˜”*°•.˜”*°• 05 •°*”˜.•°*”˜
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A few days have passed 5 days if you want to be exact since Chaeyeon had started living with them. It didn't take that much time for her to settle in. Thankfully, she seems quite comfortable, given the circumstances. At first, she was quite hesitant. After all, she was the guest. But her hostesses made her feel comfortable soon enough, even growing fond of their current setting. 
 

Though Sakura and Yena made her feel at home, Chaeyeon clearly doesn't want to be a burden for the two. She helps out and carries her own weight. She usually offers to go get groceries, comes back, unpacks, and lays all of the necessary ingredients to start cooking supper. It became a routine, and this night is no different. Like any other night, Chaeyeon busies herself in the kitchen after laying out all the needed ingredients, she starts to heat the cookware and starts pouring the ingredients one by one. The fragrance of whatever she's cooking is subtle but glorious, just what is needed to catch Sakura and lure her into the kitchen like always. "Whatever you're cooking, I can't wait to try," Sakura slowly walking in, eyes fixed at the stove.
 

"You're gonna have to wait, but I assure you it's good. Someone special taught me this recipe" Chaeyeon exclaimed, stirring the cookware.
 

Sakura keenly switches her gaze from the pot to the girl in front of her, "Interesting. Who's she?"
 

"What made you think it's a 'she'? It could be a 'he' or an 'it' " Chaeyeon says with a wink. "Just kidding."
 

Sakura gives a prying eye as if telling Chaeyeon to open up. Chaeyeon ignores the side-eye and continues pouring more ingredients while stirring. Sakura moves to her side, her eyes still fixed at Chaeyeon and says, "You might as well tell me the story. When I was a kid, I won a lot of staring contests at school."
 

"Well, I won a lot of 'ignoring' contests when I was little." Chaeyeon's rebuttal. 
 

This makes Sakura exaggerate an eye roll "C' mon Chaen, don't leave me hanging here. I'm so hungry. The least you could do is tell me your story."
 

Knowing the model, she knows she won't stop asking, So Chaeyeon decided that she might as well give her something "There's nothing really much to tell. She's a close friend. That's it."
 

"Hmmm. So it is a 'she'?" Sakura keenly asks but more like states as if she knew all along. 
 

"Yeah, is anything wrong with having a girl for a close friend?" 
 

"Nothing, really. It's just quite new to me. All my close friends before were guys. They'd tease me as being one of the boys. I even helped some of my friends get a girlfriend."
 

"And Yena?"
 

Sakura shrugs "She's a duck remember? As in NOT human."
 

Chaeyeon laughs heartily at the comment while Sakura wears a fond smile. Like the first time she heard it, till now and to possibly more in the future, she is quite sure she will never get tired of hearing that laugh.
 

"How about you? Did your friends help you get a girlfriend?" Chaeyeon jokingly asks after her laughing fit, expecting Sakura to answer  'yes' in jest as well. But what came was entirely different. 
 

"Yes." Sakura's note, now more deliberate and perplexed.
 

Chaeyeon's hands stop, she doesn't dare look towards the model, but she can definitely feel her stare, she doesn't know what, but something definitely changed with that simple word. She never expected an awkward air to come back between the two again after becoming quite close in the last couple of days. But the moment feels heavy, and Sakura who was fixated at the side of Chaeyeon's face is not helping. 
 

"You weren't lying when you said about winning a lot of staring contests when you were younger," says Chaeyeon after a beat of silence, trying to cut through the tension.
 

It apparently works when Sakura finally turns her gaze and shrugs, "I don't lie."
 

Chaeyeon resumes cooking, eyeing Sakura in the corner of her eye and sees the model was playing with her hair trying to look unbothered, but Chaeyeon notices otherwise the model's tense gait.
 

Afraid to illicit a misunderstanding Chaeyon adds "It doesn't bother me you know" she says making Sakura drop the hair she was playing with and slowly looks back at Chaeyeon in a look of wonderment. When the model doesn't say anything, Chaeyeon continues, "Eunbi unnie has a girlfriend, They've been together for 3 years, and they are happy more than ever each day."
 

"Oh, that rude girl does, eh?" exclaims Sakura, appearing more shocked at the revelation. But she can't help but feel relieved at what she has learned.
 

Chaeyeon nods "But don't let her hear you say that, Saku chan" chuckling.
 

Sakura shrugs, unfazed by the threat, Chaeyeon smiles at her nonchalance "Although you were certainly rude that time too" she adds teasingly.
 

Sakura becomes more subdued at the fact. She does remember being a , and it's quite foolish of her to do that to Chaeyeon. Who was so willing to help despite her non-commendable actions. Sensing Sakura's silence, Chaeyeon stops cooking and looks towards the model.
 

"I was kidding," she says, grabbing on to the model's arm. Feeling Chaeyeon's glaring eyes and warm hands on her. Sakura tries to change the topic.
 

"So are you gonna let me taste this special recipe from this special someone soon, cause I'm like hungry and I think I could eat a whole whale." 
 

"It's almost done, just wait a little bit more."
 

"Let me taste just a bit then," says Sakura as she tries to take the spoon from Chaeyeon. Which the younger skillfully evades.
 

"It's not done yet!" Chaeyeon shrieks stepping back, raising her arm overhead and successfully pulling the spoon away from Sakura's reach. But the model is relentless, despite being shorter she chases after the younger. Once she catches her, Sakura instantly stands on her toes, resting a hand on Chaeyeon's shoulder for leverage. With her other hand reaching towards Chaeyeon's wrist. 
 

The younger tries to resist but soon finds out it was futile. Such strength from such a small body, Chaeyeon stands unmoving. With Chaeyeon distracted, Sakura was able to reach her wrist soon enough, she grips on to it tugging down, bringing with it the intended spoon.
 

But Chaeyeon refuses to let go of the spoon which prompts Sakura to pull the younger's arm towards her instead until the spoon is right in front of . Sakura smirks at Chaeyeon's seemingly lack of resistance as she opens to have a taste finally. Sakura smiles at the taste as she on her lips to savor the remnants of the sauce. Chaeyeon's eyes widen at what Sakura was doing and involuntarily lets go of the spoon, making it drop on the floor.
 

"Yah, why did you drop it Chaeyeon ah" exclaims Sakura as she bends down to retrieve the, now dirty spoon.
 

Chaeyeon wakes up from her trance; her face heats up at what she just witnessed. The way Sakura had smirked at her, the way she slowly opened , exposing her pink tongue. The manner said tongue slides on her lips and Sakura's blissful expression. Everything seemed to move in slow motion. Chaeyeon felt light-headed at the scene, so instead of saying anything, she busies herself with the homemade noodles she was making on the table.
 

Sakura stands up and places the spoon on the sink. She looks towards the younger who was silently cutting the dough into noodle strips. Confused at the sudden silence, Sakura slowly approaches the younger from behind, sneakily dabbing a finger on the bag of flour and wiping it on the photographer's face. Chaeyeon jumps at the unexpected contact, she looks at the model who was smiling so widely with still some leftover flour on her finger.
 

"Why are you so quiet all of a sudden? Cat got your tongue? " teases Sakura as she laughs, "The sauce tastes heavenly by the way."
 

Chaeyeon, apparently finally had enough of the model's teasing, decides to retaliate. She drops the knife she was holding and dabs her finger at the flour and then looks at Sakura while smirking. "You're always teasing me Saku chan; Now it's my turn."
 

The two engage in a battle of who gets to put the most flour on one's face. Chaeyeon, who is taller, has a slight advantage but Sakura proves to be quite competitive. 
 

"Yah! Just because you're a bit taller" complains Sakura as she tries to resist. Prying away Chaeyeon's hands which were holding both of her wrists. 
 

Sakura tiptoed to give her a fair amount of height, meaning to swipe her finger across Chaeyeon's face and smudge some more flour but she ultimately loses her balance and gracefully falls to the floor, face down. Typical clumsy Sakura.
 

She stays put, not wanting to show how embarrassed she was. "Are you hurt?" Chaeyeon bends down and tries to help her up, and with flour scattered on the floor, it's easy for anyone to slip down, and as expected, as Chaeyeon tries to help Sakura up, she loses her balance and falls on top of her lightly bumping her forehead on Sakura's cheek. "Ah I'm so sorry Saku chan, I slipped too"
 

Sakura groans as she laughs "Yeah, I can see that," Chaeyeon laughs back as she puts her weight on her arms, trying to stand up from the fall. As she does so, she notices Sakura's gaze upon her, and like a magnet attracted to metal, she too follows through. Both continue to stare at each other with Sakura lying still on the floor, arms stiff on her side staring at the photographer's face and Chaeyeon looking downward doing the same, with her blonde hair cascading down, tickling a part of Sakura's cheek.
 

Seconds pass, and the tension intensifies, they don't know where it comes from, but both can definitely feel it. The air they felt earlier comes crashing back as if it didn't leave in the first place as the two continue to study each other's appearance. After what feels like forever, Chaeyeon breaks the moment first by giggling albeit awkwardly, obviously trying to shake away the tense feeling. With that, Sakura snaps out of it too. They both try to get up while trying to cover their obviously red faces, busy wiping off the flour from their bodies and in doing so, they fail to hear the front door had open and only notices a pair of yellow sneakers in front of them. 
 

"What are you both doing on the floor? Yena asks, noticing their flour-covered faces; she jokingly asks, "Are you snorting drugs?" She adds with a slight giggle.
 

". Want some?" Chaeyeon says with a stern face, trying to keep it as deliberate as possible, fighting the urge to laugh when she sees Yena's horrified reaction, meaning to prank her all along.
 

Sakura watches amused at Chaeyeon's quick change of demeanor. She knows that Chaeyeon felt it too, with her distinct actions, still trying to shake the remaining feeling away. 
 

"Flour. We were trying to make homemade pasta" Sakura's rebuttal, rolling her eyes thinking of how typical Yena's reaction is. 
 

"Oh. Haha." Yena finally exhales in relief.
 

"But seriously, though. Want some... pasta?" Cha