The cold breeze brushed against her face as she stood waiting under a cherry blossom tree. To see the person she longed to be with every second of the day, she didn’t mind waiting out in the cold clad in nothing but a short, black skirt paired with a white blouse and a pastel pink cardigan draped over her shoulders. A sigh escaped her lips as she looked down at her watch, realizing how much time had passed since the promised meeting time.

Cheng Xiao wondered why Juyeon had yet to show up or would maybe even never show up at all. She had thought that she could always trust Juyeon’s words as Juyeon had never once failed her before.

Was Juyeon okay? Was something holding her back from keeping her word? Was she just playing with her heart? All these thoughts haunted Xiao as she stayed waiting; she shook her head lightly, trying to get rid of them. Looking up at the night sky, she caught a glimpse of falling snowflakes.

“The first snow,” she mumbled.

They say that watching the first snowfall together with your lover signifies that the two are destined to be together. How she wished that she could experience it with Juyeon one day if not now. She isn’t one to believe in such myths but anything positive about her relationship with Juyeon, she believes.

The cold was getting to her. She was constantly rubbing her hands together to keep them warm but she couldn’t do the same for her legs. She remained rooted at her spot under the cherry blossom tree despite beginning to shiver. For Juyeon, she could endure the cold.

A little over two hours had passed since Cheng Xiao had been waiting in the cold. She had sent Juyeon a number of messages but they have yet to be read. Feeling even more worried than before, she decided to give the girl a call.

One ring.

Two rings.

Three rings.

“Hello?” a voice answered.

Cheng Xiao frowned; this voice doesn’t belong to Juyeon. Voice quivering, she asked, “Who are you?”

The girl on the other end of the phone took a moment to answer. Juyeon’s girlfriend, Bona; that’s what she said. Cheng Xiao’s heart sank, she was rendered speechless.

“Hello? Anyone there?” Bona called out after minutes of silence. Still processing the thought, Cheng Xiao didn’t answer. Bona shrugged and hung up the phone.

“Who was that?” Juyeon asked. Bona had answered the phone in her place as she was busy cooking a late night meal.

“Don’t know,” Bona replied. In truth, she knew who the caller was. She had noticed the caller ID, “My Xiao Xiao ♡” it read. The two had never met before but she knew who this Cheng Xiao was as Juyeon was always going on and on about her. This sparked jealousy in Bona who had eyes for Juyeon. Did she feel guilty about lying to Cheng Xiao? No, she didn’t. Why would she when she was fighting for someone she loved? She had her right to do so. Those were thoughts she fed herself to make her feel better. A sense of guilt had washed over her; what if she caused the two lovebirds to break up? That would be good for her wouldn’t it? She would stand a chance with Juyeon then. She shut her eyes tightly, trying to waive off such horrible thoughts. She wasn’t a heartless person, she knows it’s wrong to break them up just for her own happiness. As much as she wanted Juyeon’s undivided attention and undying love, she knew she would never get them. Juyeon and Cheng Xiao were too perfect for each other, even she who has yet to meet Cheng Xiao could tell. She just had to move on.

Guilt eating her away, she picked up the phone to call Cheng Xiao. Cheng Xiao was hesitant to answer the call not knowing whether it was Bona or Juyeon on the other line but reluctantly did so, wondering what the caller had to say.

Listening to Bona’s story, Cheng Xiao was unsure whether to believe it or not. She wants to but there’s something that’s making her doubt it. She trusts Juyeon; she really does despite Juyeon’s tendency to get touchy with other girls. Still feeling uneasy, she asked Bona about their whereabouts and made her way there without a second thought.

---

Cheng Xiao was greeted by a familiar face. “I’ve been waiting for you,” the girl greets with a wide smile. Dumbfounded, Cheng Xiao simply stared at her. Juyeon didn’t waste a second, taking Cheng Xiao’s hands leading her in and sitting her down at the dining table.

“I’ve prepared some of your favorite dishes,” Juyeon said as she laid the dishes on the table, her smile never fading. Cheng Xiao remained silent, unable to comprehend the current situation. Juyeon didn’t seem a single bit regretful, she was in good spirits as usual, nothing out of the ordinary. Noticing Cheng Xiao’s dispirited self, Juyeon took a seat beside her. “What’s wrong?” she asked. Cheng Xiao turned to face Juyeon, only to meet her worried gaze. Cheng Xiao felt even worse to see her so worried but why should she when Juyeon is the one who was supposed to feel bad? She can’t explain why.

“Who is Bona?” Cheng Xiao questioned.

“Bona? She’s a close friend of mine, I guess you know about her through the call earlier?” Juyeon replied.

“Well when she answered my call, she introduced herself as your girlfriend.”

Silence ensued for a moment till Juyeon burst out laughing. “Bona’s not my girlfriend, I don’t know what made her say that but we do like to pull pranks so she probably just wanted to fool you. She was here earlier to help me out, she left before you arrived so I guess I’ll have to introduce you to her another day. I can’t believe you doubted me though, but I forgive you for that,” Juyeon explained as she pulled Cheng Xiao into a loving embrace.

Cheng Xiao was trying to fix the puzzle in her head; this was contradicting Bona’s story. She heard the tone of Bona’s voice when she confessed, it was sorrowful. Bona was serious and Juyeon is oblivious. Deciding not to dwell on this any longer, she questioned Juyeon about her forgetting their date.

“That was today?!” Juyeon responded rather loudly. “I swore we planned it for tomorrow, I even marked it down on the calendar.”

“What....” Cheng Xiao said in disbelief. It was a good thing they planned this through text messages so she looked through her chat history with Juyeon to re-confirm.

…

…

…

Cheng Xiao couldn’t believe herself. How she made this mistake, she had no clue. Juyeon let out a soft giggle, leaning in to hug the dazed girl.

Her eyes closed, Juyeon whispered into Cheng Xiao’s ear, “You must’ve been freezing to death out there, I’m sorry.”

“N-No don’t apologize, it’s not your fault in any way. I should’ve been more aware,” Cheng Xiao reasoned, returning the embrace.

“And I should’ve called to check up on you, to see how you were doing. I’d been too preoccupied preparing the dishes but it’s no excuse. I’m sorry, I love you.”

Cheng Xiao blushed. Sure Juyeon had told her those 3 words many times before but they never failed to make her heart beat a thousand times faster. “I’m grateful for the food, really. Thank you and I love you too,” Cheng Xiao said, giving Juyeon a peck on her cheek after.

Like a fool, Juyeon smiled. She pulled away from the hug, gazed into Cheng Xiao’s beautiful eyes and leaned forward to capture her sweet lips.