Taeyeon should have just persuaded Tiffany to save them (but mainly Taeyeon) the trouble and gotten on a damn plane and been done with it. The flight from New York to Los Angeles would have only taken them about four hours, but instead, here they were in their third sketchy motel room.
 

It had only been three days since the road trip began, but Taeyeon’s right eye had twitched more than it had twitched for the past five years.
 

Tiffany should have only planned this road trip if she were a rich heiress who could afford to stay in five-star hotels every night, but no, sadly, she was not. Well, at least Tiffany could afford cans of bug spray for the countless cockroaches they’d encountered in the three motel rooms they’d slept in.
 

“TAEYEON, THERE’S ANOTHER ONE! GET IT GET IT GET IT OH MY GOD—”
 

Taeyeon drowned out the rest of Tiffany’s ear-splitting screams to focus on killing the poor insect that seemed to be standing still at the corner of the room (probably stunned by the sudden burst of decibels from the human who had jumped onto the bed like her life depended on it). Taeyeon expertly sprayed insecticide onto the insect, and in a few seconds, it had lain supine, its legs twitching uselessly.
 

“TAEYEON IT’S NOT YET DEAD IT’S—”
 

“Fany, it can barely move—”
 

“TAEYEONNNNNNNNNN…”
 

Taeyeon’s eye twitched again. Spray spray spray. “There. Happy?” Taeyeon turned to the human megaphone who had her hands clutched at her chest and had her eyes narrowed to check on the lifelessness of the cockroach.
 

Taeyeon bit her bottom lip hard to stop a smile from forming on her face, because she was so not amused right now. She was annoyed at the bugs and at Tiffany and her ears were crying. They really should have taken the damn plane.
 

But if Taeyeon were to be completely honest with herself, she knew that they could just drive to any nearby city and fly to California if she really wanted to. As much as the constant bug killing was tedious and annoying, this road trip had so far been enjoyable. And even though her best friend could be really whiney sometimes, everything else about her outweighed the bad. Squashed the bad. Exterminated the bad like how Taeyeon exterminated that poor cockroach.
 

And that grateful hug Tiffany always gave her after each kill made everything totally worth it.
 

As Tiffany wrapped her arms around Taeyeon in the dimly lit room, the latter thought of how she could sneakily clean up the rat poop she saw by one of the beds. She didn’t think bug spray could do the trick on a rodent.

***

Tiffany was enjoying this road trip. The weather was perfect, the landscape all over America was a sight to behold, and most importantly, her best friend was by her side.
 

Well, not as of the moment, because Taeyeon, once again, was outside of the car, peeing.
 

Tiffany understood that Taeyeon had a weak and fragile bladder, but come on. It always took forever for Taeyeon to pee. Tiffany always wondered what else she was doing in there for her to take so long, and she had mentally listed her ideas down for her amusement whenever she had to call for the goddess of patience as she waited for her friend to finish her business. The list included crying silently, writing a graphic novel, praying to the goddess of urine for a bountiful release, and just simply wanting to annoy the hell out of Tiffany.
 

Taeyeon had been having at least five bathroom breaks during a whole day’s drive. Luckily, there always seemed to be a pit stop that had a rest room every time Taeyeon needed to let go. Until now. They’d been cruising through fields filled with trees and grass and the occasional herbivore for the past hour while Taeyeon had been constantly and groaning at Tiffany’s ear about her bladder.
 

“Tippaniiiiiii—”
 

“Oh my God, Taeyeon, shut up. I’m driving as fast as I can!”
 

“STOP DRIVING SO FAST, THE BUMPS IN THE ROAD ARE MAKING IT WORSE—”
 

“Then what do you want me to do???”
 

“Fany…”
 

“God, Taeyeon. Just think about . Apparently it helps you forget—”
 

“What!?”
 

“I read somewhere that—”
 

“No, just—”
 

“But—”
 

“FANY, JUST PULL OVER. I CAN’T. I’M GONNA PEE ON A TREE.”
 

“Technically, that would be hard for you. Only guys would—”
 

“FINE. ON A BUSH. BEHIND A BUSH. WHATEVER. JUST. STOP THE DAMN CAR.”
 

“Okay, okay! Wait, let me find you a bush or whatever.”
 

Tiffany obeyed the crazy lady and pulled over once they reached a sparse woodland area that had a few trees and bushes for Taeyeon’s perusal. Taeyeon flung the car door open and twitch-ran towards the nearest bush.
 

Tiffany let out an amused laugh at the expense of her friend as she shifted her upper body above the console in order to close the door Taeyeon had left open. After doing so, she settled back in her seat and leaned her head back on the headrest. She closed her eyes and figured she could put the five-minutes-or-most-probably-more to good use and get a good nap out of Taeyeon’s bathroom break.
 

Suddenly hearing a muffled scream, her eyes jerked open. She turned to the right and watched in complete shock as Taeyeon ran towards the car with her shorts only mid-thigh, her black underwear completely on display for the y deer to leer at.
 

As soon as Taeyeon got inside the car, she turned to Tiffany, still looking a bit pale. “S-s-snake” was all she said.
 

Tiffany remained silent for a few seconds before promptly bursting into laughter, earning herself a withering glare from the shorter woman.
 

“I’m sorry, Tae,” Tiffany said in between laughs. “But that was the shortest pee session you’ve probably had for the past decade.”
 

“Shut up. You would’ve died if it were you out there. Even a cockroach scares the living out of you.”
 

“I know. You’re so brave, TaeTae.”
 

Taeyeon narrowed her eyes at the other woman, gauging whether or not she was being sarcastic.
 

“My Hwangja-nim,” Tiffany snorted, earning herself a smack.
 

“Shut up. Or I won’t kill the cockroaches in the room for you tonight.”
 

“Okay, okay,” Tiffany conceded, unlocking the hand brake and easing the car back on the road. “By the way, babe—”
 

“Shut. Up.”
 

“Babe—”
 

“Tiffany, I swear to God—”
 

“BABE. Your shorts are down to your knees.”
 

“…Oh.”

***

Taeyeon admitted to herself that America was home to countless beautiful tourist spots and views that she would never ever witness in South Korea. Seeing such a wide multi-colored horizon once they left cities behind them as they drove on the open road was beyond amazing, and the cities themselves were grand and surreal in their own ways.
 

But having to take a shot of every single monument? Statue? Fountain? Was that really necessary? Well, Tiffany thought so.
 

“Taeyeon, let’s stop by at this park!”
 

“That park looks the same as the one we went to yesterday.”
 

“Of course it isn’t! That was in a different city!”
 

“Fany-ah…can we skip this one?”
 

“But Taeeee! We probably won’t ever come back to this place so I want to make some memories while I can.”
 

Taeyeon heaved a big sigh to sound out her frustrations. Usually, Taeyeon didn’t mind stopping the car every now and then to explore national parks and monuments, but she woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, so she wasn’t in the best mood.
 

Tiffany looked over at her in concern for a while before finally conceding. “Okay.”
 

“What?”
 

“It’s okay. Keep driving. I’m sorry.”
 

Even though Taeyeon knew Tiffany didn’t mean to make her feel guilty (because she sure as hell recognized it when she does—she knew Tiffany like the back of her hand), Taeyeon felt a pang in her chest. She momentarily closed her eyes before slowing down the car, searching for a place to park it in.
 

“Taeyeon?”
 

“Let’s go take those 500 selfies in the park, Fany-ah.”
 

She felt Tiffany watching her in her periphery. “Are you sure? We’ll probably encounter other parks on the way, so—I mean…or we could just continue travelling without stopping. I don’t mind.”
 

“No, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get so cranky. I think I didn’t have a good sleep last night. We should make the most out of this trip, right? So, let’s go and walk around. I’m craving for some ice cream anyway.”
 

Taeyeon finally found a spot to park in before she realized that Tiffany hadn’t said anything in response. She turned to look at the girl beside her who was giving her the most radiant smile, which automatically made her smile too, as always.
 

“Thank you.”
 

And really, Tiffany didn’t have to thank her. Not when Taeyeon got to look at Tiffany through the lens of her DSLR and Polaroid and watch her make super extra poses in between super breathtakingly gorgeous ones.
 

Not when Taeyeon and Tiffany had a blast looking through all the photos they took that day at night in their we’re-finally-getting-used-to-the-slightly-musty-smell-and-constantly-bugged motel room.

***

Tiffany knew Taeyeon was a sleep-talker. It never really bothered her (she’d been having sleepovers with Taeyeon since they were teenagers), it just concerned her sometimes, because occasionally, Taeyeon would mumble incoherent things, like she was having a nightmare. Usually, Tiffany would brush her hair soothingly or gently hold her hand, and during this trip, she did the same. Well, almost the same.
 

Since they weren’t sharing a bed, Tiffany had to walk towards Taeyeon’s bed in the middle of the night and sit there as she held her.
 

Sometimes, Taeyeon would stop talking or mumbling immediately, but it would start up again after a few minutes or hours. In the end, Tiffany opted to just lie down beside her, since she didn’t want to keep walking back and forth.
 

It was easier, as Tiffany could quickly reach out when the sleep-talking started up again. And then before Taeyeon would wake up in the morning, Tiffany would carefully go back to her own bed. She knew Taeyeon would feel guilty if she told her that she was being woken up by her sleep-talking, no matter how much she reassured her that it was fine.
 

But on the second night, as Tiffany gently rubbed circles against Taeyeon’s back during another occurrence, sudden warmth engulfed the former as Taeyeon buried her face against Tiffany’s neck, practically cuddling her.
 

Her heart thumped erratically as Taeyeon’s scent and softness overwhelmed her senses. The hugging was normal, but Tiffany’s body’s response was not.
 

That night, Tiffany could barely sleep, overanalyzing every single thing. But never letting Taeyeon go until she had to go back to her own bed the next morning.

***

Tiffany sang well. She did. She really did. When she wanted to, that is.
 

Taeyeon fought the urge to rub her ears as another Ariana Grande song came up on the playlist (Tiffany’s playlist, duh).
 

“Ooooooooh HooOOooh! If you wanna party, if you if you wanna party, put your hands up!”
 

Okay, Taeyeon was impressed Tiffany reached that almost-whistle tone, but why did she have to do it in an enclosed space with a person in such close proximity next to her?
 

Taeyeon watched in her periphery as Tiffany felt the song with the very tips of her fingers, making a variety of hand gestures and swinging her shiny red lollipop around. Taeyeon fought the urge to smile.
 

“Come on, Taeyeon! You know this! Sing with me!”
 

“I’m driving, Fany-ah.”
 

“Are you driving with your mouth?”
 

“…No.”
 

“Then you can sing. You always sing while you drive, Taeyeon-ah.”
 

“But I’m listening to your off-key singing.”
 

“Off…key…?”
 

Taeyeon gulped. She was ed. “I mean…I…I…. That whistle-tone was very on-key, though."
 

"..."
 

"…Please don’t hurt me.”
 

“…”
 

“Okay, maybe you weren’t that off-key—”
 

“What are you, a professional musician?”
 

“—but it’s very loud. You know you can be loud. And this is an enclosed space. And I have tiny, sensitive ears.”
 

“Psh. Tiny? They’re elf ears.”
 

“You told me you liked my elf ears!”
 

“Well, now I don’t.”
 

“Yeah, you do. You love them.”
 

“Shut your face, Kim Taeyeon.”
 

“I love you. And your loud, off-key, annoyingly loud—and did I mention LOUD?—voice.”
 

“…”
 

“You’re totally biting back a smile right now!”
 

“Am not.”
 

“Are too. Come on, Fany-ah. If you sing it properly in normal decibel, I’ll sing along with you. Harmonize with you, even.”
 

“…”
 

“Fany…”
 

“…What song do you want to sing?”

***

Another roar of thunder had Tiffany flitting her eyes at the brunette that jumped at the sound beside her. Tiffany turned away to face the car window, pretending not to notice.
 

It was Taeyeon’s fault.
 

What? It was. Stubborn dumdum.
 

Tiffany had told her to bring the car to the car repair shop nearby to let a professional check on it and make sure it was still functioning properly, but did she do it? Hell no. “It’ll be fine, Fany-ah. It’s been doing fine for three days!” Fine, her .
 

Look where they were now, sitting at the backseat of their car, stranded in the middle of nowhere while a thunderstorm decided to grace them with torrential downpours, bright lightning, and sharp, crackling thunder.
 

Okay, so Tiffany was exaggerating the middle-of-nowhere part. They were just about a kilometer away from a gas station before the car broke down; at least that’s what her GPS informed them. It’s just frustrating to think that they could be comfortably staying in a hotel by now (yes, they finally decided to at least try the cheap hotels around the area), instead of being stuck out here.
 

They could be enjoying some hot chocolate or coffee as they—
 

Another crackle of thunder made Taeyeon bump into her instinctively. Tiffany felt some slight tremors from the other girl before the latter willed herself away from the demon, aka her: Tiffany Hwang.
 

A cold splash of guilt washed away most of her annoyance. The fact that Taeyeon sought her for comfort even when she was being a demon meant that Taeyeon’s fear of thunder was worse than her fear of Tiffany.
 

“I’m sorry,” Tiffany heard Taeyeon mumble, making the former turn to face her. The petite brunette was avoiding her gaze, focusing on her fidgeting hands, and Tiffany the demon melted at the sight.
 

Lightning illuminated Taeyeon’s face, which flinched in preparation for the incoming thunder. Tiffany quickly held one of Taeyeon’s ice-cold hands against her own, while the free one pulled the back of Taeyeon’s head towards her, allowing her to bury her face on Tiffany's neck. She felt Taeyeon’s breathy whimper against her skin as the thunder rolled.
 

“I’m sorry, Taeyeon-ah,” Tiffany whispered against her hair. “You’re okay. We’re okay. The stupid storm will pass.”
 

They both jerked as another tandem of lighting and thunder quickly lit up the sky and shook the earth.
 

Tiffany looked at Taeyeon questioningly as Taeyeon detached herself from the former’s neck. “I-I don’t like not seeing the lightning. I need it to prepare for the thunder.” Tiffany’s stomach dropped at Taeyeon’s anxious confession.
 

An idea came through Tiffany’s mind, making her scramble forward to the glove compartment at the dashboard of the car. She took her earphones from the compartment and plugged it into her phone. After tapping a few times on the screen, Tiffany offered the curious brunette the earpieces and her unlocked phone. “Go and play some music.” Taeyeon’s unreadable expression made Tiffany think twice. “Oh. Or you can play your own music. Right. Let me just—”
 

“No. No, it’s fine. I’ll use yours.” Taeyeon quickly took the items from Tiffany’s hands and in a few seconds, music was blasting through the earphones attached to Taeyeon’s ears. Tiffany smiled as she watched Taeyeon visibly relax, the tension leaving her shoulders.
 

Tiffany took one of Taeyeon’s hands again and began to rub it soothingly between both of hers. Tiffany leaned back and closed her eyes, wishing that the thunderstorm would stop as soon as possible.
 

Her eyes snapped open as the notes of 19 You + Me flowed through her right ear, drowning out most of the sound of the rain pounding against the car’s roof. She turned to Taeyeon, whose face was a mask of concentration as she tried to fit the earpiece on Tiffany's ear properly. “Taeyeon-ah, I’m fine—”
 

“I know. But put it on anyway, okay?”
 

Tiffany was struck speechless.
 

She didn’t know how long she stared at Taeyeon, but it was probably a little too long, because the girl began to look at her with concern. Emotions were pooling at the pit of Tiffany’s gut, and she didn’t know what to do with them.
 

Instead, she adjusted the earpiece properly, closed her eyes, and held Taeyeon a little tighter.

***

Warm. So warm. Like heated up marshmallows and clouds that have been graced by the sun’s rays.
 

Taeyeon didn’t know if she’d ever felt this warm before. It was different from the usual feeling of heat that made her sweat out bullets. It reminded her of the days when she was wrapped up in her parents’ warm embrace or when Tiffany cuddled next to her during their sleepovers.
 

Taeyeon didn’t want to wake up if she could just feel this warm forever. But reality was a , and in the end, Taeyeon opened her eyes as she thought of how their road trip was about to end in a few days.
 

Honestly, she had immensely enjoyed it so far. She was glad Tiffany coerced her into this mini-vacation. If they just took a plane, then they would have probably burned through the entire city of Los Angeles and no place else. And maybe that wasn’t too bad—maybe it would have been great as well—but Taeyeon would most likely never have taken thousands of photos from different states and cities, eaten all kinds of food the different states were known for, sung through Tiffany’s entire playlist until was sore, run screaming from a brown snake watching her pee, and killed so many cockroaches that they were able to finish an entire can of bug spray. But most importantly, she wouldn’t have been able to have all this fun and adventure with her best friend.
 

Speaking of her best friend, Taeyeon turned her face towards Tiffany’s bed and noticed it was empty. That wasn’t unusual, as Tiffany would usually wake up before her and start showering and packing up. Taeyeon figured the girl must be in the bathroom, and she turned her body the other way—or at least she tried to. She then realized that something was holding her down.
 

She looked down and realized that that something was Tiffany’s arm, which was wrapped almost possessively around her waist.
 

It took her more than a few seconds to analyze the situation. Tiffany was cuddled to her side, face smooshed against Taeyeon’s upper arm. Also, one of her legs was tangled around one of Taeyeon’s.
 

Taeyeon tried to recall if Tiffany slept beside her last night, but she was pretty sure that they had said goodnight to each other as they laid on their own beds. She had a brief panic attack when she thought that she may have sleep-walked to Tiffany’s bed (she had never sleep-walked before, but there’s always a first time for everything), but then she was lying down on her own bed and not Tiffany's, so that wasn’t logical.
 

So that meant that Tiffany was the one who moved to her bed. But why?
 

The only way Taeyeon was going to get answers was to ask the person-in-question herself. Taeyeon was about to nudge Tiffany awake but hesitated at the last minute. Because Taeyeon realized that Tiffany was the reason why she had felt so warm. Was feeling so warm. The arms and legs wrapped around her gave off such comforting heat that Taeyeon was taken aback, because she swore that the countless times when she had slept beside Tiffany had never felt this way before. It was different, but a good kind of different, she admitted to herself. Yet she didn’t exactly know what changed.
 

Maybe it was because they grew even closer because of the trip? And that was a shocking revelation in itself because Taeyeon didn’t know it was possible to be even closer to Tiffany than she already had been.
 

She was pulled away from her thoughts when she felt the other woman shift beside her. She froze when Tiffany hummed against her. She knew Tiffany was about to wake up. Humming was a telltale sign of it.
 

And she was right, because at the next second, Tiffany's eyes drowsily fluttered open.
 

Taeyeon patiently waited for Tiffany's eyes to meet hers.
 

It was almost comical how Tiffany scrambled to distance herself a little bit away from Taeyeon.
 

“,” Tiffany cursed quietly.
 

“Good morning to you too.”
 

“I can explain.”
 

“Is it because you like cuddling me?” Taeyeon teased.
 

Something flashed in Tiffany's eyes, but before Taeyeon could decipher what it was, it was gone. “Umm…you were sleep-talking, so I comforted you, but it’s kind of a hassle to keep moving from one bed to the other, so I stayed here.”
 

Taeyeon had an inkling that her sleep-talking was the reason, but surprisingly, she was kind of disappointed that that was all it was. “Oh. I’m sorry.”
 

Tiffany shook her head in assurance. “It’s fine, Taeyeon-ah.”
 

“Has…this been going on during the entire trip?”
 

“No.”
 

“You know I know when you’re lying, right?”
 

“Okay, fine. Yes. But it’s really no problem. And…I’m sorry if I overstepped. I know you like your space.”
 

“I don’t have space problems with you,” Taeyeon murmured.
 

“What?” Tiffany leaned in, not hearing what she had said.
 

“I said I don’t mind. And thank you.”
 

“You’re more than welcome.” The warm feeling rushed back as Tiffany gave her a soft smile. Until she was hit with another realization.
 

“You know we could have saved up so much money if you told me about this days ago?”
 

“Huh?”
 

“We could’ve just rented a single bed.”
 

“…Oh.”
 

“Well, it’s not too late. We still have a three days left to go, don’t we?”
 

“Yeah. …Are you sure?”
 

“Yeah, why not?”

***

Tiffany chided herself for the umpteenth time for feeling nervous. It was irrational to feel this way, she knew. Unless…unless.
 

She scrutinized herself in the mirror of the hotel room’s bathroom. The single bed hotel room’s bathroom.
 

Nothing was different. She’d stared at the same face thousands of times before. But she knew something was different inside her. And that was more frightening than any physical transformation she could have.
 

After a few more minutes of silent panicking, Tiffany schooled her back and walked out of the bathroom towards her source of anxiety: Kim Taeyeon.
 

Kim Taeyeon, who was looking anything but anxious, smiling at her phone as she lay on her—their—bed. She looked up as she noticed Tiffany approaching and gave her a small smile. And really…what the . Taeyeon's smile always made her happy, but really, the triple somersaults her gut was performing right now was just beyond stupid.
 

As if on autopilot, Tiffany suddenly found herself lying down on her back next to Taeyeon on the double-sized bed.
 

After tapping her phone a few times, Taeyeon locked it and put it on the nightstand. Tiffany didn’t even know where her own phone was. Didn’t really care to know, either.
 

“Goodnight, Fany.”
 

“Goodnight, Taeyeon,” Tiffany managed to reply. A click echoed and the room was bathed in darkness. Tiffany stared at the indistinct ceiling for a short while before she took a deep breath and closed her eyes, willing herself to sleep.
 

Silence reigned on the entire room, save for the soft lull of the air conditioner.
 

“Fany,” Taeyeon whispered, breaking Tiffany from her mental screaming of ‘Just go to sleep!!!’
 

“…Hmm?”
 

“Why are you so stiff?”
 

Tiffany's eyes flew open. “…What?”
 

“You’re practically a corpse that’s developed rigor mortis with the way you’re lying down.”
 

Tiffany blinked. Unclenched her apparently-clenched fists. Exhaled and released the air tightly trapped in her lungs. “Uh…sorry.”
 

“Why are you sorry?”
 

“For…I don’t know. Never mind. Goodnight, Taeyeon.”
 

“Fany.”
 

“…”
 

“Fany, what’s wrong?”
 

“What? Nothing. I’m just…stressed or something. It’ll go away. Goodnight.”
 

“Fanyyyyy…”
 

“Taeyeonnnn…shut up.”
 

Tiffany heard Taeyeon scoff. And with a click the room was lit back into view. “No. Not until you tell me what’s wrong.”
 

“Nothing is!”
 

“Right. Is it the single bed? We could get another room.”
 

“It’s not.”
 

“It totally is. Or else it’s me. Is it me, Fany-ah?”
 

“No.”
 

“…”
 

“…”
 

“What did I do, Fany? Did I do something wrong? Tell me, please.”
 

“You didn’t! I swear. Please, can we just sleep?”
 

The bed shifted and suddenly Taeyeon's face was hovering above Tiffany's. “What’s wrong? Please be honest with me. You…I can’t stand it if you’re mad. Especially now…now that…”
 

“…Now that what?”
 

“Tell me what’s wrong first.”
 

“Nothing’s wrong, Taeyeon.”
 

“I don’t believe you.”
 

“Taeyeon…”
 

“It’s not like we haven’t slept beside each other before.”
 

“I know.”
 

“Is it…is it the warmth?”
 

“What?”
 

“Like…do you feel it? That warmth?”
 

“What do you mean…?”
 

Taeyeon lied down on her side, and Tiffany mirrored her actions, allowing them to face each other comfortably. “Um. I don’t know. I just felt this weird warmth when I woke up next to you this morning.”
 

“Weird…warmth…?”
 

“Yeah. It was weird. But in a good way. A really good way.”
 

“…Oh.”
 

“…Something’s changed, huh?”
 

“Uh…”
 

“Do I make you nervous? Just like how you make me nervous?”
 

“…You're nervous?”
 

“Oh God, yes. My palms are sweating so badly right now.”
 

“Really?”
 

“Yeah, you want to feel?”
 

“Um, I’ll pass.”
 

Taeyeon laughed, and Tiffany laughed along with her. This was weird. But the fact that Taeyeon was feeling the weirdness too was surreal, and Tiffany had a hard time wrapping her head around it.
 

“When did it start for you, Fany-ah? I mean for me, I said it was because of this morning, but really, I think it’s just because of a little bit of everything.”
 

“…Yeah, it was the little things, I think. This trip was an eye-opener. But…maybe…it was always there?”
 

“Yeah. Maybe. I mean, when did you last date anyone?”
 

“Around the same time as you last dated someone. Like...two years?”
 

“Right. Wow. Okay. So were we together without really knowing we were together for two years???”
 

“…We’re idiots, aren’t we?”
 

“I want to say no, but…”
 

Tiffany smiled at Taeyeon, and Taeyeon smiled back. Yeah, they really were idiots. But at least they were idiots who were maybe a little bit in-love with each other.
 

“Fany-ah…”
 

“Hmm?”
 

“Can I kiss you?”
 

Tiffany choked at Taeyeon's abrupt question. Didn’t mean she was opposed to it, though. “Umm…okay. I mean…I think it’s two years past its due date, so…?”
 

“Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So. Do I just…?”
 

“…Yeah.”
 

“Okay. Wooh. Here goes. Umm…should I lean to the left or to the right?”
 

“Oh my God,” Tiffany groaned before impatiently grabbing Taeyeon's cheeks and slowly fusing their mouths together. Taeyeon's lips were soft and warm against hers, but that was all she registered before they broke apart.
 

“Oh,” Taeyeon breathed against her lips. “That was…weird.”
 

“Weird?!” Tiffany leaned away, but Taeyeon pulled her back in with a hand around her waist.
 

“I mean a good kind of weird. Like an I-really-really-wanna-do-it-again kind of weird.”
 

“…Right. That kind of weird. How could I misinterpret?” Tiffany replied sarcastically.
 

“I really liked it, Fany-ah,” Taeyeon murmured as she brushed her thumb across Tiffany's bottom lip. She leaned back in and kissed Tiffany once more, lingering for a few seconds this time. And when they parted, Tiffany grasped Taeyeon's cheeks and initiated another, and another, and soon their heavy breaths mixed and mingled as they found their rhythm.
 

When air became a necessity, they pulled away till only their foreheads touched.
 

“I want you to be mine, Tiffany Hwang. Officially,” Taeyeon murmured against her lips. “Is that okay?”
 

Tiffany pulled Taeyeon in for another lingering kiss. “You have me.”

***

Taeyeon took a deep but shaky breath as she watched Tiffany ring the doorbell to her father’s house.
 

This was it.
 

After nearly a week, they had finally arrived in Los Angeles, California. That trip was an adventure, in more ways than one.
 

Taeyeon could reminisce about everything some other time. For now, she had to meet Tiffany's father. And if they didn’t have that road trip, if nothing between Tiffany and her had changed, then she would be way less nervous than she was now.
 

She was brought back to earth by Tiffany's gentle squeeze on her clammy hand. “Relax,” Tiffany said.
 

Taeyeon couldn’t afford to respond as the gate swung open to reveal a smiling middle-aged man. Tiffany let go of Taeyeon's hand in order to give her dad a full hug, but immediately grasped it again once she stepped back.
 

“Taeyeon, this is my dad. Dad, this is Kim Taeyeon. My girlfriend.”
 

Mr. Hwang's eyebrows arched up to the sky. “Girlfriend? You told me Kim Taeyeon was your best friend.”
 

“She is,” Tiffany agreed as she turned to Taeyeon and gave her a stunning smile. “But now she’s also so much more than that.”

FIN.

A/N:

I apologize for the dialogue puke at the confession part. But it was so fun to write??? HAHAHA