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The confrontation was over, the apologies were over, the crying was over. Taeyeon sat there, leaning against the mirror, with Claire, who was leaning her head on her shoulder, sitting beside her.

"Taeyeon ah..." Claire gently called out, while staying in her position.

"Hmm?" Taeyeon's voice was equally gentle.

"Can you...tell me what exactly happened?"

"Well..." Taeyeon didn't know exactly how to reply that question. She wondered if telling Claire the truth that she had thought that she might be her Jessica would hurt her feelings, and she decided that it probably would, so she made up something which at least carried the same yet different meaning somehow. "I just...keep seeing Jessica in you... I'm really sorry Claire..."

"Ah..." Claire's short answer made Taeyeon panicked as she stopped leaning and sat up straight, turning her body to face Claire. The younger girl was a little shocked as the shoulder that she was leaning on moved away and she turned to look at Taeyeon too.

"Claire erm...it's not that. I really really like you. You as in Claire, Claire Claire, not Claire-who-looks-like-Jessica Claire. I'm not treating you as a replacement. I'm really not. It's just that...you really look like her. Shucks what am I saying. I just need time. I promise you that I'll get over her. Getting over 10 long years of relationship is really more difficult than I thought it was. I'm not lying to you I ju-"

"Taeyeon."

"..." Taeyeon's words were cut short and she just stared at Claire mindlessly with agape.

"Taeyeon, I told you I wouldn't mind, at least for a while, didn't I? I understand. I really do. 10 years is a really long time. And if you can get over her easily, it probably means that you're not quite a good person too, isn't it? So I'm telling you that I understand that you need time. But Taeyeon... I really hope that you can just tell me what you're thinking instead of trying to deal with it yourself and then... I don't know... It's just not good for us if you keep bottling things up..."

"I know... I'm sorry..."

"Stop saying you're sorry now, okay? I need you to know that I'm really glad that you weren't acting this way because you don't want me any more."

"Don't say that. Please don't say that. I won't do that, really."

Claire finally smiled as she locked Taeyeon into a hug.

"I love you Taeyeon."

***

Taeyeon managed to push any other thoughts about Jessica to the back of her mind after that day. She had spent that entire night talking to the photo of her and Jessica, hoping that Jessica could hear her and give her strength. After which, she had kept the photo frame inside the box of memories she shared with her ex fiancee and tucked the box safely in her cupboard. All that was left was her phone cover, and Jessica used to have an identical one. Taeyeon found it really hard to take it off, and had decided to leave it on her phone. She reckoned that it would be the only piece of memory she could and should carry around. She had kissed her engagement ring before carefully taking it out, the first time ever in years, and putting it back into the ring box, and then it ended up in the same box of memories.

The days that followed were nothing but a bunch of sweetness. This was just one of the days.

"Kim Taeyeon." Claire knocked on the door of her girlfriend's studio where loud music could be heard. Taeyeon had been practising hard for her next performance. There was no response and the loud music didn't stop. Claire knocked harder, but Taeyeon didn't hear it all the same. "YAH KIM TAEYEON!" Taeyeon, whose eyes shone with determination while practicising, suddenly stopped when she thought she heard something. She walked over and turned the volume down as she listened for any sounds outside.

"KIM. TAE. YEON. ARE YOU OPENING UP OR ARE YOU NOT?" Her eyes widened in shock when the familiar voice of her girlfriend reached her ears. She pretty much ran to the door and opened it immediately, and there stood her girlfriend, her arms crossed. "Oops." That was all she could say because the next moment, she was being led into the studio with Claire tugging at her hair. "OUCH YA YA YA OUCH OUCH OKAY OKAY OKAY I'M SORRY OUCH LET GO! YA!" Claire finally let go and Taeyeon rubbed her head a little before frowning at her girlfriend. "AH WHY!" Taeyeon protested.

"I was standing outside!"

"I didn't know! How long did you stand outside!"

"5 minutes!"

"What?! Just 5 minutes and you had to pull my hair like that?!"

"Did you just say just 5 minutes?" Claire's voice became softer but the threat in her tone seemed to have increased tremendously.

"Uh... I believe I said that I love you." Taeyeon gave a slight grin but Claire continued looking at her with her unfriendly eyes. "Ha ha ha..." Taeyeon laughed timidly and shrugged. "Sorry...?"

"I don't think that's how we do apologies." The look that Claire gave didn't change at all.

"Ah..." Taeyeon's eyes flickered before she smiled slightly. Without warning she pulled Claire close by her neck and locked her lips with hers. "Mmm!" Claire wanted to protest but Taeyeon held tight as she continued kissing her. Claire couldn't hold out for much longer before she stopped resisting and kissed Taeyeon back fiercely. They kissed for a while before they stopped, but their lips didn't part, and their smiles met. "This is how we do it, right?" Taeyeon smirked.

Claire pulled away and the coldness returned to her eyes. "Actually, no. I meant to say that you were not being sincere. But." Taeyeon raised her eyebrows as she waited for Claire to complete her sentence.

"That was actually good." That was what Taeyeon heard and she thought she had seen a smirk on her girlfriend's face before she felt warm lips on hers yet again.

***

"Hi Claire!" Tiffany eye-smiled as she hooked arms with Claire, who smiled really widely upon seeing Tiffany.

"You're early."

"Yes I'm early. I always am. Taeyeon is the one who's always late, except when- Ah nevermind. Anyway! Did you see the new Cartier designs. Oh my gosh they are like the best!"

"They did?! I just got the older design last week! Shucks Cartier hates me."

"Hahaha tell you what. Just give the old one to Taeyeon and go get the new design. Taeyeon doesn't really care about accessories." Tiffany giggled at her own evil plan.

"I actually did that with the Chanel earrings. Hahahaha!" Claire burst out laughing when she realised that she wasn't any better than Tiffany.

"Gosh hi-five!" The girls hi-fived before they hooked arms again and continued chatting.

"Ahem." Someone cleared behind the two of them and they jumped, but they didn't let go of each other's arms as they turned to look.

"Oh hi Taeyeon!" Tiffany flashed her signature eye-smile again.

Taeyeon looked at Tiffany, and then Jessica, and then her eyes dropped to their arms which were still tightly hooked together. "What are you two doing?" She said as she pointed at their arms.

The two girls looked at Taeyeon's finger and then to their arms, and then back to Taeyeon. "What?" Claire asked, confused.

Noticing that they didn't catch her hint, Taeyeon broke them up herself and then stood in between the two of them, linking arms with both of them. "Let's go." The two girls chuckled when they finally got what she meant and they just followed the oldest girl as they walked down the streets.

***

"Hi Miss Kim. How may I help you?" The receptionist at one of her family's hotels bowed as she greeted Taeyeon politely.

"Mmm that... Are there any VIP rooms available?"

"Please give me a moment while I check for you."

"Sure, thanks."

"Miss Kim, there are still free rooms for all kinds of VIP rooms. May I know which suite should I book for you?"

"Mmm... Let's see. Okay can you get me the penthouse suite?"

"Sure. Please give me a moment."

"Thanks!" Taeyeon smiled brightly at the receptionist. She was very well-liked by all their staffs, who knew her as the sweet and polite young miss Kim.

"Here's your key. Do you need extra keys?"

"Give me one more then! Thanks!" Taeyeon never saved on saying "thanks", and she could easily make her staffs smile. She bowed and smiled widely yet again as she took over the keys and left to look at her suite.

The penthouse suite looked beyond amazing and she couldn't help but to smile at what she was looking at. Satisfied, she pulled out her phone to call Claire, who picked up in an instant.

"Yes yes."

"Claire are you reaching soon? I'm already here. You're gonna like it." Claire could hear Taeyeon smiling and she herself grinned.

"Yes. We're reaching after we pass this traffic light."

"I'll be down to get you then my princess."

"Stop calling me that I told you it's mushy!"

"Hehe whatever! Okay I'm going down now. See you soon!"

"See you love!"

Claire arrived in no time in a black limousine. Taeyeon was amused at how rich somehow all her friends were. Her eyes couldn't leave her girlfriend as she stepped out of the car. Claire bowed slightly to her chauffeur before he drove off, and Taeyeon thought that he looked familiar, but she shrugged the thought off once Claire hooked her arms with her.

"You look..." Taeyeon started.

"Gorgeous?"

"Dream on. I'm telling you, who in the world comes out of a limousine wearing like you?!"

"What?!" Claire rolled her eyes and smacked Taeyeon's arm, and the older girl was busy laughing.

"I'm kidding. You still look gorgeous with just jeans and a top. Let's go!"

The two of them had wanted to hang out at home but since both of them didn't want to let their families know just yet, they decided to go to one of Taeyeon's hotels instead.

"Amazing!" Claire exclaimed and immediately jumped onto the queen sized bed. "Come here!" Jessica patted the bed beside her and Taeyeon smiled as she did just as she was told and lay beside Claire. They lay there and talked about many things, laughing and messing with each other and two hours were gone just like that.

"Oh yes. I got you the movies you wanted to watch. Give me a mo-" Taeyeon was about to stand up to get the movies when Claire tugged at her hand and she fell back onto the bed again. "What?" Taeyeon asked as she looked at Claire. Charismatically, Claire shook her fringe to the side and looked at Taeyeon without replying her question. "What is it?" Taeyeon asked again.

"I...don't feel like watching movies now."

"I thought you said that you really wanted to watch those movies?" Taeyeon raised her eyebrow.

"No, I mean yes I still want to watch those movies. Just...not now."

"Huh? Then what?"

"Don't act like you don't know now, you ert." Once the word ert reached Taeyeon's ears, she broke into a smile.

"Ah... You want to make out with me?" Taeyeon teased.

"No. Probably with the receptionist downstairs." Claire was being all chic again, and Taeyeon was temporarily reminded of Jessica, but she managed to push it aside.

"Then go."

"Really?"

"Yeah really." They were having their illogical and childish banter again.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes I'm sure."

"Okay. Don't regret it." Claire really stood up to leave but with swift actions, Taeyeon pulled her back and pinned her on the bed with her hands above her head.

"But I'm going first." She smirked.

"I think you got it wrong." Taeyeon's smirk faded as she looked at her girlfriend in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"I am going first." Claire lifted her head off the bed and gently bit on Taeyeon's upper lip before locking her lips with hers.

***

"It was this tall!" Claire described the ice cream she once had really animatedly and Taeyeon couldn't help but to laugh.

"I see... So? You wanna have it again?"

"I mean...we're here again so... Why not? Do you want to share?" Claire acted cute and Taeyeon knew that her heart had softened immediately.

"Okay okay stop showing me that expression. Where is it? I'll go and get it."

"I know where it is, it's not too far away from here. I'll go. You sit here and have your drink. You must have been really tired with all the practices these days." Taeyeon couldn't be more glad to have such a caring girlfriend.

"Alright. Be back quickly okay?"

"Okay." Claire smiled before she left.

Taeyeon cracked her neck before taking a sip out of her coffee. Such a beautiful day, she thought. Just thinking of Claire already made her smile. All their memories were floating in her head and she was so absorbed in it without even knowing it.

She jumped slightly when the vibration from her phone made a loud noise when it vibrated against the table. Thinking it was Claire, she held her phone up, only to realise that there was no calls, no messages, no nothing. It was then when she realised that Claire didn't bring her phone with her. She shook her head as she smiled and looked away. But her smile faded when her brain registered what she had unintentionally seen on her girlfriend's phone and she found herself turning to look at Claire's phone again.

Taeyeon didn't even know that she was biting so hard on her teeth and she swallowed her saliva as she slowly reached out to Claire's phone.

© Sky Blue Tales ✍