Chapter 2

Tiffany woke up earlier than she usually did. She got up and sat on her bed for a long while as she thought back to the conversation last night. The way Yuri looked at her with such confident and seriousness, she could not help but think that Yuri might be ‘Hope’, her favorite writer. Despite the suspicion, she was more than happy that at least she knew something more about Yuri…at least a tiny bit more.  Although the thought disturbed her a little as she found it is slightly embarrassing if Yuri is actually ‘Hope’ since she shared her opinions way too much plus…how slim the chances will be that she is befriended with the actual write and that writer is sleeping in her living room right now. She lightly laughed at the thought. It could not be…the world would not be so small.

“It’s impossible. You must be out of your mind Tiffany..” Tiffany murmured and finally got out of her bed

Silently Tiffany moved out of her bedroom, as she tried not to disturbed Yuri. She looked at Yuri, who still sounded sleep on the couch. She lightly chuckled and sat nearby as her eyes still looked at Yuri adoringly. She then reached out for her notebook and begun another drawing as time passed by slowly. The sun that was quite gentle in the early morning slowly shone through the window more vibrant and woke Yuri up. Yuri’s eyes slowly blinked for a few times and looked at Tiffany who still fully immersed in her drawing.

“So…you drew me when I was sleeping?” Yuri got up and laughed as Tiffany quickly put away her notebook

“A little too late” Yuri grinned

“Sorry… You seemed to have a nice sleep…so I don’t want to disturb” Tiffany said lightly

“It’s okay...as long as it came out well” Yuri smirked

“I must have been too comfortable. It seems like almost noon if the sun is this bright” Yuri looked out of the window

“You’re right. I didn’t notice” Tiffany lightly laughed

“Anyway, you should have some breakfast. I will make it. Since you brought me pizza last night”

“Ho… Breakfast? You can cook?” Yuri teased

“Of course, I can. I have been living here for three years. If I couldn’t cook…I wouldn’t survive this long” Tiffany pouted slightly

“There’re many things that you didn’t know about me” Tiffany added as she headed to the kitchen

“I agreed. I didn’t know before that you like drawing” Yuri followed Tiffany and sat down at the kitchen counter

“But still there are more things that I didn’t know about you” Tiffany lightly smiled and opened the fridge

“So what do you want to know?” Yuri propped up her elbow and rested her head on her hand

“Hmm… Things like how many years have you lived here? Or perhaps did you live here before me? Or are you really a writer?” Tiffany leaned against the fridge and looked at Yuri as if demanding the truth

“Okay…fair enough. If you want to know I will tell” Yuri simply smiled

“I just came back here…not for long. To be more exact, the first day back was the day I met you at the café. It’s been a few weeks. About living here before… Yeah, I lived here before” Yuri got up and walked towards the stove

“I was an exchange student and used to live here for two years then went back to Korea…three years ago” Yuri looked for a pan

“Three years ago? That’s the same time I just got here” Tiffany said before she took a pan out and gave it over to Yuri

“So that’s why we haven’t met before” Yuri grinned and took the pan and placed it on the stove

“Scramble eggs or omelet?” Yuri asked

“Wait..I told you I will do the cooking” Tiffany protested

“Well..let’s help each other then? You let me stay over and I help you cooking breakfast. Fair deal” Yuri smirked as she pulled the pan away from Tiffany’s hand

“No. Just sit down and wait. I let you stay last night because it was too late” Tiffany tried to reach for the pan from Yuri’s hand. Apparently Yuri is having fun by putting the pan so high that she could not reach it properly even with her tiptoeing and when she finally got it in her hand, she lightly tapped it against Yuri’s head

“I said I would do the cooking, so I will” Tiffany insisted with a serious voice

“Okay…okay geez. There’s no need to be so upset about it” Yuri said as she lightly rubbed her forehead where the pan just hit her

“I’m not even upset yet” Tiffany stated

“I see. If you’re upset then it would be more scary” Yuri smirked

“Maybe?” Tiffany smirked back

“But…Today is Sunday. Aren’t you supposed to get ready for church? Aren’t you a Christian?” Yuri asked

“Oh..that’s right. I almost forgot” Tiffany put the pan down and looked at the clock

“It’s this late already…”

“Go then. Take a quick shower and I will cook the breakfast” Yuri laughed and patted Tiffany’s head

“But…” Tiffany tried to protest

“No buts…just go. Before it’s getting too late” Yuri smiled and put her hands on Tiffany’s shoulder then pushed her out of kitchen

“Take a shower. Get dress and come out to eat breakfast then I will go home and we could meet again at the café” Yuri lightly squeezed Tiffany’s shoulder in encouraging manner

“I will be here. Promise” Yuri whispered before she headed back to the kitchen

“So…what exactly is our relationship?” Tiffany murmured to herself as she turned to looked at Yuri who already disappeared into the kitchen

Yuri crossed her arms as she looked around Tiffany’s kitchen before she opened the fridge and thought about what would be the perfect breakfast. She smiled as she picked out a few eggs, butter and a pack of smoked salmon. She placed all the ingredients on the counter then turned to grab a loaf of bread that was kept in the breadbox. She sliced the bread up into two pieces and put them in the toaster. She turned to the stove and decided to change from using pan to a small pot. She put the pan on stove and cracked the eggs in like a professional chef would then followed by a small pieced of butter. She mixed the eggs with butter on a low heat and let it cooked slowly. Once the eggs turned oozy and creamy, she lifted the pot away from the heat and seasoned it with salt and pepper. She turned to the toaster and took the crispy toast on the plate then laid down a few pieces of smoked salmon on it and carefully finished it off with the beautifully done scrambled eggs. She smiled proudly at her work before turned back to the stove to make another one as she waited for Tiffany to come out.

“Wow. That smells nice” Tiffany walked into the kitchen with a light scent of soap and sweet perfume

“I should be the one to say that” Yuri teased as she offered Tiffany a plate then turned around to poured a cup of coffee

“Looking pretty nice. Is your cooking always looked this nice?” Tiffany teased before pouring a small amount of milk into her coffee

“It’s normal. I think” Yuri shrugged

“You sure made yourself at home” Tiffany jested

“Well..you said so yourself. We better eat before it all went cold” Yuri chuckled

Tiffany giggled and sliced through her breakfast into a bite size. She could see Yuri leaned against the fridge with a hesitant look, but once she tasted what Yuri just cooked for her, she cannot denied that she is more than impressed with Yuri’s cooking skills. She tried not to show it through her facial expression that she is very satisfied with it, however, her smile failed her incredibly and Yuri saw it.

“It’s good, isn’t it?” Yuri said as she joined it and takes a bite of the toasted bread

“It’s good enough” Tiffany tried to keep her cool and held back her laugh as she saw Yuri’s pout

“It’s good…very good. I didn’t think you would be this good at cooking. Is there anything you couldn’t do?” Tiffany asked as she propped her arm and rested her head on her hand

“Hmm… I don’t know. Maybe I’m unlucky in love?” Yuri laughed

“Really? Why?” Tiffany asked, but Yuri just shrugged

“Ah…come to think of it… I didn’t have the chance to answer your last question” Yuri said as she wiped the corner of her lips with her thumb

“Last question?” Tiffany looked at Yuri confusedly

“Yeah.. Am I a writer?” Yuri smirked and Tiffany just lightly nodded

“Yes, I am a writer” Yuri took a sip of her coffee

“I’m not that surprised” Tiffany shrugged

“But then…what is the title? Perhaps I could buy it” Tiffany giggled and took a sip of her coffee

“I don’t think you needed to. You got every single one of them” Yuri smirked as she leaned slightly forward and made a distance between her and Tiffany a few centimeters away. The only thing between them is the counter itself.

“What are you saying? I don’t understand” Tiffany looked at Yuri even more confused and slightly panic by how close they are

“Hope’s collection. It’s me. I am Hope” Yuri whispered in her husky low voice

The closeness and the answer from Yuri made Tiffany more than surprise. Her eyes widened and the fork in her hand suddenly fell down to the plate. She looked at Yuri who still smirking at her. She still could not process what she has been told. She just told herself literally this morning that it would be insanely impossible and yet it came true. The feeling of having her favorite author right in front her made her feelings all mixed up. There was confusion and somewhat happiness…but all in all it made her speechless.

“At first…I just wanted to tease you, so I didn’t tell but seeing the way you were yesterday… I thought about telling you. To be in fact…I wanted to tell you last night but you were sleepy and it was late. I decided to wait. I didn’t want to tell you in this manner too…though” Yuri explained before she took a few steps back and smiled lightly

“I just want to know you a bit more and tell…especially when you’re a fan of my books so…I hesitated a little” Yuri added but still Tiffany remained in silent

“Hey… Are you okay?” Yuri said worriedly

“O..oh yeah.. I’m fine” Tiffany forced out a smile

“Sure?” Yuri narrowed her eyes slightly

“Sure” Tiffany simply carried on eating but avoided to looked up at Yuri

“Well… I need to go to church” Tiffany said as soon as she finished her breakfast and got up

“Ah…right” Yuri said and finished her breakfast then her coffee

“I will help” Yuri said as she put away her plate

“It’s okay. Just leave it in the sink. I…I will take care of it” Tiffany washed her hands and immediately distance herself away from Yuri

“Are you upset?” Yuri asked

“No” Tiffany answered shortly as she walked to the door and put on her coat

“You’re upset about what I just told you, right?” Yuri asked as she reached out for Tiffany

“No. I just… I just need some time alone. If you don’t mind…we don’t have to meet at the café today” Tiffany said as she glanced at Yuri briefly

Tiffany walked out of the room and wait for Yuri to followed her. Yuri took her jacket and followed. She turned around with a slight hope for one last good look at the room, but Tiffany just closed the door almost immediately. The sound of door being locked made Yuri understand the situation even better and the way Tiffany just ran down the stairs and left her there without a single goodbye made her heart heavy with worries as the empty hallway only echoed with her heavy long sigh.

Even Tiffany had told her not to wait at the café but Yuri still insisted and sat there waiting for a whole day. There was no sign that Tiffany would show up. A few days after, Tiffany still did not show up at the café and Yuri was still sitting at the usual spot waiting with a heavy heart. The guilt that she felt as if she has done something terribly wrong could not be shaken away so easily. The thought made her heaved out another long sigh as she gazed down to her black coffee, Americano. Americano, her favorite bitter taste coffee. She could put in some cream and sugar but she likes it bitter. Why does she has to like it that way…she asked herself silently and begin to thought back about what Tiffany asked her of why she would used the penname ‘Hope’ when she wrote nothing about it. The light sad smile painted on her face as she lifted up her gaze to look outside the window. The once blue sky suddenly filled with dark grey clouds, the rain is coming perhaps a storm. It will be no time that a big down pour would start. Another heavy sigh escaped from her lips.

“This kind of weather made me think back when I wrote ‘The rain in Milan’” Yuri murmured

With that remark, the rain suddenly poured down and people on the street immediately ran to find a shelter as some would took out their umbrellas and continue on walking, but a certain someone caught Yuri’s eyes. That certain someone continued to walk on in the rain with no umbrella or whatsoever, which made Yuri immediately got up to her feet and ran off with her coat. She opened up her coat and put it over that person’s head as she walked side by side until that person took noticed and looked at her surprisingly.

“So how long do you want to walk in this rain? Aren’t you afraid that you will catch a cold?” Yuri said in her serious voice

“I told you before. I need a time alone. Didn’t you get that?” Tiffany responded

“I heard you loud and clear but don’t expect me to let you walk in this heavy rain. That is a different story. You can’t stop me from worrying about you. Do you get that?” Yuri said and stopped walking

“You have issues with me, that’s fine. I won’t say a thing. Be as upset and angry with me as much as you want. But if your time alone meant this…don’t expect me to stay still. Look at the weather…if you catch a cold, who will take care of you?” Yuri looked at Tiffany with a serious and concerned look

With that said, Tiffany took a good look at Yuri instead of just glancing or a swift look. Her eyes met Yuri’s for the first time and she could not denied the fact that it does made her felt slightly weak and waver. She did not know what to felt about Yuri or in the matter of fact…she just did not know how to act around Yuri anymore. She then saw how Yuri has been holding up the coat over her head, while Yuri was soaked almost head to toes. The simple act warmed up Tiffany’s heart. If Yuri did not care for her…it would not be like this. There was no reason why Yuri would do it…even on a friendship level.

“I don’t need anyone to look after me. I can survive on my own. I have been living alone for far enough. Thank you” Tiffany said and there was a light Hmph at the end before she decided to walked out of Yuri’s overhanging coat

Yuri’s eyes followed Tiffany and heaved out a long sigh, but still ran after Tiffany and walked along in silent. Even if she has million things to say, she decided not to. The more time they spent on walking in silent, the faster Tiffany walked in order to get away from Yuri, but Yuri still followed her like a shadow until Tiffany had enough and stopped walking abruptly.

“How long will you follow me?” Tiffany asked

“Until you talk to me again” Yuri sighed

“Well, I don’t want to”

“And why don’t you want to? Just because I told you my job… Does it change anything? I’m still who I used to be”

“It changed everything. You’re not just a writer… In fact you knew all along that I’m your book fan” Tiffany asked

“I knew…since the first day we met” Yuri confessed

“So that’s why you kept it a secret? So you didn’t want me to know? Is it that fun to you?”

“You didn’t listen to what I told you that day, did you? Yes…I thought I would tease you a bit but on the other side I just want to know you more. If I didn’t want to know you or even care or think that it was all about fun…. Why would I running after you like this…especially in this stupid rain?” Yuri almost shouted as the rain poured down heavier than before

“Can we just go to somewhere better than this place? I don’t want us to catch a cold” Yuri proposed and sighed heavily

“Please?” Yuri pleaded

Finally Tiffany gave in and lightly nodded. Yuri reached out for Tiffany’s hand and led her to somewhere else. After a few moments under the heavy rain, they finally reached Yuri’s apartment and Tiffany stood in Yuri’s living room. Yuri disappeared into her bedroom almost as soon as they arrived at the place. She came back out with a dry towel and offered it to Tiffany.

“Dry your hair” Yuri lightly smiled

Tiffany took the towel but did not say anything in respond and looked around the room. Yuri’s room is quite different from hers as it decorated with a black leather couch that matched very well with the red-brownish wooden floor. There was a huge bookshelf near the couch and it filled with many types of books and in many languages as well. The room does not look so modern but more to the  practical side. She turned around and see a working desk not far from the couch and behind it was a guitar. Such diversity but still quite fit in.

“I will make you some hot chocolate. It might warm you up a bit. It will take a while until the heater is working” Yuri said and disappeared in to the kitchen

Tiffany sat down on the couch and looked at Yuri walked back and forth in the kitchen. She looked at how Yuri leaned against the counter behind and waited for the water to heat up. Yuri’s back and hair were all wet perhaps wetter than hers and even with a towel on the shoulder, it seemed that Yuri would not even bother to dry her own hair.  Tiffany slowly dried her hair for a while before she got up and walked over to Yuri and pulled the towel away from Yuri’s shoulder. She placed the towel over Yuri’s head and gently towel dried it.

“You told me to dry mine…but didn’t bother to dry your own. You will catch a cold at this rate” Tiffany muttered

“Aren’t you mad at me?”

“I never said I was. I just need time to process my feelings. I can’t?” Tiffany asked

“If you put it that way…surely you can” Yuri said softly

“You felt guilty?” Tiffany asked as her hands stop and looked into Yuri’s eyes

“Confused is more accurate. If you’re angry with me then fine… at least I know what to do but this… I don’t know how to act. You told me you wanted to know my job when I actually told you… It became like this. Is it that shocking?”

“Of course it is…  It’s not like I couldn’t guess it or figured it out. When you told me your major is literature I can connected the dots…it’s just I don’t know how to face you or be the same. It’s just awkward…and embarrassing” Tiffany confessed and sighed

“Just being you. I’m still me. It didn’t change anything. What I do…doesn’t matter. It’s who I am. What’s my name or what I do it doesn’t change a thing” Yuri lightly touched Tiffany’s head and caressed it lightly

“That’s true” Tiffany smiled

“But I do understand why you did what you did. It caught you off guard” Yuri turned back to the stove and poured the hot water into a mug

“You’re right and I’m still curious about many things” Tiffany lightly smiled

“Is it about me?” Yuri offered the hot chocolate filled mug to Tiffany then titled her head to the side slightly

“Something like that” Tiffany answered and took a sip from her mug

“About what exactly then?” Yuri raised her eyebrows up a little

“Many things…but there are some that I need to figure out on my own” Tiffany smiled and placed the mug down on the counter

“I see. So are we good now?” Yuri placed her cup down as well and looked into Tiffany’s eyes

“I…guess so” Tiffany answered softly

“Guess so… I will take it that we do” Yuri said as she took a step back and away from Tiffany

Tiffany smiled and chuckled before she took another sip of the hot chocolate. Her eyes still looked into Yuri’s but she noticed something within those dark orbs. They did not look back at her as adoringly or playful like the usual. The slight sadness that hidden behind them was such a contrast to the smile that although did not seem force but was not as happy as it used to look. Tiffany could not figure out why or where that sadness came from.

“Anyway…aside from getting wet from head to toes. Aren’t you supposed to go to work?” Yuri asked

“Oh...right. I forgot it entirely. I need to call in otherwise I’m so dead. Oh god…my phone is going to be like a living hell” Tiffany said in panic as she reached out for her cellphone

Yuri chuckled as she shook her head. She looked at Tiffany spoke in fluent Italian to the boss. Tiffany pulled the cellphone away from her ear and the loud voice of her boss could get through. After a short while, the phone call finally over and Yuri smiled brightly as she heard loud and clear of what Tiffany’s boss have said over the phone. Tiffany does not need to be in office and she could take a day off. Tiffany was tried to protest but her boss hung up even before she could say the word.

“Seems like someone is free today” Yuri joked

“Don’t say like it’s nothing” Tiffany pouted

“Well…he did say a day off. It’s not a fire” Yuri walked to Tiffany and shrugged

“I will get another round of that tomorrow and face to face at that” Tiffany sighed

“On the bright side…you are free for a day and able to rest. I will take care of you but first I will get you a new set of clothes” Yuri smiled and disappeared into her bedroom

After a short while, Yuri walked out of her room with a fresh set of clothes in her hand and she was in a new outfit as well. Tiffany was stunned Yuri and what she wore. With just a long sleeves v-neck shirt and a white shorts, Yuri looked as good as a model. She saw many professional models, but never felt like this before. There was a certain charm about Yuri that she could not put a finger on but at the very least it attracted her attention. With that thought came into mind, Tiffany soon remembered the first day she met Yuri and suddenly she felt hot of all the sudden, especially her face.

“Better get change and I will put your clothes in the dryer” Yuri said before she noticed how Tiffany’s face seemed to redden

“Are you okay? Why is your face so red?” Yuri asked as she placed her hand on Tiffany’s forehead

“I’m fine…” Tiffany’s voice shaken a bit and immediately took the clothes away from Yuri’s other hand and walked away but stopped halfway and looked around confusedly

“The bathroom is in my bedroom. Just walk in and it’s on the right” Yuri chuckled

“Oh god…why do I need to be that shy” Tiffany muttered to herself as soon as she entered Yuri’s bedroom and leaned against the door

“Oh wait”

As soon as she realized that she was in the most private part of Yuri’s apartment Tiffany could not help but began to explore around. Even if it is a bedroom, it still has room for a bookshelf near the bed. On the nightstand, there was a small notebook that she often saw Yuri written something on and what caught her eyes the most were the photos that scattered nearby. She picked one up and smiled brightly as the photo was nothing else but her although taken without her knowledge. It was well composite and very beautifully taken.

“Took a picture without my permission and yet complained when I drew you. Hmph” Tiffany giggled right after and put the photo down. She hesitated a bit when her eyes caught on the notebook once again. A part of her wanted to know what Yuri has written and as she reached out for it…she stopped and changed her mind

“Where is your manner…Tiffany” Tiffany muttered and walked away eventually

After finish changing her clothes, Tiffany walked back into the living room and was greeted by a soothing song that was softly played by Yuri. The sight of Yuri sitting on a couch casually and playing the guitar with such relaxing expression made Tiffany smiled adoringly. She almost forgot that the rain was still poring down heavily outside and there was nothing else but Yuri’s music. The song ended and both of them looked at each other before the usual adoring smile came back on Yuri’s face and made Tiffany felt the familiar warmth once again.

“Suits you quite well it seems” Yuri teased before putting the guitar aside

“And you played it quite well” Tiffany complimented and gave Yuri her rain soaked clothes

“It’s a hobby…nothing serious” Yuri smiled and walked away for a while

“You can write books, play guitar, and take great photos… Is it possible that someone like you actually exist?” Tiffany muttered before she sat down on the couch

“Why? If I’m a guy then I would be perfect?” Yuri’s voice rang from behind Tiffany and that made Tiffany jumped in surprise

“Not that much” Tiffany turned to look at Yuri and pouted. She was caught off guard again as Yuri leaned down and left almost no space between them

“Not that much…but will it make you like me more?” Yuri whispered huskily and smirked

The particular question made Tiffany froze because it was the same question she asked herself for a few days. Of course, she likes Yuri but she could not answer whether it was just a friendship or something else. The more Yuri is closer to her, especially like this…it made her doubted her feelings and confused at the same time. She can hear her heart beating loud and clear and hope that Yuri would not hear it. Her face became hotter and hotter until she decided to back away.

“What are you saying? Don’t be absurd” Tiffany tried to change the topic before she touched her face to cool it down

Yuri lightly chuckled before she took a seat where she was sitting earlier and began to play the guitar. Tiffany did not know that the chuckle was just something that Yuri did to mask her real feeling. It was a force chuckle, not a genuine one. Tiffany, who knew nothing sat back down and listened to the song once more. Yuri continued to play out the song and looked at Tiffany through her lashes. Her gaze was filled with a slight sadness but when their eyes were almost met Yuri would managed to avoid it within a split second and made it seemed like she looked down at her own hand. As the song continued to play out, the tune changed from bright and light into something much sadder and when Yuri realized that she stopped abruptly and put the guitar away. Tiffany was surprised by the sudden end and still could not figured it all out.

“Do you know why I wrote those three books?” Yuri asked as she turned to looked at the bookshelf

“In what particular way do you mean by that?” Tiffany asked back

“In a way of emotional symbolism” Yuri explained

“Well..if it’s that way then ‘The rain in Milan” would be yearning? ‘The Reflection of a Silver Moon’ would be a new beginning? And ‘Footsteps in the snow” would be searching?” Tiffany answered

“Nice… Answered like a real book fan” Yuri lightly smiled

“Are you telling me that they were all written from your personal experiences?” Tiffany tilted her head to the side

“What would a writer writes if not from the personal experiences?” Yuri laughed

“Then…’The rain in Milan’ would be something about your experiences here?” Tiffany asked with high interest

“Nope. It’s actually earlier than that. It’s not entirely what happened here, but it’s a story that I wrote when I thought about a certain someone” Yuri answered

“So…first love?”

“Pretty close”

“Can you tell me more then?”

“Wanna know?”

“If you can tell me then yeah”

“Fine then. Well, I did tell you…my major is literature, right?” Yuri started and Tiffany just nodded slowly

“Don’t laugh. The person I liked back then was a girl” Yuri lightly laughed as she saw Tiffany’s surprise expression

“Really? Did she know?”

“No. She didn’t perhaps…not even know that I existed. If I remembered correctly her major was arts. The first time I met her was my minor class in Italian. She registered for that class too but we’re on a different section. We just walked pass each other and never talked. At that moment I felt…this is it. This is the one. It’s laughable, isn’t it?”

“No. Was she that attractive? I mean to made you fell in love at first sight”

“I think so. She was beautiful and cute. Whenever we walked pass one another, I would always looked back and she would just talked with her friends and smiled. Her smile was really bright and very beautiful. It made you want to smile” Yuri’s gaze filled with gentleness and Tiffany noticed that too. With no particular reason…Tiffany just felt jealous

“Sounded too perfect” Tiffany’s voice expressed a hint of disapproval

“Even if she was…I couldn’t make myself known to her. We just walked pass each other…no conversations…nothing. It’s pretty much one-sided” Yuri lightly laughed and looked at Tiffany adoringly

“Don’t tell me this is the person that was supposed to be the moon for Seryu in ‘The Reflection of a Silver Moon’?” Tiffany became more interested and Yuri just simply nodded

“But you know..in that story… Seryu and Youngwon won’t be together if my editor didn’t make me change the ending. He said that I can’t write about one-sided love all the time, which was completely right and with that the book became a bestseller” Yuri laughed heartily

“Well then seems like I owed your editor for that and making you a bestseller author” Tiffany laughed

“But still…I like ‘The rain in Milan’ best” Tiffany added and eye-smiled at Yuri

“That’s good to know. I’m glad that like it” Yuri smiled

“And why did you write ‘Footsteps in the snow?” Tiffany grabbed a small cushion nearby and hugged it

“Because I wanted to write something about searching the one you love. During that process sometime it’s almost like walking on a street that filled with snow. It’s all white…if you didn’t look carefully enough, you won’t see the footsteps of someone you wanted to follow. Then if you just followed the footprints but could not separate your own from that someone…you will get lost. In the end, it’s all about having faith that you will find that someone and with a step at a time you will get closer as long as you walked on the same path. All you need is to has the faith for that someday…” Yuri explained as she approached Tiffany slowly and knelt down before she reached out for Tiffany’s hand

“And for the hope that you will meet that person…eventually” Yuri looked up to Tiffany and lightly squeezed Tiffany’s hand

The short sentence and the warm touch from Yuri’s hand made Tiffany almost breathless. She never thought Yuri would do something like this and it made her heartbeat so loud as if it could explode. She tried to hide the fact that she was overwhelm by the situation by turning to look at somewhere else but that soon became a total failure when Yuri just simply lifted her chin and made her turned to look at Yuri directly. The gentle gaze made her speechless as if she was caught in it. The longer she looked into Yuri’s eyes, the more she noticed the softness, warmth and such seriousness as if Yuri wanted her to learned every secrets that hidden behind those dark orbs. She knew…Yuri has many things to tell her but decided not to…not yet.

‘Are you kidding me? If she made me looked into her eyes longer than this…I will be literally dead’ Tiffany thought to herself

“If you don’t mind….I will cook us lunch today” Yuri said as she got up and patted Tiffany’s head

“Umm…” Tiffany managed a small sound and lightly nodded

“Are you sure that you’re fine? Because your face turned red again” Yuri teased

“I’m fine…really” Tiffany immediately answered

The light laughter came from Yuri once more and that made Tiffany pouted almost immediately before Tiffany could say anything Yuri was already left to the kitchen. Tiffany heaved out a long sigh before she lied down on the couch. She needed to calm herself down. Her hand placed above her heart and she could still felt its beats. She closed her eyes in attempt to calm down from many things that just happened, but every time that she closed her eyes…there was Yuri’s eyes looking back at her. That serious and yet so gentle gaze, it made her felt weak in the knees. The sound of Yuri’s low husky voice that said those words to her, the sentence might be short but it left her wondering. Is she the person that Yuri has been looking for? Or was it just her blissful thinking?

Even if Tiffany was stuck in Yuri’s apartment all day long because the rain refused to stop its heavy downpour, but Tiffany was not in the slightest of boredom. With knowing Yuri as her favorite author, Tiffany continued to asked about the books and the more they talked, the more she realized that Yuri has a different perspective about love. The theory that Yuri was in the blue period has proven to be false. Yuri was not in the blue period, not in the slightest. It is simply that Yuri viewed the world in its reality and practicality. When Tiffany came to this conclusion, it just made her wanted to know Yuri even more and wanted to be the one that change that particular perspective.

“I almost forgot. I got an appointment this evening” Yuri said

“Appointment?”

“Yeah. I have a meeting with some friends. Is the rain stop?” Yuri got up and walked over to the window

“It’s less heavy. Great.. Please stop soon” Yuri sighed

“Do you want to go with me?” Yuri looked at Tiffany and smiled

“Can I?”

“Sure thing. My friends would love to meet you plus… the food there was really good, better than my pasta that I cooked you for lunch. That’s for sure” Yuri lightly laughed

“If it’s okay then sure”

“Good. I will walk you back afterwards”

“Oh yeah… Can I ask you another question?” Tiffany tilted her head to the side

“Sure”

“How old are you? No…Let’s ask about your birthday”

“My birthday? 5^th December 1989” Yuri smiled

“December… Hold on. You’re younger than me for four months?” Tiffany got up and placed hands on her hips

“Why do you look so angry?” Yuri asked confusedly

“Well..why not? You….you” Tiffany walked directly to Yuri and pointed a finger in Yuri’s face

“You made it seemed like you’re older than me. Taking care of me all the time… Am I a kid in your eyes?” Tiffany pouted

“I…is that wrong?”

“It’s not wrong… It’s just I’m older than you. I supposed to look after you. Not you, me” Tiffany crossed her arms and turned her back on Yuri

“I knew it…” Tiffany muttered

“Oh… So you’re not mad at me….but instead…shy?” Yuri whispered closely to Tiffany’s ear then stepped away as Tiffany jumped with surprise

“S…shy of what? You’re absurd” Tiffany lightly pushed Yuri and took her dry clothes that Yuri has placed on the couch for a while

“I better go and change my clothes” Tiffany pouted and disappeared into Yuri’s bedroom

“Just four months…what a big deal. It’s not gonna make me stop taking care of you” Yuri lightly shook her head and laughed

When they finally headed out, the rain stopped and Tiffany could not understand why Yuri would need to bring her guitar along, but chose to be quiet about it. She followed Yuri to a small restaurant in an alley that she used to walked pass and never knew about it before. Yuri talked to the owner in a casual manner like she knew him for a long time. The owner was slightly big in term of size and wore an apron around his waist. The restaurant although small, still it is very clean and welcoming. After talking to the owner for a while, a charming young man appeared and gave Yuri a hug. That hug, however, made Tiffany felt a sudden urge of possessiveness.

“Tiffany. This is my friend, Antonio” Yuri introduced

“Hi” Tiffany greeted with her smile and shook Antonio’s hand

“And this is Antonio’s father, Alberto. He’s the owner of this restaurant” Yuri grinned

“Ah…Tiffany. The one…you always talked about” Antonio teased and smirked

“I thought you don’t have a guitarist today… You don’t want my help then?” Yuri smirked

“Hey… Don’t get work up so fast. I’m just teasing” Antonio said

“Antonio… you teased Yuri too much and way too often. She came here for help and you should be grateful already” Alberto smiled

“Papa… You always on Yuri’s side no matter what” Antonio whined

“Well, I will cook you some great food. Your friend sure is pretty, just like you told us about” Alberto laughed and took Tiffany’s hand with adoring manner

“But you will have to work to earn the food” Antonio smirked

“Oh…you talked too much, my son. Go and fetch them some wine. Be a good host” Alberto said

“Fine… Yuri’s always be your favorite. You like her more than your own son” Antonito commented

“Work for the food?” Tiffany turned to looked at Yuri

“Just playing guitar” Yuri lightly laughed

“Oh… I see. So the appointment is to play the guitar?”

“Yep. When I was an exchange student, I befriended with Antonio and so, I would come here to play guitar several times a week, but nothing too serious” Yuri smiled and pulled out her guitar then sat down at the musician’s corner

“Just some tips” Yuri added

“That’s good… I thought you and Antonio is…more than friends” Tiffany crossed her arms and leaned against the wall

“Me with Antonio? That would be an awful match” Yuri laughed

“Why?”

“That guy already has a girlfriend and even his father likes me…he would want me to be his daughter, not a daughter-in-law”

“Plus…I didn’t like Antonio that way. I already have someone I like” Yuri wiggled her eyebrows and smiled

“Well...I wonder is it your first love?” Tiffany walked over to Yuri and bended down slightly so that her eyes meet with Yuri’s

“Hmm… I don’t know” Yuri lightly smiled and shrugged

“How can you not know?” Tiffany narrowed her eyes slightly as she felt a little disappointed

“I just don’t know. I will tell you once I know” Yuri teased

Tiffany let out a sigh and headed back to the table nearby that Alberto set up for her. Antonio came back with a glass of red wine and took a glance at Yuri, who still tuning her guitar, he then glanced back at Tiffany and just smiled before disappeared into the kitchen again. Once he came out from the kitchen, Tiffany saw Antonio went over to Yuri with another glass of wine and shared a conversation, which she could not hear. She let out another sigh and took a sip of the wine. The taste rolled around her tongue like a smooth silk. It was rich and she can tasted a small amount of spice within it. A light smile of satisfaction appeared on her face as she put down her glass. The wine was different than any that she has ever tasted before. Although her eyes still fixed on Yuri, even if she is satisfied with the taste of wine…she did not find any satisfaction from Yuri’s answer.

“You have to be so full of surprises…don’t you? How can you not know whether the person you like and your first love is the same person? Not knowing…would definitely mean that it’s still your first love that you like…” Tiffany muttered and took another sip of her wine

Soon the sound of Yuri’s guitar and Antonio’s filled up the place and inviting customers to come in. The restaurant became a full house and Alberto greeted them at the table one by one. The easy going and family-like atmosphere brought a smile to Tiffany’s face. She looked at how the customers talked to one another and Alberto as if they are family. The image suddenly made her missed her own home and her own family. The homesickness that she did not feel for quite some time made her felt a little empty inside and at that moment her eyes caught Yuri’s unintentionally. Yuri just simply gave her warming smile and made her smiled back. As she sat there and taking all of this in, she began to understand what Yuri is doing… Yuri is opening up to her, bits by bits and slowly. The mystery around Yuri slowly faded away and made Tiffany felt slightly better. Her only worry is the knowing that Yuri’s heart still belonged to that first love.

“Papaaaa” The long shout from outside the restaurant made all the customers turned their heads including Tiffany’s

What Tiffany saw was an energetic brunette, who waved her hand in greeting to Alberto. The two hug tightly and Alberto laughed. From what Tiffany saw, it seemed like this brunette is even closer to Alberto than Yuri was. Antonio suddenly stop playing the guitar and walked up to hug the brunette and Yuri also stopped and wave her hand. Tiffany was confused of what just happened and it did not take long for that brunette to joined her at the table.

“Hi! I’m Francesca, Antonio’s girlfriend. You must be Tiffany, right? Yuri’s friend?” the brunette introduced herself and offered her hand to Tiffany

“Yes and nice to meet you” Tiffany shook Francesca’s hand slowly although still pretty much confused about the whole thing

“Wow…You look even prettier than what Yuri told us”

“Huh?”

“Well…Yuri always talked about you when she came here. She always said that she met a Korean here and a very cute one at that. She wanted to bring you over, but still never has the chance”

“Ah..” Tiffany lightly nodded

“Did I speak too much? I guess I’m a bit intimidating then… but don’t worry I’m always like this” Francesca grinned before she let out a light laugh

“I thought you’re Yuri’s girlfriend. I mean for the fact that she always looked so happy when she talked about you. Just like when she talked about her first love”

“Wha…?” Tiffany taken back by what Francesca just said and could not really asked the actual question that she has in mind

“When I asked Yuri why did she talk about you so often…almost like talking about the person that she likes… she would just brushed it off and said she needed to be sure about something. Well, I don’t know what that thing is. Since you look like a decent person” Francesca smirked

“I must have said something weird. Don’t tell Yuri that I talked to you about this. She would be so mad” Francesca laughed

Tiffany laughed and nodded in agreement as the two of them continue on with different kind of conversation. Alberto then came out with a salad and looked at his son and Yuri for a while. He let out a light laugh and went back into the kitchen. Tiffany took a bite of the salad and her lips slightly. Alberto’s food can be compared with the five star restaurants and it would still win in Tiffany’s opinion. At the same moment, Francesca got up from her seat and took a small plate of salad with her. Tiffany’s eyes followed and smiled adoringly when she saw Francesca sat next to Antonio and fed him the salad. The customers were all teasing them and laughed in unison. Yuri, who sat nearby lightly laughed and turned to smiled at Tiffany.

“What a sweet couple” Yuri teased

“If you’re jealous then find yourself one” Francesca stick out her tongue at Yuri

“I’m finding” Yuri laughed and looked at Tiffany

“If you found one then why wait?” Antonio teased and lightly elbowed Yuri’s side

“I’m just waiting to see if she thinks the same”

“Well…be careful not too wait too long” Francesca teased and smirked at Yuri before she walked back to the table

“That’s very cute of you” Tiffany said

“If I didn’t bring it over then he will come here eventually and whine…and possibly stole more than I gave him” Francesca laughed

“But it’s very cute” Tiffany giggled

“If it’s cute then why don't you go and gave Yuri some” Francesca teased

“Oh..”

“I think it’s cute even as friends” Francesca wiggled her eyebrows a little

“I don’t think…it’s….” Tiffany said hesitantly

“It’s fine. Nobody would mind. I think Yuri would be hungry by now. Even Antonio said he’s tired”

“Owwww” Francesca exclaimed as Yuri gave her a light knock on the head

“Don't try to put some weird ideas into her head” Yuri said

“What weird ideas? I just…gave a useful instruction”

“If it’s about dinner…your boyfriend said it’s okay for me to eat now and go back to play later”

“Good then. You can take my place and I will take yours” Francesca got up and took the salad plate with her

“Seriously… I’m sorry if she said anything weird… but this is who she is” Yuri lightly laughed

“It’s fine. She’s kinda funny. Your friend, when you were an exchange student?”

“Yes…my first friend here to be in fact. She greeted me first and sat next to me, but that’s Francesca for you. A very friendly person” Yuri smiled

“So she went well with Antonio?”

“These two were friends before they met me, but Antonio never had the courage to confess, so it was Francesca that asked him out”

“That’s bold”

“That was the same time that I wrote ‘The Reflection of a Silver Moon’”

“But it was at the plotting stage, not written up yet. I just took some of Antonio’s personalities into Seryu and even if he talked back to me like this…he was actually a quiet person. It took time to make him talk to you, not until he felt like we’re close enough. So when it came to love confession…you can guess how hard it was to make him talk” Yuri laughed

“But it’s a good thing that he loves Francesca?”

“Yes. It’s a good thing. I believed that we, as a person would attract to someone that has something we don’t have. Almost like looking for something to fulfill the part that we missed. Just like those two” Yuri smiled and looked at Francesca and Antonio

“But this time, he will be the one who propose” Alberto said as she placed another plate of salad in front of Yuri

“Will he be bold enough?”

“He needs to. The love confession part…was forgivable, but marriage proposal is something a man should do. If he couldn’t do that, he doesn’t deserve to be called a man” Alberto laughed

“And I think Francesca is waiting for it too. She won’t do the same thing again this time” Alberto smiled happily

The dinner that night was filled with happiness. The pasta, lasagna and many delicious dishes were served to the point that Tiffany think that she could not finished them all, but with the help from Francesca and Antonio everything was shared and soon left with empty plates. After they finished the dinner, they just drink wine and continue to listen to the soft tune of Antonio and Yuri’s guitars. From the lively tune in the early evening, the tune changed into a slower tempo and sweeter sound enhancing the night with romantic atmosphere. Once again Tiffany brought out her notebook and began her sketches with Francesca took a silent look by her side but did not tease or say anything…just a serene smile.

It was nearly midnight that Yuri and Tiffany excused themselves and bid their goodbye. Yuri volunteered to walk Tiffany back to the apartment, but this time with courage to take Tiffany’s hand and an excuse that the weather was colder than before. Tiffany did not say anything about it nor did she mind.

“A…Are you going anywhere this New Year?” Yuri asked

“New Year? I have to go to Paris with my boss before the New Year’s Eve. It’s our annual party”

“Oh…and after that?”

“After that… I got a few days off. Why?”

“I’m just thinking that we can travel together on holidays. Nothing much”

“Ah. Don’t you have to go back to Korea?”

“No. You?”

“No. If I go back…there would be another argument. My dad didn’t want me to work here although I can take care of myself” Tiffany said before she kicked a pebble on the street

“Well…If you got your holidays then we can go travelling. I will do the driving” Yuri said confidently

“Driving? Are we going to other places?”

“Yep. I want to go to other towns and seek more inspirations”

“Milan is not enough?”

“I knew Milan too well now. I want to see something else. Isn’t it refreshing to go somewhere you didn’t know about?”

“True. I lived here for three years now and didn’t have a chance to see anything else beside this place. Well…I did go to some places…but not travel..just work. Sure…if I got the dates for my leave then we can go travel”

“Good. Tell me when you got it, so I can book the hotels and planning”

“Where do you want to go?”

“Florence and Verona. Four days could do”

“More photos again?”

“Yeah. You read my mind”

The two laughed and walked side by side until they reached Tiffany’s apartment. Both bid their farewell and wave to one another. Tiffany turned around and was about to walked up to her room, while Yuri slowly walked backwards and was about to turned her back on Tiffany. It was then that Tiffany headed back to Yuri and lightly kissed Yuri on the cheek.

“Goodnight” Tiffany whispered and smiled

“G…goodnight” Yuri muttered as Tiffany ran off and disappeared into the apartment building

…..

The closer, the New Year’s Eve was in sight, the more Tiffany became busier. The magazine’s manuscript needed to be done early and concluded for the New Year’s trend edition to be released on January. The planning for the annual party was also on and Tiffany would need to remember all the guests for her boss. It was no different than revising for final exam, which became a reason why she did not meet Yuri quite often, as she would want to. The worst part was the fact that she could not celebrate Christmas because her boss changed his mind and decided to celebrate it at Paris altogether. Tiffany’s personal plan was set aside and all of her time was literally went to her boss. Fortunately, Yuri came with her to the train station to sent her off even though both of them had agreed to celebrated Christmas together at Alberto’s restaurant…and that plan was also set aside.

“Work on Christmas day…your boss is one weird guy” Yuri joked as she helped Tiffany with the bag

“He’s always weird. I guess it’s the rumor about the new editor-in-chief that made him wanted to go there early. To secure his position…it’s normal” Tiffany commented and let out a long sigh

“But you still go to a party with a nice dress on. Too bad…I didn’t have a chance to see it. Hmm..or should I go with you?” Yuri smirked and laughed

“Why would you go with me? Want to see me in a dress that much?” Tiffany giggled

“Of course, I want to see. You in a dress…would definitely be a sight, but even if I followed you there…I won’t be able to go in to the party anyway. Perhaps…I might see you in a dress one day”

“So you are that interested in me, huh?”

“Why? You don’t want me to?”

“Never mind… You can go back now. I need to get on the train soon”

“Ho…So now you even chased me away? I guess you don’t want a present”

“Present?”

“Yep. A present. It’s Christmas. Here, but open it when you’re on the train, okay?” Yuri took out a small pink box and gave it to Tiffany

“An early Merry Christmas” Yuri smiled

“Thank you”

“You can go now… or you will be late” Yuri laughed and lightly patted Tiffany’s head

“You did it again” Tiffany pouted

“Did what?”

“Make yourself older than me. I’m not a kid”

“You’re not a kid. Who said I think you are”

“Your behavior did say so”

“I just want to take care of you. I can’t?” Yuri smiled lightly

“It’s not…like you can’t… forget it.. Merry Christmas” Tiffany muttered as she took her bag away from Yuri

As soon as she finished her sentence, Tiffany turned around and walked away. Her face lightly flushed, but not because of the cold weather. In her mind, she repeatedly told herself to walked away as fast as she can and even though she did not get to go very far, Yuri stopped her. The warm of Yuri’s hand made her stop and turned around.

“I didn’t even say my goodbye yet. Are you in such a hurry?” Yuri pulled the bag away from Tiffany’s hand

“I afraid that I wouldn’t catch my train in time..” Tiffany said

“Hmm..Is that so? Then I will walk you there”

“There’s no need to… I can go on my own” Tiffany tried to take her bag back

“Okay…Safe journey then and if it’s possible…call me when you get there” Yuri grinned

“I will call you. See you then” Tiffany smiled

“See you then”

Both of them waved goodbye to each other and Tiffany finally departed. Yuri looked at Tiffany until she could not see Tiffany’s back anymore. A light sigh escaped through Yuri’s lips as her thought went back to the fact that it will be a week time that they will not be able to see each other. The thought made Yuri felt hollow and lonely as she stood there in the middle of the busy train station until she decided to walk away with a light smile on her face.

Once boarded the train, Tiffany took some time to calmed herself and settled down. She took the pink box out and opened it. A fountain pen, an expensive one at that…Tiffany took a mental note. It was a pure black-bodied fountain pen with a platinum outline and a small pink gemstone. Tiffany felt thankful and glad but at the same time quite uneasy. With just a glance she knew this present is expensive. A whisper of luxury was all over it and she did not know whether to appreciate or felt untitled for it. She let out a light sigh before taking the pen out of the box with high caution. In there she saw a small card hidden beneath. She opened the card with a slight surprise.

“Merry Christmas

I know what you think. You think that I bought you a gift that is too expensive, but I think you deserved one, as you want to be an Editor-in-chief someday. A good Editor-in-chief of a famous magazine needs to have at least a good pen. Use it well.

Yuri”

The message made Tiffany smiled and giggled for the fact that Yuri could also read her mind. The uneasiness that she felt earlier disappeared and she continued to read the message a couple more times before she put it back in the box along with the pen.

“Seems like I need to find a worthy present that wouldn’t lose to this one” Tiffany muttered as she looked out the window and smiled happily

….

Eventually the two can finally go on travelling together, but it was after the end of the February Fashion week. Although delayed, Yuri still looked on the bright side and think that it was for the better. Since the weather in spring was warmer than the early January that they first planned for and it was more appropriate for driving. Yuri glanced at Tiffany, who opened the window for fresh air. The wind made the light pink scarf around Tiffany’s neck waved along as Tiffany pulled up her sunglasses.

“Such a nice weather” Tiffany said before she inhale and eye-smiled at Yuri

“It’s a good thing that you took your leave around this time” Yuri said as she adjusted her own sunglasses

“Well, it was a good time that we can finally travel together”

“True, plus it’s not too cold and no more rain”

“Yep. We’re going to Verona first, right?”

“Yeah then we go to Florence. If we get to check-in early perhaps we can get to walk around the town”

“Why do you want to go to Verona? I can understand Florence, but why Verona? Most people would want to go to Rome or Pisa” Tiffany asked

“Ah..but I forget that you’re not..most people” Tiffany took off her sunglasses and narrowed her eyes as she looked at Yuri

“It’s not that significant and I’m no different from most people. Verona is a home to Juliet. Juliet’s house…I think you must have heard of. The infamous Juliet from Romeo and Juliet”

“Such a writer..”

“It’s not a writer thing” Yuri lightly laughed

“It’s just that of all the love stories in this world. Romeo and Juliet is one of the most…I might say legendary. It’s a tragedy and I would say that made it last this long. For me though…in my opinion Romeo as a character is such a weak character. He’s coward, stupid and stubborn almost like a spoiled brat. On the other hand, Juliet is just too naïve. Come to think of it…the story wasn’t that much of a tragedy. The death of those two didn’t come from their families. It’s from their own stupidity”

“Wow…that’s a strong statement. Die in the name of love is stupid?” Tiffany’s eyebrows furrowed

“It’s stupid. Romeo did something wrong and decided to run. Juliet decided to elope with him and pretended to be dead. In the end, both of them died. Are you sure that was in the name of love? Or just simply wanted to be together”

“Well…if you love someone you would want to be together and if you didn’t fight for love then what would love means?”

“Oh… So did Romeo fought for that?”

“And how was I supposed to answer that?”

“You seem to be so keen at this. I would love it if you would be so kind to enlighten me” Yuri smirked and wiggled her eyebrows in the challenging way

“It’s not that I’m keen at this. I just don’t like the fact that you seem to have a negative prospect about love. Why do you need to be so pessimistic about the world? You named yourself ‘Hope’ and didn’t live to its reputation” Tiffany lightly pushed Yuri’s shoulder in a playful manner

“I told you before the name didn’t mean that I am ‘Hope’ for the readers. I am looking for ‘Hope’ myself. If we don’t have hope then how could we live, right?”

“Fine…if you want to put it that way. Well…about Romeo and Juliet. I don’t think Shakespeare wanted to seek for reasons. It’s about love and love can happened to anyone, anywhere and anytime. It’s irrelevant whether or not the two families were getting along well or not. It’s just the fact that in the end we can’t deny the feeling of love. That’s the most important”

“Then love is all about feelings. In this age and time, we can’t just use feelings. It takes reason too. We wouldn’t find ourselves wondering for reason to break up with someone. Why would we need that? The reason to says goodbye. Don’t you think so?”

“True…but we also find reasons to be together too, didn’t we? Like for traveling together…or something similar to that” Tiffany said lightly near the end of her sentence before she put on her sunglasses and pretend to look at the view along the highway instead

“Sometime…we don’t need reasons to be together. Just love one another…that’s more than enough” Yuri lightly smiled as she took a glance at Tiffany then looked back at the road ahead

Tiffany lightly smiled to herself after she heard what Yuri said. She had come to admission that Yuri is a writer in almost every moment. Everything that sound so simple could turn into something with deeper meaning and that made her heart flutters. She took a glance at Yuri and realized that Yuri had managed to evade her question. She always wanted to know the reason why Yuri has this particular pessimistic outlook about love, especially if she were to fell in love with Yuri.

“But wait… You still didn’t answer my question. Why do you think of love so negatively?” Tiffany pulled her sunglasses up once again

“It’s not that I look at it negatively. I’m just trying to be practical. Love is a feeling and feeling changed. Even reason can be changed. People also changed. Time changed. People changed. Nothing really last forever, but my love…I want my love to be more than just wanting to be together. I don’t want a relationship that spend too much time together at a period of time then became strangers later on. I don’t want the person I love became bored of me and I just want to love someone the way that we don’t have to pretend…and just being ourselves. I want a relationship that last to the point that I don’t need to look for anyone else. I just don’t know that person I love would love me back just as much, so I have to remind myself that love is a feeling. My feeling and other’s feeling is not the same and never be the same. Just as much as we didn’t look at love the same way” Yuri stopped the car at the side of the road and pulled off her sunglasses. She turned to looked at Tiffany with sincerity and her voice was serious

Yuri’s answer took Tiffany’s breath away. The dark orbs captured her heart. Its sincerity and the seriousness were like a bullet that shot through her heart. It caught her off guard. She did not expect this kind of answer. How wonderful it must have been to be the person that Yuri loves. To be loved wholeheartedly for being what she is and to be together without getting bored of one another, she would love to be that person. She has to admit the fact that ever since she met Yuri, there was not even a day that she felt bored of their talking even if it was the same topic or the same café or even just being together in the same room. She does not feel the need for something more or something else. It was just perfect as if she has found her other half.

“T…too bad that your first love didn’t know that” Tiffany pursed her lip, as she felt stupid for saying that out

“Oh…I think she knew” Yuri smirked mischievously and put her glasses back on then continued driving

Tiffany pouted almost immediately and turned to look at the view along the highway once more. She did not like what Yuri said. How can Yuri’s first love know? They never speak to one another…Many questions filled Tiffany’s head as the wind lightly brushes against her skin and slowly Tiffany let her wonderment go.

When they arrived at the hotel, they check-in to the room with two single beds and Tiffany dragged her bag in as soon as Yuri opened the door. She took the bed near the window and let Yuri took the bed near the bathroom. She unpacked quietly, which made Yuri suspected that Tiffany was upset about something and decided to stayed quiet about it. Yuri took off her leather jacket and revealed the white t-shirt inside without noticing that Tiffany had stole a glance and found Yuri’s backside quite familiar, but could not recalled of where she had seen the sight before. Yuri putted on her long sleeves red and black checkered instead of her usual leather jacket. The two then agreed to go out for lunch and a walk around the town.

“Are you okay?” Yuri asked after they finished ordered their food

“I’m fine”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah…The town looks nice” Tiffany changed the topic

“Yeah..it does” Yuri narrowed her eyes a bit although know that Tiffany tried to change the topic, she decided to played along

“You didn’t just want to go to the Juliet’s house only, right?” Tiffany took off her sunglasses and prop up her elbow and rest her head on her hand

“Truthfully…I just want to go to Juliet’s house. The reason that I came back to Milan is because I ran out of inspiration” Yuri lightly smiled

“And your first love is no longer your inspiration?” Tiffany’s eyebrows furrowed a bit then smiled as if she tried to hide her irritation

“Well…she still is” Yuri took notice of the forceful smile from Tiffany

“Good for her then. Your first love is so lucky. What did she do to make you love her so much? From what I have heard, there wasn’t anything special. You never talk and just walked pass by one another and that’s it?” Tiffany’s voice sounded a little agitated make Yuri knew what Tiffany is doing and that made her lightly laugh

“She didn’t do much. I told you it was purely one-sided. I don’t have the courage to talk to her”

“You?” Tiffany surprised

“Yes. Who I am now and who I was back then is totally different. Before I came here I barely talk to anyone. I just write what I want to write and show it to no one. I don’t have enough courage…not that I can’t handle the critics but I felt like the book is myself and whoever read it would see through me. I don’t like that idea”

“But in the end you wrote a bestselling…”

“It’s because I came here as an exchange student and met Francesca. To see those two and their relationship changed me. I learned that there is no writer in this world who would write for personal reading. We all have something to write because we want to tell certain stories. It’s not because we can take control over what we write but because we want to tell the world something. It’s basic actually. I never wanted to be a bestseller author…To be honest with you…my first intention as a literature graduate is to be a translator or something that involve working quietly”

“Strange…for someone so shy to have such courage to become an exchange student in this part of the world”

“I just want to know...about the world. Something that I never felt or experienced before. I always love to travel alone and at that time I was interested in Greek mythology, so why not here… Well, except Greece” Yuri laughed

“So you know all the local places. If you didn’t become a translator, I think you would be a fine travel writer though” Tiffany smiled

“There was a time that I thought so, but then when I was studying here I thought of my first love. Italian language brought me to her and I met Francesca later. I realized that the love that left unsaid was useless and so I wrote ‘The rain in Milan’”

“I see. Why did you choose rain then? I thought about asking for quite sometime now”

“Rain…you see…it made you think of someone or made you missing that someone. The cold from the rain and the grey sky or the mist on the window made you felt the need for warm and it made the coffee taste better” Yuri laughed

“In conclusion, it just made you think of your first love” Tiffany sighed

“It made me think of the event that I went to helped out the Arts majored people. They had this kind of fashion show or something. My first love was there. She was determined and they had the juniors for modeling. She worked very hard and tried her best to made everything perfect. I think that was admirable”

“I didn’t see anything related to rain”

“Well..it’s related because even though it was summer, the rain suddenly poured down. The volunteered staffs like me ran in to make sure that the equipment wouldn’t be too wet to the point of ruin. The Arts students were hid under the building avoided the rain except my first love. She went down to help but barely noticed anyone to be honest. In the end, I didn’t have a chance to talk…just looked”

“I see..”

“What about you? Why do you love ‘The rain in Milan’ so much? Not just because it told a beauty in sadness”

“I like the feeling that you put in. The yearning, the missing…I could feel it. When I first bought it I read the back of the book and it said ‘The rain that poured down as cold as it is…it reminded you of feeling for certain someone and thus made felt warmer. Even if your body was soaked, but the feeling of yearning could be felt, perhaps it was because the rain were Hydes’ tears that mourn for their lost brother Hyas…that made us yearned for someone we love every time that we see the rain falls’”

“And that made you bought my book?”

“Yeah, because I agreed.. Rain made us think of someone, but when I read it I learned that the writer wrote for a certain someone that was very special. Now I knew it was your first love and unfulfilled one-sided at that” Tiffany took a sip of water and heaved out a long sigh, which made Yuri laughed

“What?”

“Nothing. One-sided…yes. Unfulfilled perhaps…not” Yuri smiled

“How can it be perhaps not? You didn’t talk to her. She didn’t know you. How can it not be unfulfilled?”

“These kind of things we will never know. True. I might never talk to her and yes, she still is my first love, but it takes time. I believed in fate. We might met someone that felt right but not at the right time. If the time was right, we might find that person again and who knows…” Yuri looked at Tiffany with gentleness and confidence, which made Tiffany even more irritated

“For someone who said love is feeling and then believed in fate… I can’t believe it” Tiffany muttered before she drank up all of her water and put the glass down with a light pang

Yuri lightly laughed and took a sip then quietly sighed. She looked at Tiffany who tried her best to hide her irritation. It was a lovely sight to see. Adorable and cute but at the same time scary, as Yuri hope that this irritation would be gone before they go to Juliet’s house. It would not be good if Tiffany’s mood were like this for a whole daylong. At least she wanted Tiffany to have a good time. After the lunch, the two walked around the town and Yuri quietly took photos from here and there. She tried her best not to provoke Tiffany or made Tiffany’s mood even worst than it already is.

It was until they reached Juliet’s house, where there were tourists everywhere and Tiffany would not wait for Yuri as she walked up to the second floor almost immediately. Tiffany went out to the Juliet’s balcony and did not care much about anyone. She just simply looked out at the view and ignored Yuri, who was still on the first floor. As the guides rounded up their tourists, the place suddenly went quiet and left Yuri and Tiffany alone with a few girls that still scribble on Juliet’s wall. Yuri turned around and took a photo of Tiffany who still stood at the balcony and looked as if she was thinking about something really hard.

“Tiffany!” Yuri shouted as she lowered her camera

“What?” Tiffany pouted as she took off her sunglasses

“I don’t know what are you irritated about but can I ask you one question?” Yuri walked closer to the balcony

“If you want to ask what made me upset then don’t. I won’t tell you” Tiffany stick out her tongue at Yuri and turned to look at something else very quickly

“No. I didn’t plan on asking about that” Yuri laughed

“Then what?” Tiffany said irritably

“Romeo and Juliet, you said it was all about love and has nothing to do with reasons, right?”

“Right” Tiffany narrowed her eyes as if she tried to figured Yuri out

“And what if I am the stupid Romeo…would you be my Juliet?” Yuri tilted her head to the side and looked up to Tiffany who was on the second floor

“What? Are you kidding me?” Tiffany shouted back

“No. I’m not kidding” Yuri smiled

Tiffany looked down and her eyes met Yuri’s before she went back inside the house. The sound of her heartbeat was crazily loud. She totally forgot the reason she has been so irritated ever since lunch and her head filled with questions. Her face was incredibly hot and she knew without looking into a mirror that her face would be as red as a tomato. She took a deep breath and slowly walked down to the first floor. The smile on Yuri’s face slowly faded as Tiffany disappeared into the house for quite sometime, but when Tiffany walked out, she could not help but smiled back. The feeling in her heart was utterly unexplainable, the uncertainty filled Yuri’s heart and the fact that she did not know what Tiffany would say to her made her felt impossible to just stand still. The only thing that matter now is…Tiffany’s answer

“What did you just say? Can you repeat it again?” Tiffany said lightly as she slowly approached Yuri

“I said if I am the stupid Romeo…would you be my Juliet?” Yuri repeated the question once again, this time her heart felt like it just sank down into the deepest part of ocean. It was incredibly heavy and she felt a lump in

Upon hearing the question clearly once again, Tiffany stopped walking, her heart pounded even harder than before. The actual answer caught up in and even if she wanted to say it out loud, she could not. She barely aware of her surroundings and all she could hear now was her own heartbeat that rang closely in her ears. The sight of Yuri awaited her answer made her heart clenched. She can see Yuri pursed her lip with anxiousness. Their eyes met before Yuri let out a long sigh and for a second Tiffany could see the expression changed. Yuri tried to hide the pain and disappointment from her with a serene smile.

“Never mind. I got enough of good photos. Let’s go back. We can explore more tomorrow” Yuri said and the serene smile slowly changed into a sad one as Yuri turned her back on Tiffany and Tiffany noticed it

“W…wait” Tiffany said before she reached out for Yuri and gave her a back hug

“Can you please…repeat the question again” Tiffany whispered as Yuri let out another sigh

“If I am the stupid Romeo…would you be my Juliet?” Yuri’s voice became cold with a light pang of pain. It was entirely different from the first round

“Sure..” Tiffany whispered back and loosens her embrace

Yuri turned around and looked at Tiffany with surprise. The sadden face earlier brighten up with a relief smile as a familiar light laughter could be heard, but before Yuri could say anything, her lips was sealed by a light kiss from Tiffany. The light and gentle kiss made Yuri wrapped her arms around Tiffany’s waist and hold her tight as if Yuri would never let her go…

The warmth from the gentle kiss was no different from the taste of Tiffany’s favorite coffee, Latte. The gentle, smooth and yet sweet, Latte…