Yuri was waiting for the bus. Jessica has left and her car was at the workshop.  She didn’t even see Jessica returning home and now she was gone early in the morning. She left a note though.

“Tiffany and Yoona said thanks. I’m leaving now. I’ve made breakfast. I’ll see you later. – Jessica”

Yuri felt uneasy with Jessica’s note. This was the first time Jessica left a note. She would never do that. She would wake Yuri up and let her know that she was leaving.  Yuri took out her phone and was about to dial her number when she saw Tiffany pushing a baby pram just across the road. She was wearing her running attire and Yuri realized she was going for a morning walk with baby Lincoln in his pram. The boy was sitting up; smiling happily. He’s so lucky to be a baby. He didn’t have to think so much.

Yuri watched as Tiffany pushed the pram and walked briskly at the same time. Yuri had to admit; she was one hot mama and she was still the same Tiffany that Yuri fell in love with. Suddenly Tiffany turned and saw Yuri looking at her. She waved. The other girl was taken aback and shyly returned the wave. And before Yuri knew it, Tiffany was already crossing the road.

“Hi Yuri, fancy meeting you here.”

“I’m on my way to work.”

“Oh? Where’s your car?”

“I left it at the workshop and Jessica went off early this morning.”

“Oh, she’s with Yoona. They were discussing about something and they left this morning.”

“Yoona?”

Yuri frowned and Tiffany saw it. The girl chuckled softly. Yuri was even more confused.

“What?”

“Are you jealous already?”

“Huh?”

“Yoona with Jessica. Are you getting jealous over my little sister?”

Yuri understood what Tiffany meant. She must have seen her frowning.

“Nothing, I was just getting worried. Jessica never pulls off such stuff before. She would normally inform me even if I’m sleeping; she would wake me up to let me know. I was getting worried earlier on but if she’s with Yoona, then it’s okay.”

“Okay. If you say so.”

Lincoln was making some gurgling noises. Then he whimpered softly; he was asking to be picked up. Tiffany went over to his front and kissed his forehead. She then unbuckled his safety belt and lifted him up. The boy hung on her tightly.

“Oh, your diapers are full. You’re feeling uncomfortable huh? Let’s find a washroom to change you, okay?”

The boy hugged his mother’s neck and leaned his head on her shoulders. Yuri was jealous for a second and then it realized how ridiculous it was to be jealous of Tiffany’s own baby.  Suddenly the lady shoved the boy into Yuri’s arms. Yuri looked on blankly.

“Wae?”

“Can you help me hold him?”

“Okay but why?”

“I need to take out his diapers. He will get really grumpy if I don’t change fast.”

“Oh.”

Yuri wrapped her arm around the boy’s back. The little one quickly leaned closer to Yuri. He looked at her; in fact he was studying her face. Yuri looked back; making fun faces. He kept still; watched her carefully before shrieking at the top of his lungs.

Yuri ended up playing with him to distract him from the wet diapers while Tiffany looked around for a washroom. They finally saw one and Yuri was still entertaining him. But the boy refused to let her go.

“Lincoln, Mommy needs to change your diapers.”

He pushed his mom’s arms away and held on tightly to Yuri.

“I’ll change him.”

“You know how to?”

“I think so. I have a short experience with my cousin’s baby.”

Yuri placed Lincoln onto the makeshift bed and the boy was holding on to her hand. Yuri sang nursery songs to him and swiftly took out his diapers. Tiffany helped out and Yuri was still singing to him; Lincoln kept still throughout the time.

“There you go! All dry and clean!”

Yuri pulled him up and held his forearms tightly. He was already jumping about and Tiffany struggled to make him wear his shorts back. Once it was done, Lincoln pounced on Yuri yet again. He refused to let Tiffany carry him.

“I’m sorry. He’s usually not like this. You’re going to work, right?”

Well, Yuri had sent a message to her boss saying that she would be taking urgent leave earlier on when Tiffany didn’t notice. She knew Tiffany might need assistance and she wanted to be there for her.

“It’s alright. I already let my boss know I’m not coming in today.”

“Huh? Is it because of Lincoln?”

“No, not really. I wasn’t feeling well.”

“Oh?”

Tiffany leaned forward and just placed her palm on Yuri’s forehead. She did that without warning and poor Yuri was struggling with her inner feelings. Her face was blushing and it was definitely hot. But Tiffany took it as a fever.

“Yeah, you’re burning up.”

“Err, yeah.”

“I’ll bring you to the doctor.”

“Huh?”

“Then we can have breakfast together. You can eat your medicine then.”

Tiffany took Lincoln from Yuri and put him on his pram. She hooked arm with Yuri and pushed the pram together. Yuri was still burning hot because she was blushing. It was the first time they stood so close like that. Tiffany was quite a nagger but Yuri didn’t mind. Tiffany made such a big fuss over her which made Yuri felt at ease.

The lady dragged her to the clinic which Yuri turned out to be slightly feverish according to the doctor. She was given medicine and medical leave for one day before Tiffany rushed her back home.

“You rest here. I’ll make you porridge.”

Yuri smiled widely; Jessica was far off from her mind right now.  The only person she could see in her eyes now was Tiffany – only Tiffany.

*

Yoona stole a quick glance at Jessica. She was sitting by her side; staring out of the window. Yoona was perplexed at her friend’s silence. Jessica was quiet since she picked her up this morning.

“Sica?”

“Hm?”

“What’s wrong?”

Jessica turned to face Yoona.

“What do you mean?”

“You have been feeling down since yesterday, aren’t you?”

Jessica shrugged her shoulders and turned to face the window again. Yoona didn’t like it when Jessica was this quiet. The last time Jessica was like this when Yuri broke off with her. It was Yoona who forced Yuri to visit Jessica who was falling sick since the break off.  Yuri felt sorry for Jessica and so she took her back.

“Sica, what did Yuri do to you again?”

“Huh?”

“You’re only upset like this when Yuri did something or when you quarrel with her. What did she do wrong now?”

“Yoona, how can you tell even without me telling you?”

“We have been friends for so long, Jessica. I know you inside out.”

“Yoong, you know your sister’s back, right?”

Yoona narrowed her eyes at Jessica. Yoona knew about Yuri’s liking for Tiffany.

“Wait, you mean she still likes my sister?”

“It has been so long, Yoona. She still has eyes for your sister.”

“Then why are you still with her?”

“I... I cannot live without her, Yoong.”

“Sica, are you willing to let her hurt you like this?”

“I don’t mind at all, Yoong. I don’t care as long as she’s with me.”

“Jessica..”

“Yoong, you know how much I love her. You should know me better.”

“Sigh, Jessica. You’re really stupid. Really stupid in love.”

“I know.”

Jessica turned back to look out of the window. Her tears were already trickling down her cheeks. Suddenly the car stopped and Yoona was already out of the car. Jessica watched as the girl went over to her side; pulled out the door and reached out for Jessica’s hands. She gently hoisted the other girl out of the car and wrapped her arms around her waist.

Jessica felt herself being pulled towards Yoona’s shoulders and she took the liberty to wrap her arms around Yoona’s body tightly.

“Just cry on my shoulders. I’m not going anywhere.”

Jessica cried immediately. Yoona was her only comfort she could ever get.

*

Jessica woke up; feeling tired and her eyes swollen. She rubbed them gently before looking around the unfamiliar surroundings of the room she was in right now.  She scrutinized carefully and then realized she was in a lodge house. There was a fireplace with warmth from the burning fire. She pulled her jacket tighter around her body as she got out from the bed.

There was nobody around. Jessica was frowning away. Where was Yoona? She took a seat on the sofa nearer to the fireplace. Jessica looked around the interior design of the lodge house and the infrastructure that made the whole place looked so cozy. The bed was situated in the middle of the house with sofas neatly arranged in front of the fireplace.

The furniture was made of teak wood and a smile slowly crept up on her lips. She saw a note on the table from Yoona.

Sica, there’s food in the fridge. Warm it up before eating. I’m going to get some amenities from the shops nearby. I’ll be back in a jiffy. If you need anything, just give me a call, okay?  Love, Yoona

She sighed and got up from the sofa. The kitchen was just few steps away from the bed and there was a fridge at the corner of it. There was a bowl of salad with chicken chunks and pieces of smoked salami. Yoona was considerate enough not to put cucumbers in. Jessica ate her salad happily when she heard the door opened. Yoona was back.

“Sica?”

Yoona was searching for Jessica when the girl appeared in front of her with the salad bowl in her hands.

“Oh, you’re eating? Did you just wake up?”

“Yes, I just woke up.”

“How do you feel? Are your eyes better? I bought eye mask for you to put on later in the night. Oh, we’re going to have a mini BBQ – just you and me. Is that alright?”

Yoona was blabbering with the plastic bags in her hands. She put them on the table and quickly turned to Jessica. She was staring into Jessica’s eyes.

“Are you feeling better?”

Jessica gave her a wide smile.

“Good. You’re smiling.”

“I have to. You’re too sweet.”

“Hehe, glad you feel that way. I’m going to prepare the meat and chicken for the BBQ later. Do you want to rest?”

“No, I want to help.”

Yoona raised her eyebrow.

“What?”

“Do you know how to hold a knife?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?!”

“You cut your finger yesterday.”

Yoona lifted her hand up and pointed to the band-aid.

“You teach me how to cut. I promise I won’t cut my finger.”

“Fine then.”

Jessica felt triumphant. Usually Yuri wouldn’t give in to her but Yoona would so easily. The girl ordered Jessica to finish the salad before she could help. Jessica was pouting away but nevertheless ate to the last bit. She washed her hands and was ready to help Yoona.

Yoona was teaching her and carefully guided Jessica with the knife. She held Jessica’s hand tightly and taught her to cut the chicken into cubes.  Jessica was smiling away when Yoona praised her for not cutting her finger after she was done.

But of course, the princess was always a princess. She scalded her hand when she tried to lift the boiled eggs from the hot pot. Yoona didn’t wait any second; she quickly rushed to Jessica. She hugged Jessica tightly before letting Jessica’s scalded hand under the running tap water. She consoled the whimpering girl and gently pushed Jessica’s face into her chest. It must have hurt a lot but Jessica didn’t feel a thing.

She looked up slightly to find Yoona examining her scalded hand. The girl’s warm concern touched Jessica’s heart greatly. If it was Yuri, it would take her minutes to even realize that Jessica was hurting just like yesterday.

But not Yoona; Jessica didn’t even need to cry out. Yoon was watching her all the while and when the hot water splashed onto Jessica’s hand, she quickly moved in and took care of everything. The burnt didn’t look that bad but Yoona wanted to take precaution and then quickly sent Jessica to the doctor.

“It’s not that bad. Just put on this cream and it will be okay in few days time. I’ll put this bandage to protect the burnt area.”

Yoona listened attentively while Jessica just looked on in horror. She hates such things. Yoona held her hand tightly.

“I have to put it on?”

“Yes, you have to.”

“But I’m scared.”

“Get Yuri to do it.”

“Yuri’s going to yell at me.”

“Don’t worry, I will tell her.”

Yoona assured her that she would.

*

Tiffany was done with the porridge. She cleared out the rubbish and cleaned up the kitchen. Lincoln was quiet and she wondered what the boy was doing. To her surprise, she found Lincoln sleeping beside Yuri; the lady was hugging him tightly. Tiffany smiled. She quietly tiptoed over to Yuri’s side; touching her forehead gently.

“Oh good, her fever has subsided.”

She then gently woke Yuri up.

“Yuri ah, it’s time to eat so that you can take your medicine.”

Yuri was fidgeting about on her bed; Lincoln was too. The little one cuddled even closer to Yuri when he felt Yuri’s arm was no longer around him. Yuri slowly opened her eyes to find Tiffany smiling at her. She turned to look at the wall clock.

“What time is it?”

She couldn’t see clearly.

“It’s almost 6 now. You zonked out the moment you took your medicine earlier on. And why is Lincoln on the bed with you?”

“Oh, he was crawling into my room. He was making some cooing sounds and I know you were busy cooking so I played with him for awhile. I guess we fell asleep together.”

Yuri turned to her side to find the little angel cuddled closely to her. She slowly got up and gave a soft kiss on Lincoln’s forehead. Tiffany was watching; her eyes were watery.  And Yuri saw them.

“Tiffany?”

“Nothing, nothing.”

Tiffany was about to wipe them away when Yuri beat her to it. She gently wiped Tiffany’s tears away before pulling Tiffany closer for a tight embrace. Tiffany was taken aback.

“Don’t cry. I told you before. I’ll be here.”

“Yuri..”

“Just..let me stay with you.”

Yuri whispered softly and Tiffany nodded her head gently. They remained like that for a few minutes. Yuri wanted it to last longer but her phone rang. She groaned and gently pulled herself away. Then she saw Jessica’s name blinking on her phone. Her heart ached immediately.

“Jessica?”

Tiffany pulled herself away too. She then turned to her son; Yuri was watching her. But she soon forced herself to turn away from Tiffany when Jessica mentioned about her injury.

“What? Are you alright?!”

She walked away from her room and hid in her balcony. Jessica told her what happened and Yuri was worried. She was genuinely worried.

“Is it that bad?”

Jessica said something.

“Oh, that’s great. Are you coming home soon?”

Yuri turned to her direction of the room.

“You’re with Yoona now? Can I talk to her?”

Tiffany stood at the doorway when she heard her sister’s name. She leaned against the door and overheard Yuri’s words.

“Can you take care of her?”

Yuri was scratching her forehead.

“Okay good. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

Yuri hung up the phone and turned to find Tiffany staring at her. She stopped halfway and Tiffany moved to the living room; Yuri joined her there.

“What happened?”

“Jessica scalded her hand.”

“Huh? Is she alright? Do you need to see her?”

“Yoona’s with her. She should be fine.”

“Oh.”

Tiffany nodded before getting up from the sofa. Yuri looked on. Sooner later, Tiffany appeared with a tray and two bowls of porridge which she made earlier on. There was some shredded fried egg and some side dishes which Tiffany prepared as well.

“Let’s have dinner. Then you take your medicine. I’ll go home after this.”

Tiffany placed the tray on the table and took one bowl in her hand. She put it in front of Yuri.

“You can handle yourself?”

“What?”

“Do you need me to feed you?”

“Err, it’s not necessary. I can eat by myself.”

“Okay.”

The two of them ate in silence with the television playing on the background. Tiffany was concentrating on the show while Yuri just stared at Tiffany’s side view. She felt warmth when Tiffany did all this because she was sick.

She wanted to tell Tiffany badly how much she loves her. She wanted to let Tiffany know that her heart is still waiting for her. But Yuri knew she couldn’t be rash.  It might hurt many people.

Tiffany, on the other hand, was still clueless of Yuri’s feelings for her. She didn’t think much about the hug because Yuri used to hug like that when they were younger.

How sad Yuri’s life could be.

*

“Yoona, I’m fine.”

“Just eat it will do.”

“I can feed myself. I didn’t break my wrist.”

“My hand is getting tired. The meat is going to fall off from the chopstick really soon. Could you please just eat it?”

Yoona eventually shoved the grilled beef into Jessica’s mouth. Ever since the scalding incident, Yoona treated Jessica like a queen. Although Jessica enjoyed it, she would feel better if Yoona was Yuri instead. Yoona saw her tears.

“Ya, why are you crying? I promise I won’t shove the meat into your mouth anymore.”

“It’s not that, silly.”

“Then why are you crying again?”

“Yoona, I wish Yuri was you.”

Yoona rolled her eyes and then sighed loudly. She smacked Jessica’s forehead with the back of her chopsticks. Jessica winced.

“Stop thinking of her, will you? You’re with me right now. Think of me ONLY.”

“Right, are you that possessive?”

“I can be if you want me to.”

“Why would I want you to be possessive?”

“I don’t know. Whatever.”

Yoona turned her attention to the grilling pan. She tossed the meat around and Jessica was watching her. She looked up and then gave Jessica a quick grin before putting more meat on Jessica’s plate.

“Eat and then we can sleep. I’ll drive you back tomorrow.”

“You told Yuri we’re staying overnight here?”

“Yeah, she said okay.”

“Of course she would.”

“Oh come on, what did I say earlier on?”

“Only think of you.”

“Good, now think of me.”

“What?”

“Do I make a good girlfriend?”

“I think you do.”

“Okay. Now think of me as your good girlfriend.”

“What?”

“I’m kidding. Just think of me as your good friend.”

Jessica knew Yoona was trying to distract her away from Yuri. Having thoughts of Yuri would just simply ruin Jessica’s night and Yoona was determined not to let that happen.  Somehow Jessica felt she couldn’t let Yoona down tonight.

“Yoona-ah..”

“Hmm?”

“Thank you.”

Yoona smiled.

“You’re welcome, Princess. Anytime.”

*

Tiffany was waiting for a cab. Yuri was waiting with her. Yuri wanted to send Tiffany home but the girl refused to let her. Yuri was sick.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to send you home? Isn’t it a hassle to carry Lincoln and hogging the baby pram around?”

“My parents are at home. I can call my Dad to help me. Don’t worry.”

“Oh, right.”

Yuri bit her tongue. How stupid she could be. Tiffany’s parents live with them.

“Your fever is gone. Even so, you still have to rest more. Remember your medicine before you sleep.”

“Yes, I’ll remember that. You told me umpteen of times.”

“Heh, I’m sorry. I’m a mother now. I nag a lot.”

“Yeah, I notice that.”

Yuri earned a hard smack on her arm from Tiffany. She just stuck her tongue out while Tiffany rolled her eyes at her.

“You’re not supposed to agree with me.”

“But I’m obliged to.”

“Shut up.”

Tiffany smacked her again and Yuri was giggling away. Lincoln was busy his pacifier when Yuri pulled it out. The little boy got a little annoyed. He jumped onto Yuri’s hands and fought with her hand. Yuri purposely raised her hand higher but the boy held on to her arm like a monkey. He was practically climbing up Yuri’s hand.

“Wow, you’re strong!”

The boy smirked before he grabbed hold of Yuri’s fingers and pulled the pacifier out from Yuri’s index finger. He put back into his mouth.

“You’re so cute, Lincoln!”

Yuri ruffled his hair and the boy -head Yuri in her chest. He nuzzled his face into Yuri’s mounds and Tiffany was embarrassed.

“Lincoln! Don’t do that!”

“It’s alright, Fany. He’s just a baby.”

“I’m sorry, Yuri. He might be thirsty.”

“Oh. Is he?”

Tiffany took Lincoln into her arms and the boy did the same thing. This time, he clutched onto his mother’s mounds. His mouth was opening.

“Okay, he is thirsty.”

“Do you mind if I feed him for awhile?”

“Huh? Here?”

Tiffany chuckled softly.

“No, in your house.”

“Oh, sure!”

They went back to Yuri’s place and Yuri offered Tiffany her bedroom.  Tiffany settled comfortably on the bed before she opened her top button. She moved her shirt away and took out her bra. Yuri was watching and then realized what Tiffany was doing, she quickly turned away. Her face was red.

“Ermm, I’ll be in the living room.”

“Oh, alright.”

“I’ll see you later.”

“Okay.”

Yuri quickly left her room. Her heart was beating fast. She could see Tiffany’s mounds and her heart was beating rapidly.

“What the hell, Yuri! You stupid byun!”

Yuri slapped herself in the face.

*

Yuri looked up at the wall clock. It was almost an hour since Tiffany was in bedroom; feeding Lincoln. She wondered if she should disturb Tiffany. She slowly got up from her sofa and went over to her room. She knocked softly.

“Fany?”

No answer.

“Fany, are you done?”

Still, there was just silence. So Yuri slowly opened the door and saw Tiffany and Lincoln cuddled with each other on the bed. Tiffany must have fallen asleep after fed Lincoln. The mother and son were sleeping peacefully and Yuri didn’t have the heart to wake them up. She adjusted Lincoln properly so that Tiffany could sleep more comfortably. She then pulled the blanket and covered both of them.

Yuri was contemplating if she should kiss Tiffany on her forehead but eventually decided not to. She kissed Lincoln instead.

“Goodnight Lincoln. Goodnight Fany. Sweet dreams.”

Yuri grabbed a blanket and pillow from her cupboard before turning off the lights. She settled down in her living room. She got comfortable on her sofa and closed her eyes. She was happy that night because Tiffany was sleeping on her bed.

“Tiffany, I love you. I love you so much.”

She mumbled before drifting off to sleep. And she has conveniently forgotten about Jessica. Jessica was not on her mind at all that night.

*

Jessica refused to let Yoona sleep on the couch. She insisted to sleep on the bed. Yoona eventually relented and both girls shared space on the same bed.  Jessica couldn’t get to sleep while Yoona was already deep in her slumber. Jessica sat up; resting her head against the bed rest.

She glanced to her side. Yoona was sleeping like a little baby; her face was close to Jessica’s stomach. She gently caressed Yoona’s hair before pulling the blanket up to Yoona’s neck. She then turned to her side and grabbed the phone from the side table.

There was not a single message from Yuri at all that day. Jessica was the one who called her but Yuri didn’t even bother to send a message after that. She was disappointed in her. Shouldn’t Yuri felt uneasy that her girlfriend was with someone else; spending the night together?

Jessica sighed loudly. She wondered whether Yuri would worry if she went missing. She knew Yoona would but she strongly believed Yuri wouldn’t. She might be but not as concerned as Yoona.

She turned to look at Yoona who was sleeping with mouth slightly agape. Jessica playfully pinched her nose and Yoona fidgeted in her sleep.  Jessica giggled as Yoona was waking up in her blur state.

“Huh?”

“Shh, go back to sleep, Yoona.”

“Why are you still awake?”

“I’m going to sleep soon.”

“Oh, are you cold? You can take the blanket.”

“No silly. I’m fine. Just go back to sleep. I’ll sleep now.”

“Okay.”

Yoona fell asleep immediately.  And Jessica was watching her breathing softly. Her mind was full of Yuri and she wondered if the girl was alright. She left a message for Yuri and then adjusted herself. She waited for a few minutes but there was no reply.

“She must be sleeping now.”

Jessica sighed and put her phone away. Her heart was aching and she slept with tears in her eyes. She missed Yuri that night.

*