"So you're saying you wouldn't want to kiss me right now and see for yourself?"

"Well I haven't kissed a boy so I'd have no comparison," Luda defended indignantly.

"Good, you don't need a comparison."

Eunseo winked at Luda before settling back down on the bed and resuming the silence.

“I met this girl,” Luda started to break the silence. She kept her gaze on the ceiling and smiled at the thought of her time spent with Bona.

Eunseo raised herself up on her elbow again, “You met someone, when?”

Luda wasn't one to ever willingly put herself out there and befriend another person. Ever since they’d been friends it was just them, Eunseo had other friends, like her other close friend Cheng Xiao but Luda had no one. It made Eunseo feel guilty when she left her out of their hangouts.

“Yesterday, she just moved in down the hall and locked herself out of her apartment so she asked me to help.”

“Why couldn’t she have just asked the front desk?”

“I don’t know.”

“What’s her name?”

“Bona.”

“What’s her real name, Bona can’t be a real name Luda.”

Eunseo almost never used her real name, only when she was serious about something which is why hearing it now instead of the nickname she’d had since they were kids threw her off.

“I guess she has a different name, I haven’t asked her it though,” Luda replied confused.

“How old is she?”

“I think she’s around our age she’s really nice.”

This game of 20 questions with Eunseo was making Luda anxious, she wasn’t really sure what was going through Eunseo’s head now.

“Do you wanna kiss her?”

Luda blushed at the thought, she hadn’t thought of it. Bona was very attractive she wouldn’t mind if she were her first kiss but she also had no idea if Bona liked girls or not, she could be incredibly straight like Eunseo.

“Maybe.”

“Who would you rather kiss, Bona or me, hypothetically?”

This wasn’t that hard of a choice for Luda to make. She’d probably tell Eunseo 100 times that she’d rather kiss her over anyone else. But then again, this was her best friend.

“Bona, duh.”

Eunseo her lips and sighed, “You only just met her yesterday, but I’ve known you for 14 years now.

“So what?”

Eunseo played with Luda's fingers absent-mindedly, “You’d really kiss a stranger over me?”

“Wouldn’t it be weird to kiss my best friend?”

Eunseo tilted Luda’s chin up “It could be fun?”

Nothing ran through Luda’s mind other than the fact that Eunseo’s fingers were soft. She swore she looked like a deer in headlights not wanting to make it weird she smiled goofily up at her.

Eunseo had an unreadable expression, she looked lost in her head.

“You’re lame,” Luda nudged the taller girl.

Eunseo leaned in unexpectedly catching Luda and her lips off guard. Luda thought it’d be just the one kiss, but Eunseo was an all or nothing type of girl. Luda found herself trapped in between Eunseo’s arms not that she was complaining.

The caress of her lips softer than she could’ve ever dreamed of. Eunseo wasn’t hungry, but tentative, tracing Luda’s bottom lip with her tongue. Luda opened granting entry.

It was just a kiss for Eunseo, Luda had walked in on her kissing guys exactly like this before. Somehow it was different because this was Eunseo and she was entirely too out of Luda’s league.

Eunseo moved her hand sliding it under Luda’s t-shirt. Their kisses growing more intense, it was actually Luda’s first time ever making out with anyone let alone a girl and let alone Eunseo of all people, so she let her lead. The kiss deepened, Eunseo ran her fingers down Luda’s stomach lower till they played with the button on her shorts.

Luda’s hand met Eunseo’s, they broke the kiss to breathe before Eunseo retracted her hand deciding against her first thought and going with her second. She straddled the smaller girl peppering kisses down Luda’s neck and searching out the girl's pulse point. Luda arched her back as Eunseo rocked her hips against Luda’s.

Luda surprised Eunseo and herself with a moan which caused her best friend to pull away.

Luda internally facepalmed. She felt like dying a hundred times.

“Sorry,” she looked anywhere but at Eunseo, afraid she’d seemed too eager and possibly given her feelings away.

“Now you have something to compare when you kiss Bona,” the taller girl got off Luda’s lap returning to her original spot.

Meiqi stood in the doorway, unable to lift her jaw to close it.

“They did that!” Eunwoo pushed Meiqi’s jaw closed, “When will you kiss me like that?”

Meiqi pushed Eunwoo pouting “stop.”

Eunwoo took Meiqi’s hand pulling her toward their bedroom “come on loser enough spying.”

Luda blinked, confused was an understatement to how she felt. She felt somewhat played but she thought higher of her best friend so she pushed that thought out of her head.

“Why,” Luda questioned in her head touching her neck where Eunseo had most definitely left a mark.

“What’d you say?”

“Why?”

Eunseo looked flushed, “You seemed like you wanted me to.”

A shrug was how she ended the conversation before kissing Luda’s forehead.

“I have to go now, see ya Ludie.”

“I can walk you,” Luda offered sitting up.

“I know where the door is lameo,” Eunseo winked before closing Luda’s door.

Luda listened for the front door to close. She was more than just confused, she was hurt. She couldn’t push the thought completely out of her head that Eunseo had played her. It was a cruel tease, what game was she playing at and why was she playing now?

Luda closed her eyes, she needed some way to calm her thoughts. One thought created a whole slew of negative feels and the vibe from before was completely lost. Why did Eunseo have to say “you seemed like you wanted me to,” as if it was her doing Luda a favor. She made Luda sound desperate.

She wasn’t desperate.. Meiqi hadn’t even said that to her. So why did she feel like a charity case.

Luda wrung her hands, needing an escape; her room was suddenly suffocating. She smoothed her shirt down before slipping on her shoes and tiptoeing toward the front door. Meiqi’s door wasn't open like it usually was, meaning Eunwoo was over. She crept past not wanting to wake her nosey roommate.

There was no explanation about why Luda would be heading out late, it wasn’t something she typically did and she didn’t feel like spending 10 minutes thinking up an excuse. Once she closed the door silently behind her she let out a breath she’d been holding unknowingly.

There was only one place she had in mind to go and it was up a few flights of stairs. 
 

It was late. But there was still a light on in Xuanyi’s room and Eunseo really needed to talk to someone. They weren’t really close, Xuanyi only having moved in the other day. There was just no one else around. Without thinking she opened the door finding Xuanyi cutely splayed out on top of her bed, her phone resting on her chest. 

Eunseo couldn’t help but smile, she was almost cuter than Luda when she fell asleep. She still wanted someone to talk to, but it could wait till the morning. She reached for Xuanyi’s phone, it was open to a text with a girl named Jiyeon. She didn’t feel comfortable snooping so she clicked the home button. Her background was of a much lighter haired Xuanyi, and a shorter girl who smiled so much with her eyes Eunseo thought of Luda.

So this girl was special to Xuanyi, maybe when she discussed her current situation in the morning she could talk to Xuanyi about her past. Eunseo left Xuanyi’s phone resting on the nightstand while she went to grab a blanket from her room. Xuanyi didn’t bring much with her maybe she was going to buy some stuff soon but for now Eunseo draped one of her blankets over the sleeping girl.

“Night,” Xuanyi mumbled before Eunseo flicked the light off.

Eunseo smiled at the girls soft voice, “sleep well.”

Luda climbed the last flight of stairs, her legs burning from all the climbing she’d done in the past two days she really wasn’t one for cardio. The door propped open with a brick caused Luda to freeze. Who would be up here? She pushed it open slowly, it opened a quarter of the way before hitting something.

“Hello,” came a sweet voice that made Luda calm.

She slipped past through the small opening her feet digging into gravel. Bona sat in front of her knees pressed to her chest looking ahead at the now darkened office towers.

“What are you doing out here so late?”

“I could ask you the same thing.”

Luda sat next to Bona feeling small surrounded by all the dark, “I asked you first.”

Bona leant her head on Luda’s shoulder, “Everything looks better from above.”

Luda looked around, some of what Bona said was true, it did seem more peaceful. But the lack of light and the slight cold in the air made the roof and its surroundings seem devoid in a way she couldn’t explain.

“So why are you up here?”

“I don’t know,” Luda hugged her knees tighter.

“You’re on a rooftop at 1 am, I’m a little concerned.”

“Lot on my mind I guess,” Luda shrugged.

Bona lifted her head, “yeah me too.”

The two girls sat next to each other in comfortable silence before Bona nuzzled into Luda’s neck.

Luda figured Bona was a hugger, one of those touchy feely people. She surprised herself at how comfortable she was with it all too.

“What’s on your mind,” Bona asked still staring straight ahead.

Luda looked out too, nothing was there but it was sort of calming if you looked past the menacing dark sky that was devoid of even the star's light.

Instead of answering her question, Luda replied with her own, “Have you ever been played?”

Bona hummed, “yeah, my best friend is a pro.”

“How did you know you got played?”

Luda looked down at the girl, she’d grown quiet completely absorbed in her thoughts.

“I think I knew the first time she lied to me,” Bona spoke softer and it made Luda’s heart ache, “why do you ask?”

“That’s just what’s on my mind, I think my best friend Eunseo played me.”

She didn’t know why she was saying this all to a stranger, she’d only just met the girl earlier yet she was willing to divulge all her feelings and thoughts. She didn’t regret it though, there was no sense of unease either. She’d expected there be some of those feelings but all she felt was content.

“Huh, well funny thing that’s kind of what was on my mind too.”

“My friend Eunseo played you too,” Luda feigned shock, trying to make light of everything she said.

She didn’t really want to continue talking about it all after she’d finished explaining. It just drew more attention and even though she felt good after she didn’t think it’d last long if they drew out more of the conversation.

Bona’s expression was solemn, the corner of raised up in a forced smile but dropped a few seconds later. “Are you still best friends?”

“I guess so yeah, she plays a lot of games but they’ve never really hurt till now.”

Bona lifted her head, “I’m not close to my best friend anymore, so I guess you’re lucky.”

“Im sorry.”

Bona turned to face Luda and winked, “Don’t be that’s the past, I hope you feel better though.”

“I kind of do, I don’t really have anyone else to talk to my roommate, she’s not really the best at this stuff either.”

Bona picked up a small piece of gravel, the dust of it coming off on her fingers. She rolled it around in her hand before chucking it at Luda’s head. It bounced off, then landed heavy back with the rest of its kind.

“Well we’re friends now,” Bona smiled wide at Luda’s shocked expression until the smaller girl grabbed a handful of gravel her hand coated in the fine gray dust.

“Since we’re friends now, you won’t hate me after this,” Luda smirked throwing the odd-shaped gravel in the air.

She wanted to look cool and catch one out of the air to throw at Bona but ended up missing entirely causing Bona to double over laughing as a piece hit Luda on the tip of the nose.

“Yeah you’re right I like you more now.”

Eunseo rubbed her eyes and whined, it was way too early. It was 9 in the morning and her usually quiet apartment was now filled with someone singing and padding throughout the living room. The only person that could’ve been was Xuanyi, Eunseo rolled over trying to block out the noise.

After begging and bartering with herself to get back to sleep she finally decided to get up, she was hungry anyway. Xuanyi sat at the bar tapping her foot against the metal stool and nodding her head happily to a song Eunseo could hear from her room.

“Are you deaf,” Eunseo half yelled trying to get the girls attention.

Xuanyi dropped her headphones to her neck “Nope.”

“Rule 1, don’t wake me up before 10,” Eunseo yawned on her way to the refrigerator.

Eunseo scrunched up her nose at Xuanyi’s breakfast. Orange juice, and a pack of sea salt flavored seaweed just didn’t seem appealing. She grabbed her own bottle of juice and sat at the counter with Xuanyi. The song Xuanyi had listened to still blared through the headphones so much so that Eunseo could make out every word with distinct clarity.

“So where are you from,” Eunseo asked the dark-haired girl now preocupied with folding her rectangular strip of seaweed into different origami shapes.

“China.”

“Wow that’s pretty cool, why’d you come here though?”

“It’s cheesey,” Xuanyi started, chomping on the rolled strip of seaweed.

“Couldn’t be more lame than why I moved,” Eunseo laughed taking a long swig of her orange juice before capping the bottle.

“Why did you move?”

Xuanyi turned her body 90 degrees to face Eunseo on the other stool. She was curious you could tell by the slight to her head and that she’d finally stopped playing with her food and was now concentrated on every feature of Eunseo’s face.

Eunseo looked away, instead reading the label on her bottle of orange juice than looking into Xuanyi's eyes. It was just awkward.

“Well my best friend moved for the first time and I wasn’t able to get a room at her apartment complex in time before it was full but I found this instead.”

“You’re right it is more lame than my reason,” Xuanyi smirked spinning the stool, “I moved for independence and to hopefully make something of myself.”

Eunseo understood that feeling, she had no idea what she wanted to do with her life. She barely had a clue about who she was.

“You know I actually wanted to ask you a question last night,” Eunseo played with the plastic label on the juice bottle she felt vulnerable, “you were asleep though so can I ask you something?”

“So you put the blanket on me?”

“No a stranger broke into our apartment, brought a blanket that has the words “Eunseo is lame” and tucked you into bed with it then left.”

Xuanyi laughed at the sarcastic reply, her hair hid her face as she bent forward the laughter bubbling up inside her. It wasn’t particularly that funny but damn Xuanyi was thoroughly entertained.

“Sorry it’s just that I pictured that happening, also why do you even own a blanket that says that?”

Eunseo ran her fingers through her hair, “Well that’s kind of what I wanted to talk about.”

Yesterday night with Luda wasn’t supposed to happen. She’d known about her best friends crush for years, and for years she’d about crushes or flaunt guys in her face to try to get Luda to stop liking her. It never worked, because Eunseo always got bored with each guy after a week, and Luda was always there when Eunseo couldn’t figure out what was going on inside her head.

She never asked questions when Eunseo was upset and just needed someone to cuddle with or be close to. She wished Luda asked her questions. That was possibly the only fault she had, it was that when Eunseo couldn’t say or explain her thoughts Luda didn’t bother picking her brain. She wanted Luda to Sherlock Holmes her, pick up context clues and search for the truth kind of thing.

It’s not like she could outright tell Luda she didn’t know why she lost interest in guys so quickly or when Luda started getting closer to Meiqi how she frustratingly cried on her way to see her. She wasn’t jealous, she just didn’t want to lose the only person who really meant anything to her.

It was different this time, this Bona girl was different. Luda genuinely seemed drawn to the girl and that didn’t sit well with Eunseo. Luda was supposed to like her, and her only.

They’d figure out the rest later. This Bona girl, what a stupid name, was ruining everything.

Xuanyi sat with her hands resting in her hands while Eunseo finished drinking her juice. Because getting ready to tell a secret to a stranger really made a girl thirsty and because she was anxious and wanting to prolong the conversation she’d wanted to start the night before.

“I kissed my best friend last night,” Eunseo ran through the words quickly, because if she said them fast she wouldn’t over think about it.

Xuanyi smiled like she knew exactly how Eunseo felt, softly encouraging her to continue. She wasn’t a stranger to kissing her best friend, in fact she had a lot of experience with that and was sort of missing it.

“It got out of hand, she moaned and if I didn’t stop-” Eunseo rushed in air before continuing, “I don’t know that’s the confusing part.”

Xuanyi winked, raising her arms to stretch them before patting Eunseo on the head, “You’re gay, let’s celebrate.”

Eunseo sat there baffled beyond belief, she was expecting Xuanyi to offer help, to tell her she was an idiot or maybe to not say anything at all they had just met the other day. But Xuanyi did something unpredictable.

Her tone made Eunseo feel like a kid, she’d just shared something she felt was never to be shared with anyone yet still felt like a kid with a lousy secret about having a crush on a classmate that everyone already knew about.

‘“I’m not g-,” Eunseo started but stopped when Xuanyi cocked her head in curiosity.

“What would you have done if you hadn’t stopped?”

“I don’t know.”

Xuanyi’s eyes flickered to Eunseo’s lips for a second, only a second before she closed the distance between the two placing a chaste kiss to Eunseo’s lips.

And Eunseo sat there stunned, Xuanyi’s lips were a little salty but they were soft and the kiss was so unexpected her mind couldn’t think of any rationale to explain what had happened.

“Let me know when you figure it out,” the older girl smiled jumping off the stool before throwing herself on the couch to watch an infomercial on the t.v. about coins.

“Maybe I will.,” Eunseo mumbled to herself, peeling the plastic label off her juice bottle.

She was still as confused as before, maybe even more confused. Making sense of the situation, trying to figure out yesterday and now trying to figure out her roommate it was just too much. Why was she awake so early?

The only way to stop over thinking is to have plenty of distractions, at least that’s what Eunwoo said when Luda refused to get off the couch even when Meiqi ruffled her hair which Luda hated. She just lay there, inebriated on the thought of Eunseo. Distractions, the only distraction she could think of was the tv.

Every drama that seemed to play portrayed a character in Luda’s position, and an opposing character that reminded her a lot of Eunseo.

She hadn’t been able to get Eunseo off her mind for 6 years, a distraction wouldn’t suddenly fix it now. She started to become one with the couch, to the point where Meiqi started sitting on her back to watch the tv while Eunwoo would just lift Luda’s legs to sit. The same routine went on for 2 days, before Eunwoo couldn’t take it anymore.

“Luda,” the blonde commanded attention.

Luda mumbled an answer, sighing into the armrest where her head lay propped in a semi awkward position.

Meiqi quirked her eyebrow up from where she stood in the kitchen, it was humorous to watch her girlfriend and her best friend interact especially in the state Luda was in.

“You need to get up,” Eunwoo huffed, pulling on Luda’s unsurprisingly noodle like arm.

“But I don’t wanna,” Luda whined letting Eunwoo pull her off the couch.

She didn’t have to be on the couch that was fair, she could just be one with the floor.

“Get up idiot,” Meiqi called from the kitchen.

With that Luda was up, and storming off toward her room. Eunwoo threw her girlfriend a glare Meiqi only shooting a wink back in response before Eunwoo followed Luda to her room.

Meiqi was an , Luda questioned why she ever agreed to rent an apartment with the girl. 

“Hey,” Eunwoo knocked softly letting herself in, “What’s going on?”

“What distractions work,” Luda met Eunwoo’s eyes, desperation in her tone.

Eunwoo rubbed the back of her head, “Well, you could hang out with Meiqi and I-”

“No,” Luda answered abruptly cutting her off.

The smaller girl wrung her hands before wiping them on her jeans, her mind started drifting to Eunseo and how she’d once complimented Luda’s in the same jeans she was wearing now. She groaned, there was no escaping Eunseo, everything reminded her of the girl. Even her damn ceiling.

Eunwoo thought hard about distraction ideas. She needed to get Luda out of the apartment but Luda wasn’t one to get out, like ever.

“What about that new girl,” Eunwoo suddenly remembered the girl who’d occupied Luda’s time for hours Meiqi got worried she’d need to call the police.

“Bona?”

“Uh yeah, why don’t you go hang out with her?”

Luda smoothed out her shirt, the idea was an attractive one, she did kind of miss her new dark-haired neighbor.

“Alright.”

Suddenly was dry, agreeing to Eunwoo’s plan of seeing Bona sounded great until the part where she got sho