Krystal shifted herself upon Amber's bed, trying to find a better position for herself as she lay upon Amber's body. The older girl lying below smiled as she felt the younger girl moving around on top of her. It was cooler than usual on this peaceful autumn afternoon, but the two lovers tangled within themselves in Amber's bedroom did not seem to notice the chill. With the full privacy that Amber's apartment offered, the two girls had been passionate in expressing their feelings for each other for the last hour, over and over again until they had both had their fill.

Their physical needs were fully satisfied now, but Krystal found that she couldn't help but kiss Amber's lips with the same fervor as their first heated kiss this afternoon. She pressed her tongue into her girlfriend's smiling mouth repeatedly, slowly and quickly, softly and deeply. They were locked in a never-ending kiss, a constant connection between their lips. They were pressed into each other from the chest down, their legs intertwined and their hips firmly melded, radiating heat into each other on this cool fall day that was only made more perfect by the fact that it was Amber's 23rd birthday.

Krystal thought about their physical intimacy as they continued to kiss and Amber's warm fingertips started to roam across her backside. Her heart still raced whenever they were intimate, whenever they kissed, whenever Amber blessed her with an affectionate gaze that seemed to pierce her with the warmest love that the heavens offered. It was impossible to think that Krystal had never imagined herself even kissing Amber a year ago on this day, and that today she was more in love with Amber than she ever thought her heart was capable of loving anyone.

They had not slept together today merely because it was Amber's birthday. They had done it because Krystal's body craved Amber's touch, because it responded to Amber in a way that it never would have responded to anyone else. They had slept together because Krystal loved hearing Amber's voice as Amber reached her , because Krystal loved the intimacy she felt whenever they clung to each other in bed with nothing separating their bodies but a thin layer of sweat and the silky blanket of Krystal's long, black hair.

The younger girl pulled back from the kiss for just a moment, letting her long locks of hair fall into Amber's face as they both tried to catch their breath. The older girl gently reached up and brushed Krystal's hair behind her ears so that they could see each other better. Krystal shivered at the touch and leaned her cheek blissfully into Amber's hand.

"You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, Jung Soojung," Amber whispered softly.

Krystal sighed an inward sigh of content, feeling as emotionally satisfied as she felt physically satisfied. Their hearts had been given to each other nearly six months ago, and they still protected them diligently even now.

"Happy birthday," Krystal murmured in return, blatantly ignoring Amber's compliment. The faint blush on the younger girl's cheeks was the only evidence that she had heard Amber's sentimental words.

Amber laughed and Krystal's hair idly. "You already said that a dozen times today."

"That's because I'm so thankful you were born today."

For all the sappiness that her words contained, Krystal was completely serious about her gratitude. Amber who spent time with her, who made her smile, who accepted all her flaws and protected her heart... Amber who she cherished, who she couldn't bear to see in pain, who she wanted to take care of and wanted only to look at her... Krystal honestly couldn't be more grateful to have Amber in her life, and those sentiments were magnified by the fact that Amber was born 23 years ago on this day.

"Thank you for my present," Amber murmured, gazing up at Krystal with a dreamy smile. Krystal's present still sat on her kitchen counter, a homemade chocolate cake and a sincere letter that had moved Amber to tears earlier. Love had slowly begun to transform their emotions, making it easier for them to feel touched by their small gestures for each other. As Krystal fed Amber a tiny slice of cake earlier and Amber had eaten it with a carefree smile, Krystal had felt her heart swell with an indescribable kind of simple joy. Krystal wished she could have frozen time in that instant and locked themselves in their bubble of happiness until the end of time. She wanted to restrict the world from entering and interfering with their joy. Just for a while longer, Krystal wanted them to be two women in love without a care in the world except for satisfying each other's needs and protecting each other's hearts.

Amber smiled and caressed the younger girl's cheek with affection. Krystal saw Amber turn and glance at the clock on her nightstand, ignoring Krystal's desire to halt time in their perfect world.

"Ah... You have to go soon..."

Krystal waved a hand in front of Amber's eyes, playfully yet desperately trying to obscure the time from her view. "Nooo," Krystal whined, shaking her head with a pout. "Forget the time. I just wanna stay here a little longer..." She lay her head down on Amber's chest and tried to steal Amber's warmth for as long as she could.

"But your schedule..." Amber murmured sympathetically. "You can't be late."

"I'll ask to delay it a bit."

It was Amber's turn to shake her head. "No, don't give Wongyun-oppa a reason to be mad at us."

Krystal sighed and then lifted her head to meet Amber's gaze. At various times in the past, all of the f(x) members had needed to call their managers and delay their individual schedules for one reason or another. It was nothing unusual and normally not a big deal, but Amber and Krystal now had a reason to try to keep a perfect schedule. Last week, while filming their MV on Jeju Island, Wongyun