Can we go for a lunch together tomorrow?

Fingers tapping on her own desk, Sunny waited as seconds passed by. She had received this message since last night and she didn't know what to do with it. Ever since their meeting at the mall, Hyomin had been trying to contact her and this was not the first time. 

She had rejected several times, though, but Hyomin didn't seem to let it go just like that. She wondered. Why would Hyomin want to have a meet up and talk wit her? Didn't they end their relationship beautifully and there was nothing wrong with it?

She lazily put her head down on the desk and played around with her phone, until Taeyeon passed her mind. Speaking of which, Taeyeon seemed to enjoy her new job since she started working. They only met at night after work, talked a few times, and then went to sleep. 

Sunny decided to open her text message tab and began typing. She always did this every afternoon since Taeyeon got her job and never did she miss a single day to text.

Don't be too tired. Drink a lot of water. 

She tapped her fingers again as she waited impatiently for a reply.

Thank you. You too. 

Sunny grinned just by getting a simple reply. She put her fingers on the screen again.

Have you had your lunch?

Why didn't just invite her to lunch? Sunny thought.

No. I have to finish my work first and then have my lunch. Have you?

Wait, but Hyomin invited for a lunch together.

I haven't. Taeyeon-ah, fond of having lunch together? I'll go to your office and then we can go somewhere nearby together.

She felt sorry to Hyomin, but...

Won't it be too tiring for you? How far is it from your place?

She made a final decision.

It's not too far. Just wait for me. Okay?

She began packing her stuffs and tidied up her desk.

Okay.

When she arrived, the waiting woman was already there. Since she always went to work earlier than Taeyeon, she never saw Taeyeon in her working suit. What she expected in her mind was Taeyeon wearing blouse or shirt, skirt or formal pants, and a pair of formal shoes. But when she found her in front of the building, she was greeted by a t-shirt-and-jeans-and-sneakers Taeyeon instead. 

"I thought you were working?" She asked, rather surprised.

"I am working"

"But is it allowed to wear this kind of clothings?"

"Yeah, it is allowed"

"What kind of job do you actually have?" Sunny asked suspiciously, afraid Taeyeon might be actually getting a job not suitable for her condition.

"In a.. restaurant"

"What do you do there?"

"Stuffs"

"What stuffs?"

"Just.. easy stuffs"

"Taeyeon" Sunny stopped walking as her tone turned serious as well as her eyes.

"I am doing waitress job"

"You what?" Sunny sighed. "Taeyeon, you.."

"I know, I know. I already know what you're going to say okay" Taeyeon continued before she could. "But in this situation I don't have any other option. I don't bring anything with me. This job is the only one with highest salary possible right now. Besides, I already explained my condition to the owner and she said I could rest anytime I want to"

Sunny let out angry breath, knowing that she couldn't do nor say anything to prevent Taeyeon. No one said anything afterwards. Both of them were in their own deep thoughts as they walked in to the nearest cafe.

The vibrating sound of Sunny's phone on the table was the only sound after they finished ordering food. Sunny checked the screen.

Hyomin.

Calling

She slided her phone to reject the call and put it on the table, but it didn't take a few seconds for the phone to vibrate again.

Sunny breathed out in irritation. She just stared at the view outside the window and let her phone vibrate continuously.

"Are you not going to pick it up?" Taeyeon finally spoke.

"No, never mind. It's not an important call"

"From.. Hyomin?"

"How do you know?"

"It's not like I cannot see your phone screen from here" Taeyeon shrugged. "Why don't you pick it up?"

"She wants to have a lunch together with me"

"Then? Why are you going out with me instead?"

"You don't understand. Hyomin and I.. we were not friends back then"

"Your ex-girlfriend?"

"Yeah. And I'm not interested in her anymore"

"I can understand that. But maybe she just wants to stay friends with you?"

"What if she actually wants more than that?"

"Why not?" Taeyeon shrugged for the second time. "You are a single woman and definitely need a good woman to be with you"

Sunny peeked to look at Taeyeon's eyes. Were her words sincere? Didn't she feel at least a slight feeling of jealousy toward Hyomin at all?

"Do you think I should be friends again with her?" Sunny asked, hoping to find a sign of anger in Taeyeon's eyes.

"Yeah of course, why not?" 

Taken aback by Taeyeon's sincere words, Sunny just rested her back against the chair and threw her attention to the window once more.

However, after that day, Hyomin stopped contacting. No phone calls and messages. Sunny thought she was finally giving up. It was time for Hyomin to know that she was really not interested to continue their relationship anymore after she once introduced Taeyeon at their first meeting in the mall.

"Taeyeon, this is Hyomin. Hyomin, this is Taeyeon"

She recalled the moment.

"You've got a new beautiful girlfriend, Sunny" Hyomin commented after Taeyeon walked away.

"She isn't my girlfriend"

"Oh, she isn't?" Hyomin chuckled. "Then.. are you still single now?"

"I am, and Taeyeon isn't my girlfriend.. right now. But, I'm hoping she will be"

Sunny sat on her dining chair as she ended her flashback. It was a nice Sunday, but she and Taeyeon decided to just stay at home, mostly because Taeyeon had been tired of working all week and needed her rest. 

She was awaken from her thoughts when she noticed Taeyeon in front of her.

"Are you okay?" Taeyeon sat next to her.

"Y- Yes. I'm fine. What brings you here?"

"You" Taeyeon smiled. "Because you have been sitting here for half an hour and seemed to be thinking about something so seriously"

"Ah, never mind. I was just daydreaming" She felt somehow warm-hearted knowing that Taeyeon was paying attention to her.

They both kept quiet as the wind blew through the window. Sunny stood up, intending to go back to her bedroom when she realized her eyes were on the same level as those of Taeyeon's. Like a chemistry, both of them stood up together and they ended up having their heads almost banged together.

Sunny took the chance to lock eyes with her. People said, when you want to know whether someone has a feeling to you, you have to lock eyes with that person in a close proximity and see if there's a change in the eyes.

She didn't know if she had to call it lucky, but Taeyeon's eyes did flicker, rolling down. She heard Taeyeon's throat gulping and her breath quickening.

But before she could take those reactions into deeper consideration, the door bell rang. 

"I'll go get it" Sunny said and moved like a flash to open the door. She wondered who could come at such time to disturb her lovely Sunday with Taeyeon.

When the door was opened, she was quite shocked.

"Sunny-ah" Hyomin beamed a smile at her.

"Hyomin?" She furrowed her eyebrows. "You didn't tell you were coming"

"Yeah, sorry, I was just passing by around the area and I decided to drop by"

"Mommy, who's this auntie?"

Sunny turned her head lower to find a short, 3 year old girl standing just right next to Hyomin. Did she hear it right? The girl called Hyomin 'mommy'?

"Ah, Hara-chan, this is Auntie Sunny" Hyomin brought closer to Sunny's ear. "I'll explain to you later"

A few hours later, the four of them sat down together around the dining table as Sunny brought in the food she had just ordered. 

"Mommy, look! Auntie Sunny cooked a lot of food!" Hara yelled as she opened the food one by one.

"I didn't cook it, Hara-chan. I bought it" Sunny laughed.

"Mommy I want Auntie Sunny in my house everday. So Auntie Sunny can buy food for me everyday"

"Silly. Mommy always makes you your favorite kimbab every night. Also candies, milk, and chocolate. Is it not enough?" Hyomin messed up her daughter's hair playfully.

"But mommy always cooks the same one every night! I'm bored!" Hara folded her arms and pouted angrily.

"Your mom's been like that since she was young, Hara-yah" Sunny let out her evil laughs.

"Yah, auntie Sunny was like that too!" Hyomin commented as she pinched Sunny's elbow.

"Come here, Hara-yah, Auntie Sunny will feed you" Sunny opened the first box of kimbap and took it with chopstick. "Say aaahh"

"Aaaahh" Hara took a big bite and munched happily.

As much as she didn't want to interrupt, Taeyeon had no other choice but to silently be there. She didn't know how to respond to all of this either. It's like.. Sunny had her own previous life that she didn't know. For the first time after a while she felt like Sunny was a stranger again. Seeing Sunny happily play with the little girl since a few hours ago, how the three of them watched TV together, and had a little happy dinner here.

But yes, Sunny deserved this, she thought. She was the one who said it herself, wasn't she? She said Sunny was single and deserved a good woman as well as a good future family like this. Sunny never laughed this happily when she was with her. The three of them looked good as a family, she thought. 

If only, if only she was the one in Hyomin's position right now. Taeyeon finished her food quickly, washed the dishes, and stepped back to her own bedroom. She laid down on the bed as she bite her lips.

Did she feel jealous? Earlier when Sunny said she wanted to be friends with Hyomin again, she didn't feel anything. But now that she saw it by herself, how Sunny interacted with Hyomin, how Hyomin talked to her like she knew Sunny inside and out, she felt somehow pissed off. Angry that she wasn't the reason to be behind Sunny's smile that day. 

At times like this, she knew whom she could talk to. She brought her hands to her tummy and rubbed it gently. 

"Little one, have I fallen in love again?"

When it was getting late and Hara was already asleep on the sofa in the living room. Somewhere outside the house, Sunny and Hyomin were taking a walk to the park.

"So you already have a family?"

"Sort of. I did get married, but.." Hyomin sighed. "Let's just say I failed the marriage"

"Don't tell me Hara doesn't have a dad now"

"Her father left" Hyomin continued. "I've been raising her by myself for the past two years"

Sunny rolled her eyes. "Then..?"

"It's getting complicated. Hara is not growing up like other normal kids are. She doesn't want to socialize. I think she needs friends"

"She is fine, as long as I see her"

"She isn't fine at school. I've tried a lot of ways to be honest, such as therapy. The doctor said I need to bring her to know a lot of people. So I thought introducing you to her would be a good idea"

"I see" Sunny nodded. "So is that the reason you've been trying to contact me these days?"

"Yeah, part of it. And I also want to be friends again with you" 

"I will help Hara as much as I could help"

"Thank you. I'm sure you will be good friends with her. You're good with kids, as far as I remember"

They walked to the park and sat on the swings. Sunny gazed at the stars as they stayed in silence for a good few minutes.

"Sunny"

"Hm?"

"Can we at least be friends again and spend some time together with Hara?"

"I.." Sunny paused, remembering Taeyeon in her mind. "We can always be friends, and I will also help Hara. But.."

"But?"

"I have someone else as a priority right now" Sunny smiled it off. "And her little one too"