“Tzuyu! Come down, your date is here!” Jeongyeon shouted when she heard a knock in the door.

 

She opened the door to reveal the girl with the kind smile she heard so much of and almost fainted when she realized it was Jihyo, a girl she had a lot of classes with. She was definitively older than her sister, a literature student and Jeongyeon’s project partner in more than one opportunity; distrust was a natural thing when it came to her little sister and her acquaintances, especially if they were older than her, but when she recognized the kind eyes of the girl in the suit, Jeongyeon couldn’t bring herself to say anything rude or threatening her.  

“Oh, hi Jihyo, come in, Tzuyu is getting ready.”

 

“Oh, sure, thank you.” She bowed respectfully towards Jeongyeon, and said girl was having it hard to find reasons to despise her, she felt like she was failing as a sister.

 

“This is so weird.” She ended up replying with a smile. “I’ve surprisingly heard a lot from you, considering the fact she doesn’t talk a lot about anything.”

 

“Really?” Jeongyeon wanted to groan because It was impossible to any human over fifteen to have such luminous and innocent looking eyes. “She talks about you too, she really looks up to you, Jeongyeon.”

 

“No, she doesn’t, she’s too tall.” She snorted and Jihyo laughed softly.

 

“I mean; she always talks about how you take care of her, you’re like her hero. And now I have to confess I feel really nervous because, duh, we’re classmates and this is as weird as it gets.”

 

Okay, so, Jeongyeon would kinda bring herself to like this thing about Jihyo and Tzuyu hanging out.

 

“Damn it, you’re making it too hard for me.” She sighed and chuckled, Jihyo looked at her confused and she had to explain herself before making things even more awkward for the both of them. “I’m her big sister, and with no parents around, It’s kind of my job to hate and threaten all the people that gets her to dates or breathes too close to her. And you, you make it hard for me to hate you, because it’s you.”

 

Jihyo blinked fast a couple times and her smile easily came back and she was about to reply when she heard the steps coming down the stairs and the voice she recognized so easily.

 

“What did you say, unnie?”

 

“Here she comes. Tzuyu, your friend Jihyo is here.” Jeongyeon emphasized the ‘friend’ word and Jihyo immediately straightened her position when she saw the short haired woman raising her eyebrow.

 

The woman in the suit definitively wasn’t ready for what she saw; she actually opened to say something to the younger girl, but no words would come out. Tzuyu was looking so ethereal with her hair cascading in soft waves over her shoulder, showing one side of her beautiful neck; she was wearing an adorable red wine colored Pouf dress, and, were those wine red All-stars sneakers?

 

Soon Jihyo found herself staring at Tzuyu’s eyes and noticed the younger girl looking at her from head to toe, finally blushing so adorably that Jihyo swore she could melt.

 

“Okay, this is getting really uncomfortable for me, can someone please say something?” Jeongyeon asked after taking a picture with her phone and both girls were startled out of their moment; the older sister purposefully ignored Tzuyu’s glare.

 

“You look beautiful, Tzuyu.” Jihyo said softly and Tzuyu looked at her again, her expression as impassive as ever, but the reddish tint on her cheeks gave her away.

 

“I said ‘Say something’, not cheesy stuff like that… Gross.” Jeongyeon complained with a smirk and Tzuyu pushed her in the kitchen’s direction, whispering death threats and something about a knife and Jeongyeon sleeping.

 

Jihyo covered with a hand so both sisters wouldn’t notice how wide her smile was at the moment, she wanted to laugh so bad but it was a death wish if she did so in front of Tzuyu.

 

“Can’t you just… leave, unnie?”

 

“Okay, okay, no more jokes, I’ll leave so I can finish my movie marathon.” Jeongyeon shrugged and then pointed at Jihyo with her index finger. “Don’t bring her home too late, don’t do weird stuff, hands where I can see them or you’ll regret it; remember I have access to all of your projects for English lit class, Jihyo.”

 

“Unnie, I swear to god, I’m going to destroy you.”

 

“It’s okay, Tzuyu, it’s her job.” Jihyo interrupted and then nodded towards Jeongyeon, who did the same before leaving, probably to get something to eat.

 

“Have fun.” She said playfully and winked at Tzuyu, knowing her little sister wouldn’t do anything dangerous against her in front of Jihyo.

 

A couple seconds later, they were left alone in the entrance of Tzuyu and Jeongyeon’s house, unable to stop looking at each other.

 

“You look so cool in a suit; I didn’t think you’d wear one” The taller girl said softly.

 

“Well, I guess I’m full of surprises, do you like it?”

 

“I love it.”

 

And they both blushed again before Jihyo opened the door of the house for her and both of them headed towards the older one’s car.

 

*

 

They had met through Jeongyeon, thanks to a group project for college that Tzuyu wouldn’t be less interested in; she was playing videogames on her phone when her older sister introduced her classmate to her and Tzuyu barely paid any attention to the older girl, muttering an indifferent ‘Hi’ before getting her attention back to the screen.

 

They spent hours working on the project and Tzuyu soon got bored so she went to check up on them, barely making noise when she opened her sister’s bedroom door and heard her classmate read a poem out loud.

 

By the time the poem reading ended, Tzuyu had the hugest crush on her sister’s classmate and suddenly all the things she did were the most interesting things the younger girl ever heard of.

 

Jeongyeon didn’t even notice, the lingering looks, the sudden interest in poetry and literature, the borrowed books and a lot of ‘Can I ask Jihyo-unnie about this book?’

 

Tzuyu was the best at hiding her feelings after all.

 

And that was also the main problem while trying to approach Jihyo in a less sister-of-a-classmate way, but thanks to a certain book and a lot of practice in front of a mirror, she got her point across.

 

“You’re like a mistery, Jihyo-unnie.” Tzuyu said one day, out of the blue, while studying with the older girl by her side –mainly because Tzuyu suddenly needed tutoring in a subject Jihyo had an expertise in-  

 

“That’s the weirdest and most random compliment I ever heard, Tzuyu.” The older girl chuckled, typing on her laptop.

 

“It isn’t a compliment.”

 

“It isn’t?”

 

“It’s a warning, a threat if you’d like.” That seemed to get the attention of a very amused Jihyo.

 

“Is it, now?”

 

“Yeah, mysteries are meant to be solved, to be figured out. I’ve read a lot about it, Jihyo-unnie, and I think I’d really like to find out what lies within yours.”

 

Jihyo stopped typing then and Tzuyu looked up from her book and into her eyes, the corners of her lips hiding a secret smile and her eyes saving all her hopes. The older girl then raised an eyebrow.

 

“So what if what you find inside isn’t what you expected, what if it disappoints you?”

 

“You’d be surprised, unnie; and so would be I.”

 

*

 

They never kissed each other on the lips, they never talked about the love that blossomed between them out loud; both girls hid around in libraries and parks, at Jihyo’s apartment and Tzuyu’s backyard at night when she made sure her sister was sound asleep, just talking about poems and books, about feelings but not their own. That way they got to know each other in ways most people didn’t even understand; Tzuyu learnt that Jihyo wanted to be a writer, she actually had a couple manuscripts hidden on her closet she’d be too self-conscious to publish; Jihyo found out that Tzuyu actually wanted to be a photographer, it was easy to figure out after the younger girl’s insistence of taking photos of her while she was working on an essay or project.

 

Sometimes they’d spend whole evenings on each other’s arms, talking about dreams and hopes, about family and dogs; some other times they would just play around and act out old plays from Jihyo’s favorite collection, or they’d dance on Jihyo’s living room until Tzuyu got a call from her sister asking her to get home soon.

 

*

 

It was an obvious next step for Tzuyu, asking Jihyo to be her date to her prom. The older girl first laughed thinking it was a joke, but then she laughed even more in happiness when she realized the taller girl was serious and ready to be seen with her outside; they barely thought about Jeongyeon and her finding out about the special nature of their relationship.

 

“She’ll see what it’s going on, she won’t judge, Tzuyu… Give your sister a little credit, she’s the best person I’ve ever met, besides you, I mean” She said, and Tzuyu believed her.

 

“What color will you pick for your dress, unnie?” The seventeen years old asked and Jihyo smiled so brightly it was like the sun warming her heart.

 

“Just choose the dress you want to wear, I’ll manage something.” She whispered against her forehead, kissing her there soon after.

 

*

The school gym was full of teenagers and the music could be heard from the street, and Jihyo felt nervous because she was older and the kids would realize a soon as they saw her; Tzuyu’s hand reassured her before any of those thoughts occupied a bigger space on her mind than intended.

 

They got in and it didn’t took long for Tzuyu’s friends to find her from the crowd.

 

“Chewy~” One of them called out before the young girl was stolen away from Jihyo’s hands.

 

The girl in question looked like she drank at least five energy drinks and was practically jumping on her heels, speaking so fast Jihyo barely could catch up so she just kind of zoned out until her name was called in the conversation.

 

“This is Jihyo.” Tzuyu introduced her, a tint of pride and warmth on her voice Jihyo already could tell apart. “Jihyo-unnie, these are my friends, Dahyun and Chaeyoung.”

 

Both girls waved at her and shared knowing looks between them and Tzuyu, the older one just bowed slightly and smiled that kind smile everyone loved so much; both of Tzuyu friends soon understood the reasons behind Tzuyu’s happiness and gave them space to enjoy themselves.

 

“They’re so energetic, I bet no one could guess they’re your friends.” She said after the young girls left, shouting something along the lines of ‘rap god’ and ‘proving they could turn up for real’

 

“And you could?” Tzuyu asked, smiling softly.

 

“Of course, because I know you far beyond that face of yours, faking disgust at their antics.”

 

“I have to admit it’s scary and endearing at the same time, the things you notice.”

 

“Do I resemble a stalker or something?”

 

“No, I think it’s a writers thing, to see beyond everything, read between lines and feelings over facts.”

 

“It’s not about feelings over facts, it’s about caring and being interested in someone’s story, in their heart. The facts are that they’re your friends and the most hyperactive girls I’ve ever seen, and the feelings are that I’m happy to know they’re your friends, and you’re happy to have them too.”

 

“You always do that.”

 

“What?”

 

“Say or do things that I can’t get myself to forget.”

 

“Is it a bad thing?”

 

“No, I like it when I’m walking on the street and suddenly remember something you say or do, I start to smile and people look at me like I’m crazy.”

 

Jihyo smiled then and intertwined their fingers before guiding her to the dance floor.

 

“I’m glad to know about that, so, what do you think about dancing and making some more memories for us?”

 

“I’d really like that.”

 

*

 

“I didn’t think you’d like me back.” Tzuyu smiled at Jihyo, swaying with her in the dancefloor, following the rhythm almost by inertia, one of her hands on the older woman’s shoulder and the other one playing with her hair. “Half of the time I thought you were in love with someone, considering the way you read your poems, and the other half I doubted someone like you would like someone like me.”

 

“And what if I was? In love, I mean.” Jihyo asked, amused.

 

“It’d be an accident, no one could prove I was involved, it’d be the perfect crime.” She answered and Jihyo hummed, nodding; it was a very Tzuyu thing to say anyway.

 

They barely paid attention when some girl and some guy were crowned as queen an king of the prom; both of them laughed their lungs out when Dahyun and Chaeyoung got up on the stage and started rapping so fast it made Jihyo feel impressed, and a little bit intimidated.

 

They laughed, danced, swayed and looked at each other like nothing else existed. Like life and time stopping, just for a couple seconds, without any movement. It was like the world had went silent around them so they could highlight what was really important.

 

By the end of the night, Jihyo kissed Tzuyu’s forehead twice, and the younger girl heart beat so strongly she was scared the writer would hear her.

 

*

 

“Would you like to come inside?” Tzuyu asked, refusing to let go of Jihyo’s hand at the entrance of her house.

 

“Tzuyu, I-”

 

“I won’t let go, Jihyo-unnie” She smiled and pulled the older girl by the hands and into the silent house.

 

Jeongyeon was out for the night, or so it said the note on the key hanger by the entrance; Tzuyu didn’t even paid attention to it, she was just focused on the young writer walking beside her up the stairs and into her room.

 

Of course Jihyo knew the young girl’s bedroom, she had been there before for her tutoring and she knew where all the younger girl’s secrets were hidden, like the box of pictures of them under the bed and the ‘Jihyo collection’ hidden in between the pages of ‘The Little Prince’ copy she gave her as a gift. But being there at night, with the only source of light being the bedside lamp and Tzuyu’s eyes, that made Jihyo’s heart race so fast it was difficult not to trip over herself.

 

They re-discovered each other’s face and searched for doubts, questions and answers on each other’s eyes; Jihyo smiled and closed her eyes when Tzuyu’s hands reached her face and her fingers started to trace every curve and edge on her face, her own resting at the younger girl’s hips.

 

“If life is measured in moments instead of minutes, I want this one to be forever.” She whispered.

 

“I want it to be just now” The writer replied, opening her eyes to find Tzuyu’s innocent ones staring back at her with so much feeling she couldn’t help but reciprocate. “Now it’s perfect.”

 

Jihyo helped Tzuyu out of her sneakers and dress, and Tzuyu did the same for Jihyo. They looked at each other’s skin and discovered galaxies and smoke, water and air blended together; they weren’t bare, but they surely felt like they were, Jihyo’s fingers latching onto Tzuyu’s waist and helping her lay down on the bed, the young photographer’s palms caressing her back like she never touched anything so soft before.

 

They lied beside each other and looked into each other’s souls until they disappeared under closed eyelids.

 

Tzuyu’s first kiss was as tender and soft as Jihyo’s voice reading a poem.

 

Jihyo was convinced Tzuyu herself was a poem.

 

Tzuyu smelled lavender and Jihyo tasted strawberries.

 

They fell into a perfect embrace and their lips found each other as long lost pieces of the same entity.

 

They kissed the words out, words that didn’t even needed to be spoken; they were written on each other’s skin, on their lips and their breaths.

 

The first time Tzuyu said ‘I love you’ nobody heard it, just Jihyo’s heart.

 

And Jihyo said it back just as quietly.