• Should I delete your number?

The words were like a slap to the face. Krystal flipped her phone face down on the table and struggled to listen to the introduction to her second internship. She couldn’t believe she only had one more year of college left. One more year of living with her parents.

She and Sulli planned to move in together after working a few months at their first job, though Sulli probably had enough to live on from modeling. Krystal had taken her up on a few of the modeling invitations the past few months so now had a little set aside for herself as well. It had been scary opening her own back account, but she’d done it.

Jessica being homeless (if she hadn’t had Yuri to fall back on) after being kicked out by their parents and divorcing had reinforced to Krystal how important it was to be her own woman.

So she hadn’t told Amber about her little revelation. She’d actually gone on a few of the dates her parents set her up with, but she’d made sure not to do anything to give the guys any ideas.

She shook her head wondering how she’d ever thought she liked men. She often caught her head being turned by creamy skin exposed by sheer tops or short skirts. She used to chalk it all up to admiring their fashion or being jealous of their figure, but now she knew.

And after a few trips out to clubs and walking around campus, she knew that short haired girls were her weakness. She didn’t know if it had become a thing before or after falling for Amber.

Speaking of the woman, she could feel her phone vibrating against the table and ordered if Amber were texting her again.

When the lecturer turned, she quickly flipped her phone back over to see.

• Krys?

She slid slightly, her hair concealing a portion of the desk. She loved when Amber called her that.

• What did you do this morning?, Krystal asked.

She could practically hear Amber’s sigh in her response.

• I don’t know what you want and it’s making it hard for me to know what I want. We should stop contacting each other for a while.

Krystal didn't want that.

• You can’t. You’ll miss me too much.

She typed, then chewed her fingernail waiting for Amber to respond to her.

“Miss Jung, are you listening?”

She quickly sat up straight and tried to recall what the man had asked her, the boy in glasses who seemed to have managed to stick with her from semester to semester and even into her internships answered the question, smirked in her direction. God, she wanted to wipe the smug look off his face.

So she shoved her phone into her bag and tried to pay attention for the rest of the class.

You’ll miss me too much.

Amber closed her eyes and cursed herself for being weak. Another date ruined. She should probably just ask Tiff to stop setting her up until she could get her head and heart off of a certain other girl. She and Tiffany had had a fling for a while until they realized they just worked better as friends. Plus the woman was amazing for a cuddle and listening ear when Amber was feeling particularly lonely.

Like now.

You’ll miss me too much.

Ugh. Annoying.

She paid the bill and left the restaurant, the cab ride back to her apartment tried to masquerade as a session to talk herself into deleting Krystal’s number, but she still had it in her phone when she stepped out and paid the driver.

She scrubbed a hand through her hair feeling frustrated.

“Another train wreck?”

“Gahh!!!!” Amber jumped, a hand to her heart.

Her long-time friend Henry sat on her sofa flicking through channels on her television.

“What are you doing here?!”

“Got evicted.”

“Henry?!” She stared at him hard, realizing he was serious. “Oh my god, what are you going to do?”

“Was hoping I could move in with you until I got back on my feet?” He asked with a wince. “The band is pretty much all broken up. They moved out one by one to do different things and to start families or to go back and live with their parents and I just couldn’t handle the bills alone, even with some of the work you pass along to me. I’m so sorry, Amber.”

She closed her eyes and pressed his hand between hers. “Why are you apologizing? Aren’t you glad you went after your dream?”

“Yes, but-“

“No. Now you just have to find another way. That’s all. And hopefully, something that pays you money because you can’t stay here forever,” Amber laughed. “Your socks smell like month old garbage and a serious toe infection.”

“It’s not that bad,” he smiled. “Thanks, babycakes.” He pulled her into a hug. “And I apologize for any s in the future, huh?”

She shoved his shoulder. “I seem to be surrounded by annoying people that just won’t go away.”

“Oh who else?” he asked, his brow cocked and lips tilted. “A certain rich, pretty girl who dumped you and left you heartbroken for months but still texts you like you got together yesterday?”

“Geez. When you say it like that, I sound like such a doormat for not having gotten rid of her. But the way she makes me feel,” she sighed, dropping her head between her shoulders. “She made me feel like I was seeing colors for the first time. You know?”

Henry blinked at her in surprise. “Wow.”

“Don’t look at me like that,” she whined, flipping onto the sofa next to him and curling into a ball. “I want to get over her. I really do, but I just can’t.”

“Then don’t. Go convert her with her fingers or your , or whatever you lesbians do to bring another pretty girl to the dark side.”

She hit him with one of the sofa pillows. “Ew.”

• Did you delete my number?

Krystal lay in her bed, staring at her phone.

• You know I didn’t.

She jumped up and cheered. She was about to type a response when another message came in from Amber.

• I wouldn’t.

Her brows jumped to her hairline.

• I don’t think I ever could.

She gripped the phone tightly in both of her hands, wondering if she should go ahead and confess. Tell her that she’d discovered what her problem was and solved it, but still had to wait because she didn’t want to try to fly without the security of her family’s wealth beneath her.

Would Amber think she was a coward? Smart? Cruel?

• Good night, Krystal.

She bit her lower lip and responded slowly, knowing that she needed to talk to Amber and the sooner the better.

• Night.