CHAPTER 8

Ding dong...

"Steph?"

"Hi ..."

***

It was the third day since Stephanie left. My life was back to normal, except that every day Taeyeon would come trying to make me call Stephanie and asked her to come back and then my mother also came every day to my apartment just to see Stephanie. For three days I’ve tried to convince Taeyeon that I would be fine without Stephanie and also three days of lying to my mother, saying that Stephanie was out of town for a vacation.

"Sooyeon, you know that she is sick, right? Why did you let her go alone?"

Ughh ... I didn’t know what should I say to my mother anymore.

***

It was already the fourth day without Stephanie. And strangely, I miss her. My apartment felt so empty without her laughter and loud voice.

This morning I got up early. Weird, last night I couldn’t sleep, and in the morning I woke up early. I hope this morning there would be Stephanie here, jumping up and down on my bed and laughing as if it was the funniest thing in the world.

Ding dong...

There was someone outside my apartment! I immediately ran towards the door and opened it hastily.

"Steph?"

"Hi....."

And...

There was Taeyeon standing right in front of me.

My smile vanished when I saw her face. To be honest, I expected someone else to stand in front of me at this time.

"What’s with the long face?" Taeyeon asked.

I didn’t answer her question. I walked back to my room, threw myself on the bed and tried to sleep.

"Hey Sica, you just need to meet and talk to her," Taeyeon said as she leaned on the door frame.

Again, I just kept quiet and ignored her. I knew what she meant. She did it everyday, tried to convince me to meet Stephanie.

"Come on, Sica. At least I don’t have to see you being all grumpy like this every day. Admit it, you miss her."

"I don’t see the points of meeting her, Tae. Why should I ask her to come back? I can live normally when she’s not here, I am completely fine with it," finally I talked.

"No, that's not what I mean. You should apologize to her," Taeyeon said as she walked up to me and then threw her body right next to me. "Remember, the last time you talk with her, you made ​​her mad."

"Ughhh..." I covered my face with my blanket. Remembering that day always made me upset.

"Come on Sica, don’t be such a coward."

"What?!" I peeked from the blanket and saw Taeyeon smiled, obviously teasing me.

Taeyeon wiggled her eyebrows and continued grinning. She really did know how to make me upset.

I covered my face again and mumbled, "Fine. Ugh dammit."

"Hehehe, I know right.”

***

"Steph," I immediately stood up when I saw her slim figure coming out of the back door of the club where she worked.

I have been waiting for her here since God knows when. I decided not to go inside the club and just waited outside.

"What are you doing here?"

"S-sorry I just ..."

I stopped talking when she took my hand and led me into the club, or to the dressing room to be exact.

"Are you crazy? It’s very cold outside! Look at you, you're so cold and pale! How long have you been waiting outside? Why didn’t you just go inside?!"

I just kept quiet and stared at her wide-eyed in surprise. I never expected she would react this way. I thought she would just avoid me when saw me, or slapped me hard on my face, or she would cry and then I had to run after her and apologize. Yet looked at her now, she lectured me because she worried about me. Seriously, this girl is really something.

"Jessica, say something," she cupped my face and I could feel blood rushing to my cheeks.

"I-I'm here, you know, j-just..." I felt like punching my face for stuttering like that.

"Listen Jessica, if you're here just to apologize, you don’t have to. I already forgive you. Now go home."

What? She told me to go home just like that? It took me days to finally made a decision to meet her and now she was telling me to go home?

Stephanie walked towards the door but I immediately stopped her before she managed to get out.

"Jessica, I'm going home. I’m very tired and need some rest. Can’t you see what time it is now? It’s 3 in the morning."

I shook my head then took a slow deep breath before looking into her big brown eyes. "Steph, go home with me, to my place."

I saw the emotion in her eyes changed. She opened to speak but closed it again.

"I'm sorry that I’ve hurt your feelings at that time. I didn’t know that you would be mad like that. I mean, I never meant to be rude, or...or made you angry. I didn’t know that calling you stupid would make you very mad. I know that was harsh but when I’m mad I would say things I never meant to say, you know what I mean, right, Steph?" I thought I deserved a slap on my face right now for my stupid and insincere apology.

Stephanie just stood still with a look of disbelief. I was still waiting for her to say something.

"Jessica, really?" then she laughed and shook her head. "I feel like a fool for expecting you to apologize in a more genuine way than this."

"What do you mean? I'm serious. I really am sorry."

"You heard me right before, didn’t you? You’re already forgiven."

I wanted to say something but Stephanie stopped me by placing her index finger on my lips.

"Ssstt, just please don’t say something or else I’ll change my mind."

Stephanie went out and left me alone trying to process what just happened. What I’ve done? Did I just destroyed the only chance to apologize?

Then, I ran after her before it was too late.

I saw her standing under the street lamp a few feet in front of me. The light of the street lamp poured down like the full moon above her, I could see her breath in the frigid air as she tucked a lock of her long shiny black hair behind her ear.

"Steph!" I shouted her name and she looked back.

I ran up to her. She heaved a heavy sigh as she saw me approaching her.

"Stephanie, come home with me, please."

She turned her face to ignore my words.

I repeated, "Stephanie, come home with me. I'm sorry, ok?"

Without me knowing a taxi stopped in front of us, Stephanie went to open the cab door, but I stopped her and stretched my arms out wide in front of her.

"No, I won’t let you go."

"Jessica, I have to go home," she said with annoyed tone.

"Yup, you have to go home, with me to my place and that’s final," now it sounded more like a demand than a request.

Stephanie pushed me aside but I managed to catch her ​​before she opened the cab door.

"Miss, I can’t wait here any longer just to see you flirting and teasing each other like that. I’m not your personal driver!" the taxi driver shouted from inside the car.

"Ahjussi, sorry, this grumpy lady here is not my girlfriend," I explained to the taxi driver. "Ouch!" Stephanie suddenly pinched my arm.

"What the?!" I said, confused by her actions. Did I say something wrong again?

"Hmmph!" Stephanie pouted her lips cutely.

Wait, what? Did I just say cute?

"Miss, you made your girlfriend mad," the ahjussi talked again, now he looked amused by our actions.

I saw Stephanie's face flushed as the ahjussi said these words, then I decided to along, "Ahjussi, she's not my girlfriend, unless she wants to come home with me."

Stephanie's face getting red, I wanted to laugh but I decided to continue teasing her with the help of this taxi driver.

"Oooh I see, hehe.. Miss, just go home with her. Aren’t you afraid to go home alone at time like this? You know, if you go home alone I could just kidnap you."

"Yah ahjussi!" I said.

"Hehe, sorry miss, I was just kidding," the taxi driver then looked at me with a sly smile gave me a quick thumbs up.

Aaah I see, he was trying to help me convincing Stephanie. I made ​​a mental note to thanks him for his help later.

"Aish... fine!" Stephanie said suddenly.

"Huh?" I turned to Stephanie who now looked obviously annoyed because I gang up with the taxi driver to .

Stephanie opened the cab door and got inside the cab. She let the cab door open.

"Are you just going to stand there?" she asked from inside the cab.

I knew what it meant and then rushed to get into the cab.

Yes! I did it!

***

"Are you going to sleep outside?"

"Yes," I said bringing two pillows and a blanket to the living room.

I left Stephanie alone in my room after giving her pajamas and tidy up my bed.

"Hmm?" I said when I saw her standing next to the couch where I slept.

Stephanie looked down and hesitated before saying, "I can’t let you sleep on the couch, I-I mean, this is your apartment."

I chuckled, "But I asked you to stay here, so you have to sleep in the bedroom while I slept on the couch. It's okay for me."

She shook her head then suddenly pushed me to provide some space for her to lie on this couch.

"What are you doing?" I was shocked.

"If you sleep here then I will sleep here too," she turned her body so that I faced her back.

I could feel the warmth of her body and smell my shampoo on her hair.

"But I think this couch is not that big for both of us, I can’t even move my body."

Stephanie turned her body again, now her face was right in front of me.

"Therefore, you have to sleep with me in the bedroom."

I could feel her warm breath tickling my face as she spoke. Her eyes met mine and I could see the stellate pattern in her brown orbs this close. I could even see the pores of her soft skin that made me really wanted to put my hand on her cheek and gently caressed it. It was just very similar to Tiffany. Then I slowly moved my gaze to her lips, it was as pink as Tiffany’s. Will it be as soft as Tiffany’s lips? Will it feel the same as when I kissed Tiffany’s lips?

"Jess?"

"Yes, Tiff?"

"Jessica?" that nickname brought me back from my reverie, of course, someone who now lay next to me was Stephanie, not Tiffany.  Tiffany would never call me Jessica at time like this.

"L-let's go to sleep," Stephanie moved and then stood up abruptly. "Let's go to your room."

Stephanie hastily walked to my room leaving me alone with a pounding heart and a red face.

***

"Steph? Are you still awake?"

We slept side by side whilst separated by a bolster placed down the middle of the bed. We even decided to use different blankets.

"Not yet," she whispered but could still be heard clearly because of the quietness of my room that night.

"Why were you not angry when you saw me waiting outside the club?" I was still curious to what had happened tonight.

"I was just surprised to see you standing outside in the middle of the night like that," Stephanie paused a moment before continuing, "And I was still mad, you know."

"Really? But I'm sorry," I said, trying to continue to convince her that I really am sorry.

Stephanie then laughed and looked at me, "I know, Jessica. I know. And I already forgive you, remember?"

I smiled and nodded, "Yeah, thank you."

The room was engulfed in silence again. Stephanie just lay there staring at the ceiling while I kept looking at her face that looks very pretty from this side. The dim light made the view in front of me even more breathtaking.

"You know, every time I had a fight with Tiffany, Tiffany would be the one who would sleep on the couch and let me sleep here. Then she would wake up first in the morning, woke me up and apologized. Now I realize how much I was spoiled by her, she treated me like a princess."

"She's definitely a very patient and good girlfriend," Stephanie responded as she continued to stare at the ceiling.

I nodded and spoke again, "Yes, very good and patient. I sometimes hate myself for being so immature and acting like a brat."

"You're very lucky, if I were your girlfriend, I don’t think I could be that patient. You know, you're so annoying sometimes."

Stephanie laughed and turned her face to me. She smiled brightly with her eyes like the crescent moon. Oh God, this must be what crazy felt like. It was like seeing Tiffany laughing happily in front of me when I tell her my silly jokes every night before sleeping.

"Stephanie, you know, since you left me that day, not a single day goes by without me thinking of you," I confessed out of the blue. She stopped laughing, her smile faded away.

"That time when you stepped out from this apartment and watching your figure gradually vanished behind that door, made me realize that I don’t want you to walk out of my life anymore. It felt like I lost Tiffany for the second time in my life," I said as she continued staring at me with those confused eyes.

"I can’t lie. I miss you, Stephanie."

***

Hi guys! I'm back! Hehe ~ do you miss me like Jessica missed Stephanie? xD

Finally I can continue this story. College really keeps me busy! (but I can still take time to spazz over TTS' comeback!!!! OMG Holler is sooooo good! The whole songs in this album are just amazing! And Tiffany's rap is just... omg... I cannot OTL !!!!).

And have you watched their comeback stage? Damn it! Adrenaline live performance is so y!!! But I just can’t see that part when the male dancer hugged Tiffany from behind and she leant her body on him>. < Hellsica will be mad if she watched it too!

Ok enough with me spazzing XD

What do you think about this chapter? ^^

Drop your comment, ok?

Thank you :D