“Hello? It’s me, Joohyun”, the girl was quietly sitting in her room, staring at a shelf that she definitely needed to rearrange.

“Joohyun! I was about to call you, I swear! I’m sorry if I disappeared for almost two weeks, I was busy, but I wanted to call you tonight!”, Seungwan was such a bad liar, you could hear it in her frantic sentences and in her voice, Joohyun was not stupid, but she knew that sometimes it’s better to act like one.

The truth was that Seungwan was scared, after their “date” under the Eiffel tower, she started thinking about the endless ways she had to ruin whatever was happening between her and Joohyun. She was restless for two days, her brain working hard to make her question every word Joohyun ever said to her.

You can’t get hurt, Wannie.

She could see her mother, her puffy eyes, her messy hair, she could feel her cold hands, it was like her father was leaving again and again.

You’re the only one I’ve got, Wannie. Please, promise me that you won’t let anybody hurt you. Please.

She still remembers her mother crying herself to sleep for 2 years, she still remembers how she would kiss her forehead to wake her up because the woman couldn’t get herself to leave the bed.

You’re my best friend, the best daughter I could ask for, I’m proud of the woman you’re slowly becoming. I love you, my Wannie.

“Seungwan! Are you even listening to me?”

“What?”, Seungwan was once again spacing out.

“I asked you if you wanted to have dinner with me tonight! I have a day off tomorrow, we could watch a movie or something”, Joohyun was trying to sound casual about it.

“Oh, maybe you should rest, you’re probably really tired, I don’t want bother you”, she really wanted to go, but her brain was once again taking over her heart.

“You clearly won’t bother me, I’m asking you to come. You’re acting in a weird way, seriously”, Joohyun said.

“I’ll be there in a little bit. I’m bringing wine, red or white?”, Seungwan replied trying to sound annoyed.

“White. Hurry up, I’m bored”, Joohyun whined.

Seungwan started getting ready, opting out for a simple outfit, white t-shirt and black jeans, but putting a little more effort in her make-up, just like she learned watching tutorials on Youtube. She took her time to choose a white wine in a nearby shop, then she stopped to buy ice cream at the supermarket because she remembered Joohyun saying how much she loved it.

“Hello, Miss! How are you?”, Thomas, a middle-aged cashier, said. He was the only friend she had made, since he spoke a little bit of english and korean and was really kind to her.

“Hello! I’m fine, just buying some ice cream as you can see!”, she happily replied.

“Oh, today’s weather is perfect for ice cream. You look happy, I’m glad to see that, Miss”, Seungwan looked down embarassed.

“You have a date!”, he suddenly said.

“I don’t, just hanging out with a friend”, Seungwan shyly said.

“Yeah, friends. That’s what I used to say about my wife, we’ve been married for 20 years”, he laughed.

“But we’re just friends, really! I’m just having dinner with her!”, she blushed, realizing that she had just came out to a stranger.

“Whatever, have fun! Don’t have too much fun, though. Be careful”, he told her, looking at her with a fatherly smile.

Seungwan really liked the man, he was always so nice to every customer, even when he really tired, it suddenly reminded her of her mother.

Joohyun’s house was just a subway stop from there, but it felt like time was slowed down. She was trying to come up with a plausible excuse for her behavior, well knowing that she couldn’t fool the other girl.

She was waiting for Joohyun to let her inside the house, when she realized how stupidly excited she was to see her again, her heart was racing faster that she thought it could, she felt her legs get weaker and weaker, while her hands were starting to shake.

“Hey, Wan-ah!”, Seungwan smiled at the gir