“What do you mean we can’t sit together on the bus?!” Sana’s indignant whine is loud enough that even Momo looks as though she might combust from secondhand embarrassment. Too many eyes glance toward their direction from within the minimal radius of the bus stop.

“I told you this yesterday!” Momo puts a hand over Sana’s mouth before continuing in a hushed voice, “I have a friend from work who is also going, but I’m the only person they know. You wouldn’t want me leaving you alone if I was the only person here that you knew, right?”

“I’m not a bad listener!” Sana groans against Momo’s palm, not letting it prevent her from talking. “You only said that a friend was coming, not that it would mean we can’t sit on the bus together.” Shaking her head away from Momo’s touch, she wraps her arms around Jihyo’s neck from the side, a mutual friend of theirs who has been ignoring their conversation in order to read the camp pamphlet. The deadly Minatozaki pout that she has perfected over time quickly surfaces before mouthing, “I hate you” in Momo’s direction.

Momo rolls her eyes. “I hate you, too.”

There’s a brief moment of silence between their mutual glares, before Momo gently shoves Sana’s shoulder and the two begin to giggle. Jihyo barely stumbles as the force of Momo’s shove travels from Sana and then against her body, but she’s too busy reading to care. Out of the three of them, someone has to know what’s going on when they get there, and Sana appreciates that Jihyo is willing to take that role.

“Both of you know how to swim, right?” Jihyo asks, grabbing the attention of her friends. Sana nods against her shoulder, though it changes from a small act of confirmation to an easy excuse for Sana to rub her cheek against Jihyo.

Momo smiles. “Actually, I recently learned how to so that I’d be ready for this. My coworker is the one who taught me.”

“You went swimming without—"

Jihyo is quick to cut Sana off. “We used to go to the park together without Momo, don’t even try it.”

Sana silences herself on the subject before moving on, “So when are they coming?”

Momo and Jihyo somehow manage to simultaneously ask, “Who?”

“Your friend,” Sana clarifies as her eyes meet Momo’s, “the coworker?”

“She texted me that she was running late,” Momo mumbles, biting the inside of her cheek. “If anything, I can save a seat for her if we start heading inside.”

“They won’t do that, they will be doing a headcount before we file in,” Jihyo says. “Also, I hope you know that phone reception is going to , and there is no wi-fi out there.”

“I know.” Sana sighs. “I won’t be able to look at Instagram.”

Jihyo smirks. “You’d only use it to look at girls, anyway.”

“Hey, it’s for fitspiration!”

Momo laughs. “You are the gayest girl I’ve ever met, don’t even try it.”

Sana is about to interject, another whine warming up at the back of , before she finds herself blinking at an approaching figure from behind Momo. A girl in a loose, oversized flannel over a plain white t-shirt and some light blue jeans is not a particularly rare visual by any means, but Sana can’t ignore the fact that her chest feels as though it may burst. It shocks her even more when the girl taps on Momo’s shoulder, causing her to turn and then share a mutual smile with the stranger.

Without prompting, Jihyo gently rubs Sana’s cheek while she eyes the interaction like a hawk. It is absolutely unfair that Momo gets to work with such a pretty girl.

“You made it!” Momo pats the girl’s back. “I was getting worried you would miss it!”

“I know, I’m sorry. Forgot a few things so I had to head back and quickly pack them,” the girl says with a bashful giggle. “But I’m here now.” Her voice is soft, and Sana wonders if it’s her natural volume or if she’s feeling shy amidst the large crowd that has pooled around the bus stop. She clears and feels satisfied when Momo successfully catches the cue.

“Oh, right!” Momo faces Sana and Jihyo again, her arm around her coworker’s shoulder. “These are my best friends, Sana and Jihyo,” she says, pointing her finger toward each girl to distinguish them from one another. “And this is Mina, guys.”

Jihyo offers a small wave and smile. Sana practically hops over to Mina, although she hopes that she doesn’t come off too excited to say hello. But there is a strong sense of satisfaction that greets her when she draws nearer, because Mina’s surprised blinks are accompanied by a blush. The urge to give this new girl a huge is already more overwhelming that Sana would want to admit.

“Hi! It’s so nice to meet the person who takes care of Momo when I can’t!” Sana beams, extending a hand for Mina to shake while ignoring Momo's side-eye. Sana can only hope that a handshake is okay and not crossing any kind of touch-based boundary, but the worry is alleviated once Mina stretches out her arm to return the shake. There is a shy giggle from Mina at Sana’s joke, and Sana finds herself distracted by the gummy nature of the girl’s smile as their hands meet. Cute.

“Yes,” Mina begins when the amusement has subsided, “that would be me. But she does a good job at the cafe, I can promise you that.” Sana wants to crack another joke about how Momo has spilled her drink on more than one occasion during her visits, but the thought is immediately pushed away at the realization that she had been to Momo’s cafe more than once without ever seeing Mina.

Jihyo chuckles. “Thank goodness. I worry for that business every day.” Momo gives Jihyo a soft kick to the leg as punishment.

“How long have you worked there?” Sana asks, now curious.

There is a long moment that follows where Sana has to wonder if Mina is trying to figure out the literal version of the answer, because Mina suddenly seems very focused while her gaze rests at the corners of her eyes, clearly lost in thought.

Momo notices and answers, “The beginning of this year.” Mina smiles and nods, seemingly relieved by the aid. Sana can only wonder how long it would’ve taken for Mina to remember the exact date and time of her first café shift, had Momo not cut in.

“How have we not met, then?” Sana pouts. “I’ve stopped by plenty of times.”

“I don’t always have the same shift as Momo, unfortunately,” Mina says with an apologetic smile. “But I mostly help in the back with stock and prep, so you probably see Momo more because she serves.”

Momo adds, “It’s been easier on her that way since she’s also introverted. It took me a long time to get used to serving, too.”

“Yeah.” Jihyo frowns. “Any kind of service or food job can be tough. People are either really kind or really troublesome.”

“There are quieter jobs if you’re shy.” Sana is sympathetic, especially after remembering how hard it had been for Momo to adjust to the type of job she had at first. She’s so much better than before, but there were way more spilled drinks and customer issues back in those days.

“Well,” Mina starts, attacking Sana’s chest directly with a bashful but serious expression, “I thought it would be a good way to push myself. I wanted to try a job that would challenge me since I want to get better with people.” She gives a slow, almost awkward fist of determination, and maybe it’s the cutest thing that Sana has seen today given that Mina’s cheeks are slightly puffed as well.

Momo smiles and looks as though she’s about to talk more when an older woman suddenly steps out of the bus and begins to call for a headcount. Sana knows that Mina is probably relying on Momo for familiarity, so she leaves them alone to talk while Jihyo shares a few things with her about the camp during attendance. However, that doesn’t stop her from sneaking frequent glances at a certain girl clad in flannel. It’s nice to see someone be so warm around Momo, if Mina’s smile and crinkling eyes are any indicator. She’d have to thank her for finding the time to teach Momo how to swim, too, and Sana knows that’s no easy feat for anyone.

It isn’t long before everyone begins filing into the bus. It’s the type of bus that’s meant for big school field trips, with fuzzy seats and giant tinted windows. Sana had initially planned for her, Jihyo, and Momo to race for the triple-seat at the back of the bus, but they settle for sitting across the aisle from each other in pairs now that Mina is a member of their group.

The bus ride is long, and Sana almost wants to scold Momo for falling asleep within twenty minutes despite making a big deal about not wanting Mina to feel alone, but she loses any desire to when she peeks over and watches as Mina stares out the window with a snoozing Momo against her shoulder. Sana smiles softly to herself at the cute sight, and she is reminded, as she is daily, of how grateful she is for a friend like Momo.

She feels Jihyo lean against her. “Cute, right?”

“What? Me?” Sana blinks, turning to Jihyo with feigned ignorance and a giggle. “I know!”

Jihyo laughs for a moment but whispers back, “No. I mean, you know – Mina.”

“Jihyo!” Sana gently smacks Jihyo’s shoulder, exaggerating a gasp. “Crushing already? How bold of you.”

There is a scoff. “Please. Don’t act like you weren’t staring at her before.”

“And what, do you want me to call her ugly? No! She’s pretty, yeah. And?”

Jihyo shrugs. “I’m just saying, I wouldn’t blame you if you shot your shot. Maybe I’d even support you.”

“Are you saying that you normally don’t?!”

The deadpan nod from Jihyo causes Sana to smack her shoulder again, and Jihyo quickly becomes the victim of a tickle battle between the two of them. Momo is Sana’s longest and closest friend, but often times she likes to consider Jihyo her best friend, too. Multiple people can be the best, she figures. It helps that Jihyo’s open-mouthed grin is wide and b with sunrays even as she’s squealing between laughs.

After a minute or so of tickling, teasing, and squealing, Sana adjusts herself back into a comfortable position in the chair before taking the chance to look over at the seats across from her again. Her ears are suddenly prone to heat when, much to her surprise, she meets Mina’s gaze, looking back at her with an amused smile. Mina must have seen Sana and Jihyo’s mini tickle battle.

Although embarrassed to be caught looking, Sana selects a teasing route, and wiggles her fingers in the air to relay a tickle threat in Mina’s direction from across the aisle. Mina gives back a tiny smirk in response, raising her free arm to return the gesture.

A huge grin plasters itself onto Sana’s face.

“Cute and playful,” Jihyo mumbles smugly from beside her, though the phone in her hand is demanding most of her attention.

Mina’s smirk relaxes back into a soft smile before she turns her head back toward the window, and Sana finds herself turning toward her own, keeping an arm around Jihyo’s as a small anchor while she loses herself in thought.

Maybe the week will be more exciting than Sana had anticipated.