Thank you all for the kind words. Maybe I should start taking this fic seriously :P

I've been listening to the Holler EP a bit too much lately. Hence the TTS love <3 

aznphoenix95: You can't imagine how intimidated I am right now. I'm a huge fan of your works. (Sorry about being a silent reader. I'm new here so I binge read on my phone at 3am when I can't even hear myself think.) They're awesome. You're awesome. 

Chapter 12

Tiffany finally finds her phone under a discarded pile of fashion concept boards. She looks around the living room and wonders how she and Jessica could possibly do this amount of damage in such a short period of time. There are documents scattered everywhere – covering the tables, couches, and even parts of the floor. Next to the TV, there are a few pizza boxes, takeaway containers, and energy drink cans that might be close to a week old.

Juhyun can never see this, she makes a mental note.  She gets struck by an idea and acts on it immediately, annoyed at herself for having waited for the dorm to be in complete shambles to be inspired to ask.

“Move back in with me? I need you. Xox <3”

Tiffany waits impatiently for a reply. The possibility of Taeyeon moving back into the dorm excited her.

In the past, they only had each other on most days, and it was enough having Taeyeon to come home to. With Jessica, it was different. Tiffany and Jessica weren’t accountable towards each other – They didn’t feel the need to report their whereabouts or when (or if) they were coming home. Being away from Taeyeon made her realise how unique their relationship was relative to all her others.

Her train of thought is broken by an extremely flustered Jessica throwing her keys and clutch onto the kitchen counter loudly. Jessica locks on a target and lifts the closest stool above her head, as if wanting to smash it to the ground, but decides against it. She kicks an empty Coke bottle forcefully, making it bounce across the wall and furniture, but later regretfully picks it up and throws it into the trash can. Tiffany hands her a stack of unwanted documents and watches as Jessica tears them into halves, quarters, one-eighths, and lastly crumbles them into tiny balls.

“I feel better now. Thanks,” Jessica says breathlessly, and collapses onto the seat next to her.

“We really should clean this place up,” Tiffany comments as the fan disperses the shreds of paper that Jessica had just mutilated.

“Invite Seohyun over. It’ll drive her crazy. We won’t even have to ask her to clean it up for us. We’ll just wait till she cracks,” Jessica sniggers villainously, mood shifting from violently homicidal to calmly sinister. “It’s Tyler Kwon,” she explains. “He’s back in town and he’s harassing me. I think he’s looking for some cheap publicity.”

“You’re not the only one he’s harassing.” Tiffany sighs, recalling previous events. What was that about anyway?  she wonders.

“He’s bothering you too? I’m going to kill him.”

“Not me, Taeyeon.”

 “Oh.” Jessica responds coolly, and then leaves her seat. Tiffany rolls her eyes, thinking that people should really make it a point to fill in the blanks for her. Jessica catches a vexed Tiffany staring at her and puts down her newly filled glass of water.

“What?! Oh. They’re friends. I think. Probably ex-friends. No, not that kind of friends! Gross.”

Jessica was getting quite good at reading Tiffany’s expressions.

“I wasn’t in Seoul during that time, so I really don’t know much. It was probably just a phase.” She shakes her head and takes a gulp of water, eyes glued at the ceiling, seemingly haunted by some distant memory. “Dark Taeyeon,” she whispers to herself.

Tiffany slumps against the cushions, trying to imagine Taeyeon and Tyler being actual friends. Gross, she shudders. Her phone vibrates on the coffee table and she realises that there are already 4 unread messages.

 “No :P”

“It’s you and Jessica. I’ll be cleaning up your messes full-time :O”

 “Gtg! Launch event starting soon. I like the 2nd concept board. It’s more you. Good luck! <3”

“Okay… maybe :)”

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Tiffany rings the doorbell repeatedly, getting increasingly worried about all the cryptic texts she had received from Taeyeon nearly an hour ago. It was close to midnight when she was told to come over immediately, and Tiffany had spent a long time searching for the apartment building that Taeyeon now lived in.

The door opens and Tiffany is pulled into a hug at once, stumbling momentarily. Beyond her assailant’s shoulder, she sees a confused Taeyeon crossing her arms, then shaking her head disapprovingly.

“The Taetiseo is back, baby!” Seohyun hollers and shuts the door behind Tiffany.

Tiffany observes her surroundings. The two-bedroom apartment is spacious, classy, a bit too white (white lights, white walls, and too many white furniture) for her liking but cosy nonetheless. Her eyes widen when she finally takes in Seohyun’s appearance. Seohyun is holding a glass half filled with red liquid, her eyes glazed and her cheeks flushed.

“Is she…”

“Yes” Taeyeon nods, biting her lower lip to supress a grin. “She called me mumbling something about how dangerous it is to drink and drive so I kind of guessed. I had to cancel my meeting to pick her up. Did she call you too?”

“Texted. Using your phone.”

Taeyeon checks her pockets, pulls out a phone, and continues searching her jeans.  

“Sorry. I should have realised that she had taken mine. I confiscated hers just in case she decided to drunk text her ex-boyfriend.”

“Seohyun has a boyfriend?! Wait, had? Wha…”

Taeyeon covers Tiffany’s mouth abruptly, muffling her remaining questions.  

Seohyun is sitting at the corner of the room, softly strumming Taeyeon’s guitar, humming a tune that sounds vaguely like Into the New World. Taeyeon gets distracted by the music and stares at Seohyun endearingly, her hand slowly falling from Tiffany’s lips. Tiffany catches Taeyeon’s hand and brings it back up for a quick kiss, effectively bringing Taeyeon out of her trance.

“He’s a young doctor. They dated for 4 months till about two weeks ago. The breakup was her idea. Said she had too many commitments. I think she really liked him though,” Taeyeon whispers in her ear.

It was all quite difficult to process. It wasn’t a bad thing; it was just another thing she had missed.

“I think I need a drink,” she points towards the opened wine bottle and lets out an anxious chuckle.

“I want to point out that this,” Taeyeon gestures towards a dancing Seohyun. “Almost never happens, so I’m just as amused as you are. It’s just that she finished recording her EP today and her production team is a terrible influence. Our maknae is mostly still far too sensible for her own good. You’re lucky you missed all her drunken lectures, although they did make a lot of sense.” 

Taeyeon’s explanation brought her much needed relief. Tiffany had started to imagine Seohyun spending countless drunken nights at Taeyeon’s apartment, desperately wanting to drunk dial her doctor ex-boyfriend. Her little Seobaby hasn’t changed that much after all.

Tiffany embraces Taeyeon gratefully, then raises her glass. “Congratulations Juhyun!” Tiffany squeals delightedly and Seohyun bows in response. “Please move back in,” she murmurs before releasing Taeyeon from the hug.

“Maybe,” Taeyeon mouths teasingly.

“Or I’m moving in here.” Tiffany smirks as panic flashes across Taeyeon’s eyes.

The song Adrenaline starts playing on the stereo and Seohyun urges them to join her. Tiffany and Taeyeon exchange sceptical looks momentarily before getting dragged to the centre of the living room.

It takes some time for them to remember the choreography, but soon they are perfectly in sync, drowning in the rhythm of a familiar song.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Tiffany wakes up to the beating of a heart echoing in her ears and soon realises that it’s because her head is resting on Taeyeon’s chest. Her left arm is loosely draped across Taeyeon’s waist and their legs have somehow become entangled. Tiffany smiles to herself, feeling perfectly content. She pulls Taeyeon closer, breathing in a hint of vanilla. Taeyeon groans in her sleep and this snaps Tiffany out of her reverie. She hastily shuffles away from the other girl, nearly toppling over the edge of the bed, suddenly feeling self-conscious.

They have fallen asleep next to each other on numerous occasions, but Tiffany does not remember ever waking up in such a compromising position. Tiffany is known to be a still sleeper, making her a popular candidate whenever the members needed to share a bed (unlike Sooyoung).

Tiffany thinks that she really should stop thinking too much.

“Stop making things weird,” Taeyeon had warned her the other day. “You keep looking at me like you’ve lost me, but I’m right here and it scares me a little bit.”

The doorknob turns and the door creaks open slowly, revealing an enervated Seohyun, dressed in Taeyeon’s pink long-sleeved pyjamas and hugging a Minion plush toy.

“Aw Seobaby, does your head hurt?” Tiffany asks quietly.

Seohyun shakes her head and promptly crawls onto the bed, lying down in the space between Taeyeon and Tiffany. Seohyun closes her eyes, unknowingly ending a conversation that Tiffany desperately wanted to pursue.

“I just miss you that’s all.” Seohyun utters sadly.

But I’m right here!  Tiffany wanted to scream as Seohyun drifted back into a peaceful slumber. Instead, she allowed Seohyun’s words to hang uncomfortably in the air, letting them hurt her.