The girl frowned when she looked at the empty seat next to her. The person that usually kept her company, was away on something else. And she didn’t like it at all. She felt lonely. Empty. Like something was missing from her. And truthfully, something was indeed missing from her at this moment.

She turned away from the empty seat. Her head turned towards the window instead, her chin rested in palm of her hand, her eyes focused on the clouds sailing past her in the clear blue sky.

She sat in that position for a few seconds, until she felt she couldn’t take it anymore as she knew that if the seat beside her had been occupied by the person that usual sat there, she wouldn’t be staring outside the window in the first place. She would probably be sending notes to the person that sat next to her.

A low sigh escaped her lips. Her body jumped when the bell for lunch break rang, she panicked looked around in the classroom at the students that began gathering their things, and at the teacher that tried reminding them of the homework that was due this Friday.

She slowly turned towards the vacant spot next to her. She didn’t feel like getting up from her seat. If she did, she would have to go alone to the cafeteria, alone through the hallways of the school with all the other students, and she didn’t feel like doing it. She didn’t feel like doing it in fear of other students approaching her when she was alone.

She slumped deeper into the seat by the desk. She picked up her book and held it up like she was reading it. Her eyes occasionally glanced up to make sure that the students were leaving the classroom.

When she had made sure all the students in her class had left she lowered the book and sat up straight in her seat. Another sigh left the girl’s lips and she looked to the seat next to her. Her lips formed a frown again and she turned away from it and lowered her head to rest it on the desk.

It definitively wasn’t the same when she was without the girl that usually was by her side.

---

The woman stirred. Her right arm searched for the body it had been around when she had gone to sleep. But all she could feel when she moved her arm was the vacant spot of the bed next to her. Her eyebrows furrowed and she slowly opened her eyes, only to see that she was alone in bed.

Right…Monday morning… Taeyeon thought and closed her eyes tightly. Her lips released a sigh, and her hands gripped the bed sheets tightly on the other side of the bed.

She released the bed sheets and turned to lie on her back. Another sigh escaped her lips and her eyes slowly shut close once again. She realized she had found a new way to hate Monday mornings. And she didn’t even have a work or classes to attend.

She huffed a sigh and removed the comforter from her body and got out of the bed. Her feet brought her to the window in the room, removing the curtains from it, and letting the light shine into the bedroom. Her lips formed a frown when she saw it was sunny. Sunny with just a few clouds on the sky, and she knew she wouldn’t even walk outside the door, because she had no one at home to drag her outside.

The woman’s shoulders slump and she turned away from the window. Her eyes landing on the now empty bed. Thinking back to how she had fallen asleep with her arm around Jessica left a longing feeling inside of her. She wrapped her arms around herself, and went towards the door in the bedroom instead.

She left the second floor of the house and went into the kitchen instead. Her mother was no where to be seen, and she figured that the older woman probably was out shopping or meeting up with friends.

A lonely and bitter feeling appeared inside of her at the thought. She couldn’t even meet up with her friends, as they were all working or traveling the world. She was the only one that didn’t have anything to occupy herself with during the day.

With a frown Taeyeon left the kitchen and went to the dining area. To her surprise she found a box of cereals, an empty bowl and a spoon by one of the seats by the table. She slowly made her way to the seat, her head slightly bent to look at the bowl she now saw wasn’t completely empty.

There was a small note inside the bowl.

She picked the note up to read it, she immediately recognized the handwriting, the corner of her lips curving up as she read it.

‘Good morning love of my life. I ate cereals for breakfast, and guess what? I think you should eat cereals too! Good luck with the job hunting. I love you!

-Jessica”

With a small smile on her lips Taeyeon placed the small note Jessica had written her beside the bowl. She went back to the kitchen to get the milk she needed for the cereals before she went back and took the seat by the bowl and started pouring cereals and milk into it.

The woman slowly began to eat the breakfast; she chewed slowly while she looked around in the dining area. It felt empty and lonely to eat there by herself. Her mother usually accompanied her, but the woman was out, and so she was by herself.

Taeyeon furrowed her eyebrows and scooped another spoon of cereals and milk into . Her eyes glanced on the seat next to her, the seat Jessica would usually occupy whenever they ate breakfast together.

A wave of loneliness hit her as she saw the vacant seat. It made her put the spoon into her bowl, and she quickly got up from her seat by the table with the bowl in hand. Her feet brought her to the living room where she plopped down on the couch, the TV, and resumed eating the cereals.

She looked at the empty space beside her on the couch. The feeling of loneliness was still inside of her, no matter where she went, she never seemed to be able to escape it.

A sigh left her lips and she turned back to the TV. Her lips formed a frown and she leaned her head back against the couch’s backrest.

Things weren’t the same without Jessica around.

---

“I’m home!” Jessica said as she had entered the house and started taking off her shoes.

“Welcome home!” She heard Taeyeon’s mother say from the kitchen. A smile graced her lips and she went towards the kitchen after putting her shoes in the shoe racket, and hung her coat on the clothe hanger. 

Expecting to see the woman she had longed to see the whole day Jessica entered the kitchen with excitement and a wide smile. But the only woman she found in the kitchen was the one who had given birth to the woman of her heart.

Not thinking much about it Jessica went up to Taeyeon’s mother and greeted her, and took a small peek of what the woman was doing.

“Dinner will be ready soon.” Taeyeon’s mother said.

“It looks delicious.” Jessica said and smiled widely at the woman. She made a quick scan of the kitchen again, just to make sure Taeyeon wasn’t there. Not seeing the latter she turned back to the woman by the stove.

“Do you know where Taeyeon is?” She asked.

A knowing smile formed on Taeyeon’s mother’s lips and without looking up from the food she was making she nodded towards the door to the kitchen.

“She was in the living room last time I saw her.” The older woman said.

“Thanks!” Without wasting more time being without Taeyeon Jessica quickly left the kitchen to go to the living room. And just as Taeyeon’s mother had said, Taeyeon was there. The latter was sitting on the couch, laptop in lap, and headphones covering her ears.

A smile graced the woman’s lips as she walked closer to the couch. The seated woman didn’t hadn’t noticed her yet, which made her grin wider as she stopped by the couch, taking a peek at what the woman was doing at the laptop, seeing the woman seemed to search for job applications a proud smile appeared on her lips.

She crossed her arms, the smile was still on her lips, but she coughed, loud enough for Taeyeon to hear over the music Jessica guessed Taeyeon was listening to.

Taeyeon furrowed her eyebrows and turned her head in Jessica’s direction. Her eyebrows rose in surprise, and the concentrated and serious expression she earlier had had completely vanished as her eyes landed on Jessica’s form.

Jessica could only grin at the woman’s reaction. She watched as Taeyeon lowered the headphones from her ears, her eyes blinking in surprise, like she hadn’t seen Jessica in years.

“You’re home.” Taeyeon stated.

“Yeah, missed me?” Jessica asked and moved to take a seat beside the other woman. She put one arm around Taeyeon’s shoulders and gave the woman a kiss on the cheek.

“I did…” Taeyeon said in a low tone, like she didn’t want to admit to it. Jessica only grinned and turned her head towards the laptop screen, seeing all the job applications displayed on it.

“How is the job searching going?” Jessica asked.

“The same as usual.” Taeyeon mumbled.

“You’ll get a job. Just hang in there.” Jessica assured the woman and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She saw a small twitch in Taeyeon’s lips, something she had learned that it indicated that the woman was holding back a smile from appearing on her lips.

She smiled proudly and leaned her head against Taeyeon’s, feeling happy that she could make the woman feel better in her distress, and feeling lucky that she had spent so much time with the woman that she was able to see the woman’s feelings even when she was holding them back.

“How was work?” Taeyeon asked after she had closed the laptop and put it to the side. Jessica smiled by the question, and she turned her head to look at the woman who had questioned her.

“It was fun. I missed you though.” Jessica said.

A small smile appeared on Taeyeon’s lips, and she let her gaze leave Jessica. The latter continued to observe her, watching as Taeyeon’s gaze went from the TV screen, down to the floor, and then finally back to her.

“It’s really not the same without you around.” Taeyeon said.

Jessica could only smile knowingly at the woman. She leaned in closer, kissed Taeyeon’s lips tenderly and then leaned back away from the woman to look at the glow in the eyes she had started with the kiss. She smiled again, scooted closer and leaned her head against Taeyeon’s.

“It’s not. But I guess it’s something we have to get used to.” Jessica said.

She watched as Taeyeon grabbed her free hand and began playing with her fingers. She smiled at the action, and only stopped Taeyeon from doing it to intertwine her fingers with the other woman’s. Her thumb rubbed soothingly against the top of Taeyeon’s thumb, trying to ease the woman from her worries.

“It will get better.” Jessica assured.

“I hope.” Taeyeon said.

Jessica felt Taeyeon tightened the grip on her hand. She smiled at the action, but let Taeyeon hold her hand as tight as the woman wanted. If it could make Taeyeon feel better, she would let her do it.