“Stop bothering me, I’m trying to do my work here, _______!” the furious blonde continued to type on her computer. She has been spending hours on the task their boss gave her but was unable to complete it faster due to constant bugging from her not-so-secret-admirer.

 

 

“Awhh come on! You guys are not even official! And I’m telling you, this time it’s for real! You’re so going to fall for me, Sica-ah *winks*” Jessica just rolled her eyes at the comment and ignored the taller, slim black-haired girl who playfully waves her hand in front of her computer screen, just to grab her attention.

 

 

Jessica sighed and rested her sore back on the fluffy arm chair. The latter finally tore her eyes off the screen and looked up to her annoying colleague who has been pestering her for months now. She has been sitting up straight without taking a break, anyway. “I’m telling you, I’m NOT gay. I’m STRAIGHT. What makes you think anything you do would change my mind?”

 

 

_______ just gave a smug smile and shrugged. “Well, Einstein failed numerous times before succeeding. Anndd, you never know the results unless you really try~~” another flirty wink. The blonde flailed her arms up in the air in defeat.

 

 

“Okay, fine.” She said in an exasperated sigh. “Come with us, on our vacation DATE. BUT, by the time it ends and I still don’t feel a thing for you, this whole thing has got to end, alright?” Jessica thought she saw the smile in the older girl’s face waver slightly but it diminished in just a second, replaced by a more charming smile. ‘Must be my imagination. Hmm.’

 

 

________ grinned and nodded her head excitedly, her neck-length hair bouncing to every nod. “I’ll make sure you won’t regret this, ever! See you guys tomorrow!” she waved enthusiastically and skipped to her own workplace. Jessica only shook her head and smiled, amused by her colleague’s antics. She did, after all managed to convince her long time crush to let her follow the crush and her current suitor on their date – a vacation trip, to be precise. Jessica still didn’t make it official because both the guy and her thought it was still early and wanted do things the old way by getting to know each other more since it’s only just into three months they’ve known each other at the company’s dinner party.

 

 

 

 

 

Two days later~~~~

 

 

 

A chirpy voice greeted Jessica and her not-yet-boyfriend, Leo at the airport. They were off to Venice, Italy as Leo got free tickets from his company to anywhere he wanted to go as a token of appreciation because he has been an excellent worker and brought many big deals to the company. The guy thought, why not plan something nice for him and Jessica to strengthen their relationship. Jessica had already told him all about ______ but the man was a gentleman and said that he didn’t mind competition as he knew Jessica herself was a real beauty.

 

 

“Hey Sica!! Hi, I’m _______! And you are, Mr..?” Jessica glared at ______ and forced her to be nice to her partner through eye contact.

 

 

The broad, muscular guy smiled charmingly and returned the handshake. “I’m Leo, Leo Kim. Nice to meet you, ______-ssi.”

 

 

“Ahh we have the same surname, Kim! No wonder Sica agreed to go out with you. I guess she’s actually into me but seeks me in another man hahahaha” Leo didn’t take any offense but just laughed it off innocently while _______ got quite a pinch in the arm by the Jung.

 

 

“Play nice, _______. Or I will throw you off the plane.” The latter only managed to gulp at how cold Jessica’s voice was and decided to postpone her childish acts until they have arrived.

 

 

 

 

After they had landed, the tourist guide bought the three of them to a nearby hotel and asked them to unpack and dress up for the evening activities. At the hotel counter, there were some confusion regarding room arrangements – which led to another banter between _______ and Jessica.

 

 

“Me and Leo are going to be sharing a room, so you can stay at the room opposite ours then.”

 

 

________ was quick to retaliate, “Yah that won’t do! Why are you guys sharing a room?! What are you going to do together!”

 

 

“Shh do you want the whole world to know??! And there are separate beds, god dammit! We’re just saving the cost, that’s all to it.”

 

 

“That’s what you say! We’ll never know what will happen at night, especially when you’re staying with a man! And what are you saying the people here don’t know Korean so we’re safe!”

 

 

“Then what do you suggest we do, huh??” The Jung has her hands on her hips already, signaling that she’s impatient and tired, especially after just travelling on the plane for hours. Leo who was watching them scratched his not so itchy head and quickly interrupted the duo before it gets worse.

 

 

“Umm guys, I think Jessi should bunk in with ______-ssi. Will it be better like that?” _______ fist pumps into the air and danced in joy.

 

 

“Yes! It’s perfect!”

 

 

“Aniyo, oppa will it be fine with you? I mean, you did plan all this for us though…”

 

Leo shook his head, not minding the arrangements, “Ani, gwenchana Jessi-ah. Besides, we still have a lot more time together to spend, don’t we?” Jessica then went to his side and hugged his arm, not noticing the jealous looks ______ has been giving.

 

 

“Gomawoyo oppa. I promise we’ll have some fun later, arasso?” Leo nodded and they linked arms upstairs into their respective rooms.

 

 

 

______ opened both her and Jessica’s room and was amazed by how huge and beautiful the room was. She shamelessly plopped herself onto the king-sized bed at the center of the room. Jessica only rolled her eyes that the girl’s behavior but soon frowned when she realized that there’s only one bed available.

 

 

“Eh? That’s weird. There’s supposed to be two single beds here. Wait lemme check with the hotel.”

 

 

_____ wiggled her eyebrows before suggesting, “Aww don’t bother. I mean, we could share and you know.. *winks*”

 

 

“Yah ert! Shut it I’m calling them.”_____ chuckled silently while she stares at the blonde who’s currently on the phone with the hotel’s customer service.

 

 

“Yes hello, this is room 506. Umm we asked for a room with two single beds but instead we got one with a king-sized bed. Yeah, mhmm. What?? Ugh, can’t you do something about this? ……fine, alright, thank you. Yup. Bye.”

 

 

“So, what did they say?”

 

 

Jessica sat on the edge of the bed, scrolling her iPhone. “Hmm, they ran out of rooms. So I guess we’re stuck here.”

 

 

“Hehehe isn’t that a good thing? You and me, sleeping and who knows we might cuddle in the middle of the night hahahaha”

 

 

Jessica threw one of the pillows nearby to _____’s grinning face and coldly replied, “No, we’ll do something ‘bout that tonight before we sleep. Now get dressed up, Leo’s bringing us for a Gondola ride later on. But before that, he’s bringing us to dine at somewhere famous here he said.”

 

 

“Tsk, I could do that too, only if you let me take you out on a date!” _____ protested.

 

“Never in your wild dreams, _____-ah. Okay I’ll change first considering you’re being immature about this.”

 

 

“Aish!”

 

 

 

A/N : the following details might not be accurate and some I had modified a bit, so pls forgive me J

 

 

 

That evening they dined at Vini da Gigio, a place well-known for its raw seafood and like most restaurants in Venice, its delightful winetasting and a 4-course dinner looked very appetizing to the eyes. They were escorted to a seat of four, all three of them with their tour guide, Luisa. Upon arriving at the table, both ______ and Leo pull out the a chair for Jessica to sit on, but the Ice Princess chose Leo’s gentleman act and unaware that it hurt a certain someone’s feelings, causing her to pout and sulk all the time at dinner.

 

 

After that, Leo excitedly told Jessica about the gondola ride they were going and the places all around Venice which made _____ to roll her eyes at his eagerness. ‘Tsk, it’s just a boat ride on water!’ Luisa, the tour guide explained to them about the buildings they passed through but only Jessica and Leo was paying attention. ______ was at the back muttering how the whole trip was a crap under her breath and boring holes into the couple up front while kicking non-existent pebbles.

 

 

Once on board, ______ was the one who overreacted, inspecting all the little things, including the man who was supposed to bring them around in the gondola. ‘Ahh, it’s been a while since I last came here. The weather is sooo good. Refreshing.’ They sailed through the waters in a calming pace, with another guy performing some songs with a guitar. Once he was done, they applauded and Jessica was surprised that _______ approached the man and borrowed the guitar, not before tipping him some money.

 

 

“Ehem, so I wanna perform a song for our beautiful Miss Jessica Jung right there. It’s David Archuleta’s ‘Crush’, hehehe.” Jessica just fanned herself and looked the other way when she saw that _____ stared directly into her eyes.

 

 

 

“Why do I keep running from the truth”

 

 

“All I ever think about is you”             ‘You’ve never left my mind since the first day I saw you, Sica-ah.’

 

 

“You got me hypnotized, so mesmerized”               ‘You’re so beautiful, no matter what you do.’

 

 

“And I just got to know”

 

 

“Do you catch your breath, when I look at you”

 

 

“Are you holding back, like the way you do”                    ‘Do I even have the slightest chance..?’

 

 

“‘Coz I’m trying trying to walk away”

 

 

“But I know this crush ain’t going away…”                      ‘Believe me, if I could, I’ve done it long time ago.’

 

 

After the song has ended, everyone stood up and clapped out loud, except Jessica. She was still caught up by the meaning of the lyrics and also how lovely _____’s voice was.

 

 

“Wow, that was fantastic, _____-ssi. I wish I could play musical instruments too. Hahahah. She’s great, isn’t she, Jessi-ah?” Leo said to the stoic Jessica.

 

 

“H-huh? Oh, y-yeah. She was good.” Seeing everyone standing up, Jessica who was sitting in a corner tried doing the same, only to lose her balance and fall backwards. She closed her eyes, waiting for the cold Venice water to cover her entire body but instead she felt a sudden firm tug forward and found herself wrapped in a warm hug. ______ saw the position Jessica was in and had sprinted towards the oblivious girl and saved her from falling.

 

 

“Sica-ah gwenchana??” Jessica fluttered her eyelids open, only to meet _____’s worried ones.

 

 

Dugeun. Dugeun. Dugeun.

 

 

 She didn’t realized that she has been spacing out staring into _____’s beautiful hazel eyes until Leo came into the picture and took her away from ______’s grasp.

 

 

“Jessi are you alright? I’m sorry I didn’t look after you just now. Are you okay?” Jessica’s eyes were still glued to _____ and not paying attention to her surroundings. She saw that _____ wasn’t looking at her, just looking at the ground with her head bowed down. Jessica then saw droplets of water dropping on the gondola where _____ was standing and faced Leo.

 

 

“Oppa it’s raining, come on let’s take shade!” Leo furrowed his eyebrows and looked at Jessica weirdly.

 

 

“Huh? There’s no rain, Jessi-ah. I think you’re still in shock, hahahaha.”

 

 

‘It’s not raining? Then..? Omo is it _____...?’ she looked up to _____, only to find the girl looking at her back with a lopsided smile, but her eyes were slightly red. It was evident that she had cried a little and wiped the traces with the sleeve of her shirt. Though Jessica saw the incident, she dared not to ask as she herself was still unsure if she had wanted to know the reason behind those tears.

 

 

 

 

After that, they decided to call it a day and asked the tour guide to bring them back to the hotel. Once they reached their room, all of them freshened up and changed into their respective pajamas. Jessica changed first, so she sat at the corner of the bed, waiting for ______ to come out. _______ was wiping her wet hair with the towel the hotel provided and was surprised that Jessica was still up.

 

 

“Eh? Why aren’t you sleeping yet?” Jessica bit her lips and pointed to the bed.

 

 

“Umm, how are we going to sleep?”

 

 

To her surprise, there was no witty comebacks from _____. Instead, she gave an answer the brunette didn’t expect she’d give.

 

 

“Ahh, I don’t mind. You sleep on the bed, I’ll take the couch. Good night then, Sica-ah. Sweet dreams.” _____ hung her towel on the rack and was about to turn off the night lamp when Jessica suddenly half-shouted.

 

 

 

“W-wait!”_____ stopped in her tracks and faced the Jung.

 

 

 

“Hmm? Is there anything else you need? Or are you afraid of sleeping in the dark? In that case, I could leave it on for you.” Jessica felt touched by the care in ______’s voice and smiled a little.

 

 

“Umm, I was wondering if we could share the bed? I mean, it’s huge even for the two of us and I don’t want you to have a sore back for tomorrow. We have lots of walking to do, remember?”

 

 

“A-are you sure? I mean, is it alright with you?” Jessica nodded shyly and patted the other side of the bed, signaling _____ to come over.

 

 

“Alright then, I’m just going to put this bolster right here, so you can’t accuse me of harassing you haahahaha”

 

‘And also to control myself. I don’t think I can think straight whenever you’re close, Sica.’

 

 

“Yah yah stop with the teasings. Good night, _____-ah.”

 

 

“Good night, Princess. Love you.” ______ muttered the last part quietly, hoping that the brunette didn’t hear but she did but she pretended that she didn’t and closed her eyes with an unsteady heartbeat.

 

 

 

 

The next morning ______ and Jessica waited for Leo at the lobby. They promised each other to meet up at 10 am but it has been almost an hour and they still haven’t seen him.

 

 

“Sica, where’s Leo-ssi?”

 

 

“I’m not sure, he hasn’t replied my texts. Hold up let me call him. Yeoboseyo oppa? Where are you? Ahh you’re sick. Do you need me to get anything for you? Hmm alright then, take care oppa. Dae, annyeong.”

 

 

“So…?”

 

 

“Umm Oppa said he has a bad stomach ache so he asked us to go ahead. He’ll join us later for this evening’s event instead.”

 

 

 

 

You POV

 

 

I celebrated the fact that I’ll be spending the time with Sica alone together internally. I mean, I’ve never got to take her out on a date, so this is my chance, my last chance to be honest. I’m going to make the best of this, definitely.

 

 

“Shall we go now, Princess?” I offered her my arm cheekily and to my surprise, she accepted it and played along.

 

 

“Dae, my Prince.” She giggled cutely before asking, “Where’s Luisa?”

 

 

“Ohh I asked her to take a rest. I’ll be our tour guide for today, hehehe.”

 

 

“Ahh, will we be okay? I mean, this city is kinda huge and we’re foreigners…” she trailed off worriedly.

 

 

“Don’t worry Sica-ah, you have me, ______-navigator~” I winked and successfully made her laugh with her right eye twitching first. I’ve always noticed these kind of little things whenever I observe her interactions with other workers at the office. Not that I’m a creep, it’s just that when you’re in love, you notice everything about her and she’s too adorable not to look at.

 

 

 

We linked arms and went out of the hotel on foot. What was convenient staying in this hotel was that everything was nearby. I had to give Leo credit about that though. We went on a walking tour to many famous places in Venice, did some winetasting again, I have to say, the wines here tastes good, well almost all the wines overseas tastes good hahahaha. When it reached a bit into the afternoon, we bought some delicious tuna croissants to eat along with our smoothies as we were not really hungry. After that we just walked around, capturing all of the beautiful sceneries with our eyes while eating our Italian ice cream we bought at an ice cream shop along the way.

 

 

When it was almost sunset, I grabbed Jessica’s delicate hands and dashed towards a place I went a few years ago with my family. It was on an old heritage bridge where many tourists go to watch the sunset. Jessica was puzzled as to how I knew the place and bombarded me with questions.

 

 

I rubbed the back of my nape awkwardly and said, “I’ve been here before, with my family around a few years ago, haha”

 

 

“Then why didn’t you tell me?? You made me look like a fool back there. Hmph”

 

 

“Well, you guys didn’t ask, and I didn’t find a topic where I should bring it up..Ahh, it’s no point sulking over it. Look there, Sica-ah.” I pointed towards the orange-colored sun that was calling his duty off for the day.

 

 

“W-wow…It’s really beautiful…I’ve never seen a sunset, at least not this close..” I just smiled looking at her gorgeous side profile, still oblivious to my stare. I fished out my phone and took a picture of her without her knowing.

 

 

‘So pretty, so precious.…I really like you Sica-yah..’ I thought to myself.

 

 

 

 

 

When we got back to the hotel that evening, Leo had recovered from his sickness and motioned Jessica to follow one of the workers to change into a dress he prepared for her. He had mentioned that we were going to a ball, the last event for the day and also the whole trip, so I rented a tuxedo nearby. I was going for a mini dress, but I figured that it was too feminine of me and rejected the thought. Luckily for me, they have women-sized tux which fitted me perfectly. Leo and me waited at the ground lobby where we waited for him earlier morning. Leo had rented a fancy limousine outside to head to where the ball was held. We played with our phones while waiting until Jessica’s honey-coated nasal voice greeted us.

 

 

 

“H-hi, guys.” She tucked her hair behind her ear. Breathtaking. Gorgeous. Beautiful. Those were the words repeated on my mind when I saw what she was wearing – a below the knee length red strapless dress which perfectly suited her model-figured body. Her hair, it wasn’t like that it’s not hair goals any other day, just that tonight, her long brunette hair outstands anyone else’s with its luscious appearance.

 

 

 

“Perfect….” I muttered while staring into her almond eyes. I knew Leo was starstrucked like me because he seemed like he was in a daze. Coincidentally, both me and Leo quickly offered our arms to the princess of the night and ended up in an awkward staring position.

 

 

 

“Umm….”            “Umm…..” Jessica noticed the tension and acted fast by linking both her arms to ours. It was fair and square. She deserved two ‘princes’ escorting her into the limousine.

 

 

 

It was a posh, grand hall, the venue. Like any other balls, the decoration was really fancy and elegant. We wasted no time going in and warmed ourselves up with some light drinks and snacks. My mind still could not brain how drop dead gorgeous the Jung looked tonight so I decided to approach her like a shy, teenage boy attempting to talk to his crush.

 

 

 

“H-hey. Umm, you look wonderful tonight.” I cursed inwardly for stuttering. Jessica just chuckled and replied, “You yourself look handsome too.” I was wearing an elegant black tux with my not-so long hair tied up into a bun. Basically at first glance people could’ve mistook me for a man instead of a woman. Hearing the compliment coming from made me blush a little and boosted up my confidence a bit. I really need that for what I’m about to do anyway. I saw that Leo was asking Luisa about the history of the place so I took a deep breath and asked away.

 

 

“Umm Sica-ah, would you dance with me?” As if it was on cue, Ed Sheeran’s ‘Thinking Out Loud’ was playing. Jessica nodded cutely and took my hand. I guided her to the center and we started to move according to the rhythm. It was slow, yet romantic. I held her tiny waist with one hand while she put hers on my shoulder.

 

 

 

So honey now, take me into your loving arms

Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars

Oh darling, place your hand on my beating heart

I’m thinking out loud

Maybe we, found love, right where we are

 

 

 

‘I have already found my love, Sica-yah…And that’s you..’ I thought as we stared into each other’s eyes.

 

 

Dugeun. Dugeun. Dugeun.

 

 

I wasn’t sure whose heartbeat it was, but I was definitely positive that mine wasn’t normal. I thought I saw a slight glint in her eyes, though I couldn’t decipher the absolute meaning behind it. The song was coming to an end and I had her lean on my shoulder, both of us enjoying the song while it lasted without making our heads dizzy thinking about what-ifs. This was one of those moments when I felt so happy, it’s as if I’m in the heavens. Being able to hold my crush, my love even, up close like this. Ahh how I wish time can stop. Unfortunately my happy thoughts were cut off short.

 

 

 

“Ehem, may I have this dance, gorgeous?”, Leo appeared out of nowhere and smiled charmingly at my princess. We broke our position, just realizing that the song has already ended and we’ve been staying there in our own world for God knows how long since it’s already another song on the playlist. Jessica then exchanged worried glances between me and Leo.

 

 

I forced a smile to form on my lips. “It’s okay, go on ahead. I’ll be waiting at the drinks section. Catch you guys up later.” I saw Jessica mouthing a “sorry” to me but I dismissed it, walking briskly to get some alcohol in my system. I gulped a glass in one shot and felt it burning in my throat. My heart hurts as I watched them dance. They were really fitting, Jessica was this beautiful maiden and princess, while Leo was this gentleman prince with good looks and manners. And Jessica, she looked happy dancing with him, smiling with every step she makes.

 

 

 I took another glass and drowned myself in it again, only to taste something salty, what was that? Oh yeah, my pitiful tears. They looked so good together, who was I to interrupt? More tears fell as I thought what had I done by following them on this trip. I ruined their time together and I felt really bad. Jessica had stated from the start that I stood no chance, heck, she is straight from the start. I guess I was too confident in thinking that I would convince her to date me.

 

 

 

Author’s POV

 

 

_______  wiped away her tears with a napkin and rushed out of the hall to hail a cab back to the hotel. She didn’t notice that a pair of eyes was observing her movements.

 

“Oppa, where is ______ going?”

 

“Hmm, I don’t know, maybe to the ladies? She did say she was going to have a few drinks, right?” Leo chuckled.

 

 

“Yeah…I totally forgot. By the way Leo Oppa, thank you so much for this trip. I really had fun with us hanging out together.”

 

 

“Really?? Thank God. I was scared you might not like this getaway.” The man shyly scratched his not-so itchy head.

 

 

“Umm Jessi, I have something to ask you…”

 

 

Jessica looked up to meet Leo’s eyes and urged him to go on. “What is it Oppa?”

 

 

“Ah….I-umm..we’ve been dating unofficially for about three months now…-” ‘Please don’t let me think what it is….’ Jessica’s heart raced a bit not because she was anticipating what Leo was going to say, but because she felt like she wasn’t ready yet. More like a certain someone was clogging her mind from anything else.

 

 

“…-and I’d like to make this official. So, Jessica Jung Sooyeon, will you be my girlfriend?” Leo’s eyes sparked with hope but it soon turned into hurt when he was left with no reply from the girl for so long.

 

 

“It’s ______-ssi isn’t it?” he asked.

 

 

“H-huh?”

 

 

“_______-ssi, she’s the reason why you can’t accept my proposal, isn’t it?”

 

 

Jessica’s mind was in a whirlpool. She somehow gets what Leo meant, but her heart denies it.

 

 

“A-ani, Oppa. I’m just not ready, that’s all.” Leo ruffled the brunette’s hair and pulled her chin up a bit so that their eyes were on the same level.

 

 

“Look into my eyes and say that you don’t like ______-ssi, even the slightest bit.”

 

 

“I-I don’t….”

 

 

“See? You can’t even lie to me. Gwenchana Jessi, oppa will be fine. But the thing is, will you follow your heart? Or will you be stuck in denial forever? ______-ssi is quite a catch, you know. If you act late, she might be snatched by some other people.”

 

 

 

“Oppa, I’m sooo sooo sorry but I have to go now. Thanks for the advice!” Leo just smiled bitterly and stared at Jessica’s back until it disappears from his vision.

 

 

 

 

Jessica jogged with much difficulties while lifting her dress, to avoid herself from tripping. And those 3-inch high heels weren’t helping too. She searched for ______ high and low, from the whole hall to the bathroom and also around the venue. People might think she’s crazy running around but that’s the least of her concern. ‘Come on ______, where are you?’  The brunette also asked the staffs whether they have seen _____ and gave them her descriptions. One of the workers there finally told her that she saw _____ running off with a cab a while ago. Jessica thanked the staffs and grabbed another cab to head to the hotel.

 

 

 

Once she arrived at their room, she barged in quickly and began calling for ______ but to her dismay, there were no replies. She inspected the bathroom and the closet but to no avail. She was about to give up and plopped herself on the bed when she noticed a small looking note at the small table for the lamp.

 

 

 

“Dear Jessica,

 

It was a really fun trip with you guys. Thank you for letting me come along. I figured I wanted to take a few days more off work so I’ll be staying here for a while. But no worries, I’ve already took all of my stuffs along and booked another hotel for the time being.

 

 

Sincerely, _______.”

 

 

 

Jessica checked the closets and cupboards and it was true, all of the older girl’s stuffs were missing. The girl buried her face in her knees and started crying, thinking that she was too late. She finally realized that she misses the other girl’s companion, her childish teasings and that she actually likes her…

 

 

 

Five days later~~~~

 

 

 

Since the incident, Jessica had bombarded _____’s phone with endless calls and texts but none of them were replied. Even at work, her colleagues said that she hasn’t been in since their trip. She has been pacing back and forth between her workplace and _____’s just to catch a glimpse of the girl but there were no signs of her. Jessica eventually gave up as she has loads of work to do and demands her attention.

 

 

 

During lunchtime, the other workers went out for a break but Jessica dismissed it, saying she still has more work to finish whereas the truth is that she doesn’t really have the appetite to eat unless she talks to _____. She could’ve gone to her house, but she had been too ignorant of the older girl’s traits. _____ once invited her to come for dinner but she declined, the reason being that she’s not interested. Jessica stood up from her seat and went to the photocopy room to Photostat some papers but stopped in her tracks when she saw the person she needed to see the most these past days.

 

 

 

 

“______-ah!!” she smiled when ______ turned around, responding to her call but it soon turned into a frown when the latter ignored her and as if trying to avoid her, she walked as fast as possible. Jessica was pissed so she half-ran towards the older girl and cornered her into _____’s office room. _______ was stunned, not knowing what to do when the brunette had already locked her own office.

 

 

 

_____ avoided her gaze and muttered a simple, “Hi Jessica. How are you doing?”

 

Jessica scoffed at the lame greeting and replied, “Where have you been?? Didn’t you get my calls and texts?? I went crazy looking for you, you know?”

 

 

_______ kept a simple and short response, in hopes that Jessica would leave her alone. She didn’t need to hear how she and Leo might have been a couple when she was away.

 

 

_______ faked a smile and asked, “I did. I’m here, so what do you need?”

 

 

“Do you still like me?”

 

 

“W-what?”

 

 

“I said, do you still like me?”

 

 

 

_______ looked away and answered, “Ahh that. Nope. I wanted to tell you this too. I’m sorry I pestered you so much on going to the trip with you guys when I know you guys were going on a date. Anyway, I hope you guys will be happy as a couple. I’ve learned my lesson, and don’t worry, I won’t bother you anymore, Jessica. If there’s nothing else, please excuse me.”

 

 

Jessica flinched when she heard her full name being called by _____ and not the usual ‘Sica’. Nevertheless she finally knew the reason why ______ left. She thought that Leo and her were together, or soon will be.

Jessica closed her eyes and shouted, “I like you!” _______ who was walking away stopped her movements, ears not believing what she just heard. Jessica ran towards her and back-hugged the latter.

 

 

 

“I like you, _______-ah. I don’t know since when, maybe since you brought me to see the sunset, or when we were at the dance. I’m not sure, but the thing is, my nights has been restless because of you. I even rejected Leo because…I could only think of you…”

 

 

 

 

_______’s heart leaped in joy and disbelief and she heard those words coming from Jessica’s mouth.

 

 

“Please say something, ______-ah.”

 

 

________ turned to face Jessica and cupped her face.

 

 

“I lied to you. I felt like I was ruining someone else’s happiness so I did what a coward would do – run away. I’ve never stopped liking you, Sica-ah, and probably will never stop. Because this heart of mine, turned that like into love. And I don’t think I could prevent myself from hurting if I don’t avoid you. But now…-“

 

 

________ pressed her forehead against Jessica’s. “….-my dream as if had come true. Thank you, really, Sooyeon-ah.”

 

 

The two got lost in each other’s eyes and no words were needed as their lips met for a long, sweet kiss. In which both tried and succeeded.