New York City. Fall 2013.

Chaerin tiptoed into the room, careful not to wake up Dara who asked to have a nap in order to recoup her energy and be ready for a night out -- her last in NYC. It had been a dream-like five days, spent on the most trivial of joys: eating takeaway burgers, walking down the streets at night to enjoy the neon lights and the brisk September air, shopping for each other, getting up late with no schedules to follow... And most of all,  living in their own world where they drifted off and woke up in the same place everyday -- each other's arms.

Dara said she would be ready by 11pm so Chaerin went for a quick workout at the hotel gym, worried that the fast food meals and the lazy schedule would start to take their toll on her body. But when she came back, she found Dara still sleeping on her corner of the queen-sized bed, curled up like a kitten with TamTam pressed close to her chest.

"She must be exhausted, poor thing" Chaerin thought to herself, smiling inwardly as she took off her sneakers and changed out of her sweats. Wrapping a robe around her, she climbed into the bed and carefully crawled to the sleeping girl's side.

"Unnie?" she whispered gently over Dara's ear. "Darong... It's almost midnight sweetie..."

But the sleeping girl barely budged. Instead she heaved heavily and smacked her lips lightly, as though she was going deeper into a dream. Chaerin smiled as she sat up. "I don't think we're going out now," she thought to herself, running her fingers ever so lightly over Dara's cheek. Under the lambent glow of the bedside lamp, she looked so pale and soft and fragile, especially with her new blonde hair... She lovingly traced the line of Dara's jaw with her thumb and felt the silky softness of her skin.

Her thumb grazed over Dara's slightly parted lips and without opening her eyes, the still sleeping girl puckered up to kiss Chaerin's thumb, as though it was the most natural thing in the world to do.

Afraid that she might wake up her girlfriend, Chaerin withdrew her hand and sat silently, keeping careful watch over the beauty before her. Her heart sank remembering this was their last night in New York. Dara had to go home and be with her family for Chuseok while she, being alone in Seoul, decided she would stay until the festival was over. She had to catch up on plans with Jeremy, who was kind enough to step back while Dara was still in town. Even Xin and her fashion friends understood why she cancelled plans to join them in London for the fashion week. CL had to take a few days off because Chaerin needed to be with her Sandara.

Her Sandara... Two words that brought immense joy to her heart. She wasn’t even sure if she would make the long trip to NYC. Even on the night before she left Seoul, Dara did not make any commitments because she was still weighing the odds.

"Are you sure you want me to go to New York with you? I might just cramp your style. I’m not the partying kind -- you know that, right? And people will surely talk... What if people start to notice? We’re already being talked about in SNS..." Dara spouted one reason after another on why going to New York may not be a good idea for her, even if she desperately needed the quiet time away with Chaerin.

 "Unnie, we will not be idols forever. We cannot let the company and the fans dictate our lives and ruin our chances for happiness. We're not doing anything wrong and we have been too cautious for so long..." Chaerin knelt in front of the sitting Dara and lifted her face to look her in the eye. "I want you to experience a different life even for just a few days. My friends in America, they're different. They won't judge us. We can be free even just for a week. And you will see there is a different world where love like ours is celebrated, not scorned. Where we don't need to hide because love should never bring shame..."

But Dara insisted on staying behind and so she left with a heavy heart. Only to find, two days later, a familiar voice outside her hotel room just as she was getting ready to leave for Jeremy's show. When Chaerin opened the door and saw her Ssantoki – beaming happily in her bright yellow hoodie and blue hip hop braids -- her heart leapt for joy. No words needed to be exchanged. The long, lingering kiss Dara gave her as she threw all caution to the wind said it all. She conquered her fears -- all of them -- to be with the one she loves.

These thoughts filled Chaerin's mind and she felt herself being lulled to sleep as well. It was already way past midnight and it seems that all plans have changed because she did not have the heart to wake up the waiflike, delicate figure slumbering peacefully beside her.

"I don't think we're going anywhere" she thought to herself as she settled comfortably beside Dara and gently placed a loving arm around her. She breathed in the light, jasmine scent of her girlfriend’s hair and nuzzled her nose in the blonde tresses, kissing the golden strands ever-so-lightly. "I love you, you silly rabbit"... She smiled at the thought. "We don't have to go anywhere Darong... Nowhere can be more perfect than where we are... Right here, right now..." And with that thought, she closed her eyes contentedly and drifted off to sleep.

(End)