Tiffany opened , but the words would not come out. She closed it again, trying to find another way to put it. And once again, she started.

“I..” Tiffany just barely choked the word out.

“I found someone.” She whispered.

“Someone else.” This, was said even softer than before. It was so soft, that if the others hadn’t been so focussed on listening to her, they would’ve missed it.

But they did hear it, loud and clear as if it were a lion’s roar in a silent room. And to say they were shocked, would’ve been an immense understatement.

Jaws dropped all around the table and the girls were all confounded.

To hear that there was a rift between Taeyeon and Tiffany was shocking enough. But now, as all 9 of them sat around the table, hearing the news that Tiffany had found another love interest, they were beyond shocked.

“What..” Hyoyeon cleared . “What do you mean? You’ve found someone?”

The others held their breaths as they waited for the answer. Taeyeon had a poker face on. To know of the existence of the ‘other person’ was bad enough. Having to hear it spoken aloud, for the first time, broke her.

But she wouldn’t say a word. She kept her face straight, as if this life changing news didn’t affect her, as if each word Tiffany said didn’t punch a hole through her battered heart.

“I found someone.” Tiffany repeated.

“We’ve been..” she trailed off, questioning her own phrasing.

“It’s been almost a year.” She ended softly.

Tiffany didn’t elaborate. She didn’t add any details, not about the new person, nor about the one she was still, technically, bound to.

“Why?”

It was Jessica, who had asked this, her tone, sharp. Jessica, who had been Tiffany’s best friend, besides Taeyeon, back when they had still lived in the dorm. It was Jessica, who was still her best friend, the one she talked to the most, despite there being oceans separating them.

But even as Jessica asked why, everyone knew the underlying question.

How could she?

Tiffany looked down, almost as if she didn’t know what to do with herself anymore. She hadn’t asked herself that question, she didn’t even know why.

She thought long and hard, and finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she looked up, into the masked, angry eyes of her best friend.

“I fell out of love.”

That was all she said.

And that was when Jessica raged.

Of all people, Taeyeon never expected Jessica to be the one who’d stand up so vehemently for her, but the American surprised her yet again.

“You fell out of love?! That’s your explanation?” She almost screamed.

“I’m just sitting here. I haven’t said a word to Taeyeon since I arrived back in Seoul and I can already tell that she’s not ok. That she’s suffering. You know she has been, even after the group disbanded. And all you have to say is you fell out of love?”

Jessica took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure.

“What happened, Fany-ah? The two of you were so close. The last I talked to you, the both of you were doing fine. The last we talked, you said she was getting better, that she wasn’t quite as depressed about the disbandment anymore. What happened? And don’t tell me you fell out of love. That’s bull and you know it.”

Jessica sat down, eyeing Tiffany expectantly.

Her little tirade occurred quickly, but quite loudly, and Taeyeon was glad that they were the only ones in the restaurant. Even though she was just surrounded by her sisters, she still felt a little awkward at the situation.

And as Taeyeon watched Tiffany struggle with what to say, she too had a little battle going on in her head.

On one hand, Taeyeon was curious. She had never been given a reason for everything. She only knew Tiffany had another man, but she never knew why the other girl had strayed, or why she had stayed.

Taeyeon had stayed faithful, hadn’t she?

And yet, Taeyeon, despite everything Tiffany had shoved at her, still loved the other girl, and could not bear to see her being questioned by the group. She did not dare to look at Tiffany, afraid that the moment she saw the girl squirming under the pressure of 7 other inquisitive gazes, she might cave and force them to stop their questions.

And so, Taeyeon forced herself to look to the side. She wanted answers. She had let herself be hurt for far too long. And for what?

Even before they got together, Tiffany had always been hot and cold. Taeyeon could barely get a direct answer out of her, and more often than not, it frustrated her. But Taeyeon herself, had been so blinded with love that she would have done anything Tiffany said, even if the younger girl asked her to jump off a building.

Tiffany had hesitated for so long, that Taeyeon had almost given up hope at one point, but finally, several months after the group had decided to take a break, the two of them got together. It was a terrible time for Taeyeon. Singing was her world, and now, without the group, she was lost. So when Tiffany finally gave a clear answer, Taeyeon jumped at the chance, showering Tiffany with all her love, in many ways. It brought her back from the brink of depression. They were happy for almost 2 years, or at least, that’s what Taeyeon thought.

Now, Taeyeon wondered if it had all been her imagination. She wondered if the sweet caresses they shared had just been out of pity, since Tiffany knew how Taeyeon had pined after her, long before they had even debuted as a group. She wondered if their supposed love, was built out of a weak foundation of lies that had finally crumbled after just 2 years.

“I’m sorry.” Tiffany whispered. It would seem that Tiffany’s usually loud voice had gone on a hiatus of its own. Taeyeon hadn’t heard it in almost a year.

“I just fell out of love. I don’t know what else to say. I come back one day, and nothing really matters anymore.” She paused a little.

“It doesn’t feel like home anymore. Just a house I live in.”

Tiffany turned a little towards Taeyeon, the first time she initiated any form of conversation between them.

And now, Tiffany was talking directly to the eldest of the group.

“It’s not your fault. You didn’t do anything. I just..”

Taeyeon held breath. She had an inkling of what Tiffany would say, and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to hear it.

“I just stopped loving you the way I used to.”

Tiffany’s head was bowed down, staring at her lap, almost as if she thought that if she spoke to her lap, the pain wouldn’t be that bad.

But no matter where she looked - and she didn’t really have to look - the emotions in the air at that very moment was strong and clear.

Taeyeon didn’t really know what to do. She loved Tiffany, that much she knew. But Tiffany no longer loved her. And Taeyeon, for a moment, thought of fighting. She wanted her girl back.

But as people say, to love is to let go. After all, if Tiffany was happy with whomever this new person is, who was she to deny her that happiness? Plus, she had subconsciously known, for almost a year now, that things were over between them. She had had the time to get used to it, even if she never consciously took any action.

She really loved Tiffany, and she wanted her happy.

Even if it meant letting her go.

Taeyeon stood up, her chair scraping against the tiles of the floor. She didn’t say a word as she looked straight at Tiffany.

Everyone stared as, for the first time ever, they saw their leader broken. Pain shone clear in Taeyeon’s eyes. Her hands were trembling by her sides as she stared at the girl she loved.

And then a sob escaped her lips. And another, and another.

Tears streamed down Taeyeon’s pale cheeks, and she clenched her jaw in an effort to stem the flow.

It was then, that Taeyeon realised that she couldn’t stay there any longer. She wanted to be alone.

She needed to be alone.

A/N: Do leave your comments~ It's interesting to see how some of you think:) A (slightly) early update~ :) Enjoy~