The weekend went by before they finally had time for each other again. When Monday finally came, Tiffany took Taeyeon to her favourite Japanese restaurant to start the day off before heading out to the cinema for a movie. Taeyeon had chosen an action movie, not that it mattered much to her. Popcorn and drinks in hand, Tiffany helped Taeyeon to their seats and they settled down, arms linked.

The movie started, but right from the first minute, it was a fierce finger battle for each popcorn in the tub. Tiffany couldn’t remember who started it or why they were fighting for popcorn, but it was enormous fun.

So far, she was winning. 28 popcorns to 16. She wasn’t sure if Taeyeon was letting her win or had weak fingers but she wasn’t letting up on the competition. It was a fight to the bone for every popcorn.

Suddenly, Taeyeon nudged her with an elbow. “Manaboo.”

Tiffany turned to Taeyeon, unsure if she’d heard the singer right. “Huh?”

“Manaboo.”

“What?”

Taeyeon rolled her eyes. “I’m calling you. Mana—boo.”

“Manaboo?”

“Better than ‘mana’?”

The lightbulb finally went off in Tiffany’s head and she giggled. “Better,” she agreed, “but it’s embarrassing.”

“I’ll whisper it when we’re outside.”

Tiffany almost lost it and laughed out loud. “Taeyeon,” she hissed, adding a smack on the singer’s arm to the mix.

“Focus on the movie, Manaboo.”

Tiffany could do anything but focus. Hugging Taeyeon’s arm, she leaned her head on the singer’s shoulder to show her affection, the popcorn battle, forgotten. And it wasn’t until the end of the movie that Taeyeon sprung the rude shock on her.

“223 to 148. I win.”

“Huh?”

“The popcorn battle. I won. You owe me a treat.”

“What?” Tiffany protested at once. “It doesn’t work like that. You distracted me with that ‘manaboo’ .”

“The game was on, girl. I won it. You owe me.”

“And what do I owe you because you cheated and won?”

“You’re cooking dinner for me tonight.”

“You played dirty, so you’re helping me with the clean-up.”

“Deal.”

Tiffany grinned and her grin widened when Taeyeon slipped a hand into hers, took it and whispered, “Time to get outta here, manaboo.”

o|v

Taeyeon smiled to herself when Tiffany took to her hand like it was something they had always done. No instinctive pull back, no surprised jerk. Just a smooth acceptance with fingers closing over hers without fuss. She hadn’t been afraid to take Tiffany’s hand, but as with every new venture, there was an element of uncertainty and Tiffany had all but squashed it. It was fantastic.

She led Tiffany to their car before letting go and took Tiffany’s hand again once they got out of it. Hand in hand, they made their way up to Tiffany’s apartment and once they were inside, Taeyeon stepped forward and backed Tiffany up against the door. Wordlessly, she leaned in and touched her lips to Tiffany’s. This would be their first kiss after holding hands like girlfriends for the first time.

“You owe me dinner, Manaboo. Go get cookin’,” Taeyeon said with a smirk once they were done with their kiss at the door and chuckled when Tiffany rolled her eyes at her before moving towards the kitchen as told. “That’s a good manaboo.”

“You’re in charge of cutting up the tofu!”

“Tofu?” Taeyeon queried as she followed Tiffany into the kitchen. “The tofu can cut itself.” She looked around the tiny kitchen, taking in the organization Tiffany had in place. There were fruits in a rattan basket, eggs and bread on one side of the counter and dishes on the other side, near the sink. Then she saw it. The pink refrigerator. “Oh my God.”

“What?”

“You have a pink fridge.”

“Yes, I do.”

“Why?”

“Why not?”

“It’s . . . so striking.”

“It’s a nice colour.”

“Do you have a thing for pink? I mean, your car’s pink too.”

“Pink’s my colour.”

“Right . . .”

“What’s with that look on your face? Stop judging and start cutting. The tofu’s in the fridge.”

“Alright, I’m on it.”

o|v

It took them almost an hour before dinner was finally served. Taeyeon was famished by then and she dug in with zest. All conversation ceased while they devoured the rice, bulgogi and tofu soup Tiffany made and Taeyeon released an unabashed burp after she emptied her bowl.

“Looks like you liked it,” Tiffany said with a smile.

Taeyeon grinned. “I could get used to dinner like this every day.”

“I’m not your chef, Kim Taeyeon.”

“You’re not my chef but you’re my manaboo so it works out about the same.”

“You’re just dishing out these ‘rules’ as you wish,” Tiffany rebutted. “And I haven’t agreed to be your manaboo yet.”

Taeyeon simply stood and collected the dishes from the table. “You’ll become my manaboo by tonight.”

“That requires my consent.”

“Uh uh. Before the night is over, you’ll be begging to be my manaboo.”

“Pride much, Taeyeon?”

“I’m just confident. And I have the experience to back it up.”

o|v