All that could be heard in her office, were her fingers thrumming against her desk. She’d glance at her phone a few times, looking at it as if it was one of the most annoying things she’s ever seen. Her frown got deeper the more she’d glance at it.

 

Her hand would always reach out to it but she’d pull away when her fingers were mere centimeters away.

 

She grew more frustrated.

 

As far as she knew, she’s done nothing wrong to deserve this. All her calls and text messages have gone ignored for the past week. They seldomly ride the train together too. At first she called in sick. Then other times, she called in to tell her she had to go into work early or work after hours.

 

She’s not stupid. She was obviously being avoided.

 

Call her petty and childish, but she wasn’t going to be the one to personally go there and confront her.

 

No way.

 

She admits it. She feels hurt.

 

Combined with her frustration, it didn’t do good for her mood. She’s quite sure Tiffany had something to do with people around the office avoiding her as soon as they saw her. For that she was relieved to some degree. She’s aware how unpleasant she can be when she’s moody.

 

She let her fingers toy with the flower pendant resting on her collarbone.

 

Looking at the digital clock on her desk, she realized it was almost after work hours. She would be on her way home soon. Finding all the strength she could muster, she picked up the phone and dialed the number of the person that’s been obviously avoiding her this past week.

 

It kept ringing.

 

No answer.

 

She called again.

 

Again, it just kept ringing.

 

She was beyond mad at this point. She was furious.

 

She ended the call and proceeded to send a text instead.

 

To: Soo

My office. It’s an emergency.

 

 

She wondered if she’d take the bait.

 

Just then, she heard a knock on her door.

 

“Come in.”

 

The door opened slightly and Tiffany poked her head inside.

 

“You don’t ever knock,” Jessica stated.

 

“I can’t help but be cautious when you let Hellsica out of the dungeon.”

 

“...”

 

“You’ve been so moody, I had to cover it up by telling people you’re on your period. Usually, I hate saying that excuse, but at least it stops them from prying.”

 

“So what do you want?” Jessica asked.

 

Tiffany looked at her best friend for a moment. Even she was getting frustrated with her. She had a good guess what this was all about. As much as she wanted to bring it up first, from years of experience, she has learned it was better to wait it out and let Jessica be the one to bring up her issues.

 

“I wanted to tell you I’m leaving early. I’m having dinner with Taeyeon,” she replied.

 

“Enjoy,” Jessice tried to say enthusiastically.

 

Keyword: tried.

 

Tiffany sighed.

 

At this time, Tiffany finally let herself inside.

 

“And I also wanted to check up on you.”

 

“I’m fine.”

 

“This past week tells me otherwise.”

 

Tiffany wanted to push her a little.

 

 

“I’m fine,” Jessica said sternly.

 

“Okay,” Tiffany said.

 

Clearly she didn’t believe her.

 

“Just go already. Don’t keep your date waiting.”

 

Tiffany good-naturedly rolled her eyes at her best friend as she approached her. She moved to give her a side hug. This is all she could do for now.

 

“Don’t stay too long.”

 

“I won’t.”

 

Moments after Tiffany left, her phone buzzed.

 

From: Soo

!!!

 

From: Soo

I’m coming!

 

A smirk formed on her lips.

 

---

 

I got a call from security telling me she had just arrived.

 

I turned my seat around, the back facing the door. I then stood up and walked towards the door, slightly leaving it open and hiding behind it. Sure enough, I could hear nearing footsteps. I held my breath as she finally arrived, opening the door and walking hastily inside the room.

 

“Sica! Are you okay?!”

 

I covered my mouth to contain myself from laughing as she directed those words at my office chair, oblivious that I was standing behind her. I then closed the door as quietly as I could. I finally let out the breath I was holding when I heard the lock click in place. She must have heard it as she turned around to face me.

 

“Sica?”

 

I could see that she was a bit breathless.

 

“Hey,” I greeted.

 

“Uh...hey,” she said back. “What’s the emergency about? Are you okay? I came as quickly as I could.”

 

Seeing those concerned eyes directed at me, I felt a bit guilty tricking her. But I couldn’t stop now.

 

Not when I finally have her where I want her.

 

“You’ve been ignoring me,” I began.

 

“I-I’ve been busy,” she repeated the same excuse.

 

A lie obviously.

 

Seeing as asking would probably just end up with her lying to me, I decided to just ask right off the bat what’s been plaguing my mind since that night.

 

“On my birthday, were you or were you not about to kiss me?”

 

She gaped at me.

 

“What?” shock was apparent on her face.

 

“Were you or were you not about to kiss me?” I reiterated.

 

I saw her face turn pale then a shade of red. I didn’t say anything else as I just stared at her, waiting.

 

“I w-was just...,” she stuttered.

 

I slowly made careful steps, trying to close the distance between us, all the while she stepped backwards until I had her stuck between me and my desk.

 

“Well?”

 

“Sica, I-I was...I mean,” she continued to mumble incoherent words. None of which was answering my question.

 

I continued to invade her personal space, leaning closer until our faces were merely inches apart. I was grateful for wearing high heels so I could at least be at eye level with her. It made me all the more intimidating (which was the point).

 

“I’m waiting, Ms. Choi,” I said in a low voice I usually reserve for my meetings.

 

I could sense her internal turmoil.

 

Moments later, I heard her sigh to which I responded with a slight raise of an eyebrow.

 

“Do you really want the truth?”

 

“If you were me, would you want me to lie to you?”

 

She looked directly into my eyes briefly before looking away. I felt her hesitate as I watched her bite her bottom lip then open to speak.

 

“No,” I heard her say.

 

I expected she would start explaining herself but she didn't add any further.

 

I took a moment to take in how vulnerable she looked under my gaze. I started feeling bad cornering her like this.

 

I started backing away.

 

“Well this is disappointing,” I said under my breath.

 

“Sica, I-”

 

“You can go,” I cut her off.

 

“Sica-”

 

“I said you can go!” I snapped.

 

I quickly turned my back to her, not wanting to see the look on her face.

 

“That’s it? Just like that?”

 

Ignoring her, I continued to make my way to the door and unlock it. I could hear her footsteps just behind me. I felt her hand tug my arm, making me turn around to face her. I was immediately met with determined eyes staring directly at me.

 

“If you were going to corner me like this, then at least see it through the end,” she told me.

 

I saw her take a deep breath before finally saying, “The truth is...you are right. I was going to kiss you that night. I’ve wanted to for so long.”

 

I leveled my gaze at hers.

 

“You wanted to kiss me,” I repeated her words.

 

“Yeah.”

 

“And then you ignored me.”

 

“That’s...I just figured I might have made you uncomfortable. You were drunk. I knew that and I still tried to kiss you. I took advantage of you,” she explained. “I felt so ashamed and I couldn’t get myself to see you.”

 

“And...I was scared. I am scared,” she said in a small voice.

 

That’s the first time I’ve heard her be like this.

 

I opened my mouth to speak but she cut me off saying, “I can understand if you don’t want to see me anymore.”

 

“Was that why you’ve been avoiding me?” I finally got to say.

 

She nodded while rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly.

 

The only word that came to mind was: Idiot.

 

I sighed.

 

“Thank you for your honesty,” I said, shaking my head.

 

I stepped closer. My frustration must have been reflected on my face, guessing by the scared expression on her face.

 

“You’re such an idiot, you know?”

 

As I raised my hand, I saw her close her eyes and bracing herself, probably expecting me to slap her.

 

Well, it’s her lucky day.

 

I felt her flinch the moment my hand touched her cheek. I caressed her cheek with my thumb and, slowly but surely, I did what had been long overdue.

 

Ever since I found out about the flowers.

 

At first, I just pressed my lips on hers.

 

It was too innocent to be even called a kiss really.

 

Just a peck to test the waters.

 

I quickly pulled back a bit. I could see the shock mixed with confusion in her eyes. I placed my lips on hers again, this time, more boldly as I started moving my lips against hers.

 

I smiled into the kiss when I finally felt her respond, eagerly kissing me back.

 

I wrapped my arms around her neck, pulling her closer to me. She placed her hands on my sides then moved them down to rest on my hips. As we continued to kiss, she pushed me back until my back was against the door.

 

I reached for the knob and locked the door.

 

We were probably the only ones left on the floor at this time, but you never know when someone might just show up. Tiffany suddenly came to mind. I quickly brushed off the thought because this really wasn’t the time to be thinking of my best friend.

 

I got back to focusing all my attention to kissing Sooyoung.

 

I relished on the feeling of her soft plump lips.

 

I felt her bite my bottom lip before swiping it with her tongue. I got the message and immediately gave her access. When I opened my mouth, I felt her tongue tentatively enter my mouth. I lightly on the tip of her tongue which elicited a whimper from her.

 

I opened my mouth a little bit wider. Her tongue entered my mouth which I happily welcomed. I met hers with my own, at the feeling. The kiss quickly became heated as we found ourselves in a tongue battle.

 

I felt one of her hands slide down to squeeze my thigh. A loud moan escaped from my lips. That seemed to urge her movements as I felt her hands wandering over my body.

 

I wondered what it would feel without my clothes on.

 

As much as we wanted to continue, the need for oxygen reluctantly made us pull back. We still stayed in the same position, our foreheads resting against each other as we tried to catch our breath.

 

“That was…wow,” she said in between breaths.

 

Agreeing with her, I said, “Yeah. Wow.”

 

As our breaths evened out, my eyes found hers.

 

I saw worry in her eyes.

 

“What are you thinking?” I found myself asking.

 

“Thinking that we should stop.”

 

“Why?”

 

I frowned.

 

“Because, I want us to be able to walk away from this before things get out of hand.”

 

“Do you want to walk away?”

 

“Honestly?” she began. “No.”

 

I smiled at her response.

 

I closed the gap between us once more. This kiss was more slow and languid. I was sure to kiss her in a way that would convey how much I wanted this too. When I pulled away, I offered her a smile.

 

“Neither do I.”

 

I saw the worry dissipate and it was now her turn to kiss me. We locked lips once again. For a while, our lips moved eagerly, tasting and feeling each other’s mouth. You could say, all those pent up emotions and feelings have bloomed into lust and desire.

 

Sooyoung moved to peppering my jaw with kisses then down my neck. I craned my neck to the side to give her more access. She left wet kisses down to my collar bone then back up again.

 

She then proceeded to and bite on my skin.

 

I gasped when she bit on a sensitive spot. Hearing that, she bit and harder.

 

“Don’t you dare leave a hickey,” I growled.

 

I can sense the grin on her lips even without looking. Her hands left where they were and moved to ing the first three buttons of my blouse.

 

She started kissing down my neck again, passing my collarbone down to my chest. One of her arms returned to wrap itself around my waist. The other hand was placed over one of my s.

 

“I’ll do it where no one can see.”

 

“Soo, do- oh god.”

 

She started biting and the top of my unoccupied while massaging the other. Once Sooyoung pulled away, she looked smugly at her handiwork.

 

I couldn’t help roll my eyes at her.

 

I pulled her back in by the neck into another heated kiss. However, we had to reluctantly pull away moments later.

 

“As much as I like the idea of office , I don’t think we should,” I said.

 

No matter how much we’ve probably craved for this moment, my mind tells me that we should probably talk more about this recent development between us.

 

Grinning slyly at me, she said, “But there is a chance?”

 

I chuckled at that.

 

“Maybe?” I teased. “Stay long enough and you’ll find out.”

 

Sooyoung shrugged.

 

“I don’t really have plans on going anywhere.”

 

After a brief silence, we shared shy smiles.

 

I lightly giggled at how disheveled we must have looked at that moment. She seemed to know what I was thinking and giggled along with me. We started fixing ourselves. As I buttoned up my blouse, I noticed the bruise that was starting to grow more visibly prominent. A small blush crept up my cheeks.

 

I proceeded to straighten the creases of my blouse and skirt as much as I could and combed my fingers through my hair a few times.

 

“I’ll walk you home,” I heard her say. “And maybe we could do dinner too?”

 

I looked at her for a moment an stifled a laugh.

 

“What?”

 

Confusion was visible on her face.

 

“Before that, let me just...” I said as I raised my hand and wiped off my smeared lipstick around her lips with my thumb.

 

“Oh. Thanks.”

 

After checking each other if we looked decent enough, we quickly left my office and out of the building.

 

Cue her growling stomach, Sooyoung pulled me along. And I let her. She was a lot hungrier than she initially thought.

 

We found a restaurant nearby.

 

The atmosphere around us never turned awkward, fortunately. We did, however, share meaningful glances at each other throughout dinner.

 

It was an unfamiliar feeling how my heart sped up just from our eyes meeting across the table.

 

We didn’t talk that much when we were on the train. I don’t think that there was a necessity for small talk as we just let ourselves bask in the comfortable silence between us.

 

I was surprised when I felt her fingers brush against my hand on my lap. My hand tingled at the slight touch. Eventually, Sooyoung found the courage to place her hand over mine.

 

I said nothing.

 

Even as we stepped out of the train, she refused to let go of my hand. Not that I’m complaining.

 

I’ve dated a few people before but I’ve never felt this giddy over something such as merely holding hands.

 

My thoughts were suddenly filled with how amazing it felt to kiss her. It was...different so to speak. I’ve never wanted to kiss someone so much before including my ex-boyfriend for a year.

 

It wasn’t like how my exes kissed me. They were all too eager, too much tongue, and rough.

 

I frowned just thinking about it. It was nothing compared to how she kissed me earlier.

 

 

Sooyoung’s kisses felt so soft. Sure, we were both guilty of being too eager earlier (which to our defense, it just felt so long overdue), but she kissed me with such care and sincerity.

 

She’s pretty much bested them all.

 

“I like this,” she spoke to me as I felt her squeeze my hand.

 

“Holding hands?”

 

“Yep,” she confirmed.

 

She was smiling brightly at me and I couldn’t help but smile back.

 

“Me too,” I said.

 

We were silent for a while before she spoke once again.

 

“I missed this. I missed walking you home. I missed you,” she confessed.

 

I couldn’t help but poke fun at her when I heard her say this.

 

“And whose fault exactly was it?”

 

“I’m sorry. I really am,” she apologized. “I really wanted to see you, I swear. Not seeing and talking to you this past week has been really hard.”

 

Speaking of…

 

“Is that why Sunny randomly called to tell me to, I quote, ‘Come and clean up the mopey mess in Sooyoung’s office’?”

 

She frowned.

 

“Aissh. That meddlesome midget,” I heard her mumble.

 

“You were moping because of me?”

 

“Isn’t it obvious? I just thought that after that night of me nearly kissing you, you’d probably never want me near you again. I thought I blew whatever friendship I had with you because I couldn’t contain my feelings,” she explained. “And I know it’s unfair to you since I was the one who ignored you all week.”

 

Would I have done that if the feelings weren’t mutual?

 

I thought about it for a moment.

 

I’m not the conservative type so much that I would respond negatively to her feelings for me.

 

I’ve already considered her a great friend so I doubt that would stop me from wanting to be friends.

 

Worst case scenario, I would have rejected her and explained that I didn’t like her the same way and that I’d say I understood her actions. However, I’d make it clear I only saw her as a friend.

 

To some, this would seem a bit cruel. Extending friendship to someone who clearly wants something beyond that is a big slap on the face. But Sooyoung is one of the few people I wouldn’t want to lose. I’ve already grown too attached and I can readily admit to myself that I looked forward to seeing her whenever we met.

 

However, I would willingly cut ties if staying friends would only do more harm than good. Having one-sided feelings for someone couldn’t possibly be easy for anyone.

 

I told her all of this.

 

Sooyoung took everything I said in strides.

 

When she suddenly stopped walking, I paused in my footsteps as well.

 

“What if I stubbornly promised to keep my feelings in check so that we could stay friends?” she asked.

 

“Are you saying you'll willingly want to subject yourself to a world of hurt? Are you an idiot?”

 

“I’d rather hurt than be without you. And we’d still be friends.”

 

I was gobsmacked.

 

It was probably the cheesiest thing I’ve ever heard someone say to me. And as much as I hate to admit it, my heart skipped a beat.

 

I suddenly feel like a hypocrite after making fun of all those rom coms.

 

“You’d really do that?”

 

“I would. And also, you’ve grown on me so much I couldn’t possibly just let you go like that. I’d probably need some time though.”

 

She said all this with a smile. She was looking at me the whole time and caressed my cheek.

 

I felt like crying all of a sudden.

 

Sooyoung responded quickly with panic in her eyes.

 

“Are you okay? Did I say something wrong?”

 

I vehemently shook my head.

 

“You said nothing wrong. I’m just mad at you.”

 

“What?”

 

“I’m so mad at you right now.”

 

I quickly wiped the tears away.

 

“But you said-”

 

“Don’t ever sacrifice your feelings for me or anyone for that matter. I don’t ever want to see you get hurt especially not because of me. So you saying you’d stay friends with me despite your unrequited feelings just makes me so mad at you right now. Don’t let yourself get hurt. Never for me. I’m not worth it.”

 

“I’m sorry,” she apologized. “But, I disagree when you say you’re not worth it. Because you are. I could never just leave you like that. It wouldn't be that easy.”

 

Hearing that, somehow, it irked me even more.

 

“You easily ignored me this past week.”

 

“It wasn’t easy. I was moping, remember?” she tried to joke. “I would have given in and called you eventually.”

 

I didn’t reply. Despite saying all that, it was selfish of me. After all, having feelings for someone is a complicated affair. There’s a reason why people become fools when they fall in love.

 

Tiffany came to mind for the second time.

 

 

“Can I hug you?” she asked.

 

I nodded.

 

Being engulfed in her arms, I felt my anger slowly disappear.

 

“People don’t just sacrifice themselves for nothing, you know?” she said. “People sacrifice themselves when they know it’s worth it. Or else, they’ll regret it.”

 

I felt a fresh batch of tears coming.

 

Damn her.

 

When I finally found my voice, I pulled back from our hug and spoke up saying, “I probably would have learned to like you eventually. Although, it doesn’t sound so great saying this since it would seem like I was forced to like you back.”

 

I saw her deflate from that but I continued on to say, “But, honestly, I wouldn’t mind being with you. Even if it will take me some time to develop feelings, I’d consider myself very lucky to have someone like you.”

 

Her smile grew back.

 

“You keep giving me compliments all the time that I’ve started wanting to compliment you more just so that you’d know how much I appreciate you. You’re a wonderful person, Soo,” I said, holding her gaze. Standing on my toes, I leaned close and whispered in her ear. “And I very much think you’re beautiful too. Since the first time we’ve met actually.”

 

I’ve never seen her blush this much before.

 

She broke away from my gaze, looking away while one of her hands moved to partly cover the lower part of her face.

 

Highly amused at her reaction, I grabbed her hand and moved it away. Leaning forward, I kissed her on the cheek. I could feel her warm skin on my lips.

 

Seeing how dazed she was at the moment, I took the lead and pulled her by the hand.

 

Once we arrived in front of my house, I proceeded to unlock the gate. Once I stepped in, I turned back to face her to bid her good night.

 

To my surprise I was met by her lips. I reacted immediately and kissed her back.

 

It was a short kiss but it was enough to make me feel flustered.

 

“I’ve wanted so badly to do that earlier,” she told me. “You call me the smooth talker but you sure are something else Jessica Jung.”

 

I pulled her back to kiss her again, not quite satisfied from our earlier kiss. I just wanted more. I’ve never had such greed over kisses before.

 

I’ve come to the conclusion that kissing Sooyoung was something I’d never get sick off.

 

I whimpered when I felt her pull away mid-kiss.

 

“After hearing everything you said earlier, just to be clear, you do like me, right?”

 

I gave her an are-you-kidding-me look.

 

“I’m just trying to clarify,” she added.

 

“The kisses weren’t enough to erase your doubts?” I replied sarcastically.

 

“Well…”

 

I could tell she was teasing from her tone.

 

I rolled my eyes. But, I relented.

 

“I. LIKE. YOU,” I emphasized each word. “I very much like you.”

 

I then saw a huge grin on her face after I said that. It was quite endearing that someone would feel so happy hearing me say that.

 

“I like you too,” she said back. Then she gave me a peck on the lips before adding, “I very much like you too.”

 

I matched her grin which didn’t stay for long after she spoke again.

 

“It’s getting late. I should probably go.”

 

“Oh.”

 

I felt my disappointment and it felt worse than usual after just coming from that kiss-induced high.

 

“Good night,” Sooyoung said. “I promise to call later.”

 

I strained a smile and waved all but unenthusiastically as she began to step away from me and turned her back.

 

---

 

After reluctantly saying goodbye, I turned my back to walk away. After just walking a few steps, I felt my upper body get pulled back.

 

I nearly tripped.

 

Looking back curiously at her, I saw that Jessica was holding the hem of my shirt tightly. She was looking at me with expectant eyes.

 

“Stay.”