Jessica sprawls out on the bed of her hotel room. She’s absolutely exhausted, but she knows there’s one last thing she has to do before she goes to bed. She picks up her phone and calls Krystal.

    “Jessica!”, Her girlfriend’s excited voice yells through the phone.

    Jessica chuckles, “Hey there. You haven’t missed me have you?”

    “More than you know. It’s so boring without you.”

    “So I’m just a means of keeping you entertained?”, Jessica asks teasingly.

    “Of course not! I just hate not getting to see or talk to you.”

    “I’m sorry, baby. Just 11 more days, alright?”

    She hears Krystal sigh over the line, “I know. You haven’t been working yourself too hard, have you?”

    “I’m doing my best not to. But things over here are rough.”

    “Are you getting enough sleep? Have you been eating right?”, Krystal asks with obvious concern.

    Jessica laughs, “Yes, I’m fine, okay? No need to worry about me. How have you been?”

    “I’m alright. But Tiffany keeps making fun of me for being so whiny. No telling what toll those insults will eventually have on my psyche.”

    With a smile on her face Jessica replies, “Well then let me counteract those insults. You’re beautiful, funny, talented, and just all around perfect.” The giggle she hears over the line makes Jessica’s smile widen even further.

    “That helps.”

    As they continue talking, Jessica’s so into their conversation that she forgets how exhausted she is.

    “You look like Hell.’, Sunny says as Jessica climbs into the passenger seat of her car.

    “Try dealing with multiple stubborn s on four hours of sleep. Not exactly the most rejuvenating experience.”, Jessica groans.

    “Four hours? What kept you up last night?”

    Though they’ve spent many hours of time together since meeting, Jessica’s not sure of how Sunny would react to her uality, so she gives a vague, but still honest, answer.

    “I was on the phone with someone from back home. I lost track of time.”

    Sunny chuckles, “Some business woman you are. Staying up all night to talk on the phone. Seems like more of an irresponsible teenage girl thing to do.”

    Despite herself, Jessica grins, “Shut up. Anyway what did you have planned for tonight? You didn’t exactly give me any details other than, ‘let’s hang out’.”

    “Weeeelll, since you’ve been working so hard, I figured I’d treat you to a spa day.”

    “Spa day?”, Jessica says with a chuckle, “It’s passed 7 now.”

    Sunny grins, “Okay, maybe not a day, but a couple of spa hours. I know some people at one who said they wouldn’t mind working overtime if I paid them a little extra.”

    “Sunny, that’s… that’s really nice of you. Thank you.”, The gesture’s left Jessica a little stunned. Though they had become friends pretty quickly, all of their time spent together had to amount to less than 10 hours.

    “Don’t thank me. You deserve it from what I’ve seen. Besides it’s not just for you, I’m coming along with you.”

    Jessica nods silently. She’s looking forward to a few hours of relaxation.

    Jessica leans her head back and closes her eyes; she can’t believe how lucky she is. Three hours spent at a spa, and then Sunny had invited Jessica to her house for an hour or two of champagne and conversation. Not just that, but right now she’s basking in the warmth of Sunny’s hot tub. For the first time since she arrived in Seoul Jessica feels completely at ease.

    “Don’t fall asleep on me.”, Sunny’s voice makes Jessica open her eyes. The sight of Sunny strutting towards her in a bikini with a bottle of champagne and glasses in her hands makes Jessica have to remind herself that she’s not single.

    Jessica smiles, “I wasn’t.”

    With a hum of acknowledgement Sunny pours champagne into the glasses and hands Jessica one.

    “So today was good?”, Sunny asks as she takes a sip from her glass.

    “Well up until about 7 it was pretty awful, but after that everything was great. Thanks again.”, Jessica says genuinely.

    “No need to thank me. It was good for me to get out, too.”, It’s quiet for a few moments before Sunny jumps into another subject, “So, I was looking into your company a bit more and I saw that Krystal Hwang is working for you.”

    The sound of her girlfriend’s name makes Jessica freeze. She doesn’t know where Sunny is going with this, but it makes her uneasy.

    Doing her best to mask her emotions Jessica nods, “She is. She’s very good at what she does.”

    “Did you know she was blacklisted by just about every employer in Korea for being gay? I’m not surprised she left the country.” Sunny says in a neutral tone.

    Jessica can’t tell if Sunny is just making conversation, or if she’s insulting Krystal. Either way, Jessica feels herself becoming naturally defensive, “I know about all of that. It’s a shame that so many companies would shun an amazing model just because of her uality.” Inwardly Jessica slaps herself for using such a harsh tone.

    Sunny chuckles, “Looks like I struck a nerve. Don’t worry, I agree with you. What happened to her was awful. I’m glad she found steady work after that whole mess.”

    Jessica has to fight back the sigh of relief that wants to leave her lungs. Now feeling much more at ease, Jessica continues the topic, “Her older sister actually works for me. She told me about Krystal’s situation and it really broke my heart. I mean, I would have hired her anyway just based on her resume, but hearing about her problems really left no doubt in my mind.”

    Sunny nods, “I used to see pictures of her all around the city. I kind of miss it. She’s really pretty.”

    Just thinking of Krystal puts a dopey grin on Jessica’s lips, “More than that. She’s absolutely gorgeous.”

    “Sounds like you have a crush on her.”, Sunny says teasingly.

    Jessica can feel her cheeks heating up in embarrassment. Not really knowing what to say, she just grins and stares at the bottom of the hot tub in hopes that Sunny won’t see how flushed her face is.

    Still feeling flustered, Jessica barely registers Sunny’s thigh touching her own as she scoots closer. Suddenly, Sunny’s fingers are under Jessica’s chin; lifting her face up so their eyes can meet.

    Jessica isn’t really positive of what’s going on until Sunny’s face starts moving in closer to her’s. When the other woman’s face is only an inch away Jessica jumps back; looking at Sunny with a startled expression.

    Seeing Jessica’s reaction, Sunny scoots away, “, you’re straight.” she says in a clearly apologetic tone, “Look, I’m really sorry. I just thought…”

    Seeing how anxious Sunny is actually helps set Jessica at ease again. The whole conversation about Krystal makes much more sense now; it had just been a test of Jessica’s uality.

    Jessica laughs, “I’m not straight, just in a relationship.”

    Finally Sunny’s anxious expression settles into one of relief, “Oh… I’m still sorry. I promise that taking you to the spa today wasn’t just a way to butter you up and get you into bed with me.”, With a grin she adds, “But the hot tub and champagne was.”

    Jessica can't find it in herself to be mad at Sunny. Not when she can so easily see herself doing the same thing. She also can't help but be flattered. Afterall, Sunny is definitely what Jessica would consider girlfriend material; beautiful, funny, and sincere, among other things. In fact, if she didn't already have Krystal in her life, Jessica is positive that she would have accepted Sunny’s advances without hesitation.

    When Jessica is quiet, Sunny continues talking, “Don’t worry, I’m not going to kick you out of my house or anything. If you still want to, we could just sit here and talk?”

    With a smile, Jessica says, “I think that sounds nice.”

    Krystal’s standing in the middle of Jessica’s penthouse chewing on her lip in thought. Jessica will be coming back in two days and Krystal wants to do something to surprise her, but she’s clueless as to what.

    She had thought about setting up some candles and flowers on Jessica’s dining table and making some sort of romantic dinner. But Krystal’s sure that would be a disaster. If the candles didn’t set fire to the place, then her cooking incompetence probably would.

    It had also crossed Krystal’s mind to make a trail of rose petals leading from the front door to Jessica’s bedroom where Krystal would be. She’d seen the exact same thing in countless movies. But she’s not sure how well it would work in real life.

    With a deep sigh, Krystal makes her way to Jessica’s bedroom. As soon as she enters the room she kicks off her shoes and jumps into Jessica’s bed.

    When they had first started seeing each other, Jessica had mentioned that she hated how large her bed was. Claiming that the size just made her realize how lonely she was. Krystal hadn’t understood then, but now that she’s lied in it by herself she does.

    Still, the sheets and blankets that surround her are peppered with Jessica’s scent. With her girlfriend so far away, the closest Krystal can get to cuddling up to her is to nap in the comforting smell.

    Krystal sighs contently and closes her eyes.

    As soon as Jessica steps into her home she can’t help but smile. She’s beyond happy to be back. She thanks the employee who helped her with her luggage before plopping down on her couch and pulling out her phone. Before she even starts to unpack, she needs to see Krystal. She’d tried and tried to call the younger girl since she landed in New York, but each time there was no answer.

    As soon as she hits the call button she hears a sound that startles her. Looking up, Jessica sees Krystal’s phone vibrating on top of her coffee table. Feeling confused, Jessica ends the call and stands up from the couch.

    “Krystal!”, Jessica yells repeatedly as she peeks her head into every room. She’s at her bedroom door, about to yell out again, when a wide grin forms on her lips instead. Krystal is curled up on the bed fast asleep.

    Jessica’s still confused about Krystal being here, but she’s definitely not complaining. Quietly, she climbs under the covers and takes Krystal into her arms.

    “Krystal.”, Jessica whispers before lightly kissing her nose. “Krystal.”, She whispers again, this time pressing their lips together.

    Instead of the sleepy returning kiss she’d expected, she receives a hard punch to the shoulder as the girl in her arms struggles to get away from her; screaming the whole time.

    “Krystal! Krystal! It’s me! It’s Jessica!”

    It takes a moment, but Krystal stills and looks at Jessica’s face in utter confusion.

    Jessica offers her a small smile, “I figured after being away for so long I’d be getting kisses instead of bruises.”

    Now fully recovered, Krystal wraps Jessica in a tight hug, “Oh god I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

    With a chuckle, Jessica hugs her back, “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

    “Why are you home already? I mean, I’m really happy to see you. But you weren’t supposed to come back until a few days from now.”, Krystal says as she pulls away some to plant a kiss on Jessica’s lips.

    Jessica wants to answer the question, but can’t. Krystal’s lips are on her’s and what started out as a chaste kiss has turned into a deep passionate one.

    When Krystal begins kissing her neck, Jessica takes it as her opportunity to speak.

    “I was… able to leave a few days early… I figured... I’d surprise you once I got home.”, Jessica says haltingly due to the mouth currently kissing and at her neck, “Why… why were you in my bed…”

    “It smells like you.”, Krystal says simply before once again melding her lips to Jessica’s.

    The feeling of Krystal’s hand inching up her shirt makes Jessica gasp, “H-hey. What are you trying to do?”

    Krystal looks at her with a mischievous grin, “I think you know exactly what I’m trying to do. Do you want me to stop?”

    Jessica smiles right back, “No.”, With that said, Jessica presses their lips back together.

    “I really missed you.”, Krystal says as the tips of her fingers trace patterns on Jessica’s bare stomach.

    “I really missed you, too.”

    “Do you feel better now? I mean, now that everything over in Korea is settled.”

    “Mhm.”, Jessica hums; nuzzling her face into Krystal’s neck. She hadn’t realized how much she actually missed Krystal’s touch until today. Sure, Jessica had thought about it plenty while they were apart. But it’s only now that she’s back in her girlfriend’s arms that it’s really sinking in.

    Jessica could almost scold herself for becoming so attached to someone so fast. Now that they’re together, Krystal’s presence in her life feels like it has become more of a need than a want. For the first time since they met, Jessica’s beginning to think that maybe this really is something that can last. Maybe what they feel for eachother isn’t just an intense fling that’ll fizzle out over time.

    “Jessica?”, Krystal voices in a soft tone.

    Jessica pulls away a little to meet the other girl’s eyes. She’s a little concerned to see that Krystal’s eyes are watery.

    When Krystal’s thumb lightly traces over her lips, Jessica kisses it. She’s happy to see that the action makes her girlfriend smile. A moment later Krystal leans in and gives Jessica a lingering peck on the lips.

    “Jessica…”, Krystal whispers out when she pulls away.

    She has Jessica’s full attention; it’s obvious that whatever she’s about to say is deeply important.

    “I love you.”, Krystal says quietly, but with sincerity.

    Her words hit Jessica’s heart directly; making it thump hard in her chest. Krystal’s expression is obviously nervous. She’s chewing on her lip as she gazes steadily into Jessica’s eyes.

    “I…”, Jessica stutters out. Does she love Krystal? She plays back all of the memories she has of the younger girl. How Krystal makes her feel, how much she trusts Krystal, how Krystal treats her. Jessica can’t see herself feeling the same about anyone else.

    Jessica grins, “I love you.” She says confidently. The words feel surprising right as they leave .

    Krystal squeals happily before crashing her lips against Jessica’s. The kiss is giddy and frantic in the best kind of way; giggles leaving both of them.

    Krystal’s girlish giggles abruptly melt into a moan as Jessica’s mouth goes to her neck, while her hand Krystal’s bare thigh.

    “I love you.” Jessica whispers huskily into her ear.

    Krystal hums approvingly as Jessica’s hand moves further inward, “I love you.” Krystal sighs out before once again pressing their lips together.