“Urgh . . .” Tiffany groans. She has just woken up to a huge wave of nausea and her world is anything but stable. Light is streaming in, hurting her eyes when she tries to open them. Her lips are parched and her tongue feels thick. Downing seven or eight shots of s tends to do that.

The peeling ceiling tells her she’s not in her room. And it isn’t Yuri’s room either. Where is she? Why didn’t Yuri bring her home? And where is Yuri?

“ this ,” she mumbles under her breath while attempting to sit up. Pushing up with her hand, she brushes a foreign object. A bolt of fear shoots through her chest.

No. Please, no. I did not end up sleeping with some random dude again. I did no–

Tiffany’s jaw slackens and her eyes blink several times to make sure she’s not seeing things. “No way . . . what the ?”

She pokes the sleeping woman’s arm. It’s real. Taeyeon is sleeping beside her on the same bed in the flesh. What? How? Huh? This is like a dream come true. And a mystery. A beautiful mystery. Taeyeon is like her fluffy Prince, soft and cute. With her silky black hair fanning out over the pillow and lips pouting adorably, Taeyeon is the picture of both beauty and innocence.

But how did this happen? How did Taeyeon end up spending the night with her? This reminds her of the time when Taeyeon was drunk. She had spent the night with her too. Tiffany finds herself smiling like she just won a million dollars.

“Taeyeon,” she whispers.

A blast of stale and foul breath hits her as she opens . Which brings her to an all-important realization: she needs to look and smell good when Taeyeon wakes up.

X

Taeyeon wakes up feeling warm and snuggly. The bed covers are nice and soft but the view she has of the ceiling ruins her good feelings a little. Old and peeling, it looks like it’s about to drop on her head. Eww.

Wait. Why is she even in this room? Right. Tiffany!

“Good morning.”

Taeyeon sits up and stares at the vision smiling at her. “G-Good morning,” she croaks. Embarrassed, she clears and tries again. “Good morning, Tiffany. Wow, you look fantastic. I mean, you look good. Like, considering how much you drank last night. I’m glad you’re feeling okay now.”

“Appearances deceive. I still feel like crap but I cleaned up with cosmetic help.” Tiffany winces and rubs her stomach. “I’m hungry. You up for breakfast?”

“Yeah, sure. Er, I just need to wash up first.”

“Be my guest,” Tiffany says with her radiant smile, standing by the bathroom door like a friendly usher.

Taeyeon keeps her smile up until she closes the bathroom door. Only then does she lean against it and groan.

You were supposed to be all up and ready to surprise her but you and your useless bum just had to oversleep?

“Are you alright in there?” Tiffany calls from the other side of the door.

“Y-Yes! I’ll be out soon.”

Taeyeon covers her eyes and tries to calm herself down even as the beautiful vision of Tiffany distracts her from what she is supposed to do.

I know, I know. She’s beautiful. But don’t freak out. Calm down. Don’t lose your mind. Stay calm and tell her how you feel. Tell her!

Taking deep breaths, Taeyeon looks into the mirror above the sink and nods at herself. All she has to do is wash up and get out there and face Tiffany. That’s all. Simple.

X

Don’t freak out. Don’t act weird. Just go with the flow. It’s a good sign that she’s here, right? Yuri’s message is proof. She came looking for me. She called me. She wants to talk to me. That’s better than silence, right?

Tiffany sits on the bed, twisting her fingers as she sorts her thoughts out in her head. On one hand, it does seem to be good news upcoming, but on the other, it could be Taeyeon being a sincere person giving a sincere rejection. Which is it? Either way, she has to be ready. If it’s a no, she’ll take the next best option of being ‘just friends’. That’s definitely better than losing a friend.

The door creaks open and her back springs straight up like a board. Taeyeon steps out looking tons better and cuter than before and she stops breathing. Taeyeon looks like she wants to say something now. What is she going to say?

Don’t say no. Don’t say no. Don’t-say-no.

X

Taeyeon’s heart starts to thump hard the moment she opens the door and sees Tiffany sitting on the bed. The words she planned to say depart her brain without saying goodbye, leaving her with useless sounds like ‘ahem’ and ‘er’.

With her hands clasped tight and back stiff as she sits on the bed, Tiffany seems surprisingly nervous too. Nothing like the sassy, flirty woman she usually is. It should comfort Taeyeon since she isn’t the only nervous one but she feels more pressure to allay the situation instead.

“Er . . . I have something to say,” she manages to get out at last. Alright. Now I just have to say it. Just say it!

X

Tiffany springs from the bed and stands before Taeyeon as soon as she speaks. “What is it?” she asks, trying desperately to maintain her composure.

“It’s about us.”

“Oh, yeah, of course it is. What else could it be about? Silly me,” Tiffany blurts in a rush, wearing a sheepish smile. “You’ve had time to think about it?”

Taeyeon nods. “I took a little too long, I think.”

“Nah, not long at all. It’s only been a couple of days. I’ve seen longer.” No, I haven’t. I’m such a liar. I’m going straight to hell.

“It’s been three days.”

Well, four actually, if you include this morning.

“I didn’t realize how many days have passed until Sunny asked if I had spoken to you yet.”

“So, Sunny knows?”

Taeyeon nods again. “Mhm. I hope you don’t mind. I usually go to her for advice.”

“She’s the kind of friend I would go to for advice too. Don’t worry. I totally understand.”

“Yeah, so after Sunny asked, it hit me that I haven’t talked to you in days so I called you but you didn’t answer, and I got kinda worried ‘cos I thought I might have taken too long and pissed you off, so I went to Pot Shot to see if you were there and you were there but you were passed out.”

Taeyeon clears and asks softly. “Were you drunk because of me?”

Why would you ask a question like that? It’s so ing embarrassing. “Maybe . . . a certain percentage of the cause was you.”

Taeyeon hangs her head. “I’m sorry.”

“Hey, it’s not your fault. I just felt like drinking last night and ended up drinking one too many shots. You know how it is when the drinking spirit flares up.”

“I don’t usually make it to that many beers, let alone shots.”

“That’s right, I forgot you’re not much of an alcoholic,” Tiffany replies with an awkward laugh. When are you gonna talk about it? Quit stalling.

“I really should stop stalling,” says Taeyeon.

“Don’t sweat it. Take your time. I’m sure it’s difficult for you to come out and say it since this is your first time.” Yep, I’m definitely going to burn for a very long time.

“No, no. I’ve taken long enough.” Taeyeon inhales deeply, her chest and shoulders rising before dropping as she exhales. “I’ve decided to give it a try.”

Give it a try? Am I a ride in a theme park?

“Wait. No. That came out wrong.”

. I’m not even a ride now?

“I mean, I know I like you, it’s just that this is all very new to me and I’m kinda scared, I guess? But I don’t want to miss out on the chance to, maybe, find happiness with you. I mean, I’ve been really happy the entire time we hung out together so maybe, if it works out, it’ll be a great thing. Like, a great relationship.”

The weight that was pressing on Tiffany’s chest for the past four days rolls off and disappears into nothing as soon as Taeyeon says ‘I like you’. And her heart inflates with helium, growing lighter and lighter as Taeyeon explains her complicated feelings and hope for happiness.

By the time Taeyeon is done talking, Tiffany’s heart is full of fire and passion. She steps forward and takes Taeyeon’s hands. “Taeyeon, I can’t tell you how happy you’ve made this sugarbabe feel. I know it’s a big step you’ve just taken and I’m so happy because you took it for me. I’m seriously blown away by everything you’ve said. I couldn’t have dreamt of a better reply.”

“Really?” Taeyeon winces. “I thought I messed the whole thing up.”

Tiffany shakes her head and her lips won’t stop curling up. “No way. You didn’t mess anything up. That was the cutest, most romantic and honest confession I’ve ever received. Thank you. You just convinced me that I didn’t make the wrong decision to tell you about my feelings. This is like a dream come true.”

Taeyeon blinks for a moment before smiling. “What if you’re actually dreaming right now?”

Tiffany narrows her eyes and pinches Taeyeon hard, making the shorter woman yelp.

“Ouch! What was that for?”

“To make sure I’m not dreaming,” Tiffany quips with a grin.

“Damn, I suppose I deserve that.”

Tiffany rubs the spot she pinched. “No, you don’t. You deserve a kiss but I don’t suppose you’re ready for that?”

Taeyeon bites her lip.

“How about a hug?”

Taeyeon smiles and nods and that’s all Tiffany needs to see before flinging her arms around the soft, beautiful woman who has just made her day, week, month and maybe even year.

X