“Tae…  Wake up.”  Tiffany tapped Taeyeon on the shoulder.

“Mm, later!”  Taeyeon curled her legs while tightening her grip around Tiffany’s waist.

“You are such a big baby.”  Tiffany chuckled.  “C’mon, we have to get up.  Ugh, what time is it?”

“Time to get a watch.”

“I have one.  I just can’t see it since you’re holding my arms down.”

“Time can wait.”  Taeyeon squeezed her hands around Tiffany’s waist.

“Tae-ah!”  Tiffany laughed in attempt to squirm her way out of Taeyeon’s grasp.  “Let me get up!”

“Only if you give me a kiss!”  Taeyeon sat up and leaned over Tiffany, who was catching her breath from laughing too hard.

“Or else what?”

“Or else I’ll hug you and not let go!”

“Come here, then.”  Tiffany reached forward and hugged Taeyeon tightly while pulling the latter down on top of her.

The two remained in the same position for a while as they simply laughed and hugged it out.  Like always, the hug eventually turned itself into a kiss, sending butterflies into their stomachs every single time.

“Okay, I think we really should get up, now.  Remember, the girls said we’re having a little pool party today.  What if we’re late?”

“Fine, fine.”  Taeyeon awkwardly bounced her way off the bed and held her hands out for Tiffany.

After a few minutes of brushing their teeth and taking turns in the bathroom to change into their swimsuits, the two made their way to the kitchen.  Tiffany arrived first and began making breakfast.

“Want you to make me feel like I’m the only girl in the world.”  Tiffany danced around the kitchen while waiting for her bread to toast.  “Like I’m the only one that you’ll ever love.  Like I’m the only one who knows your heart.  Only girl in the world…”

“Well, sure.  All I need…”  Taeyeon pointed at Tiffany.  “Is a BEAUTY and a beat.  Who can make my life complete.”  Taeyeon sang along to a different song as she put her hands on Tiffany’s shoulders.

“Where did you learn that song?”  Tiffany wore a surprised expression; seeing as how Taeyeon knew how to sing one of Tiffany’s favourite American songs.

“You sing it all the time in your sleep.  And when you get to the part of ‘when the music makes you move’, you always smack me in the face.  See?”  Taeyeon pointed to the bruise on her jaw.

“Oops.  Hehe, sorry.”  Tiffany kissed the bruise.  “Better?”

“Uh.  I think you hit me on the mouth too.”

“Nice try.”  Tiffany laughed and only allowed Taeyeon a peck on the lips.

“Ugh, video-shoot today.”  Taeyeon sighed.  “…  Wait!”  Her expression lit up.  “We have individual shots today!”

“Why are you so excited about individual shots?  Calm down!”  Tiffany laughed.

“That means I get to admire you and I have an excuse for ‘staring’.”  Taeyeon smiled sweetly before dodging Tiffany’s playful smack on the shoulder.

Aish…

I know exactly what you’re thinking, ByunTaeyeon…

Just as Tiffany was about to chase Taeyeon around the kitchen, the bread was ready.  Without warning, it popped out of the toaster and startled Tiffany who screamed and instinctively threw herself into Taeyeon’s arms.

“It’s just toast!”  Taeyeon filled the kitchen with her laughter.  “Why are you so scared of what you’re going to eat?”

“That toaster always gets me.  Bleh.”

____

“Ahh!”  Tiffany screamed as Taeyeon splashed water all over her.

“C’mon, Fany.  It’s not that cold!”  Taeyeon continued to send mini tidal waves in Tiffany’s direction.

“I can’t swim that well and it’s getting deep here!”

“Don’t worry, honey.  I got you.”  Taeyeon swam behind Tiffany and put her hands on the latter’s waist, guiding her towards the shallow end.

When Tiffany was able to get a firm footing on the pool floor, Taeyeon made her way around Tiffany so that they would be facing each other.

“It’s okay, here, right?”

“Of course.  I can actually touch the floor, here.”

“Good!”  Taeyeon suddenly used both of her arms to completely drench Tiffany’s hair.

“You’re a bully!”  Tiffany wiped her eyes and face.

“Let me help.”  Taeyeon reached up and gently tucked a strand of hair behind Tiffany’s ear.  She then proceeded to brush the bangs back.

“Ugh, I should’ve taken off my makeup.  Now it’s all messed up.”

“Your makeup isn’t messed up.  It looks fine.  Your lipstick, however…”

“Really?  It’s not that bad, is it?”

“Not yet.  But…  Maybe if I do this.”

Taeyeon turned Tiffany around and pulled her back.

“Tae, I can’t swim.”

“Trust me.”

Tiffany leaned back, feeling a little tense.

“Relax.”

Soon, Tiffany was floating in the water on her back as Taeyeon held her hands.

“Hey, I’m not drowning!”  Tiffany chuckled, showing Taeyeon an upside down eye smile.

“Don’t move, okay?”  Taeyeon leaned over, bringing her face closer and closer.

Another day, another kiss.  No matter how often they did it, they would never get bored of the rush, accompanied by a pounding heart.

“You’re so wonderful, Tae.”

“I know.”  Taeyeon chuckled, admiring the smile she received.

As Taeyeon and Tiffany enjoyed their time in the centre of the pool, the rest of the group played around on the pool deck.

“I bet you can’t get me!”  Yuri ran after squirting Jessica with the water gun.

“Yah!  Come back here!”

“Sica!”  Yoona called out to the girl who was soaked from Yuri’s water gun attacks.

“What?”  Unsuspecting Jessica turned around, only to be hit in the face with a water balloon.

“Got you!  Hahaha!”  Yoona ran in the opposite direction as Jessica started to chase her.

“GET BACK HERE, YOU DORK.”  Jessica ran quickly but Yoona was faster.

When they made three laps around the pool, Yuri decided to help Yoona by pushing Jessica into the pool.  The poor girl splashed around and figured out which was up and which way was down.

“You two.  I’ll deal with you later.”  She climbed out of the pool and glared at them both before grabbing a towel.

“Taeyeon!”

Suddenly, their manager appeared on the pool deck.  Seeing her manager on a break day, something urgent must have come up.  Taeyeon climbed out of the pool and wrapped a towel around her body.

“What’s wrong?”

“Taeyeon, I apologize for interrupting your day off but the commercial shoot next week was moved to today.  We have to arrive at the airport in an hour.”

“Oh, okay, I’ll go get ready.”

“Please, hurry.”

With that, their manager ran and disappeared inside.

“Tae?  Where are you going?”

“Ahh, I’m sorry, Tiff.  I have to leave now for the commercial shoot.  They moved it.  I’ll see you soon.”

“Aww…  We’re always apart on our own schedules.  I never see you anymore!”

“I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”  Taeyeon left her a peck on the lips before running inside after her manager.

____

After thirty minutes, Taeyeon had already finished showering and getting dressed to go to the airport.  She found herself in a plane once again, with her manager beside her.

“How long are we going to be gone?”

“Two days.  One day to shoot the CF and one day for you to sign a few things.  We’ve found that it’s more convenient to mail them out from this particular location, so we might as well get it done tomorrow.  On top of that, while the girls are doing their individual video shoot today, you’ll be doing it elsewhere so that we still have those shots submitted on time.”

“Well, alright.”  Taeyeon sighed.  “I guess…”

“Do you have plans for tomorrow, or something?”

“No, no, it’s… I can handle it later.”

“If you have something important, I can call the company and postpone it.  After all, they contacted us on such short notice.”

“I think I’d rather get it done now, actually.”

“Well, I’ll be sure to give you an extra day off, okay?”  After giving Taeyeon a thumbs up, her manager left and walked to the cockpit for a conversation with the pilot.

Meanwhile, Taeyeon pulled out her phone and admired her wallpaper of her and Tiffany.

I really miss you, Fany-ah

Taeyeon sighed.  She looked out the airplane window and found herself imagining Tiffany’s face everywhere.  It was time for her to attend yet another event, except this time, she was by herself again.  She touched her lips, still able to feel the tingly sensation that Tiffany left behind every time they pulled away from a kiss.  She smiled as she remembered how it felt to protectively hold Tiffany in her embrace.

“I miss you a lot.”  Taeyeon finally said out loud as she tightly hugged her bag and squeezed her eyes shut.  During the entire plane ride, Taeyeon simply stared out the window and daydreamed about the love of her life.  It was nice to care for someone so much but it always hurt to feel lonely without that certain someone.

As soon as the plane landed, Taeyeon pulled out her phone and checked for any messages from Tiffany.

None.

She sighed again.

____

“Tiffany, stop sulking.”

While Taeyeon was busy filming the commercial, the rest of the girls relaxed on the pool deck.

“We know you miss Taeyeon, but come on.  She’ll be gone for like three days at the MOST if something happens and she needs to stay there a little longer.”

“I know, I know.  I just can’t help it.”  Tiffany smiled sadly as Hyoyeon tried to cheer her up.

“There has to be a reason why it bothers you so much.  You’re not afraid that she’ll cheat on you, are you?”  Sunny laughed.  “Do you really think Taeyeon would do that to you?”

“No, I know that Taeyeon would never do such a thing.  It’s just…  We’re always so busy and we all have different schedules now.”

“So you’re tired of always saying hello and then goodbye, shortly after?”  Sooyoung asked.  “Why don’t you just call her?  She has a cellphone…”

“Actually, she has two.”  Tiffany corrected her.

“Sooyoung, I have no idea how you handled this with Taeyeon.  You’re like the best friend in those movies where she has to deal with her lovesick buddy for the entire movie.”  Jessica stood up and placed her hand on Tiffany’s shoulder for reassurance.  “She’ll come back for you, Fany.  Doesn’t she always?”

Tiffany spent a little time to process Jessica’s words while everyone left.  Tiffany was alone again, with the exception of Sooyoung.

“You miss her a lot, huh?”

“I know it’s probably only one day, but one day is 24 hours long and each hour is 60 minutes long.  Then one minute feels like forever when I stare at the clock.”

“You’re just like her.”

“What do you mean?”

“Before you two became an item, Taeyeon would always sulk when you were gone.”

“Really?  She would do that?”  Tiffany felt touched and also laughed at how dorky her girlfriend could be.

“When you came back, she would be like a happy little puppy after its owner came home.  You have nothing to worry about, Tiff, trust me.  You have no idea how much that girl loves you.”  Sooyoung laughed.

“I guess.”

“If you don’t believe me, try not texting her today.  She will go insane, I promise!”

“But I’ll feel bad, doing that.”  Tiffany wore an uncertain expression.

“It’s just one harmless little lack of text.  She’ll be back soon, anyways.”

“Alright, I’ll do it!”  Tiffany laughed, feeling excited about the idea.

____

“Taeyeon?  What are you doing up so late? You have a full day of signing to do, tomorrow.”  The manager appeared in the doorway of the bedroom in a robe and bags under his eyes.

“I’m signing everything now.”

“What?  Why?”

“Do you think you could send me back home tomorrow?”

“Uh… I guess I could.”  He chuckled.  “Why do you want to go home so badly?”

“I just have things to do.  Anyway, I’m almost done.  It should only take two more hours.”

“Taeyeon, it’s 12am.”

“Great.  It’ll be done by 2am.  Then I can go back at around 2:30am, right?”

“…  I…  Okay…  Well, I’ll have the team book you a flight back for tomorrow at 2:30.  Uhm.  Goodnight.”

Taeyeon waved and smiled as he turned to phone their travel organizer.  After he left, Taeyeon couldn’t help but laugh at how her manager acted when he was sleepy.

Aish…  Poor manager Oppa.

Tiffany, I’m doing this for you.

She checked her phone again.

No texts…

She sighed.

I hope you’re having a good time at home.

Finally, Taeyeon decided that she would send the first text.

‘Good morning, honey.  I hope your day has been relaxing and more entertaining than mine!  I’ll be back soon!’  With that, Taeyeon resumed her paperwork.

____

While the rest of the members enjoyed their time sleeping, Taeyeon finished her paperwork and was already on the plane back to Korea.

Still no messages…

She sighed and tilted her head back, ready to sleep for the entire ride back.

After a short hour, she found herself walking within a group of random people to disguise herself from the paparazzi.  As she sat down in her manager’s car, an idea popped into her head.

“WAIT.”

“What is it?”  He turned his head slightly but kept his eyes on the road as he pulled off.

“Can we go shopping?”

“Are you serious?  This is why you stayed up to work?”

“Well, not really.  Can you bring me to the nearest appliance store?”

“…  Ya know what.  I’m not even going to ask anymore.  Uhm, yeah, I’ll use the GPS.”  He still seemed groggy after waking up so early as he fumbled around for the device.

After another hour, they finally headed back to the Soshi dorm.  It was 4:15am and Taeyeon expected everyone to be asleep.  Seeing the perfect opportunity, she decided to surprise Tiffany.  When the manager stopped outside the dorm, Taeyeon thanked him for all the trouble that he went through and then walked up to the door with a gift in her hand.

Considering it was incredibly early in the morning, Taeyeon felt weak, trying to support the weight in one arm while using the other to search for keys and open the door.  She took off her sneakers and quietly snuck towards the kitchen after placing the gift on the table in the living room.  To her surprise, someone was standing there.  Taeyeon decided to hide and listen.

“Hmm…  Should I text back?  I feel bad.”  She laughed to herself.  “Nope!  Ahh… sorry, Taeyeon.”

Suddenly, she was cut off by the feeling of someone’s arms, wrapping around her waist from the back.

“I love you and I missed you so much.  Why didn’t you text me back?”

“Taeyeon?  I thought you were going to be back tomorrow.”

“I missed you too much.  Did I do something wrong?  I’m sorry…”

 “No, you didn’t do anything wrong.”  Tiffany grinned.

“Then why?”

“I just wanted to see how you’d react if I didn’t text you.  Just to see if it would drive you insane.”

“I thought I was in trouble!  A-anyway, I went out to get this.”  Taeyeon walked outside the kitchen and grabbed something.  When she returned, she held out a large box, wrapped in pink wrapping paper.  “For you.”  She smiled sweetly.

“…  Did I forget what today is?  I’m so sorry!”  Tiffany covered in shock.

“No, no.  Today isn’t that special.  Well, it is.  But you didn’t forget anything.”

“So…  What’s this?”  Tiffany took the present in her hands.

“I know that nothing particular is happening today but I realized something.”  Taeyeon scratched the back of her head as Tiffany watched, waiting for her to finish.  “Every day is special for me because you make it that way.  Sometimes I feel like I don’t appreciate you enough.  Well, I do.  A lot…  I just don’t know how to show it that well.  So…”  Another awkward silence passed.  “What I’m saying is…  I’m trying.”

Tiffany continued to stare at Taeyeon.

“…  Well, go on!  Open it.”  Taeyeon gestured towards the box.

Tiffany smiled weirdly at Taeyeon before beginning to tear it open.

What is this girl up to?

I swear, if she got me a deluxe box of deodorant or something, I’ll smack-

“…  A toaster?”  Tiffany looked up in surprised expression.

“You said yesterday that the toaster we have is a pain since it keeps startling you in the morning.  I don’t think being scared, early in the morning every day is a good thing…  So I bought you a new toaster.  It has a silent function on it.  You just wait until the light turns off and-”

“I love it, Tae.”  Tiffany put the toaster on the counter and hugged Taeyeon around the neck.

“Oh, I also got you this.”  Taeyeon gestured for Tiffany to remain in her spot before going to the table, outside.  Taeyeon returned, holding something behind her back.

“What is it?”

“A toaster isn’t the most romantic gift so…  I uh…  I got you these too.”  Taeyeon held a bouquet of roses out and smiled shyly.

“Oh my gosh!  They’re beautiful!”

“You said recently, that you’re starting to like red.  I got you both pink and red colours, just in case your favourite colour might have changed.  I hope you like them.”

“Aww, I love them!”  Of course, in every movie ever, the character has to sniff the flowers and smile dramatically.  Instead, Tiffany gently placed the flowers on the counter, beside the toaster, and placed her hands on the back of Taeyeon’s neck.  Just as she was leaning in to give her girlfriend a kiss, Taeyeon hesitated.

“…  Is something wrong, Tae?”  Tiffany backed up a little, feeling a slight tension between them.

“Uhm, not exactly.  It’s just.  You’re officially with Siwon… aren’t you?”

“What?  No, I’m not!  Where did you get that idea?”  Tiffany chuckled.

“I heard it from you.”

“For a while, yes, we were dating.  He asked me out and I said yes.  I thought it would be fun, you know?  Then one date turned into more.”

“Oh…”

“Don’t look so down.  Those dates didn’t mean anything.  Well, to him, I guess they did.  But I didn’t feel any spark.  That’s when I started thinking.  I realized that all of my thoughts that revolved around love would only lead me back to you.”

“…  Are you cheating on him?”

“I liked him.  But I love you.  So I broke up with him.  If I didn’t have feelings for him, it wouldn’t be right to be with him.  Then on my way back to the dorm, I received your text to meet you at the park, where you confessed to me.  So to answer your question, we’re not together anymore.”

“You still liked him for a while and then the spark disappeared.  Couldn’t that happen to us too?  Our spark could fade from you and you’ll go back to him.”

“No.  The way Siwon took me out to dates and gave me gifts…  He knows how to show a girl a good time, he’s smooth, good looking, hilarious, smart, flawless…”

Taeyeon averted her gaze and turned her head to the floor.  Tiffany smiled and cupped Taeyeon’s face in her hands, forcing her to make eye contact.

“But he’s not you.  I love that you aren’t perfect in comparison to others.  You’re hilariously dorky, goofy, silly, and fun to be around.  You’re not boring old Siwon.  You still have some of the same traits as him though.  You’re both good looking and quite smooth.  Siwon and I are too alike in our interests and sometimes our personality.  Like the saying goes, opposites attract.”

“So I’m not perfect…  I’m not good enough?”

“No, you’re not what the world calls perfect.  You’re not what the media tries to shape stars to be.  You’re more down to earth.  I don’t know about you, but to me, that’s perfect.”

“Are you sure?”

“Since when did Kim Taeyeon ever feel insecure?”

“I’m not insecure about myself.  I just want to make sure that I can make you happy.  That’s all that matters.”

“Why are you so afraid?”

“I’m just scared that what if it’s possible?  What if one day, you stop loving me?”

“Taeyeon.  I love you.  I do.”  She put her arms around Taeyeon’s waist and hugged the girl tightly.  “That will never change.  And if it does, it will only change for the better because I will love you even more than I do now.”

Taeyeon’s arms continued to dangle limply at her sides.

“If you want proof…”  Tiffany took Taeyeon’s hand and guided it to her chest.  “My heart is still racing.  You can feel it.  The spark is still there.”

“Please never leave me.  I love you too.”  Finally, Taeyeon returned the hug and wrapped her arms around Tiffany’s neck.

“I would never even think of it.”

“I love you, I love you, I love you.  Please don’t go.”  Taeyeon finally broke down and cried.

“Tae Tae…  I wouldn’t do that and you know that.  Why are you so worried?”  Tiffany couldn’t help but laugh.

“I just never held anything so dear to me before.  I’m scared of losing you.”

“Come here.”  Tiffany held Taeyeon’s hand and led her to the couch.  They sat down and Taeyeon continued to cry.

“For all those times that you comforted me, I guess it’s my turn to do the same for you.”  Tiffany hugged Taeyeon tightly and gently held the latter’s head against her chest.

For ten minutes, they stayed in the same position without any movement or a sound.  They didn’t need words.  Having each other’s presence was enough.

“What are you doing up at 4am, anyway?”  Taeyeon had stopped crying and sat up, decided to break the silence.

“I went out for a walk.”

“By yourself?  It’s dangerous!”

“But I couldn’t sleep.”

“Well, next time you leave the house…  Don’t leave the door unlocked!”

“What?”

“You left the door unlocked.  Stop leaving the front door open or unlocked!  It’s not safe.”  Taeyeon scolded Tiffany.

“I’m sorry!  I keep forgetting.  I didn’t mean to!”

“This is seriously the third time, Fany-ah.  You can’t keep doing this.”

“I know.  I’m sorry.  I’ll write it on my arm or practice locking it over and over!  It won’t happen again.  And if it does…  I’ll clean the toilets or something.  You pick my punishment.”

Looking at Tiffany’s eyes which showed that she was sincerely sorry, Taeyeon couldn’t help but smile as she pulled Tiffany onto her lap.

 “Come here.”  Taeyeon brought Tiffany closer to her for a hug.  “You’d better not do it again!”  She yelled as she tickled Tiffany’s sides.

“Okay, okay, I won’t!  I promise!”  Tiffany laughed and tried to squirm her way out of the trap.

“Good.”  Taeyeon stopped her attack and let her arms rest around Tiffany’s waist as she kissed her on the cheek.  “I love you.”

I hope you guys enjoyed the update!

So first thing's first...

Sorry for not updating in a LOOONG time!  Grade 11 has just started for me, and I'm still getting used to the work load.  I come home, I do homework, study and then I go to bed because it's like 12am by the time I finish...  I still managed to squeeze in 20 minutes of writing every day.

I don't know how often I will be able to update, but I'm definitely trying!

I also apologize for the incredible cheesiness, dorkiness and stupidity of this update.

I wrote this while I was very sleepy and exhausted...

But regardless, I hope you enjoyed it!

Also, for the next two weeks, I might update a little less, I'm sorry!  I have another big project to do plus some orthodontist appointments here and there.

But I'll have a Christmas special, for sure!

Happy reading! ♥