• CHAERIN •

 

I drop dara off, giving her another kiss on her soft lips. She blushes and skips up to her porch, disappearing inside. If anything, I like dara more than I ever liked tiffany. dara is...special. She brightens up my day without even trying.

 

When Jeff pulls into my driveway, I slip out of the limo, thanking him and wishing him a goodnight. He seemed suprised but wished me a goodnight as well before driving off to his own home.

 

I walk blissfully up my driveway, unlocking the front door and stepping inside while humming a random tune.

 

"I'm home, Omma!" I call and head into the kitchen. I find my mother sitting at the kitchen counter, her head down in her hands, sobbing. Someone's standing over her, their hands on my mother's shoulder. That someone was Tiffany.

 

I clench my fists. "Mom? What's wrong?" My mom cries harder, not answering my question. Tiffany looks at me, a sympathetic look on her face.

 

"chaerin," She says. "It's you're grandpa." She doesn't have to say anything else. I already know.

 

"chae, I'm here for you." tiffany begins to walk over. I take a step back, grabbing my mother's car keys off the counter in the process.

 

"CL!" Tiffany calls as I make a mad dash to the front door, slamming it shut behind me. Tears spill down my face as I pry open my mother's silver Lexus. I slip inside and start the ignition, trying to focus as I pull the car out of the driveway.

 

My grandfather. My only grandfather... I do my best to control myself as I drive to dara's, not caring that I still don't have a license. Only a permit.

 

• DARA •

 

"Aunt ?" I skip into the living room to find my Aunt calmly watching who-knows-what on TV.

 

"Hey, Dara." She smiles up at me. "Back from your date?"

 

"It wasn't-" I begin to say but blush. "Yeah." She chuckles. "So what's up?"

 

I chew on my lips and perch myself on the couch's arm. "Well...do you anything about my mom? About how she got her...AIDs?" All the color drains from Aunt face. "How did you-"

 

"Dont worry about how I found." I cutt her off. "I need to know how she got AIDs and I...I need to know more about my father."

 

Aunt purses her lips. "Listen, dara. I don't think now's the right time-"

 

"Auntie, please!" I plead. "And...and you know what's always bothered me? Why doesn't bom unnie look like Mom and I? And...and at what age exactly did Mom have bom unnie , I mean, since she had me when she was 16."

 

Aunt heaves a sigh. "Dara, I don't want to get into this-" She's interupted by the sound of the doorbell ringing.

 

I curse beneath my breath. "I'll get it." I mutter, hopping off the couch's arm and sprinting towards the door. I pry it open to find chaerin standing there, her face streaked with tears.

 

"chae-" I begin. sHe cuts me off by embracing me in a tight hug, sobbing into my shoulder. My heart breaks seeing her like this.

 

"C'mon." I mumble, slipping my fingers around her and start to lead her upstairs.

 

"Who was it, dara?" Aunt calls.

 

I pause. "Uh, some girl who had the wrong house. I'll...I'll be up in my room. I'm tired." I shout back.

 

Tears are still streaming down chaerin's face as I lead her up and into my room, gently closing the door behind us.

 

"chae, what happened?" I ask her as we both take a seat on my bed.

 

sHe sniffles and her head falls onto my shoulder. "My grandpa." Is all she says, her voice breaking.

 

"Your grandpa? You said he was ok. You said he was responding well to the medication. What happened?" I wrap a protective arm around her.

 

"He...I don't know!" chaerin cries. "I went home to find my mom in tears and...and tiffany was there! My grandfather...he's gone, dara ! He left me!"

 

"chae, don't say that!" I pull her face up to look at me. "He didn't leave you. He's still here. He's still watching over you. He'll never you just like...just like I'll never leave you." I press my forehead against her. "I care about you, chaerin."

 

A tear rolls down on her cheek and I catch it with my thumb. "Be strong." I whisper. "Your grandfather's up there with my mom. They'll always be here for us. I've been through this, chae. I know how you feel."

 

chaerin tries to smile. "Thank you, dara. You're...you're the best thing that's ever happened to me."

 

I smile and bring my lips to her in a soft, gentle, slow, passionate kiss. I left my lips linger on her for a while before pulling away.

 

"I don't want to go home." sHe mutters. sHe's not crying anymore but her eyes are red and puffy and sad.

 

"You don't have too." I tell her. "You can stay here."

 

sHe smiles. "I-I think I love you, dara." I hide my smile as I pull back to covers on my bed and stand up to go turn out the lights. When the lights are out, I head back over to where chaerin's sitting on my bed. I feel for her hand, taking it. We both curl beneath my covers, my head on chaerin's chest.

 

"I think I might love you too." I whisper back at last.

 

I can feel the beating of heart and the feeling of her chest rising and falling as we fall into deep sleep.

 

I don't think twice about what Aunt would think if she found me in my room with chaerin. In fact, I dont even care.

 

• • •

 

I woke up to the feeling of someone's arm around my waist. I moan and roll over, my nose bumping into chaerin's. I open my eyes to find chaerin smiling, her eyes closed.

 

"Morning." I mumble. sHe yawns and her eyelids finally open. "Good morning."

 

I absentmindly lean over and kiss her full-on on the lips. "What time is it?" I mutter.

 

"Don't know." sHe answers, giving me another kiss before sitting up. "And I don't really care." I chuckle and sit up as well. "Don't you think your mother's worried about you?"

 

sHe shrugs. "I think she's used to me not spending the night at home."

 

I gape. "What-"

 

sHe cuts me off. "I mean, from falling asleep in clubs and stuff."

 

I heave a sigh of relief. "Oh."

 

sHe leans in to kiss me again but I push her away. "You should get back home before your mother calls the police."

 

sHe pouts. "I really don't want to go home. What if she's still there?"

 

"Tiffany?"

 

"Yeah." sHe sighs.

 

I frown. "I doubt it."

 

"But what does she even want? With all the calls and now showing up at my home, I mean." chaerin questions.

 

I shrug my shoulders. "Just move on and forget all about her."

 

chaerin looks back at me, grinning. "I did move on."

 

I roll my eyes. "er." sHe chuckles.

 

"dara, you up?!" My Aunt voice booms throughout the house.

 

My eyes widen. "Crap!"

 

"I'm not jumping out your window." chaerin blurts.

 

I look over at her, stifling a laugh. "Good, you could get hurt." I grab her hand and drag her off my bed, pushing her into my opened closet.

 

"Stay put."

 

sHe snickers. "Will do."

 

I close the closet door and stagger back onto my bed, curling beneath my covers just as Aunt prys open the door.

 

"Morning, Sleepy Head." She chirps. "What do you want for breakfast?"

 

I pretend to yawn and sit up. "I'm, uh, going out to breakfast. Don't worry about making any." Aunt gives me a curious look. "Alone?"

 

"Um," I chew on my lip. "Actually with, uh, chaerin. Remember her?"

 

Aunt nods, giving me a curious look. "Yeah. You seem to be spending all your time with her lately." She winks.

 

I blush. "Go away, Aunt ." She laughs. "If that's what you want." She closes my bedroom door and I wait until her footsteps decrease before going over and prying open my closet's door.

 

"Well," chaerin stands up and stretches. "It's uncomfortable in there."

 

"I bet."

 

"So are we really going out to breakfast?" sHe asks me, her eyebrow slightly raised.

 

"Yes." I smile. "We just have to figure out a way to get you out of the house unnoticed."

 

"Can't I go out the same way I came in?" sHe questions.

 

"That sounded wrong." I point out.

 

"You know what I mean." sHe chuckles.

 

"Yeah," I roll my eyes. "Stay in my room. Imma go change and then we can go out."

 

"K."

 

I quickly grab a random t-shirt out of my closet along with a pair of jean shorts, picking up my orange sandals and making a dash towards my bathroom. I slam the door shut and change, leaving my hair down and not bothering to put on any type of makeup.

 

I push the door back open and head over to chaerin . "C'mon," I say. "Let's try to sneak you out of here."

 

I take her hand and pull her out of my room, slowly leading her downstairs.

 

"What if we get caught?" chaerin whispers.

 

"Just go with the flow." I respond. sHe simply nods and we succeed making it to the front door. I gently push open the door and slip out, chaerin with me.

 

I heave a sigh of relief. "That was easier than I thought."

 

"What was easier?" A voice asks. chaerin and I jump, startled. We turn to find Aunt leaning against a silver Lexus, a game- over look on her face.

 

"So, I come back downstairs and walk outside to throw at the trash to find a silver Lexus parked in our driveway," She frowns and looks at chaerin. "With no driver. Would you mind explaining things to me?"

 

chaerin opens to say something but I in.

 

"It's not chae's fault." I blurt. "Ok, so yeah. sHe spent the night, but nothing happened. I promise you. It's just that...that-"

 

"My grandpa passed." chaerin murmers. I look over to see a tear slip down her cheek. sHe brushes it away and looks down.

 

I take her hand in mine and look back at Aunt . "Trust me, Aunt ," I say. "I care about chaerin and she's going through a tough time. I'm sorry for not telling you. I just thought you wouldn't agree."

 

Aunt purses her lips. "Sure as heck I wouldn't agree. I'm gonna let this one go since...since..." She sighs and doesn't finish her sentence. "I'm ok with her spending the night just..." She pauses. "We have a guest room for a reason."

 

I bite my bottom lip. "K, Auntie. I understand."

 

"You better." She looks between chaerin and I.

 

"I'm sorry." She says in chaerin's direction, referring to her loss.

 

chaerin nods, a half-smile on her face which doesn't touch her eyes.

 

"You kids have fun." She tells us and saunters back into the house.

 

chaerin and I stare at each other for a while and then burst out laughing.

 

"So much for sneaking out." I chuckle. chaerin laughs and opens the passenger door of her (or her mother's) Lexus. I slip inside and she walks around, jumping into the drivers seat and sticking the key in the ignition.

 

"So," I say. "I'm guessing this belongs to your mother."

 

sHe nods. "Guessed right."

 

I raise an eyebrow. "Do you at least have a license?"

 

"Nope."

 

"Aren't you worried that your mother will ground you?"

 

"Didn't think of that."

 

"What if the police stop you?"

 

"Didn't think of that either."