“Maya, you said you had to tell me something…” Chaeyoung recited her lines perfectly. She and Mina had been making their time productive as they both decided to practice their lines and songs for the musical play. “What is it?”

Mina had also been doing her best, despite the lines being too cheesy for her taste. It’s been hours since they started, now already being almost done with the whole play. Mina was sat on the right side of her bed whilst Chaeyoung stayed on the left, both incredibly immersed in their respective roles. “It’s something I can’t joke about, Shi-won…”

Mina had looked up from where she was sitting to stare into Chaeyoung’s eyes, just like the script had asked her to.

“I won’t judge, after all… I’m your best friend, aren’t I?” Chaeyoung says, her heart beating faster as she recalled her conversation with Akira from hours ago. Mina gulped, suddenly feeling nervous. It’s not like she was actually confessing for real, right? It was just her lines for the play.

“But I want to be more than that. I can’t just stay as your best friend.” Mina had said the words with such spite that Chaeyoung was starting to wonder if she still was acting.

Of course she was acting, right? They’re not best friends – they’re just… strangely close acquaintances.

“Shi-won… I’m in love with you.” Mina dropped the script and held onto Chaeyoung’s hands when she said the line, shifting to face the younger girl. Chaeyoung gulped, her eyes looking at their now intertwined fingers and she wanted to bite back the words she was about to say.

“Is this… still a part of the script?” Chaeyoung regretted it immediately after she asked the question. She recalled how Mina had mumbled Chaeyoung’s name in her sleep, how they almost kissed earlier, and how Mina just seemed to overall step out of her comfort zone in order to do this play with Chaeyoung. Mina instantly let go of Chaeyoung’s hands, a little bit of pain shooting through her chest.

“O-Of course it is… we’re acting, remember? Don’t let what dad said get to you.” Mina mutters, taking both her script and Chaeyoung’s – storing it in the drawers of her side-table.

Chaeyoung looked away, knowing she said something wrong. “Right, sorry.”

The atmosphere around the two suddenly turned awkward, both doing their best to avoid the other.

“You should probably change into something comfortable…” Mina starts, getting up to make her way towards her closet. Chaeyoung hums in acknowledgement, feeling her stomach churn when she really wished and hoped she never said the words she said earlier. Mina places down an oversized hoodie and some shorts next to Chaeyoung. “You can change in the bathroom over there; it might be too awkward for me to be around…” Mina sulks a bit. When she realized she was probably sounding bratty, she turned away and walked out of her bedroom.

Chaeyoung watched the older girl leave. She went to the bathroom and changed quickly, smiling softly when the hoodie and shorts she wore smelled like Mina. She walked out and sat on the bed awkwardly, taking her phone and texting Mina that she was done changing.

Mina walked into the room soon after, nearly plopping onto her bed. “Sorry.” She mumbled into her pillows, making Chaeyoung feel confused.

“What?” Chaeyoung asks, clearly curious as to why Mina was saying sorry and not her.

“I just felt the need to apologize. I don’t want to be awkward with you for the rest of the night.” Mina had lifted her head, staring at Chaeyoung as she did so. Chaeyoung felt her cheeks flush at the gaze Mina was giving her, still clearly thinking about her conversation with Akira. “I think it’s about time we get ready to sleep…” Mina says, taking her eyes off Chaeyoung and looking at the clock on her side-table. Chaeyoung nods a bit, feeling kind of bummed out that she won’t get to talk to the older girl.

“I think I’ll go sleep on the couch, Mina…” Chaeyoung starts, feeling bad for imposing on their family. Mina immediately shakes her head.

“You’re the guest. I’ll sleep on the couch tonight, okay?” Mina says with a small smile on her face. Chaeyoung shakes her head too, not believing that she was having this debate with Mina.

“Exactly, I’m the guest. I’ve already imposed on you enough…” Chaeyoung mutters, her eyes looking away from guilt. Mina furrows her eyebrows, clearly confused as to why the younger girl feels this way.

“Would it make you feel better if I sleep with you?”

The question brings about soft blushes from both girls. Chaeyoung looked at Mina, her eyes scanning the other girl’s eyes for any dishonesty. Mina however, didn’t know what to say or how to feel when she felt Chaeyoung’s intense gaze through her eyes. She wondered deeply if Chaeyoung was thinking badly about her, since she offered to sleep with Chaeyoung.

“That’s better,” Chaeyoung smiled as she clutched the blanket laid on Mina’s bed. She crawled under the covers with a smile, already nestled under the warmth of the comforter. Mina chuckles at the other girl’s antics. She hesitantly went under the covers with thoughts of their cuddles from earlier. She distanced herself with an appropriate space from Chaeyoung, that space being called friendship.

Mina turned the lights off with a remote. She took her glasses off and placed it on her side-table. She’d be lying if she said sleeping next to Chaeyoung wasn’t nerve-wrecking. Now that she was conscious of everything, she didn’t know if she’d get to sleep.

She knew that the younger girl was probably catching on to her feelings for Chaeyoung. She thought back to the way Chaeyoung asked her if what she said was even a part of the script, and the stray thoughts made Mina feel anxious.

She didn’t know what would happen if Chaeyoung found out completely. They