Neither noticed the door of the room click shut.  They were too busy with the thoughts of each other.  Krystal felt overwhelmed in the greatest sense of the word.  Isobel was everywhere – her hands were roaming her waist, tugging her shirt over her head, her lips were on her neck and her scent drove her wild.

The rest of the world may as well have ceased to exist.

Isobel lifted her onto the bed.  Its white sheets became trapped in Krystal’s eager hands.  Their clothes were strewn everywhere, a trail of lust on the bedroom floor.  Krystal could care less where they had gone, they were just strips of cloth that blocked her from what she wanted.  Isobel loomed over her, braced on both hands on either side of her face.  Krystal drank in the sight of Isobel’s smooth skin laid bare above her lying form.  It had taken too long.  Krystal let go of the sheets and grabbed the back of Isobel’s head.  She pulled her close for a bruising kiss.  No one would ever know whose moan filled their darkened room.  The feeling of skin on skin after so long a wait was more than either of them could bare.

Isobel trailed open-mouthed kisses from her shoulder.  Every touch made Krystal more desperate.  Every time Isobel moved lower, Krystal felt her breath leave her. 

Until, Isobel stopped.  She looked up to gaze one last time in Krystal’s eyes, asking– begging for permission.

Krystal met those dark eyes and whispered, ‘Please.’

That was the only signal Isobel needed.  Within seconds, every thought in Krystal’s mind was broken into shards of passion that escaped her grasp.

They couldn’t tell you how many times they’d kissed.  Wouldn’t divulge any details.  All they could say was that when they finally emerged from the bedroom, it was late afternoon and neither could fight the glowing grins on their faces.

//////////////////////////////////////

That night had been two weeks ago.  But it still brought a secret smile to Krystal’s face every time she thought of it.  Even now, when she was shopping with Jessica and Tiffany.

‘Uggggh why did we have to come here so earlyyyy?’ Jessica whined.  She pushed her sunglasses up to cover her tired eyes.

‘To get to the good sales before the crowd, Jessi,’ Tiffany rolled her eyes good naturedly at her friend.  Jessica could wake up at lunchtime and still complain about being tired.

Krystal browsed the crop tops in front of her and absentmindedly murmured, ‘Isobel hates waking up early too.’

Behind her back, the two older unnies looked at each other and rolled their eyes together.  They suddenly threw their arms on Krystal’s shoulder and waist, trapping the younger girl between them.

‘We know,’ Jessica and Tiffany said exasperatedly.

‘You told me that twice,’ Jessica looked pointedly at Krystal. ‘Twice… today.’

‘AND you keep reminding me that Isobel hates strawberry pocky and the colour pink,’ Tiffany wrinkled her nose at the thought that someone could hate the best colour and best flavour.

Krystal flushed.  She had done it again.  All week she had brought up Isobel in practically every conversation with her friends and unnies.  By now, they were all getting sick of hearing “fun facts” about her girlfriend.  During the interviews, she had to bite her tongue when questions or remarks reminded her of Isobel. She didn’t mean to annoy people.  It was just that…

‘I can’t help it!’ Krystal burst out. ‘Literally everything reminds me of her,’ she slumped dejectedly. 

Most of the time she didn’t mean to do it.  It was just that most of her stories or her thoughts now centered around Isobel, was that so bad?

Jessica looked at her little sister.  She could almost imagine the droopy ears of a sad puppy on her little Soojunggie. 

‘We know,’ Jessica sighed as she hugged the younger girl. ‘But it gets annoying to hear it all the time.’

Krystal shrugged.

‘We know too much about someone we’ve never met,’ Tiffany threw her arms in the air.  She huffed and put away the shirt, it didn’t look that nice up close.

‘Would it be better if you met her?’

Tiffany and Jessica paused.  Barely a glance between them.  Tiffany reached into her clutch and pulled out a white card.  Krystal frowned.

SM Town Afterparty Invitation.

‘You two planned this.’

Isobel fixed her shirt.  Pulling at every imaginary wrinkle.  She ran a hand through her hair.  She double checked the two bouquets she’d pre-ordered the moment Krystal had shown her that invitation. 

Shirt. Hair. Flowers.

Everything was in order… Just as they had been for the last half hour.  No more delaying.  She was bordering on the late side of fashionably late. 

Isobel laughed mirthlessly.  Isobel Parker, heir of Parker Industries, sat in her car for half an hour with trembling hands, psyching herself up.  It was like the start of every press conference she’d ever endured.

Pathetic.

Isobel flung her door open and walked to the building’s entrance as confidently as she could.

Of course, the party was held in the largest function room in the most expensive hotel in the city.  Everything and everyone was dressed to the nines.  She handed her invitation card to a burly security guard.  He waved her in.

Inside was a scene of grand arches, red carpets and twinkling lights.  There were people everywhere, celebrities and businessmen, big names in the entertainment industry.  She never thought she’d rub shoulders with them again.  At least not until her father retired. 

She skirted the edge of the room, eyes looking for the one face she’d wanted to see all evening.

‘Isobel, right?’  The voice had a soft smirk that Isobel couldn’t see. She turned around.  The girl before her didn’t match the voice.  Instead she was a girl full of warm eyes and dimpled smiles. ‘I’m Taeyeon.’

Isobel eyed her up and down, ‘Nice dress.’

Taeyeon laughed. ‘Come on, you charmer,’ she winked and took a sip from her champagne flute, ‘Your princess is this way.’

Isobel followed obediently.  If nothing else, Taeyeon was a good speaker.  Before they’d even made it across the room Isobel had told her of her recent trips to Japan.  But Taeyeon already knew that.

‘Isobel!’ Krystal launched herself in Isobel’s ready arms.

‘Princess…’ Isobel held her tight.  She breathed the familiar perfume and felt her heart slow for the first time that evening.

Someone cleared their throat.  Krystal pulled back and flushed.

‘Hi, I’m Tiffany!’ Her eyes disappeared in little black crescents.  She hugged Isobel briefly. ‘This was long overdue.’

Isobel smiled and handed her a bouquet. ‘Congratulations on your performance.’

Everyone took that as their cue.  Isobel was assaulted with a whirlwind of names and greetings.  Only her father’s training kept her from stammering like a fool.  Victoria had taken the second bouquet and refused to let it go.  Amber pounded Isobel on the back with an easy grin.  There were squeals and laughter all around.

‘Do you always buy people’s affection?’ Jessica looked down her nose.  She curled her lip at the bouquets everyone else had praised.

Isobel looked at her confusedly, ‘They’re gifts.’

Luna and Victoria stopped their fight for the flowers.  Everybody froze and watched the scene play out like an inevitable car crash you couldn’t tear your eyes from.  Tiffany reached across Taeyeon to lay a staying hand on Jessica’s arm.  She side-stepped it.

Jessica snorted and crossed her arms.  ‘They’re still bribes.’

‘Unnie, that’s–!’

‘Isobel can dig her own grave, Krystal!’ Jessica glared at her sister.  Krystal reeled back, her eyes glossed with unshed tears and growing hurt.

That was enough.  Isobel would take any harshness flung at her, but never at Krystal.  As far as she was concerned, anyone who tried, was as good as dead.  Only Krystal’s hand in hers stopped her from tearing Jessica apart.

Isobel snarled, ‘Don’t talk to her like that.’

Jessica scoffed–God, she was such a snob.  Krystal squeezed Isobel’s hand.  Isobel glanced at her and forcefully relaxed her posture.

‘The flowers are a gift,’ Isobel repeated through clenched teeth.

‘Do you think you can come in with pretty words and petty gifts and we’d all suddenly fall at your feet?’ Jessica hissed.  She marched forward and jabbed an angry finger at Isobel’s chest.  ‘You’re nothing but a shady, unknown nobody.  A stranger leading my sister astray.  Since she met you she’s been distracted at work, she’s snuck out at dangerous hours of the night and kept secrets from me! Whatever you’re trying to achieve, I’m going to end it.’

Isobel trembled with barely restrained rage.  Jessica was protective, but this was too much.  Isobel never realized that hiding her status would lead to this.

She glared darkly at Jessica and whispered, ‘Do you even care about Krystal’s feelings?’

That was the last straw.  Jessica swung her hand at Isobel’s stony face–a different hand caught it. 

‘What are you doing?’

The slap of skin on skin brushed by Isobel’s cheek.  It sounded like it had stung.  Jessica’s hand hung limply in someone else’s grip.  Only the fact that she was already so tense with anger stopped Isobel from flinching. Instead she looked to the newcomer on her left. 

‘I believe she was slapping me,’ Isobel answered coolly.

The other girl looked pointedly at the fuming Jessica.

Jessica wrenched her hand back. ‘She was baiting me, Yuri.’

Yuri raised an eyebrow at her and turned back to Isobel.  They eyed each other critically and Yuri asked, ‘Do you like motorbikes?’

Isobel looked at her strangely, ‘Yes…’

‘And Harry Potter?’

‘Yes.’

‘Soy milk? Roses? Japan? Cooking?’

Isobel shared bemused glances with the others around her, ‘Yes...to all of that.’

‘You must be Isobel then!’ Yuri seized her hand in an over the top handshake. ‘Don’t mind Sica.  She’s just dramatic. Pretty sure she’s just mad you didn’t ask her for permission to date Soojung.’

‘Yuriiiiii!’ Jessica smacked Yuri’s arm repeatedly. ‘She’s a stranger. She didn’t even have the decency to meet us before now and they’ve been dating for ages!’

‘Sica…’ Yuri hugged the angry girl and looked her in the eye. ‘We never invited her to anything before now.’

Jessica spluttered indignantly.  Apparently, that wasn’t the point.  But too late. Yuri’s lightheartedness had emboldened the others.  Soon they were all good naturedly ribbing the Ice Princess and laughing once more.  Jessica still eyed Isobel suspiciously, but relaxed when Yuri pressed a kiss to her temple.

‘You know…’ Isobel whispered to Krystal, ‘for a first meeting, everyone knows a disturbingly high number of facts about me.’ Isobel smirked at Krystal’s red face.

Krystal smiled sheepishly, ‘Oops?’

Isobel laughed and kissed her soundly.  She tasted like champagne and cherries.

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I'm sorry I've been away for so long! Hopefully this chapter was okay, I'm going to get back into writing as soon as I can. :)