Part Fifteen

“How many people have you dated before?”

Tiffany's suspicious gaze traveled to Jessica, sweeping all over the neutral expression. Nothing. All Jessica did was to stir her drink half-heartedly, showing no sign of why or who.

Strange.

Tiffany broke her careful observation and took a bite out of a lonely piece of broccoli on her plate.

She chewed and bought some time.

“Is this a trap? Are you going to shame me next?

Silence as a reply, but the corners of Jessica’s lips twitched just so slightly. Tiffany smiled.

“Kidding Jessi, I dated a few back in America. Two or three in the high school here. Why?”

“Were they serious?”

Jessica usually didn’t answer questions with another question. She wasn’t the sort to play games and twirl things around. It was strange, indeed.

Tiffany put her fork down, curiosity creeping up her face.

“Maybe one? Or two. What’s up?”

“Did you love them?”

There was no point asking Jessica questions she didn’t want asked. Tiffany knew Jessica well enough to pick up on that. Jessica would say it when she wanted, and if she wanted, not when she was pressed to speak.

“I was madly in love when I was fourteen, but we still broke up,” Tiffany said nonchalantly.  

Uncertainty crossed Jessica’s face as Tiffany drummed two fingers on the table.

“I didn’t really love my first boyfriend, nor the one after,” Jessica began, each word tentative and pensive.

“Have you really loved anyone though? Not necessarily your ex, of course.”

Seeing the deep frown and subtle bites on the lips, Tiffany paused. Jessica was thinking way too hard, and Tiffany weighed her options.

“Nothing wrong, I didn’t truly love some of them either,” Tiffany put her palm over Jessica’s clenched ones; reasons didn’t really matter, for now.

But Jessica’s brows remained creased, the touch of concern did nothing to alleviate whatever was bothering her. A look of intense inner turmoil painted across her features, like she was sieving through memories and figuring out her feelings.

And for a fleeting moment, Tiffany thought she saw Jessica’s lips trembled, looking very much like she had a huge weight on her.

“Yoona,” Jessica finally muttered.

So it’s little Yoongie after all.

Was it within expectations? Tiffany wasn’t that sure, as she kept her eyes on Jessica. Clouded expression, shifting eyes.

“I love her, really.”

“So… you’re asking me all these questions because you’re considering a romantic relationship with Yoona?”

“No!”

Sharp, immediate and almost defensive, the protest sounded like the words burnt her. Or as though Tiffany said something offensive and the idea of dating Yoona was wrong.

Suspicious. Too defensive.

Tiffany poked at her broccoli. Jessica and Yoona was a mystery that she would sometimes discuss with Sunny. The consensus was that they had something unusually intimate to their whole unnie-dongsaeng relationship. However, Jessica would never admit it.

“Are you worried? You are, aren’t you? Dating Yoona would have too many complications,” finishing up that broccoli, Tiffany stated simply and stared at Jessica, waiting for a response.

“I love Yoongie,” sidestepping the question, Jessica averted her eyes and Tiffany could swear that there was a flash of something sparkling in them, almost watery, “She’s like... I just love her. That's all."

“Okay so no kissy kissy relationship? Then what’s all the love talk for? Is it mating season or something?”

Jessica looked up and smiled, head shaking at her friend’s bluntness.

“You a cat in heat then?”

“Meow~” Jessica laughed out this time, responding appropriately.

Tiffany rolled her eyes and threw some carrots onto Jessica’s plate, “You really need to stop doing that every time I use a cat insult on you.”

“Why?”

“You already look and behave like one, sometimes. Don’t add in those meows!”

Jessica giggled and the rest of the meal passed without an incident. However, the peace was eventually breached when Jessica chose to ask the unspoken taboo.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Yeah, Jessicat?”

Jessica smiled at the newest nickname, “You don’t have to answer me though.”

A sense of foreboding seeped out. Tiffany took Jessica’s drink and gulped down some.

“Do you love Sunny?”

It had been coming.

Tiffany knew that Jessica seemed detached on the surface, but while she kept people away from her, she still showed a lot of concern to people she deemed important enough.

Tiffany would like to think of herself as one of those people. Other than Yoona, naturally.

“She’s such a strange person, Sunny that is.”

Evasion? Tiffany snuffed the thought. It wasn’t, just being a little subtle.

“No stranger than you.”

“Definitely stranger,” Tiffany smiled, much too lovingly, “but can’t blame her. It’s still endearing.”

Nods from Jessica expressed agreement. Sunny was endearing and loyal, even if she sometimes came off as a little wild.

“I love her, a lot.”

It was the wrong way to phrase it, and Jessica realized she should have asked ‘what really is going with the two of you’ or something along that line. Tiffany probably wouldn’t answer that, though, maybe she just couldn’t.

“I had a hard time, once,” gentleness Tiffany reserved for Sunny bubbled to the surface and a whiff of nostalgia embraced her as she slipped into some private memory within the depths of her mind.  

***

“Hey!”

Tiffany was at the other side of the door, casually dressed in a pink tee shirt, which had  ‘drink more water’ printed on, and blue jeans shorts. She was still crazy Pocky girl to Sunny but, for better or worse, she had been pretty successful in wiggling her way into Sunny’s life.

It was hard not to, anyway, when that girl showed up everywhere she went and even introduced her to ‘best friend Jessica’.

“Drink more water?” Sunny frowned, pointing at the words spanning over the chest area, “Thirsty?”

“Totally. I’d dive in… to a pool if I give me half a chance.”

Sunny watched as Tiffany pushed past her with a smirk, went across the living room and