Almost two years into their tie, Irene had countlessly rejected the idea of declaring feelings. Almost two years into their tie, Irene hurt Seulgi repeatedly with the denial of branding themselves. Almost two years into their tie, they were on the verge of being exposed.

Almost two years of everything and Seulgi knew, Irene was more afraid than she was before. 

***

It all started when Seulgi stumbled upon this cosy cafe during her first year of school, on a summer day and entered to escape the heat with a nice refreshing cup of coffee. The barista who she later found out was also the owner of the shop had beauty that attracted many of the guys from the university to patronise but she never really paid much attention even though she herself became a regular customer, since she hardly looked directly at the barista for too long to have any thoughts. 

It was till this one winter when Seulgi realised that the barista had put up a sign, welcoming any homeless person to come in for a free cup of coffee to warm themselves up. With each person that came in, the girl behind the counter would always be serving with a smile warmer than the freshly brewed coffee. It was only then did Seulgi approach the lady who was named Irene, praising her good deeds and heart but only to be humbly denied. With much similarities, they hit off right away. 

Eventually, Irene stopped accepting payment from Seulgi who without fail, went to the cafe to study during school terms. In return, Seulgi came to help out during breaks with unlimited coffee as her salary. They were inseparable best friends who talked about anything and Seulgi was always curious as to why Irene rejected all her suitors without attempting to go on even one date and gradually, she found herself feeling victorious whenever another guy was been turned down.   

Seulgi’s friends at school liked to tease by saying that if they didn’t know better, they would have thought that Seulgi and Irene were in a relationship. Till then, the collage girl knew what was going on, at least for herself. She had no other thoughts when she figured that Irene was special to her, even though she should fear because it was against the norm and often frowned upon. Nevertheless, Seulgi wasn’t going to let anything ruined the friendship that they shared.

“I’m going to prepare the ingredients for the cakes, lend me a hand?”

Irene stretched her hand out to Seulgi who was drawing on her sketchbook during a school holiday night, which was gladly accepted. Skinship was nothing foreign between them and all interactions were comfortable. They teased each other throughout the preparation process as they stood side by side in the kitchen. Seulgi’s heart never failed to skip a beat whenever she saw the bright smile on Irene’s face. 

“The strawberry is a little sour, don’t you think?” 

Instead of picking a new one to taste, Irene ate the remaining half of Seulgi’s. It wasn’t uncommon to share food, but somehow it made the younger one blushed.  

“It’s sweet, Seul. Try it with the whipped cream, here.”

More of the cream ended up on Seulgi’s face than into , which was a prank of Irene who was laughing aloud, proud of her own tease. Not backing down without a fight, they ended up in a mini wrestling match. Irene being the petite one between them two lost in terms of height and strength, ended up being pressed against the refrigerator, leaving her with no ways to win but to resign to her fate. Her whines were too funny to withstand, causing Seulgi to lean onto her shoulder for support as the latter took some time to catch her breath and eased the stomach ache. 

“I think my abs are well shaped now, all thanks to you, Kang Seulgi!”

Seulgi looked up wanting to retaliate, only to find how close their proximity was and she gulped when her sight was on the pair of pinkish lips. It was a still moment with her eyes darting from the lips to having eye contact, before she mustered enough courage to lean in closer, all the while waiting for an incredibly possible rejection with a slap on her face but she only saw how patches of red spread on Irene’s cheeks as she closed her eyes to anticipate what Seulgi had in plan for her.  Like a fearful child, Seulgi grazed on those soft lips, feeling adrenaline rushing through her veins. Instead of pressing deeper, she checked for Irene’s reaction, who was spotting a smile so small it almost passed off as nothing. 

“Can you…” Irene whispered, eyes still closed. “Can you do that again?

That was all the permission Seulgi needed to dive in for a full kiss this time; their first official kiss. Everything was sweet and perfect, beyond what the both of them could imagine. That one kiss was like the opening key to their own little world. Seulgi let go of Irene’s wrists which she held onto earlier on during their tug war, snaking one around the waist to pull Irene closer while the other cupped the face before she deepened the kiss. Those lips were like drugs, making her so addicted even though it was just her first taste and she couldn’t get enough. 

“You know what tastes sweeter than the strawberry?” 

After what seemed to be a short while to Seulgi, they were locked in each other’s embrace, Irene’s head fitting nicely in the crook of the taller girl’s neck. Seulgi’s hand was caressing her back as she busked in the scent of her best friend who she just got an affirmation that their feelings were mutual from. 

“Hmm?”

“It’s your lips.”

The arms around Irene enveloped her tighter when she trembled in a good way upon the words being breathed into her ear. Seulgi rested her chin after she landed a kiss on the shoulder, softly swaying their tangled bodies from side to side without anyone speaking.

A look at each other was all they needed to feel their hearts skip a beat. A kiss was all it took to confirm that their feelings were mutual. A hug was everything that sealed the last distance between them, not just physically, but to bring their hearts together.

Seulgi's hand was in hers and Irene knew, she was holding onto someone who would soon be her whole world. 

***