too. Do mummy a favour okay? Take good care of your sister and yourself. I’m less worried, since you have Yuri to be with you. Nevertheless, if anything happens, give me a call okay?’’



Jessica nodded while she wiped her tears away. She didn’t want to seem weak in front of her mum, especially at moments like such. She still has to take care of Krystal. Mrs Jung fished out two boxes from her handbag, handing one each to her daughters, signalling them to open up. Both boxes contained two identical watches, with carving done on the back of the time reader. The one on Jessica’s said,’’J,418’’ while the one on Krystal’s said,’’K,2410’’.



‘’These two dates symbolised the harbinger of my perfect life, because my two daughters brought so much fun to me. No matter how far we are separated physically, my heart will always be with yours.’’



‘’Last call to all passengers that are taking Korea Airline plane number 009, please board the plane now at gate 21 or 22. Thank you and have a nice day.’’



Sulli approached the family and brushed Krystal on the back. ‘’Come on, we have to go before the plane takes off without us.’’



With that, the four ladies walked in front with Yuri carrying her own bag pack and Jessica’s hand-carry in her hand, they proceeded to the gates. There were hugs and kisses, but there were no more tears. It was a good sign though, and everyone had to admit that the past two weeks were really enjoyable. All of them went in one by one and just before Yuri left, Mrs Jung held her back.



‘’I’ll leave my girls to you, Yuri. Please help me look after them. And it was nice meeting you, really. Do come back again, or hopefully the next time we meet, it will be in Korea.’’



Yuri gave Mrs Jung a quick hug and a nod. ‘’The pleasure is all mine, Mrs Jung. Take care.’’



***



‘’You sure they are coming back today?’’



‘’Yeah, at least that was what I was told. I recorded it in my agenda too.’’



Sunny poked her head around, pressing on Sooyoung’s shoulders, jumping up and down to take a better look at the belt area where arrivals have to collect their luggage at. They had been there for almost an hour but there was still no sight of Yuri.



‘’Yah, stop jumping. People are looking, come down!’’



The taller girl pulled her girlfriend back to her side with one arm over the latter’s shoulder as she tried to hide herself from the other pair of couple with one on the wheelchair who seemed to be awaiting someone too. Sunny giggled and smiled shyly at the duo a few metres away from them while she gently patted on Sooyoung’s flat stomach. She felt a minor vibration-like sensation and looked up, almost bursting out into loud laughter.



‘’Don’t laugh! It’s not my fault that I’m hungry now. I haven’t eaten for the whole day.’’



Instantly, Sunny stiffened her mock and looked afar. She was still surprised at how this giant had yet to consume any food ever since she woke up in the morning, especially given the fact that she was a huge eater. Sooyoung had been really worried about her best friend who was unreachable when she was in USA, only sending back one text per day to let them know that she was still kicking and alive but she never mentioned a single thing about finding Jessica.



‘’Sooyoung shi…?’’



Sooyoung turned around when she heard her name being called, only to see Hyoyeon approaching. It took her a bare minute before she recalled who this familiar person was, and then hurried shook the hand.



‘’Hi Hyoyeon! It has been quite some time since I last saw you.’’



‘’Yeah, many things happened.’’ She gave a bitter-sweet smile. ‘’This is…?’’



‘’Oh yes, this is Sunny, by the way, my girlfriend.’’



Sunny held her hand out and gave a friendly beam. ‘’Hi, my name is Sunny. Nice to meet you.’’



‘’My name is Hyoyeon, it’s my pleasure meeting you too. You both are so matching.’’



‘’Despite the height difference, many people told us the same thing.’’ Sooyoung joked. ‘’So what are you doing here? Expecting someone?’’



‘’Yeah, Jessica is coming back from the states today with her younger sister so I came down after work to get them. I’m supposed to meet up with….’’ She looked around. ‘’Oh! There they are! Come, it’s my turn to introduce my friends to you.’’



The three of them walked up to the couple a stone thrown away.



‘’Tiffany, Taeyeon. Meet Sooyoung, Yuri’s best friend and this is her girlfriend, Sunny.’’



Hyoyeon began to explain slightly about how the two groups of friends were linked together because of Jessica and Yuri, and after which, Taeyeon told her new friends about the incident which led to her being wheelchair bounded. Before they knew, anxiousness was already growing in everyone of them.



‘’So Jessica was like Yuri. The both of them didn’t tell us anything about whether they found each other or not. The suspense is killing me…’’



Sooyoung bit on her nails, watching the clock from time to time. After so many things that had occurred, she truly wished that Yuri had gotten Jessica back. She comprehended that Jessica meant the world to her best friend ever since she saw how lost the tanned girl was after receiving the news of the one she loved had left for America to escape from this place that was assumed to be the heart-breaking land. Sunny her lightly on the arm, leaning onto her skinny but stable body frame.



Tiffany, too, was grabbing onto Taeyeon’s hand, tapping her feet on the ground at a constant speed. She heard of all those things Jessica did to numb herself from the pain she was feeling and had failed to withstand from Hyoyeon, which scared the hell out of her. It wasn’t what the Jung Jessica she knew would do if she was in the right state of mind. But apparently back then, she was in no fit position to even consider about what she was doing to torture herself. Her princess-liked best friend that loves herself so much chose such a way to shut off all her emotions, and that told how much she loved Yuri.



Hyoyeon stood in between the couples, staring onto the ground with her arms crossed. Yuri was her client in the first place, and she was the one that assigned Jessica to this particular girl. She was actually the spark that ignited the love within this two person. Not to mention, she gave the idea of spying on Yuri and Yoona, resulting in Jessica witnessing that pain-staking scene. Also, the reason behind Jessica’s departure for USA was, too, her suggestion for her best friend to escape from this forlorn land. Last but not least, knowing how much Jessica would suffer without Yuri made her gave in and encouraged her client to go after the American. Everything was her idea, her plans. She needed to shoulder a huge responsibility in this relationship’s success or failure.



‘’Is that Yuri?’’ Sooyoung questioned.



Everyone looked up and saw the tanned girl who looked so shagged, not just the exhaustion from the long plane ride but from what seemed to be, heartache. Everyone’s palms became sweaty and their hearts were throbbing so badly against their ribcages, the organ almost threatening to break through the bones. They saw how the girl tried to drag her suitcase off the belt and almost collided into a big, burly man. Simultaneously, all of them withdrew a mouthful of air.



Yuri looked out from where she was and saw the whole group of friends outside. Sooyoung waved to her and gave her a questioning thumb-up, as though she was asking her if she was alright. She bit on her lips, dropping her head so low that it was closed to touching her chest. From the corner of her eyes, she spotted how her friends’ shoulders fell with gravity. With one hand on her suitcase handler, she signalled to the group of girls.



‘’She must be in great pain now…’’ Sooyoung choked.



Sunny intertwined their hands as a form of comfort, while Tiffany held onto Hyoyeon’s little finger and Taeyeon’s head that was leaning against her stomach. Their attention was captured by Yuri once again, and unknowingly, they all gave an encouraging smile or eye contact, attempting to make their friend feel better. Yuri slowly walked towards the huge window pane, stopping beside a pillar and gave her friends a smirk. Everyone was perplexed of what she was doing, lingering around instead of coming out.



‘’What is she doing? Do you think she got too upset and went mad? Yah Sunny, what am I supposed to do… I need to save my best friend!’’



‘’Look, Sooyoung…’’



Yuri squint her eyes and lifted an eyebrow up. She then stretched her hand out to pull someone out from behind the pillar and Jessica fell right into her embrace. Their friends had their eyes lit up instantly when the twosome shared a sweet kiss on the lips, unable to digest whatever they were seeing.



‘’Oh god, isn’t that Yuri and….’’



‘’Jessica!’’



Taeyeon finished Sunny’s uncompleted sentence and the five girls outside suddenly shrieked like little girls, giving each other high-fives or hugs as they ignored how they had managed to successfully captured everyone’s focus at the nearby area. Nothing excited them much more than having to witness that moment, ending their long misery of waiting for an answer.



It took them a few more moments before Krystal and Sulli had gotten their belongings too, and finally they paced out to meet up with their friends whom they had not seen in weeks. Tiffany and Sooyoung were the first two girls that rushed up to the duo, breaking the hold of their hands.



‘’Jung Jessica! I missed you! I’m going to smack you upside down if you inform us about your departure at such last minute again! You have tons of explanation to do when we get back!’’



‘’I missed you too, you lost weight, didn’t you?’’ Jessica gently removed herself from the breathless hug and saw Taeyeon smiling at her. ‘’Taengoo yah…’’



Tears began to well up in her eyes when she saw her wheelchair bounded best friend that she neglected the most, disappearing when she needed support to recover from her injury. She bit onto her lips to hinder her tears from streaming down her cheeks, leaning in carefully to hold Taeyeon tightly.



‘’Welcome back, Sica.’’



***



‘’You sure it’s fine to take her car?’’



‘’Yes my princess, so just fasten your seat belt and I can take you home to rest.’’



The tanned girl adjusted the driver seat of Sooyoung’s car to fit herself, and then fixing the rear mirror before igniting the engine. Tiffany and Taeyeon offered to send Sulli home first with Krystal tagging along, and Hyoyeon second the thought of her sending Sooyoung and Sunny off while Yuri drove Jessica home. Jessica leaned onto the tiny allowance of the window ledge while she admired the street lamps and night lights of Seoul, which brought a different sensation to what she saw and felt back in America.



‘’Yuri?’’



The driver responded with a yawn with her eyes concentrating on the road.



‘’Can I still keep your hoodie that I took from you back at home the previous night?’’



‘’Yeah, certainty. Do you want me to wash it first?’’



Jessica hid half of her face behind the clothe, shaking her head with her eyes wide opened. ‘’No, then your smell will be gone.’’



Yuri merely let out a small laugh and ruffled her girlfriend’s hair. She liked how they had just started their days as couple, but yet already feeling so much love. She liked how the girl had begun to reveal more sides of herself, opening up to accept more wellness that Yuri is going to provide her with in the future. She liked how they don’t have to say out that three words, and still comprehend that they both do. Jessica dozed off on the remaining journey back to her house, and Yuri unloaded her suitcases first before shaking to wake her up.



‘’Sica, we are here.’’



Jessica stirred around and slowly opened one eye, covering the other. ‘’What a beautiful sight to wake up to...’’



‘’Since when did you become so cheesy? It’s supposed to be my job.’’



The tanned girl hit on the eighteenth floor button in the elevator, then tapped her fingers against the handler of the suitcase. The brown-haired girl encircled her hands around the waist without any hint of letting go and they walked in an awkward position back to her apartment door.



‘’Come on, you’re home. Hurry get in and get some rest. The plane ride was exhausting wasn’t it?’’



‘’You know, tonight’s going to be the first night that I will have to sleep and wake up without you after so many weeks in your warm arms… That makes me resent sleeping.’’ Jessica pouted, still refusing to unlock the tip of her fingers.



‘’Well, it’s not going to be easy for me to be unable to hold my baby to sleep either. But you will get used to it. It’s getting cold, hurry in. Krystal is probably back already so don’t keep her waiting. Sleep tight and rest well yeah? I love you.’’



Yuri cupped both her cheeks, kissing her umpteen times on the lips as she constantly reminded her girlfriend of the things to take note in between her pauses. Jessica grinned and nodded at everything she was told mindlessly as she was just indulging in the pampering of her other half. She was given one last long kiss before she was ordered to enter the house, which she didn’t budge till the other promised to depart first.



As soon as the taller girl vanished around the corner, Jessica went straight into her house and threw her bags everywhere and jumped onto the sofa which was beside the window. Looking down, anticipating, she saw Yuri walked towards the vehicle. As if they had telepathy, she looked up and saw Jessica too. She fished out her cell phone and sent a text.



*vibrates*



From: Yuri
To: Jessica
7:43PM



‘’Hey, I just left but I missed you already.’’



Jessica couldn’t stop giggling like a little girl and she received a second text.



From: Yuri
To: Jessica
7:43PM



‘’I think I left something with you.’’



The girl looked down with a curious face, wondering what was it that she had forgotten to return to Yuri. The girl gave a smirk and went back to texting.



From: Yuri
To: Jessica
7:43PM



‘’I left my heart with you. Rest well, loves.’’