“I’ve always liked you Ki Heehyun. Go out with me.”

Heehyun had no idea what had just taken place. She sat there frozen, eyes transfixed on Dani as if she was in a daze. Her brain was running on Windows 93 at the moment as it lagged and she tried her best to make sense of what just happened but the thought of how soft Dani’s lips were kept distracting her mind.

Heehyun tried her best to articulate a question, but in her current state she just ended up sounding as if she just regressed about 15 years. “You….we….kissed.” Yes Heehyun. Very articulate.

“Sorry about that. You just looked so stupidly gorgeous with the sunset and everything. I guess I sprang too much on you at once eh?” Dani sheepishly stated while scratching her head, looking slightly guilty while Heehyun stared at the girl opposite her as if what she just said was the embodiment of the word ‘Understatement’.

“We…I….kissed Dani. I kissed Dani. We kissed. You’re Dani. I’m me. And we kissed.”

“Yeah. How was it?” Dani looked worried as she asked that, and understandably so. Heehyun looked as if the surprise kiss had managed to her soul out. First Dani was a magician, now she was a Dementor. Great. Heehyun is learning new things about her best friend.

Trying her best to not freak out, Heehyun organized her thoughts and only managed to utter a very descriptive “Soft” in response.

“Okay, that’s not exactly what you’re supposed to say. At least, not according to the romance manhwa’s I’ve been reading.”

“Like, it’s almost ridiculous how much I wanted to kiss you back. I’m…so confused. What is this feeling? Her lips are so soft and she makes me feel all hot but it’s DANI. I’ve seen her as a kid.” Heehyun finally snapped and freaked out, talking to herself and clutching her head.

“Err…you know you’re talking out loud right?” Dani asked, slightly amused but she also let out a sigh of relief. This was the reaction she was expecting. This Heehyun Dani knew how to handle. Petrified Heehyun was unfamiliar territory.

“When? Since when have you liked me?” Heehyun finally managed to ask as soon as she’s calmed down enough. Dani was a nervous wreck but she couldn’t allow it to be shown. She’s already waist deep into this.

“It’s…been a few years. You kinda lose track after awhile. The feeling’s never gone away though.”

Heehyun was taken aback by this. She always thought she knew everything about Dani. Dani was her best friend and they shared all of their secrets with each other, atleast that’s what Heehyun thought. Who knew that the sweet but sassy Dani that she knew was hiding a secret like this? Heehyun thought back to all of those times that Dani tagged along on her and Chaeyeon’s dates and kicked herself. How could she not have noticed?

“I’m sorry I never realized.” Heehyun could only weakly apologize, gaze dropping down to her lap.

“It’s okay. You just couldn’t see past the stars in your eyes.”

There was a pregnant pause at that statement, and Heehyun knew that Dani probably didn’t mean it but there was a hint of bitterness in that statement that the taller girl failed to mask. It was true. Chaeyeon was the only person in Heehyun’s eyes when they were together.

“Will you give me a chance? I mean, would you go on a date with me? Like an official, actual date. Not just a hang out. Like, a date where we have romantic feelings on the line and stuff.”

A date. An actual date. Heehyun wondered if she still knew how to go on one of those, although realistically speaking half a year really didn’t seem like that long. For a high school student though, half a year could may as well be 3 years. That wasn’t the most pressing issue though. The main issue right now is….

“You do realize I’m having trouble seeing past the fact that you’re my best friend in the whole world right?”

Instead of looking dejected, Dani instead had a cheeky grin on her face as a response to Heehyun’s question. This couldn’t be good.

“Yeah. And this whole friendship can go to dust if you say no, but it could be something that’s kinda cool if you say yes. The ball is in your court.” Heehyun stared wide eyed at what the girl currently sharing the small ferris wheel cabin with her was insinuating.

“Is this….is this emotional blackmail Dani??”

“I play dirty, Ki Heehyun.” Of course she does, Heehyun agreed with a smile. It was almost amusing how her best friend managed to manipulate her this way but instead of feeling angry or even remotely annoyed, Heehyun felt like laughing instead. Dani was cute.

“Then okay. Since it appears as if I have no choice…I’ll do it.”

“You’ll do it?” Dani asked, almost sounding surprised. It appeared as if she was bracing herself for the inverse answer.

“I’ll go out on a date with you.”

“Can you somehow sound a bit more excited? I’ve been waiting years to hear you say that and it’s sounding kinda lackluster right now.”

The playful chirp in Dani’s voice actually managed to make Heehyun laugh legitimately this time. Maybe she could make up for being oblivious to her best friend’s feelings all these years.

“Yes Kim Danielle, I would really like to go on a date with you!”

The taller girl nearly punched the ceiling of the cabin as she jumped for joy, punching the air before lunging forward and enveloping Heehyun in a grateful hug who laughed and reciprocated the embrace.

“Can I kiss you again?” Dani cheekily asked, bringing her face closer to Heehyun’s and puckering her lips, before Heehyun unceremoniously pushed her away.

“No. No you may not.” Heehyun didn’t sound angry though. More like amused, and maybe slightly overwhelmed.

Okay. A lot overwhelmed.

***********************************************************

“ you Dani.”

“Can’t that wait till after dinner?”

“No. I mean yes. I mean that’s not what I meant! Why didn’t you tell me we’re eating fancy tonight?”

“Well, I did tell you to dress nice.”

“My version of nice still makes me feel underdressed.”

Dani’s idea of a date was to bring Heehyun out to eat dinner at one of the swankiest restaurant’s their small town had to offer, which was a significant feat considering that they were both unemployed high school students. Heehyun was worried that her best friend had somehow broken the bank trying to impress her on their first date, but out of courtesy she didn’t want to mention anything. The proud look on Dani’s face when she informed Heehyun that they were going to dine at Alessandro’s wasn’t something she’s seen often, and she didn’t want to put a damper on the night this early on into the date by mentioning prices.

Heehyun had only eaten at Alessandro’s once before, and it was when she was young enough to not need to care about dressing etiquettes. When Dani told her to dress fancy for the night, her wardrobe looked almost pathetic. Her choice of attire for the night (a white blouse with a flowy black skirt) made her feel almost plebian next to Dani who looked…dare Heehyun say, dazzling in her black knee-length dress.

As they stood waiting to be seated at the entrance of the restaurant surrounded by shiny things and clean surfaces that Heehyun wasn’t accustomed to, the shorter girl felt like she stuck out like a knife in the kidney in this crowd.

“Relax Hyun. You look beautiful.” Dani whispered into Heehyun’s ear, nudging the nervous wreck. The simple compliment alone somehow managed to make the shorter girl’s cheeks heat up because she hasn’t heard anybody call her that and actually mean it in a long time.

“Don’t I always?” Heehyun tried to regain her composure and brush off the compliment, because Heehyun wasn’t an easy girl. Nope. It takes more than flowery words to win her over.

“Yeah. You always do. But tonight…tonight I feel like the luckiest girl in the world.” Dani smiled as she said this, and try as she might Heehyun couldn’t detect any semblance of a lie.

Okay, maybe flowery words can do the trick after all.

“Look at you with all the sweet talking. Who thought you how to say all those things?”

“Well, I’m just voicing out all the thing’s I usually try to keep hidden when I’m with you. And Jieqiong loaned me her book on how to flatter a girl.”

Heehyun couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at that. “A book Dani? Really? That’s pretty lame.”

“Hey, I got you to go out with me right? Either the book worked really well or I must be one hell of a kisser.” Dani replied with a sly wink.

“Let’s just get a table.” Heehyun muttered while trying her best not to punch her date for the night. Incredible. Her friend was embarrassing. Why did she even agree to this date? She knew this was going to happen. Heehyun couldn’t resist letting an “idiot” escape under her breath, but she wasn’t sure if it was meant for Dani or herself.

**************************************************************

Dinner was amazingly delicious. It wasn’t easy to find an Italian restaurant that served ACTUAL Italian food that hasn’t been modified to cater to the Korean taste preference. Dani had researched the menu beforehand and had taken the liberty of ordering for the both of them and Heehyun had to admit she was blown away by the selection. There were advantages to dating your best friend, and one of them is that they know exactly what you like to eat.

After their amazing meal (which Dani completely paid for despite protest from Heehyun), the pair decided to take a walk around the nearby park. The cobblestone pathways were only illuminated by streetlamps which were just a bit too distant from each other, leaving patches of darkness.

“So uh, this is pretty shady. Is this the part where you push me into the bushes and I’ll have to use my pepper spray on you?” Heehyun joked, because cracking jokes helped her feel less uneasy with the dimly lit park.

“Don’t be dumb. Knowing you you’ll probably trip and fall into the bushes yourself.”

Yeah. Given her previous track record, Heehyun decided that it was a fair call.

“I have something for you Hyun.”

“Oh? Aren’t you doing a little bit too much? Dinner earlier probably set you back half a year’s allowance!”

“Shush. All this talk of money’s gonna ruin the magic of the night. Speaking of magic—“

And at that, Dani flourished her hands in an exaggerated manner and whipped out something from behind her back. Much to Heehyun’s surprise, it was a bouquet of red roses, and it was being presented to her with a cheesy curtsey.

“Seriously. Are you taking part-time magic lessons or something? Where did you pull this out from?” Heehyun asked incredulously before accepting the bouquet and inspecting it closely. They were real flowers, and they smelled amazing.

“I have deft fingers. Can we find a place to sit? I think I ate a little too much.”

It was a bit of a struggle, but they somehow managed to find a bench that was not in a dark shady corner and was illuminated enough for them to see each other. Heehyun didn’t realize how long they’ve been walking, but the moment she sat down the dull ache that went unnoticed in her legs immediately felt better.

“So, how am I doing so far?”

The question caused Heehyun to turn to look at Dani who looked…nervous?

“Are you asking me to grade how good you are as a date?”

Dani nodded in response, and Heehyun took a moment to formulate an answer, evaluating the night in her head with all her preconceived ideas and how Dani managed to smash through all of them.

“Well I gotta say. Not as awkward as I thought it would be, dating my best friend.”

“It transitions nicely doesn’t it? Friends into lovers.”

“Woah. Let’s hold the train on that ‘lovers’ part. Might be a little bit too soon.”

“I’m an optimist about this.”

“You’re also an idiot, in case you didn’t already know that. If you didn’t, I’m sorry you had to find out this way.”

Dani actually laughed out loud at the last remark, and Heehyun found it infectious. They laughed for a good while, probably disturbing the other couples who had come to the park to enjoy some quiet time themselves. Silence soon followed after the laughter subsided but it wasn’t awkward. Heehyun realized that it’s rarely awkward with Dani.

Reaching into her clutch, Heehyun pulled out a carton of cigarettes and proceeded to light one, and despite the look of disapproval on Dani’s face the taller girl didn’t say a word of protest. It was one of Heehyun’s vices, and she remembered how Chaeyeon always tried to get her to stop but smoking somehow always relaxed her. No matter how many cartons her ex used to throw out Heehyun always managed to procure another one despite being below the legal age limit to smoke.

Heehyun blew a cloud of smoke into the night air allowing the smell to intermingle with the sweet scent of the roses in her lap, and she waited for the smoke to slowly dissipate before asking her next question.

“So, how long have you been waiting for this night to happen?”

Dani groaned at the question. “Are we really doing this part of the date now?”

“Ooh yes we are! C’mon Dani. Open up a little?”

The groan transformed into a defeated sigh, and Heehyun found it cute how the taller girl started fidgeting next to her. “Pretty damn long. You have no idea at all.”

“And why is that? Why didn’t you just tell me how you felt? I can’t believe I never realized as well.”

“Puh-lease, I don’t blame you. You were dating the prettiest girl in town. You had no reason to see the signs, but I think they were there. I don’t think I was that good at hiding my feelings. And besides, you were happy with Chaeyeon. You were happy, and that was all I could ask for.”

Yeah. That was the truth, wasn’t it? Heehyun wondered what else happened in the world that she missed because she was too caught up in her own little space, with just her and Chaeyeon. She contemplated it for a moment, never really realizing how blinded by love she was. She must have been epic Stevie Wonder level of blindness if she missed her best friend secretly being in love with her for at least the past 2 years.

Heehyun stamped out the remainder of her cigarette and leaned back on the bench, staring straight up into the sky. The world consisted of more than just a girl, and it felt like everyone else knew that but she somehow missed the memo. Chaeyeon always dreamed of bigger things, where as Heehyun always dreamt of Chaeyeon. It seemed kinda pathetic now that she thought about it.

“Well, after dreaming about it for so long, I guess there’s one thing to ask you. Is this date living up to your expectations?” Heehyun asked finally out of curiosity, trying to sound nonchalant but secretly hoping she wasn’t too much of a bore tonight.

“Better. You’re real this time. You’re not just some…image that I dreamt up. I think…. I think if the world were to end at this moment, I’ll be quite content.”

Heehyun turned to look at Dani, and she observed in silence as the light from the single streetlamp above their heads seemed to dance in Dani’s watery eyes. Her best friend looked as if she was on the verge of tears, but she was wearing a content smile on her face.

“But if the world were to end how would we go on more dates?” Heehyun had no idea where that question came from. Maybe it was out of guilt for ignoring Dani’s feelings all this time, or maybe because admittedly tonight has been the most fun Heehyun’s had in half a year but the shocked look on Dani’s face as the latter looked up sharply at her brought a satisfied smile to Heehyun’s face.

“MORE dates? Ki Heehyun don’t tease me like that if you don’t mean it.”

“I’m having the time of my life. Why not?”

There’s that loud, unadulterated yet girlish laughter again from Dani. Heehyun never quite appreciated how it sounded really before this but tonight Heehyun was starting to realize a lot of things.

“Why not indeed…?” Dani echoed the question after she finished waking up the neighborhood with that laugh of hers.

As it was starting to get late, the pair decided to head home. Walking slowly towards the bus stand, both not wanting the night to end just yet. Dani offered her hand to Heehyun, and much to both of their surprise the redheaded girl took it gladly and they walked hand in hand in the quiet night, never letting go as they sat next to each other while waiting for the number 87 bus to bring them back home to MBK apartments. It wasn’t until they were both standing in front of Heehyun’s front door that they finally let go, and Heehyun was surprised again to realize she immediately missed the warmth.

“Thank you for the night Hyun. I hope you enjoyed yourself as much as I did.”

“What? You idiot, I think I’m the one that should be thanking you! That restaurant wasn’t cheap!”

“You’re worth it though.” Dani replied with a wink.

“You’re just a basket of cheese fries tonight aren’t you?” Heehyun replied with a soft jab to Dani’s shoulder.

Dani leaned forward and for a fleeting moment Heehyun thought that the taller girl was going to steal another kiss again and she panicked slightly but instead Dani’s soft lips found home on Heehyun’s forehead.

It was an unfamiliar feeling. The soft lips pressed against her forehead felt…warm and intimate. Heehyun didn’t know what to make of it because it felt new but if she were to try and explain how she felt currently she would say…protected. Dani made her feel as if she was precious and loved and the most important thing in the world with just one act. Heehyun found herself blushing and unable to meet Dani in the eyes as the beauty in front of her slowly backed away, increasing the distance between them.

Seriously Heehyun. Blushing?! What are you? 12?!

“See you in school tomorrow Hyun.” Dani called out as she turned to leave, and Heehyun wanted to reply with something clever and snarky as usual but felt like it was doing it’s best impression of the Sahara Desert now with how dry it is.

“Y-yeah. See you.” What. Did Heehyun just stutter?! Heehyun rarely stutters. She has the eloquence of a rapper. Forehead kisses turned out to be her kryptonite. Who knew?

Chaeyeon was always too short to reach her forehead.

******************************************************** 

Heehyun was lying down on the carpeted floor of Chaeyeon’s family apartment, casually staring at the ceiling while absentmindedly the hair of the younger girl that was currently snuggled close to her. All that surrounded them were nothing but pillows, plush cushions and thick blankets, their own version of a fort. A fort belonging to only the both of them.

“Unnie?” A small voice danced through the air, almost lost among the music coming out of the Jung residences’ Bluetooth speaker.

“Hmm?”

“Why don’t we listen to one of your songs instead? I always get to choose.” Chaeyeon asked while turning to look at her older girlfriend, wrapping an arm around Heehyun’s waist and snuggling even closer if that was even possible.

“Because I listen to nothing but rap music, and I don’t want this moment here to be ruined by Tyler the Creator or Schoolboy Q.”

Chaeyeon’s taste in music was weirdly calm, and admittedly more suited to be listened to while under the influence of . Not that Heehyun would ever allow her precious angel to go anywhere near the stuff. No way. For now, Chaeyeon’s presence itself seemed to turn Heehyun’s entire body into a state of jelly, calming her body and making her feel relaxed.

“What does Tyler the Creator create?”

Heehyun nearly laughed at the innocent question, but it was a fair enough question. All it took was one glance at the girl’s iPod and it’s obvious that there was no way Chaeyeon would be familiar with Tyler the Creator.

“Pretty good music. Right now though, I’d much rather be listening to this uh…David Bowy?”

“David Bowie unnie.” Chaeyeon corrected as the older girl failed to pronounce the name on the iPod’s screen. “This song reminds me of us. It’s called Space Oddity.”

“Oh? How so? I have absolutely no idea what he’s saying.”

“Neither do I to be honest.” Chaeyeon answered with a giggle that tickled Heehyun’s neck. “But I can sort of assume the meaning based on how the song makes me feel.”

Heehyun raised an eyebrow and ushered her girlfriend to continue, and the younger girl adorably bit her lip as she tried to articulate a meaning.

“It’s like, when I’m with you it feels like I’m lost in space. I’m just floating around, but I don’t mind it. It’s calm up here, and the view is just…amazing.”

“I don’t know Princess. The view from down here on earth ain’t too bad y’know?” Heehyun had cheekily replied while looking into Chaeyeon’s eyes, and the younger girl’s cheeks turned an adorable shade of pink and she tried to hide her face in Heehyun’s shoulder.

Heehyun chuckled and reached out to tilt Chaeyeon’s chin up with a finger so that their eyes would meet again. “Good gosh you’re so damn beautiful” Heehyun whispered before tilting her head and kissing the younger girl. Heehyun could never get enough of those soft lips that tasted like strawberries, the only time she could stand the fruit. Chaeyeon moaned lightly into the kiss and s a hand under the hem of Heehyun’s tshirt, drawing circles around her girlfriend’s navel.

Their lips parted, and the hand that was under Heehyun’s shirt was now tucking a stray strand of red hair behind the older girl’s ear. Black eyes never left green one’s, and they remained in an intense stare down while Chaeyeon sang along to the lyrics of the song playing in the background.

“This is Major Tom to Ground Control, I’m stepping through the door and I’m floating in a most peculiar way, and the stars look very different today…”

“I should brush up on my English.” Heehyun sheepishly said, embarrassed that she listened to English rap songs but could not keep up with the words herself.

“I love you unnie.”

The confession came out of nowhere, and Heehyun was slightly taken aback by it. That was the first time they had ever used the ‘Love’ word, but Heehyun had her own answer waiting at the tip of her tongue as well.

“I love you more Princess.”

The younger girl’s eyes lit up and Heehyun swore that Chaeyeon had every star and constellation trapped within those black orbs of hers. Chaeyeon leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on Heehyun’s nose before whispering with a grin.

“That’s not even possible.”

************************************************************

Heehyun often dreams of Chaeyeon. Since she never contacts her ex-girlfriend, the only actual interaction she has with her is admittedly one sided, either through the screen of a television as Heehyun watches DIA promote their songs, or in her dreams, which consists of mostly flashbacks from the time when they were an item.

The dreams continue to occur, albeit less frequently now that Dani has become an even bigger picture in her life. Heehyun brushes it off, reasoning that Chaeyeon was her first love and that she’s a bit more attached to sentimental moments like that than she would care to admit, but what she did know for sure was that Dani must never know that she’s still dreaming of her ex.

Her second date with Dani was a lot less lavish than the first one, just because the taller girl had blown off all her funds on that one date thinking that it would be the one and only. It was at Dani’s insistence that they ate ice cream together, because that was just something that people do on dates. Eat ice cream. Heehyun understood the novelty of it and went along with the idea.

They ended up in the exact same ice cream shop that Heehyun used to frequent with Chaeyeon. Maybe it was out of sheer coincidence, or maybe it’s because this was the only ice cream shop in town that actually had pride in their product, instead of the other shops in town that served a concoction of ridiculously sloppy, sugary mess that always end up upsetting Heehyun’s stomach. She didn’t need to drop names. Their town was tiny and there weren’t that many ice cream shops around.

And maybe it was out of habit that Heehyun ordered the Strawberry Cheesecake flavoured ice cream. She still hated strawberries. Maybe she ordered it because she just couldn’t let go of Chaeyeon. Heehyun shuddered at the thought, and almost hurriedly shoveled the ice cream into in a vain attempt to convince herself that she actually chose the flavor because she liked it. From Dani’s point of view, it appeared as if Strawberry Cheesecake was Heehyun’s favourite flavor.

On their third date they watched a movie together, although she was sure if she had asked Dani for a recap the latter wouldn’t be able to give her an answer because the taller girl had spent most of the movie staring at Heehyun. There was something about the way Dani would stare at her that made Heehyun’s stomach do somersaults. It was as if the girl was in disbelief and awe that Heehyun was there, was present, and was consensually on this date with her and that made Heehyun feel like a million dollars.

They went out of town on their fourth date, and Dani had taken her to go bungee jumping. Heehyun hated heights but it was her pride that made her jump anyways, resulting in her dangling several feet off the ground in tears as the realization kicked in. Dani had calmed her down with a warm hug, a cup of hot chocolate, and a poem that she had prepared beforehand. Heehyun had no idea her best friend was this cheesy, but she had laughed and given Dani a kiss on the cheek in gratitude. It felt natural as they rode the bus back to town with their fingers interlaced.

The fifth date was an impromptu one. Heehyun was sent out by her mother to buy onions for dinner when she ran into Dani at the grocery store. The taller girl had suggested they take a walk along the river nearby because the sun was about to set and Heehyun agreed immediately, forgetting that her mother needed the onions in the plastic bag she was carrying. If making bad judgments was a sign of being in love, Heehyun was in the early stages of it definitely.

They seated themselves on a bench and they watched as the sun slowly disappeared. Heehyun had turned to Dani, only to find that the latter was already looking at her. She didn’t know if it was because of how impossibly beautiful Dani looked at the moment, or maybe because Heehyun really had no filter when it came to words, but before she realized it she had admitted to Dani out loud exactly what she was thinking the whole day.

“I really want to kiss you right now.”

Brown eyes grew wider and there was a disbelieving smile that tugged on Dani’s lips, but the smile was soon covered with Heehyun’s own as the shorter girl leaned in and pressed their lips together without waiting for a reply.

It was slow. Tentative and unsure, but when Heehyun raised a hand to cup Dani’s cheek the latter came to life and responded with fervor. Heehyun felt arms wrap around her neck pulling her in closer as if afraid that she would slip away but Heehyun had no intention to. There was no place in the world she would rather be than here, in her best friend’s arms, locking her lips onto every breath and gasp Dani tried to take as Heehyun tried to breathe her new found feelings in.

“This…I can’t believe this. I must be dreaming.” Dani had whispered after they parted, foreheads resting against each other.

“This ain’t a dream Dani. I’m here, and I’m real.” Heehyun knew this wasn’t a dream, because there was no Chaeyeon in sight. This was real life, and for the first time in half a year, real life seemed a lot more inviting than her dreams.

It didn’t take long for Heehyun to fall for her best friend because after all, it was a lot easier to fall if you were sure that there was someone at the bottom who you trusted with every fiber of your being to catch you as you landed.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

So, this chapter was all about Dani and Heehyun. I don't think this chapter was my best work, but after rereading it I didn't know how to improve it so I decided to publish it as it is. Sorry if it lacked in quality, but please do comment below if you have any feedback! I love comments and interacting with the readers! :D

Space Oddity was one of the driving references in this fic. If you're familiar with the song, it kinda alludes to the relationship between Chae and Heehyun since the song can be interpreted as someone dying in space. In this case, the "someone" is their relationship. I don't know. I tried to convey their personalities in songs, helps in the writing process. The songs that can be used to describe them would most probably be:

Chaeyeon: Your Hand In Mine - Explosions In The Sky
Heehyun: Ashley - Big Sean
Dani - Are You Gonna Be My Girl? - Jet

Thank you so much for the comments and upvotes from the previous chapter! Shoutout to Jinri23, instantnoodle, paily290376 and ilikecheese. Also shoutout to all the commenters who gave me feedback! Heartses! :D 

P/S: this was a Dani chapter. Next up will be a Chaeyeon chapter. yay!