You Love Her

1/?

15th October 2016, 01:23am (Present)

You love her, she thinks quietly.

Yoona tries to pinpoint when exactly it stopped being a question and started being a statement.

The ceiling provides no answer.

* * *

12th June 2015, 10:32am

Commitment was not Yoona’s strongest point.

She regarded the sleeping body snoozing beside her quietly. It wasn’t an uncommon occurrence for her to find strangers in her bed, but this time, Hyuna wasn’t a stranger. Yoona sat up and wondered when they’d end this arrangement, if they’d ever end it.

She found herself staring at Hyuna’s unaware lips for too long, and rolled herself out of bed and into the shower to scrub last night’s escapade away from behind her ears.

“Do you remember anything from last night?”

A disarray of blurred images came to Yoona’s mind. “Shots. Lots of them. I’m guessing tequila.”

“Typical.” Hyuna yawned and collapsed back into the pillows. “Thanks for letting me stay.”

Yoona toweled her hair dry, standing in the doorway. “You probably offered and I probably accepted.”

“It’s a not a probably, it’s a definitely.” Hyuna stood and scanned the floor for something to wear.

“You want breakfast?”

“I’ll see.”

* * *

Bread sprung from the toaster as the doorbell chimed. She clattered the knife down onto the counter and, wiping her buttery fingers on the back of her sweatpants, pulled the door open.

“Uh, hi?”

“Hi,” Pink lips and brown eyes. “I’m Jessica – I just moved in next door.” The young woman introduced, gesturing a delicate hand toward the house over the fence.

Yoona felt twitch slightly as she recalled the moving van she’d seen as the sun had set few days prior. “Oh yeah,” she smiled. “I heard I’d be getting a new neighbor.”

“News travels fast around here, huh?”

“No, uh, actually,” Yoona gave a shrug and leaned on the doorjamb casually. “I saw the moving van the other day.”

Jessica nodded slowly, a suppressed smile pushing up the corners of her lips. Yoona wasn’t sure if it was genuine or by habit. “Well, I thought I’d come say hi by giving you something homemade.”

Yoona’s eyes traveled down to the plate of cookies covered in cling film being extended to her. “That’s very kind,” she said, taking the plate and flashing a friendly smile. “My name’s Yoona, by the way.”

“Yoona.” Jessica felt it out on her tongue with care. “How long have you been living here?”

“Uhm…a couple of months or so-“

Her words were cut off when a strong hand gently tugged her shoulder back. “Yoona- oh sorry, I didn’t realise we had company.” As she leant a little closer to her, Yoona made a promise to herself that she’d kill the Hyuna someday. “I’m Hyuna.”

Jessica shook the outstretched hand slowly. “Jessica – I just moved in next door with my boyfriend.”

. Boyfriend.

“Oh, how nice.” Hyuna and Jessica shared awkward smiles. “I was actually just on my way out. It was nice meeting you though.”

Jessica nodded, the upturn of her lips polite.

“See you later, Yoona.” And right on cue a wet, perfumed kiss was smacked onto her cheek – unwanted. If Jessica’s boyfriend hadn’t ruined her chances already then Hyuna’s stupid kiss definitely had.

They watched Hyuna strut down the garden path, through the gate and into her sleek sports car before revving off.

Yoona tried to rub the lipstick off her face. “Sorry about that-“

“Don’t worry about it. She seems nice.”

She chuckled. “Yeah, ‘nice’.” She mimicked quotation marks in the air with her fingers. “More like Satan.”

Jessica laughed a little, and something inside Yoona fluttered.

“Well, Yoona, it was good meeting you. I’m glad I have at least one nice neighbor.”

“Right.” she smiled.

“Enjoy the cookies. I’ll see you around.”

“See ya.”

From her window, she watched as Jessica entered back into her own house and closed the door.

* * *

15th October 2016, 01:45am (Present)

It’s stupid, really; losing sleep over a girl who’s in a committed relationship with someone who isn’t you.

Cursing herself, she snatches her phone from the nightstand, and squints uncomfortably as the screen glares it’s light in her face. Thumb tapping, thumb tapping, she dives into the photo folder marked ‘Jessica’, and stares at each photo with a kind of self-inflicting vengeance.

Happy Jessica, half-asleep Jessica, eating-ice-cream Jessica, after- Jessica, Yoona-get-that-camera-out-my-face Jessica – every kind of Jessica captured in these pixels except the kind she’s yearning for – the real kind.

She sighs, deflated.

Jessica’s side is where she ought be to be right now.

* * *

22nd June 2015, 18:07pm

Sitting slumped on her couch, Yoona decided that she was going to quit her job. While office work started off as an interesting change, it wasn’t one she wanted to continue.

With that thought, she changed the TV channel – and changed it again and again, and once more for good measure, but everything was boring. Nothing could pique her interest. Hitting the off button, the screen blackened out and, instead, she watched the scene outside the window.

The sun was settling behind the suburban houses nicely, spewing deep orange tones across the walls. She breathed out, and thought that maybe she needed to find something to live for again. Wandering was a lonely, empty business. Sighing, she got up to make dinner before the doorbell averted her attention.

“Hi.” Jessica’s smile was sheepish.

Yoona noted car grease smeared messily on the dark-haired woman’s fingers and forearms – brow glistening with sweat. y.

“Hey.”

“Sorry for bothering you. It’s just…I’ve been having some car trouble…and I wasn’t sure who the best mechanic around here-“

“I can take a look at it for you.” Her offer came automatically.

Jessica blinked at her. “But…are you…?”

She waved her hand carelessly. “Trust me, just let me take a look.”

* * *

She tried to ignore the skeptical looks Jessica kept giving her as she nosed around underneath the hood of the car, but even her mere presence seemed to knock Yoona off her game.

She exhaled and pulled out her hand, laden with grease. “Well…there’s more than one problem.”

The way Jessica’s eyebrows drew together in concern was…endearing to say the least. “Can it be fixed?”

She tried to smile in reassurance. “Yeah, of course. It’s not fatal – it’ll probably just take a little time.”
“Oh, good.” Jessica exhaled a sigh of relief, tucking loose hair behind her ear. “Do you have a number or something for a local mechanic?”

Yoona found herself mulling over the question for a moment, examining the gentle contours of Jessica’s face before finally replying, “Don’t worry about a mechanic - I’ll fix it up for you.”

“Oh no, I couldn’t-“

“Oh yes, you can.” Yoona smiled gently.

“But you’re not-“

“I know enough, trust me.” Jessica looked as though she was going to come back with another rebuttal but Yoona managed to stop her. “I might look like a simple office worker, but I know my way around a car.” She pulled the hood down and pushed it closed. “And besides, half of the mechanics around here are overpriced and undereducated.”

Jessica’s eyes followed her as she leant against the car nonchalantly. “That’s very nice of you, Yoona, but-“

“Think of it as a favor for a neighbor, yeah?”

Jessica continued to stare, and Yoona couldn’t quite help but notice just how nice she looked under the orange gleam of the setting sun’s glow – the sky a gentle pink hue above them.

“Okay…” Jessica acquiesced slowly.

“Cool,” Yoona stood up straight. “I’ll come by tomorrow afternoon and get started, if that’s okay with you?”

“That’s okay with me.” Jessica nodded, her smile small.

“Well then,” she tucked her oily hands into her pockets. “Enjoy the rest of your evening, Jessica.” She smiled, feeling eyes on her as she sauntered away.

* * *

15th October 2016, 1:56 am (Present)

She swipes the key from under the plant pot, slides it into the lock and enters, soundlessly, into Jessica’s home

All the lights are turned off. She glances around slowly, runs her hand across the familiar back of the couch and climbs the stairs. She spots a crack of light coming from under Jessica’s office door, approaches and knocks gently, before poking her head inside.

“ing Christ.” Jessica breathes from behind her desk, clutching at her chest - obviously caught off guard. “You scared the out of me.” Closing her laptop with an exhale, she allows herself to laugh. “I thought my boss had sent a hit man to shoot me down for nearly missing my deadline or something.”

“Sorry.” Yoona chuckles and enters the room fully. “I thought you might be sleeping. Didn’t want to wake you.” She smiles fondly over at the shorter woman. “And I think you should consider a job change if you’re up at 2am worrying about hit men.”

“You’re basically a hit man yourself.” Jessica stands slowly, smirking. “Breaking into my house at such a ludicrous hour.”

“Is it really breaking in if you know where